Phonemic awareness indicates that children understand the nature of a phonetic language.
It is not the same thing as phonics. Phonics generally refers to using letter sounds and other rules to sound out words. Students who lack phonemic awareness usually attempt to memorize visual wholes and often do not understand how to use the letter-sound correspondences. Hold the book so that the child can see not only the pictures , but the words, as well. In fact, occasionally follow the words with your finger to show that you are reading from left to right.