Up, Up, and Away
By Ginger Wadsworth. Illustrated by Patricia J. Wynne. Charlesbridge, 2009. Ages 4–7.
From egg sac to egg laying and a new generation, the life and death of a garden spider is chronicled in simple text and detailed illustrations. Most of this story follows one spider, who escapes a variety of predators to find a safe haven in an old barn. Pictures show spiders close up and also how they negotiate the landscape by soaring along on silken threads. The concisely phrased text is just right for reading aloud (“Her legs tickle the tips of tulips / until the thread lifts her / up, up, and away with the warm wind”), and there’s plenty of information to nurture a child’s interest in observing spiders in their own backyard.
Vulture View
By April Pulley Sayre. Illustrated by Steve Jenkins. Henry Holt, 2007. Ages 4–7.
Sayre makes those carrion-eating turkey vultures seem a little more approachable as she describes them and the role they play in the natural world. Her text is playful and occasionally funny, conveying fascinating facts sure to elicit an occasional “Eeeew!” Vultures look for foods that “REEK.” Cut-paper collages, which show the birds’ pulpy faces and heavy gray beaks, are just detailed enough to allow kids to recognize the birds at the zoo or in the wild.
White Owl, Barn Owl
By Nicola Davies. Illustrated by Michael Foreman. Candlewick, 2007. Ages 5–7.
As in her previous titles, such as Bat Loves the Night, zoologist Davies pulls young kids into the animal world with an atmospheric story that is filled with facts. A boy and his grandfather build a nest for a barn owl. They watch, and eventually they see an owl settle into the nest. Words in large type tell the fictional story; lines in a smaller type present facts about owls’ body features, behavior, and nesting habits. A concluding note tells more about nesting boxes. The poetic, sensory words (the owl’s feathers have a “velvety softness”) are enhanced by realistic pictures that capture the boy’s delight in the beautiful birds.
Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre
Wings
By Sneed B. Collard III. Illustrated by Robin Brickman. Charlesbridge, 2008. Ages 5–7.
Wings come in many shapes and sizes. Some are covered in feathers, some have scales, and some are so tiny they are hard to see. Collard gathers an impressive array of birds, fish, mammals, and insects whose wings are beautiful or unusual. Each picture is accompanied by a simple phrase in large type and a fairly detailed paragraph of additional information. The pictures, which show wings varied in shape, size, color, and even number, are amazing. They are sure to attract children, who will come away from the book knowing something about a subject they might not have thought about before.
Winter Trees
By Carole Gerber. Illustrated by Leslie Evans. Charlesbridge, 2008. Ages 4–7.
While walking through the woods on a snowy day, a young boy and his large yellow dog come across seven species of trees: sugar maple, American beech, paper birch, yellow poplar, bur oak, Eastern hemlock, and white spruce. The child recognizes “the egg shape of the maple tree; / the taller oval of the beech,” and talks about other traits that help him identify each tree—the way the twigs and bark and needles look. Gerber’s softly rhyming poetry is nicely matched by the pictures, which show the different shapes of the trees clearly outlined against a quiet, snowy landscape. The end matter includes more information as well as illustrations of each tree mentioned.
Yucky Worms
By Vivian French. Illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg. Candlewick, 2010. Ages 5–7.
Children are fascinated by the slimy creatures. That makes this a great choice for home sharing, especially after rain brings worms out of the saturated ground. “Yuck!” says a boy when his grandmother digs up a wiggly worm from the garden. He changes this mind, though, when Grandmother tells him about the worm’s body, what it eats, how its movements loosen the soil, and how its waste products help plants grow. Ahlberg’s pictures show worms at work both above and below ground, and she occasionally allows worms to speak for themselves in cartoon speech bubbles: “Nice and rotten. Just how I like it.”
Zero Is the Leaves on the Tree
By Betsy Franco. Illustrated by Shino Arihara. Tricycle, 2009. Ages 5–7.
Franco puts an abstract concept into terms children can understand by linking it to familiar things in the natural world. The book follows the activities of four children, whose play during various seasons of the year is described in the sensory images that explore a variety of things that are zero: “the sound of snowflakes landing on your mitten,” for example, or “the kites in the sky once the wind stops blowing.” The idea that nothing can actually be something can be tough for some children to take in; this book will help them toward a better understanding.
