'Captivate Children With Stories That Include Poetry' - Guest Post by Thomas Weck

Captivate Children with Stories that Include Poetry

By Thomas Weck

Young children can learn so much from reading their favorite books with a loved one. They learn by listening and participating in a way that actively encourages their imagination. If a child sees reading as a fun activity from the start, he will usually enjoy reading as he gets older.

The use of simple poetry can bring a story alive in a way that an "only prose" story cannot. A repetitive poetic refrain can captivate. A child will often take "ownership" of a short verse and want to be the one who "reads" it. The clever use of fonts (different size letters, color and shape) also can enhance a child's enjoyment of the story (with a request for a re-read the next storytime or bedtime).

Anything from making flashcards to acting out the new words can be fun ways for children to learn and remember the new vocabulary. Searching for synonyms and antonyms in the poem can be turned into a fun scavenger hunt. For example, draw attention to an unusual or new word and talk about words with similar or opposite meanings. See how many words the child can find that she doesn't know and do the same thing. It can be fun to search for nouns, adjectives, and verbs in the child's favorite poems as well.

In my newest children's book, The Labyrinth, I incorporate a small verse that is repeated five times at key points in the story. This delights children.                     "Oh, Mean Ol' Bean,                   How he did scheme.                   To be rid of the Queen,                   That was his dream."

For young children, the rhyming and natural rhythm draws them into a story. Adults get caught up in the fun of it as well. Who doesn't still remember, "red fish, blue fish, one fish, two fish," or "a person's a person no matter how small?" Seuss and many other wonderful authors offer children so much. So, join in the fun and find books to read that include poetry and rhymes.

Thomas Weck is a creative and captivating national award-winning author of children's books, including the popular Lima Bear Stories: The Megasaurus, How Back-Back Got His Name, The Cave Monster and The Labyrinth. Learn more at  LimaBearPress.com.







 More About the Author and the Lima Bear Stories

Thomas Weck is the creator and co-author--with his son Peter--of the Lima Bear Stories. Originally made-up bedtime stories he told his four children, the Lima Dear tales resurfaced when Weck's son Peter had children. Peter remembered the stories and wanted to have his father write them down so that he could share them with his children. Father and son took it one step further and created Lima Bear Press to produce the stories as books that children everywhere can enjoy. The first three titles in this award-winning series were released in2011: The Megasaurus, How Back-Back Got His Name, and The Cave Monster. The Labyrinth will be released in August 2012. The books are not only fun and funny with great illustrations, they also have an underlying message such as tolerance, honesty, courage, forgiveness, etc. Additionally, each book has an extended the Learning and an Activity section at the end where children can become active participants in the story experience. Learn more at LimaBearPress.com.

Review of The Labyrinth, a Lima Bear book

The Labyrinth is the latest in the Lima Bear series of books by the father-son team of Thomas and Peter Weck. From the very beginning, this book is quite different from their other ones. It opens with a poem and has more verse spread throughout. Good rhymes are lacking in modern children's literature. Rhyming is so important to help with their phonemic awareness and reading skills. Also, the print is different, actually looking like the words. For example, "twists and turns" is printed in squiggly letters. "Cheered" is printed in an arch. I like how it is adding a visual component, to help the children better understand the feelings implied by those words.



In this story, King Limalot is getting too old to continue ruling his kingdom. He has no sons, so he decides to crown his daughter, Belinda Bean, Queen of Beandom. Mean ol' Bean isn't happy, though, because he wants to be king. So, he quickly hatches a plan to lure Queen Belinda into the nearby labyrinth to see the magic flower garden at its center. Once there, he would quickly flee, and leave her behind to be lost forever.

Unfortunately for him, our hero from other books, L. Joe Bean, uncovers the dastardly plot and flips the tables on Mean ol' Bean. Belinda is saved from the labyrinth, but Mean ol' Bean gets stuck there. After a few days, L. Joe Bean takes pity on him and promises to rescue him if he can promise to be good again.

This book is cute, as are all of the other ones in the series. I love the illustrations. Everything shows a great deal of imagination, which children will love. One particular aspect I like about this book is that L. Joe Bean is nice to Mean ol' Bean, even though he is a despicable creature. It shows that you still need to be kind to those who are awful. Sometimes they just need a little kindness to help them remember how to be kind, themselves.

I haven't yet had a chance to share this with my students. Unfortunately, my complimentary review copy appeared on my porch on our last day of school. I know, however, that when we reconvene in the fall, they will love this one as much as the first three in the series.



I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

'Reading WITH, Not TO, Your Child' Article by Thomas Weck

Thomas Weck is the author of the Lima Bear series of books that my students so adored reading over the past year. In this article, he shows parents how to productively engage their children in the reading experience.


Reading with, Not to, Your Child

By Thomas Weck

Reading a book to your child is a great way to help your child learn. Sometimes, though, simply reading the words on the page may not be stimulating enough. Some of the time your child might be perfectly content to sit and listen; on other days, he may not be able to keep one foot still! Do not fret. Your child can get his learning and keep his energy at a high level, too!  The trick is to read with your child.

Start with the old standby--reading. Once the story has begun to unfold, ask your child some questions before moving onto the next page. Use questions that will encourage interaction. For example: * Point to some of the pictures on the page and see if your child can describe what the illustrations show. Is the main character revealed on the first page? Can you tell where the story takes place? Is it daytime or nighttime as the story begins? Do you think it will be the same at the end of the story? (And no peeking ahead is allowed!) * Have your child try to reason how a picture on the page relates to the story. For example, you could ask, "Why does the candle droop?" Could it be that it is because it has been burning for a long time? * Identify specific words used in the story as a teachable moment. Are some words written in a different way from the rest of the words? Are some bigger? Smaller? In a different color? Ask your child to guess why. Have your child say the special words in the story in the way he thinks the author intended for them to be read. Talk about how the words could be said differently to express a different emotion.

