Valerie

From birth to 4 years old is when most children are read to most. It is crucial to the healthy development of the brain that books and stories be read to and made available to even the youngest child.So enjoy this period of being your child's first teacher, knowing that giving her a story every day is one of the greatest contributions you can make as a parent.Also know, however, you are not off the hook when she becomes a reader at age 5, 6 or 7. Reading together needs to be a constant in your child's life, a promise that you would not break any sooner than you would break your promise to feed her, love her or make her wear a coat in winter.

Read Aloud TipsNot all books are best utilized as stand-up read-alouds; some are too unwieldy and need to lie flat; some are really lap books, best experienced one-on-one; some are so interactive that they need to be where the child can put his hands on them.Most books will benefit from a caring adult's reading them aloud, but think twice before performing for a large group a book with fold-out pages, tabs, or intricate illustrations that need to be seen to make the story work.Know your audience.

Books can help your child to know you. If a book makes you feel good -- or sad -- or mad -- take it home to your child and read it to her.-- Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children by Valerie V. Lewis and Walter M. MayesPub Date: 05/09/99

Bats are not blind. In fact, they can see very well! There are close to a thousand different kinds of bats in the world. Baby bats are called pups, and mother bats carry them when they search for food."

Sometimes kids are just not ready to try something new, such as an overnight at a friend's house, learning to swim or starting school. Rosemary Wells has written a threesome that reminds children and their parents that things take longer for some than for others: "Edward Unready for a Sleep Over," "Edward Unready for Swimming" and "Edward Unready for School."Being unready is not limited to the preschool set, nor is it confined to the reluctant child. Judith Viorst's "Earrings!" shows the frustrations a child can feel when she thinks she is ready (to have her ears pierced)

Jan Brett, author of "The Mitten," recalls: "I remember the quiet times when, as a child, I felt I could enter my beautiful children's books. One of the joys of reading is that you can pause whenever you wish to think, imagine, dream, and then return with the turn of a page."-- "Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children," by Valerie V. Lewis and Walter M. Mayes

It is wonderful when a child has parents who value books enough to buy them and create an at-home library. But we also believe children should have library experience so they can learn to make good choices for themselves. At the library, price is not an issue, money is no object. Your child may choose a book because it looks familiar. Or because the cover is weird. Or he may grab it because it's on top. It doesn't matter. If he changes his mind when he gets home, he can return it to the library -- no questions asked.

Often, those of us in the business of deciding and providing what children "should" read act like gatekeepers, as if we have forgotten that the wonderful world of literature we are guarding isn't ours in the first place. Children are not adults in training, but people in their own right, full of opinions and needs. If we are less than thrilled to have them reading certain books, better to be involved in their lives and grateful that they are reading than rail against their choices. It is not the selection of a particular book that is a problem, but the lack of a concerned and interested adult to help young readers understand their choices.

Bedtime is not the only time to read with a child. Have books handy at home, and pack some with you when you leave. Books can be helpful in these situations:* Preparing for new experiences* Relieving stress* Comforting fears* Offering reassurance* Getting silly* During an illness* During time-outs* On the bus* In the car: Yes, stories on tape are a great way to share tales. A road trip also can be a time for passengers to read aloud to drivers. -- Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children by Valerie V. Lewis and Walter M. Mayes

Sometimes the cure for easing a difficult time is to discover you are not alone, that someone understands how you feel. Books can be the ointment that lessens the pain during such times. Other occasions may be zany, mischievous, happy ones, a perfect time for a wacky tale.In this list, you'll find stories with characters who display feelings in situations children will recognize.Anxious: "Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?" by Martin WaddellBashful: "Shy Charles," by Rosemary WellsCompetitive: "Don't Fidget a Feather!"