10
READING ALONE
Children are eager to learn to read; but to transition successfully from an active listener to an active reader is hard work, and it’s not accomplished on a timetable—no matter how anxious we are to see them succeed. Forcing preschoolers not developmentally ready to read might be setting them up to associate books with failure. Most children express an interest in reading on their own between the ages of four and six. By that time they have begun to sound out words and look at pictures in books for clues to a story. By listening to you speak and read aloud, they have developed a listening vocabulary, and when you point out various words you and your child encounter as you go about the day, you have helped your preschooler build a sight vocabulary. By this time children have also started to grasp the idea that the words people say aloud can be represented by symbols on a page. In addition, most are able to focus on groups of letters and can track words from left to right.
At this point, picture books may seem too babyish to children, even though those with minimal text and certain design characteristics work well for beginning readers. Kids can also sit through longer stories read aloud to them, though most children can’t read them. The books in this section, just a brief sampling of what’s available, are ideal for helping children brand new to reading develop self-confidence and skill. Vocabulary in these books is minimal; sentences are very short—usually no more than five or six words long and completed on a single page. The type is usually larger than usual, and the spacing between the lines generous, making tracking easier for the child. If you want to help your emerging reader, try reading the book aloud, pointing to each word as you say it. Then, turn over the story to your sidekick, but only if he has expressed an interest in reading it herself. If she gets stuck on a word, urge her to look at the accompanying picture for a clue. Unlike the illustrations in most picture books, which add to the story, the pictures in easy readers reproduce the action expressed in the words as closely as possible. Your librarian is well equipped to guide you and your child toward leveled readers, favorite topics, and picture books that match your child’s interests and reading proficiency.
Benny and Penny in Just Pretend
By Geoffrey Hayes. Illustrated by the author. Toon Books, 2008.
A couple of cute mice star in this book, which offers the visual appeal of a comic with language that brand-new readers can handle. Benny, who loves playing pirates, thinks his little sister, Penny, is a pest. Her princess costume doesn’t help. When he calls her dumb, she cries. When Penny defends them against a pesky dragonfly, big brother decides she’s not a wimp after all. The story will be familiar to new readers—it’s the substance of many picture books. What’s fresh is the presentation. The sequencing is easy to grasp, the characters’ body language conveys the emotional content of tale, and the very simple dialogue is neatly deposited in speech balloons. Benny and Penny have appeared in several other adventures, which grow gradually more complicated.
Big Pig and Little Pig
By David McPhail. Illustrated by the author. Harcourt, 2001.
It’s very warm outside, and Big Pig and Little Pig are hot. A swimming pool sounds like a great idea, but they don’t agree on how to m
ake one. Big Pig grabs a shovel and begins; Little Pig hops on an earthmover. McPhail’s vocabulary suits new readers perfectly, and he invests his pigs with tons of personality—which make an already funny story even funnier.
Biscuit Goes to School
By Alyssa Satin Capucilli. Illustrated by Pat Schories. HarperCollins, 2003.
Biscuit’s young mistress is going to school. Naturally the little puppy wants to go, too. Everyone but Biscuit knows that’s not allowed, and off he goes. Once he manages to get to school, there’s still the matter of finding his little girl, which causes all kinds of delightful chaos. Each page features one or two simple sentences. The words are mostly one syllable, such as dog, and some may already be in a child’s sight-word vocabulary.
Chicken Said, “Cluck!”
By Judyann Ackerman Grant. Illustrated by Sue Truesdell. HarperCollins, 2008.
Earl and Pearl are set on planting a pumpkin patch. Earl has a shovel and seeds with a big pumpkin pictured on the package. Chicken wants to help. Unfortunately, her main talent is driving Earl and Pearl to distraction. She eventually proves her value, however, when she issues a hearty “Cluck! Cluck! Cluck” to chase off a bunch of pesky seed-stealing grasshoppers. The text is appropriately simple, with more challenging words, like chicken, appearing several times to reinforce learning. The comical pictures fit snugly with the story: “Earl watered the seeds” accompanies a picture of the boy holding a watering can.
