Nerissa's Celebration: a collection of 30 read aloud stories for kids (knowonder! stories)

Nerissa's Celebration is the 3rd volume in our Story-a-Day Initiative: a Literacy Program that drives progress through fun, compelling and affordable stories each and every day of the month. This collection includes stories about roly-poly fat cats and super-duper-staticy cats, dancing bears and piggy princesses, a boy with lead boots and kids who actually want monsters under their beds! And of course, there are dragons and a whole lot of other adventurous and exciting things hiding inside. - - - - - Our Stories knowonder! stories are Read-Aloud stories. In fact, the whole Knowonder! Literacy Program is built up around this core difference. Read-aloud stories and picture books are very different from each other. They are both needed, but they provide very different benefits. (learn more on www.knowonder.com) Consider these key benefits of read-aloud stories: Listening skills are built concentration improves as children learn to sit still and focus comprehension and understanding of events (cause and effect relationships) is enhanced imagination is actively exercised as children imagine the scenes, characters and worlds the words create vocabulary is increased as children discover new words a child's ability to guess meanings of new words grows children become more confident because they know they are cared for and loved and becuase they can express their thoughts and needs children are better-enabled to make friends and good relationships because their communication skills are increased learning in all subjects becomes much easier because the brain is literally being wired to learn and take in new information family bonds are strengthened and reinforced, creating an atmosphere of love, trust and communication in the home which will last a lifetime While it can be said that many of these benefits come from picture books, most of them are developed much better, faster, and deeper with read-aloud stories. When you consider the sum-total of all these benefits, it's easy to see why reading to your child every day from birth is the single-most important thing a parent can do to ensure a child's success in life. Designed by Experts The knowonder! story collections have been designed by literacy experts and educators specifically to enable, enhance and promote daily family reading from a young age. The books make it easy and fun for parents to read to kids every day! Each story is written by professional children's writers from around the world giving you and your child insight into many different ideas, people, cultures and more, thoughts, experiences and more. Stories in this volume include: 1. Nerissa's Celebration 2. Just Plain Sarah Jane 3. I Want My Own Monster 4. To Be or Not to Be a Princess 5. Kabungo & the Pumpkin, Part I 6. Dance Walking 7. Roly-Poly Fat Cat 8. Ellie the Zoo 9. Bot-in-a-Box 10. Blackbird and Owl 11. Princess Piggy 12. Zora Zooms from Planet Zot 13. The Small World 14. The Boy with the Lead Boots 15. Merinda's Gift 16. Where are the Ducklings? 17. A Damselfly in Distress 18. The First Snowflake 19. A Puzzling Surprise 20. Martian Cookies 21. Dr. Franklin's Staticy Cat 22. A Dark and Stormy Night 23. Robert's Shirt is Gone 24. Beware of the Dragon! 25. Polly Porcupine's Prickly Problem 26. Kabungo & the Pumpkin, Part II 27. Harry, a Prince of a Dog 28. Ellie's Art Rocks! 29. Sapphire and Weld 30. The Grasshoppers Who Learned to Sing