On September 23, 2009 ROBERT S. VALERIE devoted father of Robert J. Valerie and his wife Jen, Renee Tilton and her husband Mark; loving grandfather of Emily and Ben Valerie and Christen, Jacob, Montana and Makenna Tilton; dear great-grandfather of Ian Thomas Nickles; dear brother of Richard Valerie. Funeral Services will be held at the family owned Duda-Ruck Funeral Home of Dundalk, Inc., 7922 Wise Avenue on Monday at 10 a.m. Interment Gardens of Faith Memorial Park. Friends may call Sunday 3-5 and 7-9 p.m.

On August 3, 2009, VALERIE A. Friends may visit the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME EAST, 1101 E. North Avenue on Friday after 8:30 A.M where the family will receive friends on Saturday at 10 A.M. Funeral ser

On January 14, 2009, JOHN MILLER SR., loving husband of Valerie H. Miller. He is also survived by loving children Valerie Cummings and John H. Miller Jr.; sisters Reba Robbins, Cornelia Brown, and brother James Miller, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends. Friends may visit the family-owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue, on Sunday after 10 AM. Family will receive friends on Monday at Union Baptist Church, 1219 Druid Hill Avenue at 11:30 AM followed by funeral services at 12.

Rep Stage will celebrate its Sweet 16 on Saturday night with a party and a salute to its "mom" - founder Valerie Lash. The theater company, in residence at Howard Community College, is throwing its first gala event, called REPartee, in the newly renovated Smith Theatre on the college's Columbia campus. "We are saluting Valerie for all of her work over the years for education and entertainment in the community," said Michael Stebbins, producing artistic director of the theater. The 8 p.m. show in Smith Theatre, hosted by Stebbins and Rep Stage regular Bruce Nelson, will feature musical entertainment and guests.

On May 19, 2008, ALFRED; devoted father of Valerie Craig, Phyllis Alexander and Rosetta B. Waters. Friends may visit the FAMILY OWNED MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, 4300 Wabash Avenue on Friday, after 8:30 AM where the family will receive friends on Saturday, at 12:30 p.m. Funeral Services will follow at 1:00 p.m.

On May 17, 2008, VALERIE MARIE WASHINGTON; beloved wife of Wayne E. Washington. On Friday, friends may call at VAUGHN C. GREENE FUNERAL SERVICES (RANDALLSTOWN), 8728 Liberty Road, from 4 to 8 P.M. On Saturday, the family will receive friends at the Vaughn C. Greene Chapel - Randallstown from 10:30 to 11 A.M. with services to follow. Inquiries to (410) 655-0015.

On April 2, 2008, ALVIS. B. Devoted husband of Audrey Valentine. Beloved father of Valerie (Arthur) Harris and Rodney (Patric) Valentine and a host of other relatives and friends. Friends may visit the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue, on Tuesday, after 8:30 A.M., where the family will receive friends from 6 to 8 P.M. the family will also receive friends at the above establishment on Wednesday at 11:30 A.M. Funeral services will follow at 12:00 P.M.

On January 30, 2008, VALERIE G., daughter of Gertrude Tucker. Friends may call at the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME EAST, 1101 E. North Avenue on Sunday after 10 A.M. The family will receive friends at Israel Baptist Church, 1220 N. Chester Street on Monday at 10:00 A.M. Funeral services will follow at 10:30 A.M.

Avenue Montaigne makes what seems, at first, a bold statement: that art is entertainment, and drawing distinctions between the two is both foolish and self-defeating. The highbrow among us might beg to differ, arguing that there's no comparison between an Ibsen play and a soap opera. So might the more lowbrow, for whom classical music is a labor they don't care to endure. But, really, the vast majority of people understand that they like what they like, not for what it's called but for how it makes them feel.

It was cold - really cold - as Marvin Briscoe and Valerie McKeever and a team of city housing department employees fanned out across a swath of Park Heights yesterday in the icy morning air, the wind whipping up snow around them. But their clients, they assumed, were colder. Death Traffic fatality in Harford might be linked to snow.pg 3b