Review: S is for Smiling Sunrise

Even though my children are well past the "learning their ABC's" years, we really enjoyed reviewing "S is for Smiling Sunrise" from WordsBright, written by Vick Wadhwa.

This short, hardcover book puts a whole new spin on early childhood reading. It is designed to be read aloud to toddlers and preschoolers, and also is easy enough for young, early readers to work through.

Each page represents a letter of the alphabet with a beautiful illustration and short rhyme about the word on that page.

What makes this book different from all the other ABC books for young children?  The words and rhymes chosen for each letter are very atypical for a child's book. They really expand the horizons of the young mind, by using accelerated vocabulary words and exploring the depths of nature. For example, the page for B discusses butterflies, how they 'flutter' with wings soft as butter. 

The author, Vick Wadhwa, states that he felt very uninspired and bored when reading early childhood books to his own young daughter, so he created this book as an interesting alternative. 

What we like: The book is very sturdy and of excellent quality, and the illustrations are lovely with vibrant colors. Children love looking at the pictures. The rhymes are very catchy and interesting, and frequently mention good virtues and character traits, which is an excellent positive reinforcement to the young readers.

How we are using this book: This book is a delightful read, and my teenagers have taken it along for their babysitting duties. It has drawn in and kept the attention of every young child that it has been read to. 

Some very nice extras: On the website, there is an opportunity to download a free mp3 file of the entire book set to music. It is set to the familiar tune of the 'Alphabet Song' and sung with soft background music. A child might even like to listen to it while reading along in the book! 

Also, the website has two free teaching guides, one for Pre-K and one for K-3, with questions, activity suggestions, and character development ideas for the parent to use alongside the book. Here is an example of the K-3 study guide for the first two letters of the alphabet:

The WordsBright website has purchasing information for "S is for Sunrise" and I am sure you won't be disappointed with this delightful children's book. 

To see what other members of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew thought of this book, please click the banner below:

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