ABQ READS To You
ABQ Reads is an 18-year partnership between the Chamber and Albuquerque Public Schools that pairs 300 tutors with Title I elementary students for reading practice three times each week. As part of the program, students also receive at least 20 books throughout the school year, to build their at-home library to enjoy with family, and a backpack stuffed with other school supplies. The program provides kindergarteners and some first graders with 90 minutes per week of one-on-one literacy instruction that is curriculum-aligned and teacher-guided. And it pays off: data has shown that, over the course of a school year, this extra reading help closes the achievement gap between ABQ Reads students and their district peers. Closing that gap is critical - students who can read on grade-level by the start of fourth grade are four times more likely to graduate high school on time and with the skills they need for lifelong success. To learn how to volunteer or to contribute with a donation, contact Margarita Rodríguez-Corriere at [email protected]. Below, you’ll find “ABQ Reads To You,” an online library of exciting stories for kindergarteners and first graders, read by business and community leaders in our area during the 2020-2021 school year when our students were still learning from home. Happy reading!
Kyle Beasley from the Bank of Albuquerque and the Board Chair for the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce reads Leonardo the Terrible Monster, by Mo Willems. This book is a story about a monster named Leonardo, who is not very good at being a monster because he cannot scare anyone. In the end, Leonardo discovers that being a friend to someone is more important than scaring them.
Terri Cole from the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce reads Mogie, The Heart of the House, by Kathi Appelt. The story is about Mogie, a dog that knows how to be a good friend and companion to children in the Ronald McDonald House that are very sick. In the end, the reader learns the value of being a good friend and companion for those that are in need.
(En Español) Leslie Apodaca del bufete Rodey Law Firm lee Un Beso en Mi Mano, escrito por Audrey Penn. El libro se trata de Chester, un mapache, que tiene que dejar a su madre por primera vez para asistir a la escuela. Chester aprende a confiar en el beso en su mano dado por su madre para ser valiente.
DeAnn Eaton from Haverland Carter reads Sheila Rae the Brave, by Kevin Henkes. The story is about a mouse named Sheila Rae that believes she is very brave and one day she and her sister Louise, decide to take a new way home from school.
Laurie Donovan from Wells Fargo Bank reads The Koala Who Could, by Rachel Bright. This story is about a Koala named Kevin, that was scared to try new things or change. In the end, the Koala discovers that change and trying something new wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be.
Leean Kravitz from Fidelity Investments reads Yoko, written by Rosemary Wells. The story is about Yoko the cat, who takes her favorite sushi to school one day to eat during lunch time. She finds out that her classmates find her food yucky. In the end, Yoko and her classmates discover that sometimes it takes a little time to accept something new like different food. But if you give it a try, you might end up liking it.
Pat Dee from US Bank reads The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds. This book is about a caring teacher that tries to give a student confidence by having her try to do something the student doesn’t think she’s good at.
Chris Ramirez from KOB-TV 4 reads Blue Corn Soup, by Caroline Stutson. This book is about Abuelita, a mouse, that is cooking sopa on a winter day. Her animal friends figure out a way to each contribute something to the cooking of the soup so that in the end, they can all share.
Amy Tapia from Sandia National Laboratories reads Whoever You Are, written by Mem Fox. This book shows children that every day all over the world, children are laughing, crying, playing and learning. They may not look the same or speak the same language. But inside, they are all the same.
Chris Dunkeson from Comcast reads Stop Snoring, Bernard!, by Zachariah Ohora. This story is about an otter named Bernard that loves to nap, but he snores loudly when he sleeps which bothers his friends. At the end of the story, the friends learn that their friendship with Bernard is more important than his snoring and learn to accept Bernard’s snoring at nap time.
Amanda Aragón from New Mexico Kids Can reads Every Voice, written by Dr. Seuss. This is a book written by Dr. Seuss that explains how everybody’s opinion and ideas matter and how it’s also important to listen to others’ opinions so we can learn from them.
(En Español) Juán Samaniego de Bohannan Huston lee ¡Qué Aburrido! escrito por Michael Ian Black. Este libro es una historia de una niña que se aburre y busca algo que hacer y encuentra una papa que también está aburrida. La niña acaba encontrando cosas divertidas que hacer, pero la papa nunca.
Patrick Apodaca de PNM, lee ¿Cómo dicen ESTOY ENOJADO los dinosaurios? escrito por Jane Yolen. Este libro es un cuento que explica que hacen los dinosaurios cuando llega la hora de dejar de llorar y patalear; una enseñanza a los niños de estrategias que pueden usar para calmarse cuando están enojados.
Scott Darnell from the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce reads A Mother For Choco, by Keiko Kasza. The story is about a baby bird named Choco that is searching for a mother that ‘looks like him’. In the end, Choco finds a mother that looks very different from him, but that loves him very much and he is happy to be part of her family.
Sonya Lara from Central New Mexico Community College reads Have You Filled A Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. This book teaches children that being nice to others helps them fill their invisible bucket and also the buckets of other people. Filling a bucket is what makes people happy.
Joy Wang, from KOB-TV 4, reads Jonathan James and The Whatif Monster, by Michelle Nelson-Schmidt. This story is about a boy named Jonathan who in the beginning, listens to the voice of the Whatif Monster, a small green creature with pointed teeth, who fills Jonathan’s head with worry and doubt when he tries something new. In the end, Jonathan conquers his fear of trying something new.