Max Spaniel: Dinosaur Hunt
By David Catrow. Illustrated by the author. Scholastic, 2009.
“My name is Max. / I am not a dog. / I am a great hunter. I love to hunt dinosaurs.” Well, he is a dog, but he’s a dog with a big imagination. Equipped with a bunch of junk he’s found in the yard, he stands atop an old skateboard and pieces together a dinosaur. A striped orange cat looks on with gleeful skepticism as a hockey stick becomes a jaw, a trowel is adopted as a toenail, and a garden hose is turned into a tail. Max’s diligence is rewarded when his finished product makes a move toward the cat. Catrow’s slapstick characters are terrific, and his very simple deadpan text is ideal for beginning readers. The toughest word in the book is probably dinosaur, and it won’t take kids already fascinated by the big critters very long to learn it.
Ducks Go Vroom
By Jane Kohuth. Illustrated by Viviana Garofoli. Random House, 2011.
Repetition is a large part of the charm of this easy reader, in which a family of ducks is on the fast track to a relative’s house. Once there they undertake a variety of easily recognizable activities, each one related in a rhyme. They ring the bell: “Ding-Dong, Bing Bong!” They eat: “Ducks slurp. / Ducks burp!” And they generally make a terrible mess, which they, of course, clean up in the end. The playful nonsense, illustrated with cheerful art, is glorious fun.
Max Spaniel: Dinosaur Hunt by David Catrow
Fish and Frog
By Michelle Knudsen. Illustrated by Valeria Petrone. Candlewick, 2005.
Knudsen’s easy reader comprises four funny, eight-page books. Each begins with a brief summary of the story to come, meant for a parent to read to the child, and closes with guidelines for parents wanting to make their child’s reading experience as successful as possible. Each brightly colored page is devoted to one simple idea expressed in very few words (“Fish swims down”) and an accompanying picture (a purple, bobble-eyed fish doing what’s mentioned). In the stories, Fish and Frog, two good friends, swim, make funny faces, and play. The book’s small size is a good fit for small hands.
Gus Gets Scared
By Frank Remkiewicz. Illustrated by the author. Scholastic, 2010.
Dedicated to “any kids who have spent a whole night in a tent,” this book reader series features little child rhino named Gus, who has a new tent. His cute, smiling face peeks out of it; he can’t wait to spend the night there. His parents applaud his courage. Equipped with his sleeping bag and flashlight, he begins his campout…but it’s really dark, and really cold, and really kinda creepy. Children will probably guess what’s going to happen, but they’ll still have fun reading the simple story to its cozy conclusion.
Little Mouse Gets Ready
By Jeff Smith. Illustrated by the author. Toon Books, 2009.
Smith, well known for his Bone graphic novel series, turns his attention to a comic for brand-new readers. Mama invites Little Mouse to come along to the barn, which is one of his favorite places. Before he can go, he must get dressed. With due care he lays out his clothes: his tiny blue jeans, his bright red shirt, his white socks, and his underpants (label in the back, of course). Then he begins to put everything on. It’s a scene right from a child’s experience, which Smith depicts with a wonderfully comic touch.
Loose Tooth
By Lola M. Schaefer. Illustrated by Sylvie Wickstrom. HarperCollins, 2004.
“It’s loose! It’s loose!” Every child knows the feeling, but Schaefer makes it funny. A little boy wiggles his loose tooth for everyone in the family, even the dog. His sister tells him to be patient. His brother grabs the pliers (he has two sizes). Children will recognize both the delight and the anxiety that is part of the process, as well as the relief and the subsequent annoyance when the tooth falls out, leaving a hole that the tongue can’t seem to resist. Cheerful cartoonlike illustrations capture all the emotional ups and downs.
May I Please Have a Cookie?
By Jennifer Morris. Illustrated by the author. Scholastic, 2005.
