Publisher's Synopsis
Many children do not like reading and reflecting on what they read. And yet, they must know how important it is to think with their minds. To do this, they have to learn the basic parts of speech, punctuation rules, and paragraphs, so that they are able to understand the meaning of every part of a text. Parents should guide their children through this journey, but they do not always know how to be helpful. Avien and Virgil Abney's book Random Thoughts is an excellent starting point. It is a clear, succinct, and colorful book that parents and children should read together. Through a series of questions, challenges, and the story of a kid named Avien, Random Thoughts: How Reading Helped Me Make Sense Of My Thinking develops the child's reading skills. The "Random Thoughts" of the title are the ideas that children have in their minds, but they cannot grasp. Avien and Virgil Abney offer sound advice on how to develop young readers' skills. Their tips are valuable and clear. They help parents to guide their children's progress and encourage young readers to think. I like the choice to use Avien's story as the guiding thread. Children can identify themselves with Avien, as he too, like many of them, is not a keenreader (yet). I hope that they will follow his example and will appreciate the value of reading. I commend books that teachchildren how to think, and Random Thoughts achieves this goal in a simple but effective way. I am sure that if parents and children follow its guidelines, they will be perfectly satisfied with their achievement.