Are you getting a sense for how easy reading interactively can be? By reading in this way, your child is part of the reading time, too! Enjoy watching your child's excitement as he/she figures out the answers to your questions and comes up with unique ways to add to or change the story. Encourage your child to ask questions of you too. Prompt your child to come up with the questions for you by announcing, "on the next page, it is Daddy's turn to answer YOUR questions." The possibilities are endless for ways that you can read interactively with your child.

If it isn't naptime or bedtime, have your child act out part of the story, or make up a song or dance to retell the story to you after you have finished. If your child has a lot of stuffed animals and they are the same type as in the story, let the teddy bear dance around or climb up the pillows and let the dog bark, etc. Try to come up with new ways every time you read a book. Happy reading!

Thomas Weck is the author/creator of the *Lima Bear Stories. Originally made-up bedtime stories he told his four children, the Lima Bear tales resurfaced when Weck's son Peter had children. Peter remembered the stories and wanted to have his father write them down so that he could share them with his children. Father and son took it one step further and created Lima Bear Press to produce the stories as books that children everywhere can enjoy. The first three titles in this award-winning series were released in 2011: The Megasaurus, How Back-Back Got His Name, and The Cave Monster. The books are not only fun and funny with great illustrations, they also have an underlying message such as such as tolerance, honesty, courage, etc. Additionally, each book has an Extend the Learning and an Activity section at the end where children can become active participants in the story experience. More books in the series will be released in 2012. Learn more at  LimaBearPress.com.

Review of The Cave Monster, a Lima Bear book

The Cave Monster is the third book in the Lima Bear series. Again, I shared this with my students, ages 3-6, who greatly enjoyed it. It is recommended for children ages 4-8.

In this book, Lima Bear is eagerly waiting for his cousin, L. Joe Bean to arrive for a visit. Before he makes it, though, he is kidnapped by a cave monster! The other animal friends, Whistle-Toe, Maskamal and Back-Back vow to help Lima Bear rescue his cousin. They work together on their plan to overcome the cave monster and get back their friend. The lesson in this book is that when individuals are afraid, they can band together to find courage.


Out of the three books, I like this one the least. Some of my younger students were frightened by the cave monster, which is why this book is recommended for those just a little older. My students found it amusing, though, even those who were a little scared. I do like how the characters work together to find their courage and to solve their problems. Teamwork is always a good lesson for kids. It is still a cute story. The illustrations are adorable.

As in all of the other books, there are discussion questions and activities for adults and children to share. This book can lead to another thematic unit.


I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review of How Back-Back Got His Name, a Lima Bear book

How Back-Back Got His Name is the second book in the Lima Bear series. It's yet another picture book that I shared with my students, who range in age from 3-6. They loved this one, too!


Plumpton, the opossum, wakes up his friends because he is having an EEE-mergency! He was brushing his fur and all of a sudden, his back was gone! Lima Bear and Whistle-Toe, the rabbit, go find Maskamal, the raccoon, to help them find Plumpton's back.

The friends come up with all kinds of ways to try to find Plumpton's back, managing to just get themselves into all kinds of trouble. They have to work together to solve their own EEE-mergencies. They learn the importance of teamwork. A more valuable lesson is that people who appear to be different, often have their own special talents.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the lessons being taught about teamwork and how it is okay to be different. There is also a lesson about it not being okay to hunt and trap animals.

The end of the book has activities for adults to do with children, whether in the classroom or at home. It includes several discussion questions, as well as a fun science lesson and several language arts lessons. Reading this simple children's book for ages 4-8 can easily turn into a thematic unit. Check it out.


I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review of The Megasaurus, a Lima Bear book

The Megasaurus is the first book in a series of picture books about a little group of bears who are the same size and shape as beans. It's know as "The Lima Bear Series," based on stories that Thomas Weck used to tell his children. Father and son teamed up to bring these stories to life for all children.

I was a little apprehensive about sharing the books in my classroom. The stories are a little long for my 3 year-olds, but some of the 4's and most of the 5's were able to sit through it without a problem. The books are actually recommended for the 4-8 year-old range. I didn't need to worry, because the kids loved them.


In The Megasaurus, the little kingdom of Beandom is in trouble. A monster, known as a Megasaurus, loved to eat beans and was heading their way! The king wants to know what to do, so he calls upon his trusted advisors. Each one of them comes up with a plan, only to have little L. Joe Bean, a servant's son, tell them that their plan isn't going to work. He has an even better plan, if only the kind would listen to him. The wise owls laugh at little L. Joe Bean, but King Limalot hears what he has to say. After the three owls' plans fail, the king decides to give L. Joe Bean's plan a chance. To everyone's relief, it works and the Megasaurus is gone forever.

I was a little worried that the prospect of a monster coming to eat the little bears would scare some of the children. Instead, they were impressed by the dinosaur-like creature. If they were scared at all, it didn't last long. The Montessorian in me had a hard time with tactics like shooting the monster with arrows, but I quickly got over that.

The story has a good message to it - don't discount the little guy, because he may have something valuable to say. Kids can feel empowered by the little bean characters. The goal of the Lima Bear Press is to bring positive messages to children through their stories. I think the Wecks are able to accomplish this.

The back of the book has activities for parents and teachers to do with children after reading the story. There are discussion questions, as well as art projects, a math lesson and a phonics activity. This provides a good springboard for even more learning from the story. It's worth a read. My students requested it over and over again.


I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.