Pudgy Alfie the alligator loves cookies. His mother is baking his favorite. But when he reaches out to grab one, Mama Alligator encourages him to “think of a better way” to get what he wants. He comes up with several ways to get a cookie (one involving a fake mustache), but Mama doesn’t budge. He gets a big hug, though, when he realizes what he needs to say is please. A page of rhyming words at the end of the book provides some additional reading practice.
Mittens
By Lola M. Schaefer. Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. HarperCollins, 2007.
Words of one syllable, in generously sized type, dominate this story about a new pet. Aptly named because of its white paws, a tiny kitten tries to find a comfortable place for itself in its new home. The strangeness is overwhelming. After looking for a spot behind the television and under the sofa, he hides under the bed. When a boy named Nick coaxes him out, Mittens finds the ideal spot—right in Nick’s arms. It’s tough being tiny in a great big world; preschoolers know the feeling very well. Follow Me, Mittens continues the adventures of the adorable kitty.
Peanut and Pearl’s Picnic Adventure
By Rebecca Kai Dotlich. Illustrated by R. W. Alley. HarperCollins, 2008.
Peanut and Pearl, two fuzzy animals, love hats, but they have very different tastes. Peanut likes cowboy hats, while Pearl prefers bonnets with flowers and feathers. Nor do they agree on the food they want to take on their picnic. When Peanut disappears, Pearl thinks he’s lost. Peanut, on the other hand, is quite sure where he was the whole time.
Pedro’s Burro
By Alyssa Satin Capucilli. Illustrated by Pau Estrada. HarperCollins, 2007.
Pedro and Papa need a new burro to help them. They go to the market looking for one, but there are a great many to choose from. How will they find one? Then Pedro feels a tug on his shirt. It’s a burro in a fetching yellow hat. Pedro, Papa, and the mischievous burro have all found exactly what they were looking for.
Pigs Make Me Sneeze!
By Mo Willems. Illustrated by the author. Hyperion, 2009.
By the author of the Knuffle Bunny books, this book is a good example of the Elephant and Piggy easy reader series, which uses comics-style balloon dialogue to relate the story. Gerald the elephant can’t stop sneezing. Could he be allergic to his happy-go-lucky best friend, Piggie? Oh no! After sneezing his way through a visit to Dr. Cat, he learns he just has a cold. But when he finds Piggie to tell him the good news, Piggie is doing some sneezing of his own. With nearly fifteen equally funny books in the series, new readers
have a lot to keep them occupied. Next stop, Willems’s Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Puppy Mudge Wants to Play
By Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Suçie Stevenson. Simon & Schuster, 2006.
Henry loves his big, slobbery dog, Mudge, which he’s proved many times over in Rylant’s long-running Henry and Mudge books for newly independent readers. In this book, Mudge is still a wiggly pup—and he still gets into all kinds of trouble doing puppy things (and has started to slobber). He grabs Henry’s stuff and makes himself a general nuisance, insisting Henry stop what he’s doing to play with him. Of course, the boy and the dog have a wonderful time. For another book about a pushy canine pal, get Go Away, Dog by Joan L. Nodset.
Scat, Cat!
By Alyssa Satin Capucilli. Illustrated by Paul Meisel. HarperCollins, 2010.
A little lost cat is looking for a home. On its travels it encounters a dog, a pigeon, some townsfolk, a bus driver, and others. Everyone it encounters tells it to “scat.” Finally he falls asleep on someone’s porch. The next morning he encounters a little boy. The boy “did not say, ‘Scat, cat.’” Instead he puts down a bowl of cat food and invites the little striped cat to stay.
Splish, Splash!
By Sarah Weeks. Illustrated by Ashley Wolff. HarperCollins, 2000.
Chub, a tiny speckled green fish, has a great big tub. He enjoys splish-splashing around in it. But what about his friends? He’s willing to share, and soon he’s playing host to a bull, a snail, a giraffe, a snake, a cat (who wears a shower cap), an elephant, a hippo, a mouse, a horse, and a tiny bug. There’s even room for tub toys. What a bathtub! “And they splish / and they splash, / and they splash / and they splish.” A lively story for beginning readers, who can show off even more by naming all the different animals on the cover.
Turtle and Snake’s Day at the Beach
By Kate Spohn. Illustrated by the author. Puffin, 2004.
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