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May 2019: Geisel Award
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Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs
(last edited May 04, 2019 05:31PM)
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I like the book design, too. It's small enough for a beginning reader to handle, but large enough that it will also appeal to the lapsit picture-book crowd. It doesn't really look like a leveled reader either, so that's good for kids who are embarrassed to be seen with them. The cartoony drawings are perfectly apt, and bright, clear, and timeless.
I will look for more in the series and even more by the author.
Nephew #1 is just learning to read. I don't see these books appealing to him much at all. I'll have to check them out. His favorite is from level 2 Plants vs. Zombies: Save Your Brains!. Yes he's a weird kid. Nephew #2 might like some of these more gentle stories. He should be learning to read in the next year or so, if he isn't already.
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Since even as a child I tended to consider the Dick and Jane readers that were constantly being praised and used by my ESL teachers annoyingly repetitive, tedious and in fact also rather personally insulting for someone who even as a beginning English language learner wanted and expected a bit more story and thematics wise from the books I was being assigned as reading materials, I really did not expect to greatly enjoy David Milgrim's See Pip Flap, as the title alone almost immediately reminded me of the former (and indeed, I actually only read See Pip Flap in the first place because it is being discussed this month in the Children's Literature Group as a 2019 Geisel Award nominee).
And yes, as soon as I cracked open See Pip Flap and caught sight of David Milgrim's text, I was indeed more than justified (in my opinion) regarding my expectations that I would more than likely not in any manner like or even all that much be able to appreciate the book, for truly, the author's words as they are presented are writing style wise and how the sentences are constructed an almost exact carbon copy of the scope and feel of the Dick and Jane readers. And while I can (I guess) to a certain point understand that David Milgrim's simple narrative might work well and successfully enough for some beginning readers, I definitely have not at all found See Pip Flap in any manner up my proverbial reading alley so to speak, as in particular the constant refrain of "See Pip flap" and that David Milgrim's text is (as already alluded to) so annoyingly similarly constructed to the Dick and Jane books I so very actively despised as a child (and which were kind of actively forced down my throat by my ESL teachers when we moved to Canada from Germany in 1976, when I was ten), all this has made me react very negatively to See Pip Flap.
Therefore, I can and will only consider a one star ranking at best for See Pip Flap (as even David Milgrim's accompanying illustrations do nothing for me on an aesthetic level), but with the I believe necessary caveat that my viscerally negative response is likely (and probably even definitely) in many ways entirely personal and that since See Pip Flap has won an award, it does seem as though many actually do consider it a successful beginning reader offering.
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Although I was certainly and definitely not expecting all that much (if any) potential reading pleasure from Corey R. Tabor's Fox the Tiger (its 2019 Theodore Seuss Geisel Award notwithstanding), I indeed am happy (as well as rather majorly surprised) to say and admit that Fox the Tiger is with both the author's featured narrative and her accompanying illustrations sweetly delightful, often humorous and also imbued with important messages regarding self acceptance and not wishing to be someone that one is not (perhaps presented a bit overtly at times since Fox the Tiger is a beginning reader book but still never in any manner overburdened with too much didacticism and pedantry). A fun and engaging early reading experience that also gently introduces the differences between actualities and wishes (conditionals) and also constantly and with engagement practices basic verb forms and conjugations, I definitely have found Fox the Tiger much enjoyable (even if indeed the author's printed words are by necessity always simply constructed) and would as a foreign language teacher also strongly consider and suggest Fox the Tiger as a great language learning tool for beginning level ESL classes (as indeed, much of Corey R. Tabor's presented text focuses very distinctly and openly on English language verbs and their various conjugations). Highly recommended and indeed a perfect combination of both delight and instruction!
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Emily Tetri's Tiger vs. Nightmare (one of the 2019 Theodore Seuss Geisel Award honour books) presents a truly charmingly heartwarming graphic novel (meant for beginning readers, but also probably not suitable for complete reading novices either, and in particular if they are reading on their own, albeit in my humble opinion Tiger vs. Nightmare indeed is suitable for anyone both young and old), a sweetly encouraging tale about young Tiger and her best friend, a blueish fish-like monster, who not only plays with her and is Tiger's constant companion but who at night also keeps her nightmares away, until one night, a really extreme and truly horrifying entity invades Tiger's dreams (and it takes both Tiger and her Monster to not only fight against this new and increasingly frightening nightmare together and as a team but to also realise that nightmares do tend to come from one's own thoughts and that the only way to lastingly and successfully fight against this is to confront one's nightmares, to overcome one's fears and to realise that they are often, if not usually not all that real and therefore generally imagined and as such rather insubstantial).
Tiger vs. Nightmare is a perfect book for children who have invisible friends (and is also encouraging for children dealing with nightmares and the fear of there perhaps being monsters in their rooms, with the manner in which Tiger is finally able to confront her worst nightmare by bravely standing tall and telling both it and herself that her fears are actually not all that real anyhow being the magic bullet so to speak, being what finally causes her nightmare vision to simply disappear once and for all). Highly recommended, but with the in my opinion more than necessary caveat that while I have found Emily Tetri's illustrations (albeit of course rather cartoon-like) aesthetically expressive and in many ways a visual treat, the pictorial renderings of the various nightmares (and in particular Tiger's final and worst nightmare) are in my opinion quite majorly creepy and might well even frighten very sensitive children (and personally peaking, if I had encountered Tiger vs. Nightmare as a young child, Emily Tetri's depicted nightmares would have more than likely creeped me out quite a bit and perhaps even have caused my own set of bad dreams just because they have been so intensely and imaginatively drawn).
