Nellie Edge author of ABC Phonics: Sing, Sign, and Read! is a kindergarten teacher-researcher, literacy coach, nationally recognized early literacy presenter, folk musician, and recording artist. While teaching in a bilingual kindergarten in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she discovered the power of developing language and literacy skills through traditional Spanish and English folk songs. Her desire to make learning to read a successful and joyful journey for all children led to the publication of her Nellie Edge Read and Sing Big Books™, with accompanying Little Books, Parents as Partners connections, and Differentiated Literacy guides.

A recipient of the IRA Reading Excellence Through the Arts award, Nellie Edge is a proponent of using music, American Sign Language, and all of the arts to enhance early literacy skills. She is the founder of the Northwest Coalition for Excellence in Kindergarten Literacy and a strong advocate for developing professional learning communities for teachers that inspire collaborative inquiry into best teaching practices.

How do we make learning to read an engaging and successful experience for all young children? How can we involve parents as partners in developing vital literacy foundations while nurturing healthy dispositions towards learning? For over thirty-five years, these questions have been the driving force behind Nellie Edge and her dedicated work. Nellie’s first publication was the best-selling children’s cookbook Kids in the Kitchen (a.k.a. Kindergarten Cooks). It was developed under this premise, fully illustrated to help her kindergartners on the Makah Indian Reservation connect cooking and reading in a delicious and meaningful way. Nellie has continued to focus her writing on creating joyful beginning reading experiences and providing culturally relevant language, thereby supporting parent involvement in early literacy development.

Nellie’s collaboration with Dr. Pat Wolfe, an internationally-recognized author, researcher, and expert on brain-based teaching, validated what many wise parents and teachers have intuitively discovered: Optimal learning experiences are emotionally engaging, multisensory, and take advantage of the musical brain!

Now, after years of study and collaboration with accomplished kindergarten teachers on “best practices” for accelerating early literacy, Nellie shares an innovative, yet elegantly simple approach for teaching ABC and phonics skills in her newest book and CD from Early Learning publisher, Sign2Me®. Through ABC Phonics: Sing, Sign, and Read, she takes adults and children on a musical, kinesthetic, visual adventure, teaching them fingerspelling and the exquisite gestures of American Sign Language (ASL). This “Total Emotional Physical Response” experience produces dramatic recall, and the process is delightfully fun for everyone involved!

In the book, Nellie Edge once again engages beginning readers in a celebration of language, and involves parents, teachers, and children in meaningful, life-long learning. She invites you to combine the memorable art of singing with the visual images of dancing fingers; effortlessly activating multiple pathways for ABC and phonics fluency: now all children can be gifted early learners! Come join the experience as we, “Sing, Sign, and Read!”