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Wiggles, Squiggles, Lines & Jiggles is a joyful book about a young girl who loves to make marks. She draws and writes indoors and out. She is learning about the power of writing her name and drawing pictures. And as she learns, she sometimes finds herself in funny situations that will make you laugh with recognition.

The first mark that children make looks a lot like scribbles on the opening pages of this book. Over time as children have practice with crayons, pencils, markers, pens, and paint they begin to draw lines, shapes, and the human form. They also like to draw about their own experiences. They might draw about a trip to Grandma's or the park. Or they could decide to draw action scenes from their favourite TV shows or videos.

Children love to make marks. It is a powerful feeling to know you can make your marks on the world. As some of you know, children often make these first drawings and writings on a book or a wall. However, they quickly adjust to writing or drawing on paper, dirt, sand, or snow.

Writing and drawing are an important part of every child's literacy growth. In the beginning, writing and drawing may look the same, like lines and jiggles. Usually by age three, children will tell you the differences between their writing and their drawing. If you say to them, "Tell me about you drawing and writing" you may well be amazed with the stories you hear. When children have the chance to make and talk about their drawings and writing, they share their thoughts and feelings. They show and tell us about their place in the world.

This is a story within a story. As a boy falls to sleep writing a book, the characters life off the page and begin an adventure of going for a walk in the evening woods before arriving home safely.

Seth Buckley was six years old when he wrote this story. The short and simple story gives us a hint of Seth's vivid imagination and his understanding of how stories are told.

Children learning how to tread and write needs lots of opportunity to have their words written down. Children have many brilliant stories in their heads Their stories can be based on a special event like going to the dentist, an everyday event like cooking supper, or an adventure story like "Seth Writes a Story." Special songs or poems could also be written in a homemade book.

Children are highly motivated to read their own thoughts and printed words. Writing down a story that a child has told allows you to return to it over and over again. There are many ways that as a parent you can help a child get their words on a page. Some children can write words on their own, some can write a few familiar letters, and some prefer to dictate the word to you. Homemade books have a way of becoming family treasures!

Helping with household tasks such as putting away the groceries allows children to feel confident in their growing abilities. Because of this, toddlers will take great pleasure in reading about Corey, a confident boy who brings his own style of "help" to putting away the groceries.

Product labels are some of the first words children recognize as they watch TV, go shopping, help with the cooking or put away the groceries. Labels can provide an opening for children and adults to talk about the size and the colour of packages, whether an item is needed, and what their family can or cannot afford. As children engage in these conversations, with their endless questions of "why" and "what does that say?" they make important connections between print and their everyday lives.

As you read this book to your child,talk about what's going on in the pictures, point to the words and pause when you get to the phrase"Careful Corey", inviting your child to chime in. SOon they will be able to point and say the words "Careful Corey" all by themselves. And as they begin to associate the products with the labels, they'll be wanting to know what those words say too.

When we sing and dance with our children we share how we feel. The music and the movements come from the emotions of the moment. Even before children can talk they can sing and dance. This kind of singing and dancing is not a performance. It is a sharing of feelings.

We may sing a top-ten tune, a remembered song from our own childhood, a TV jingle, or something we make up on the spot. Our movements may be a particular dance step or a free response to the rhythm. Our dance may be as simple as the repeated rocking motion that fits so well with a lullaby.

Children can often sing more difficult sentences that they can speak. As we sing together, we are often playing with language. Sometimes, we make up new words to old tunes. We insert our child's name into familiar songs. We say counting songs like "The Ants Go Marching One by One". We also enjoy add on songs such as "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." Playing with words and rhythms is a great way for parents to support children's literacy development in natural, joyful ways.

The story in this book comes from my conversations with many mothers. They told me that starting school can be an anxious event for children and their moms. As moms, they worried about whether or not their child would get on the right bus to come home from school, make new friends, or find help on the playground if they had a problem. They asked, "Will my child be okay at school?"

Many of the moms said they had gotten off to a bad start as school when they were children. They wanted their children to be okay, to feel safe. The moms liked when the school arranged to have the bus at kindergarten orientation. When their children could get on and off the bus, these moms felt more comfortable. They also appreciated teachers and principals who let them stay with their children in the classroom.

We know that children who have the chance to play with neighbourhood friends, attend high quality play groups or day care prior to kindergarten have an easier time starting school. They learn to get along with other children and to relate to adults who are not their parents. They also learn about reading, writing, and numbers in an informal way. They bring all this social and academic learning to the kindergarten classroom.

In this story, a young boy goes on a number hunt right in his very own home and finds numbers are everywhere! Join in with him as he counts from sun up to sun down and even on into the next day.

As a parent, you know how much fun your child can have counting out loud, counting the spoons on the table, the cans in the cupboard, or just saying numbers out loud. When children first start to count, it is common to name the numbers out of order - 1,2,5,8. When they begin to understand that each number stands for one object, they begin to count each object and name the numbers in order. Then, your children may really want to go on a number hunt, counting everything.

Looking for numbers in your home like those on the remote control, or a clock or a calendar helps children to match the number they are reciting to a number they can see. They can see what each number looks like.

Children also love to sing number songs like "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" And they like to make up songs on their own or with you, "I am running, 1, 2, 3. Come along and run with me." They really love to count the stops they are taking as they walk down the street or the stairs they are climbing. When children take such pleasure in counting and naming numbers, they are learning. So enjoy counting with your children!

Although I have loved my work, my best and most important job has been being a mother. I have wonderful memories of evening walks taken with my children when they were babies. My memories of these happy times have been the inspiration for this book.

When my sons were first born, they often had a cranky time after supper. Going for a walk outdoors provided healthy fresh air and a change for both of us. The motion of the stroller and the sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors were calming. It gave us an opportunity to enjoy nature together and to share a very special time.

I hope you will enjoy reading this book to your baby. It is a rhyming story about mommy and baby going for a walk. The rhythm of the words and the sounds of your voice can be soothing for your baby. The pages with full pictures show the many exciting things that are happening during the walk. These pictures can be a source of conversation and add meaning to the story. The pages with words have just one picture. You will notice that the word matching the picture is emphasized You can point to the picture and show your baby as you say the word. Once your baby begins to focus on the page and has favourites, point and say can be fun.