Beep, Beep! It's Beeper!: Brand New Readers

by Carole Lexa Schaefer, Julie Lacome (Illustrator)

A friendly alien makes an appearance in this fun book for first-time readers. (ages 4 to 7)

Beeper is a friendly alien who enjoys baking, counting, painting, and flying!

Based on what experts know about how children learn to read, BRAND NEW READERS are short, funny stories with words and pictures that help children reading for the very first time succeed—and have fun!

BRAND NEW READERS are for children who are just cracking the reading code. Readers ages four to seven can master BRAND NEW READERS immediately—even the first time through.

BRAND NEW READERS are funny and appealing stories, irresistibly packaged, and just right for first-time readers. Each title in this unique series includes four high-quality, full-color, eight-page paperback books in a sturdy slipcase. Kids will want to collect them all!

48 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

When Carole Lexa Schaefer was growing up, she wanted to be both a poet and a journalist. In an unexpected way, she feels she achieved her ambition. While studying for a master's degree in early childhood education, she once put together a picture book made of photo essays. "The lyrical, every-word-counts genre captivated the poet and journalist in me," Carole Lexa Schaefer recalls--and she's been writing stories for children ever since. Her first book with Candlewick, THE COPPER TIN CUP, traces the origin of a family keepsake that's been handed down for generations. "It was inspired by my connections with my immigrant relatives through stories and songs--invisible heirlooms--to keep handing on," she says.

The longtime director of a Seattle preschool that she founded in 1980, Carole Lexa Schaefer often draws on her experience with young children when writing stories. In DOWN IN THE WOODS AT SLEEPYTIME, not one of the baby animals in the woods is ready to go to bed, until Grandma Owl finally finds a way to settle everyone down. The author says she was inspired "by all my friends at Little Friends Preschool who like to play just a little bit longer--even at sleepytime." Luckily, preschool teachers now have some help at nap time: DOWN IN THE WOODS AT SLEEPYTIME, says PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, is a book in which "author and artist make bedtime about as appealing as it gets."


With her next books, Carole Lexa Schaefer switches gears from sleepytime to partytime. FULL MOON BARNYARD DANCE is a rousing read-aloud that showcases farm animals dancing as they learn to appreciate their differences. ONE WHEEL WOBBLES, a zany counting book, follows one fun-loving family on Family Parade Day as they roll along on an ever-increasing number of wheels--Gramma on a motorcycle, Sister on a trike, and Grampa on some snazzy skates. Of ONE WHEEL WOBBLES, Carole Lexa Schaefer explains, "I wanted to create a counting book for children with which they could have a rollicking good time."


Carole Lexa Schaefer, who has a master's degree in early childhood education from the University of Washington, taught school for ten years in places as varied as Taiwan, Switzerland, and Micronesia, as well as Missouri and Washington. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, the author now lives in Seattle.