Sherrian Felix, from ABQ Studios, reads Swimmy, by Leo Lionni. This story is about a little fish named Swimmy that needs to find a new school of fish to be a part of. Swimmy and the new school of fish learn that by working together they can accomplish big things like staying safe in the ocean.
Jim Harrison is reading in memory of his wife Mary Harrison, a long time ABQ Reads volunteer. Jim reads The Rainbow Fish, written by Marcus Pfister. This story is about Rainbow Fish, who was the only fish in the sea with shiny scales and how he learned to share his scales with the other fish. Sharing made Rainbow Fish feel joy and acquire new friends.
Sally Giannini, from Albuquerque Public Schools and ABQ Reads reads The Kissing Hand, written by Audrey Penn. This story is about a young raccoon that is sad that he has to leave his mother to go to school and how his mother gives him a kissing hand to cope with the situation.
Becky MacGregor, the Wellness Coordinator for Albuquerque Public Schools, reads Waiting is Not Easy! written by Mo Willems. The story is about Piggy and Gerald the Elephant. Piggy has a surprise for Gerald and Gerald must wait a long time to receive his surprise. In the end, Gerald learned that although he was annoyed by the length of time he had to wait, his surprise was worth the wait.
Anneliese Elrod, from U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union, reads Mine!. The story is about Charlotte, who finds a tiny ghost in her bed one night. She quickly discovers that the ghost does not know how to share. Despite his chorus of “Mine!” that rings through the house, he and the patient Charlotte become fast friends. Charlotte teaches the ghost how to share and the ghost learns that it is more fun to share.
Cindy Dominguez-Trujillo from the 377th Air Base Wing at Kirtland AFB reads Coyote and the Sky. This story is a legend from the Santa Ana Pueblo. In the story, Coyote decides not to follow the instructions given to him by the leader. In the end, Coyote and the reader learn that there are consequences for not following directions.
Debbie Johnson, from Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), reads How Do Dinosaurs Learn to Read. This book was created to teach kids to have good reading habits and to respect books. The dinosaurs at the beginning of the book have bad reading habits and don’t take care of their books. But in the end, the dinosaurs practice good reading strategies and enjoy reading and taking care of their books.
Del Esparza, from Esparza Digital and Advertising, reads Enemy Pie. This story is about a boy that believes his neighbor is his #1 enemy. In the end, the boy learns that when you try to get to know people you thought you didn’t like, you end up finding that you have many things in common with them. This commonality makes it easier to become friends with them.
Peter Lorenz from Unirac reads The Giving Tree. The story is about a tree that loved a little boy and gave the little boy what he needed to make him happy throughout his entire life. Children can learn that doing nice things for the people they love makes them feel happy and makes the other people happy too.
Doug Majewski, from The Hartman + Majewski Design Group, reads The Lorax. This book teaches children about the environmental consequences of decisions. While reading the book, Doug stops several times to explain the negative consequences to the environment of decisions made by the Once-ler. In the end, children learn that unless people care enough to create change, unpleasant circumstances will not improve.
Kari Connelly, from Kirtland Air Force Base Fire Department, reads ABC What Can She Be?. This is a nonfiction text describing the different types of jobs that girls can do when they grow up. Each job begins with a letter of the alphabet. In this video, Kari teaches K-1st graders strategies for predicting the main topic of a book prior to reading it. While reading the book, Kari shows students how to stop to check if their main topic prediction is correct. After finishing the book, Kari shows students how to evaluate their prediction of the main topic based on what they’ve read, the title, and the picture on the front cover. Great K-1st grade learning video (RI.1.2) for nonfiction text!
Ryan Flynn, from the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, reads Seeds Move!. The book is a nonfiction text about the variety of ways that seeds can move and how animals help seeds move. In this video, Ryan teaches K-1st graders strategies for predicting the main topic of a book prior to reading it. While reading the book, Ryan shows students how to stop to check if their main topic prediction is correct. After finishing the book, Ryan shows students how to evaluate their prediction of the main topic based on what they’ve read, the title of the text, and the picture on the front cover. Great K-1st grade learning video (RI.1.2) for nonfiction text!
Jennifer Demiter, de New Mexico Mutual, lee Me encantan los Saturdays y los domingos. El libro es bilingüe y se trata de una niña que pasa los Saturdays y los domingos con sus abuelos. La niña aprende que su familia es multicultural y todos los miembros de la familia se tratan unos a otros con amor y respeto, aunque son de diferentes culturas.
Colonel David Miller, Commander of Kirtland Air Force Base, reads I Want To Be A Pilot. This book contains factual information about many different types of aircraft and pilots. It is a story about a girl who wants to be a pilot. Col. Miller connects the similarities between the girl in the story visiting an Air Fair to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and the Air Force demonstration jets. In the end, the girl receives a flying lesson from a female instructor pilot and the reader infers that the girl becomes a pilot when she grows up. Colonel Miller suggests to kids that they visit museums, just like the girl in the story, to learn about different types of aircrafts and pilots if they want to fly someday.
Jennifer Demiter, de New Mexico Mutual, lee Me encantan los Saturdays y los domingos. El libro es bilingüe y se trata de una niña que pasa los Saturdays y los domingos con sus abuelos. La niña aprende que su familia es multicultural y todos los miembros de la familia se tratan unos a otros con amor y respeto, aunque son de diferentes culturas.