Yanira is an amazing example of what can happen when a four-year-old has the opportunity to work one-on-one with a reading mentor over a school year.
Yanira is Hispanic, and her family speaks both Spanish and English at home. Her teachers at Bidwell Riverside Child Development Center paired her with an English Language Learner student so the two children could help each other communicate. Her partnering friend was frequently absent, and Yanira had the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with her Book Buddy. Being bilingual, sometimes Yanira needs more time to understand certain literacy concepts, such as rhyming. The one-on-one attention and focus on these types of early literacy skills with her Book Buddy helped her to develop her reading ability.
