Left, Right, Emma!
Stuart J. Murphy, author
Stuart J. Murphy, author of the award-winning MathStart books (HarperCollins), has developed a new series for Charlesbridge: I See I Learn®. The I See I Learn® books feature simple stories and visual learning strategies to help young children learn important social, emotional, health and safety, and cognitive skills. Stuart, a visual learning specialist, has also served on the authorship teams of a number of major educational programs. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Stuart and his wife, Nancy, live in Boston, Massachusetts, near their children and three grandchildren, Jack, Madeleine, and Camille.
Read more about Stuart.
BookLoons
Part of the I See I Learn series, this inexpensive picture book focuses on telling one's left and one's right. Emma's class is forming a marching band for Grandparent's Day and Miss Cathy invites Emma to be the group's leader.
Unfortunately, poor Emma is not sure she can handle the job since she's a little unsure of which is her right and left foot. To march properly, all the students will have to move together ... left, right, left, right. As the leader, Emma will have to set an example for her classmates.
Miss Cathy, realizing Emma is a little confused, comes up with a brilliant plan. She ties a piece of red string on Emma's right wrist. 'This will help you remember,' she says. Perfect! The rest of the practice goes well and when she gets home, Emma keeps marching, left, right, left, right!
On the day of the big event Emma doesn't need the string anymore. She's mastered left, right and does an excellent job leading her fellow students.
At the end of the book, there is a Closer Look section that provides a few exercises so that your toddler can practice his or her left and right awareness. After a few sessions reading this cognitive skills book, knowing one's left from right shouldn't be an issue with your child.
Roundtable Reviews
If your youngster is having trouble distinguishing his or her left and right sides, this picture book by visual learning specialist Stuart Murphy will help solve the problem.
Using a simple text, repetition and a cute cast of characters, Murphy presents a way of helping your child remember which side is right and which side is left.
Emma is asked to be the leader of her class marching band but to do so she'll have to keep everyone in step, which means she must know her left from her right side. A little unsure of herself, Emma's teacher comes to the rescue with a piece of red string she ties on Emma's right wrist.
With the simple aid, Emma can practice her "left, right moves" and on the day of the performance all goes well because everyone moves together in step.
Besides the story itself, which illustrates how Emma masters left and right, the author also includes a "Closer Look" page that suggests a few other ways parents can reinforce this important cognitive skill in their preschoolers.
It won't be long at all before your child, just like Emma, will be very comfortable with the concept of left and right. –Bob Walch
School Library Journal
Designed to teach school readiness skills, Left, Right, Emma illustrates the difference between left and right while Percy [Listens Up] shows the importance of listening. The stories are realistic but concept-focused, making them more useful for classroom use than for recreational reading. The digital cartoons of the animal characters reinforce the messages well, and are appealing enough to hold children’s attention. –Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Ft. Thomas, KY
Learn more about this series, visual learning, and Stuart J. Murphy at www.iseeilearn.com.
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-58089-472-2
Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-58089-473-9
E-book
ISBN: 978-1-60734-077-5 PDF
Ages: 2-5
Page count: 32
8 x 6 3/4