Dear Parents and Guardians:

This month, Ranger Rick Jr. magazine uses poetry to compare different kinds of owls. It also introduces children to six nocturnal animals that are out and about while you and your child are sleeping.

Turn to page 6 and show your child the photo of a great gray owl. Explain that you’ll learn about this bird and other owls by reading a series of poems. As you read aloud, emphasize the rhythm of the language and the rhyming words. Ask your child point to the words that rhyme in each poem.

Many children may not be aware that there are many kinds of owls. After reading all the owl poems, ask your child to compare the seven owls featured in the article. Encourage him with these questions:

• How are the owls alike? (All have big eyes and hunt animals.)
• Are all the owls the same size? (No, great gray and great horned owls are large, while the pygmy, screech, and burrowing owls are small.)
• How else are the owls different? (Some are white, others are gray or brown. Some hunt during the day, others at night. Owls make different sounds.)

In every other issue of Ranger Rick Jr., you’ll find an interactive game that encourages children to use their previous knowledge to solve a riddle. After showing your child the illustrations and text on page 26, ask your child if the mystery animal lives in a place where it is hot or cold.

Then read the clues on page 27 and ask your child to name a large animal that doesn’t have legs and lives where it is very cold. Open the flap to see if her guess was correct. If your child likes the walrus poster, consider hanging it on a bedroom wall.

I hope you and your child are enjoying the lovely fall weather.

Mike Wilson, Founder

Prekindergarten Reading Encouragement Project
PREP – Helping childhood literacy one family at a time.
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