Children develop phonemic awareness (PA) by taking words apart and putting them back together. PA has been found to help children learn to read, spell, and improve reading comprehension. Noah's Ark, by Jerry Pinkney, a beautifully illustrated version of the story, is not only important to Christian education. It has ties to all cultures of the world, and contains many elements that promote phonemic awareness and reading comprehension.

Details, Details:
When reading this book to your child for the first time, take time to look at details in the pencil and watercolor pictures, perhaps counting how many animals are shown on a page, or how many butterflies there are in the book.

Fonts and Sounds:
Point out the different fonts used on the cover and the jacket, and how the letter N is different, and how it is the same, in each font used. Say, "How many sounds do you hear in 'Noah'? (3) What are they?" He should be able to identify at least the /n/ sound, and possibly the long o sound. Point to the letter N each time you see the word Noah, reminding her of the sound represented. Do the same for the word 'God' and 'ark'.

Changing It Around:
Explain that an ark is a kind of large boat. Make new words by changing the beginning sounds. Say, "What word would I get if I put a /b/ sound at the beginning of ark? That's right, a bark is a dog sound! What about if I use a /l/ sound instead? I would get a kind of bird, a lark!"

Starts and Descriptions:
Have him tell the beginning sound of the animals named. Which ones start with the same sound? Can you think of another animal whose name starts with that sound? Do you have family members or friends whose names start with the same sound? Talk about the different words that described how the animals moved (bounded, ran, cast shadows, swam, darted) and how they ate (munched, gobbled, nibbled).

Alliteration:
Make alliteration phrases that describe how an animal eats or moves. For instance, "Monkeys Munch Melons and Meander the Many Magnificent Members (beams) of the ark" would be one such alliteration phrase that relates to the story.

Following Up:
Plan a Noah snack, where all the items start with the /n/ sound. For instance, peanut butter crackers and juice could be nuts and nectar. Your child will demonstrate comprehension when she uses parts of the story in her playtime, builds arks for her toys, and retells pieces of the story. Encourage these things as you play with her.