Already Ready by Katie Wood Ray and Matt Glover

Already Ready by Katie Wood Ray and Matt Glover
I borrowed from a friend this weekend and am very interested in this newest Katie Wood Ray book because I have primary writers ( some of who have had limited writing experiences) and because I have a 4yr old who loves to tell stories and hear stories. Katie Wood Ray has inspired my own workshop through her primary workshop book, About the Authors.
This book begins with a very important premise that Katie and Matt make sure we are reminded of..."this book is not about teaching writing, it's about nurturing writers." They speak to the reader about understanding pre- school and K writers in the first part of the book, explaining why it's beneficial for kids to make books and explaining that even our youngest kiddos can view themselves as writers. The second part of the book is filled with "practices that nurture writers" all in the context of the NEYC guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice. I will be using lesson ideas like what is a picture book, differences between books, purposes of different books and will put her suggested book list to work in my room. ( I did notice many of the titles overlap with some of the books mentioned in About the Authors) Finally, I think I was most appreciative that Katie and Matt reiterate through their book the importance of looking at writing as a process and not a series of steps. This book nurtures the conversations, questions and discussions about how and why writers do what they do even for the little ones.