Reading a MirthTale book aloud
A short guide to the part that matters most: the ten minutes on the sofa with the book you made.
Before you open it
Let your child hold the book. Read the title on the cover in their words and read their name. Ask what they think will happen, even if they already know. A book they made is a book they have opinions about.
While you read
- Pause on the picture before the words. Ask what they see.
- Read the sentence, then ask a question that isn't in the text: why did the fox go, how did the mouse feel?
- Wait longer than feels comfortable. Children this age take time to build an answer.
- If they correct the story, agree. It is their story. You can read it their way tonight.
- Point at words you say. Not every word, just the ones that repeat.
After the last page
Ask one question about tomorrow: what should happen next time? Then put the book on the shelf where they can reach it. The second reading is worth as much as the first, and the fifth is worth more than either.
Reading the same book again
Repeated reading is not a chore to be endured. It is how children this age learn words: the same words, in the same order, in the same voice. If your child wants the same book five nights running, that is the book working.
What to say when they have no idea
Some nights a child has nothing. That is fine. Say the name of the Story Pack world and one companion, and ask a yes-or-no question: is the owl in it? Then stop. If nothing comes, press the button and let MirthTale write a whole book. Read it. Tomorrow they will have an idea, usually about what MirthTale got wrong.