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I agree with everything Gundula said above. I will just note that the publisher calls this a "My First Shared Reading" which is defined as being for emergent readers, and includes "basic language, word repetition, and whimsical illustrations, ideal for sharing with the emergent reader." This definition was clearly met in the book, as each page had one - three short sentences paired with a humorous illustration. And even though very brief, the story clearly put across the idea that being yourself is best.
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I agree with everything Gundula said above. I will just note that the publisher calls this a "My First Shared Reading" which is defined as being for emergent readers, and includes "ba..."
The emphasis on basic language, word repetition etc. also reminds me of many of the Dr. Seuss books, which also often tend to focus on certain grammar points (like how in Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss focuses very much on English prepositions).
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I had a much different reaction to this book than Gundula. I can imagine that when one is ten years old, this is a very insulting type book to be given to read. But when one is only four or five, this is a great book to get started with on reading. And I believe the humor of a mouse trying to fly will tickle the funny bones of little ones. The solution to helping the mouse fly was genius. And the entire story was carried along with only 16 distinct words. The publisher leveled this book as "Pre-level One," for the youngest emergent readers. So I think this book well-deserved its Geisel Honor.
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I had a much different reaction to this book than Gundula. I can imagine that when one is ten years old, this is a very insulting type book to be given to read. But when one is only fo..."
Oh I agree that my negative reaction comes mostly from my own experiences at having to constantly read the Dick and Jane books at age ten, but it certainly has made me not enjoy See Pip Flap at all.
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I enjoyed this one as much as Cheryl, above. Quite a bit of each of the 3 stories is depicted like a graphic novel, with the action in four separate panels, along with some single- and double-page spreads as well. Unlike the usual reader, the text is handwritten in cartoon balloons, but the text is large, and the font is easy to read. And the stories are humorous and chuckle-worthy.
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This fourth entry in the series features an African-American girl, Kayla, and her dog, King. King tells the entire story from his point of view. Kayla loses her tooth at school, and brings it home in the class "tooth fairy pillow." But when she goes to remove the tooth, it is missing. The cute and bumbling King manages to find it. This book is for older children who have been practicing reading for a while. It is divided into 5 short chapters. The publisher has not given it a level, so I would think it is for students at the end of 1st grade, or in 2nd grade. The book is heavily illustrated, but there is more text on each page than in the other books for this month; and a few pages have only text on them. Great story to introduce beginning readers to the mystery genre, and on a par with the Nate the Great beginning readers.
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Now although I usually am not too much of a fan of Beginning Reader types of books, Sergio Ruzzier's Fox & Chick (which I downloaded as an e-book since my local library unfortunately does not have a paper copy) has been very much and surprisingly delightful both textually and illustratively (albeit I do wish that Fox's nose were depicted as being a trifle shorter, as he does with this longish proboscis kind of visually remind me a bit of Pinocchio). And yes, I do find the three short and sweetly presented graphic novel stories about Fox and Chick both delicately humorous and at the same time imbued with important but never overtly didactic messages (that one needs to communicate clearly in order to avoid misunderstandings, that just because Fox is lupine, he does not automatically have to enjoy eating field mice, frogs etc. and finally that in order to have one's portrait painted, one does indeed need to sit still in order for the artist to be able to complete his/her work).
Furthermore and to and for me as a language instructor very much importantly and even essentially, while of course the three stories featured in Fox & Chick are first and foremost just fun and engaging little anecdotes for beginning readers to enjoy (or for children not quite as yet at the stage where they can read Sergio Ruzzier's narratives themselves to have them read aloud), ALL of the three stories also involve basic grammar, basic syntax recognition and practice (verb tenses, the use of modifiers, negation, and in the third story, so-called if constructions), providing a wonderful combination of both instruction and delight (that could be used both at home and in-class, as well as for elementary ESL instruction, and with ESL classes, Fox & Chick would in my opinion actually work for both children and adults, as while Sergio Ruzzier's stories are of course and by necessity simple and uncomplicated, the imbued and featured humour is not really all that childish and in my humble opinion even rather sophisticated in feel and scope).
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message 15:
by
Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs
(last edited May 08, 2019 12:51PM)
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I really liked this story of a small tiger child whose monster friend fights off the child's nightmares. At 64 pages long, this book is almost 20 pages longer than the typical beginning reader. It also seems to be more on a second grade level as it has harder words than a primer. It is also displayed in a graphic novel style with lots of panels. I thought it was interesting that the author set this story in the future, with flying cars, because the story could be set in any era. However, instead of playing video or VR games, Tiger and Monster play real board games. The persistent nightmare really does look quite menacing and evil, so it might scare sensitive children (and give them nightmares!). So I do find it interesting what the Geisel committee consider beginning readers.
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What makes it even more special is the world-building. I love the fact that Tiger's mom and dad (or is it dad and papa?) are both mechanics in their shop for flying cars. I love the opening scene of a dinner party with a fox, a deer, and a rhino. I love the quite scary nightmares. I love that Monster has no obvious gender. In other words, it's a very inclusive and welcoming book without being preachy.
I agree with Beverly that it's probably a best fit for children in second grade, but of course it depends on how sensitive a child is, and whether the child will be reading independently or with a parent.
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King is great though, with his speech pattern that totally reflects his tail-wagging energy and his character. I love that he can focus on the larger mystery while also 'chasing shiny butterflies' of stray thoughts about all the things he loves (like cars, turkey sandwiches, licking Mason, etc.)
Otoh, I do not like that King is allowed to harass Mason but then Kayla apologizes for him. He needs better training.... Or, if Mason doesn't mind, then apologizing for him is just wrong.
I def. appreciate that the black family is the primary one, and that this takes place in a suburb or small town. Not urban, not side-kick, not poverty....
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Seeing my emergent reader son engage with this book, I am definitely with you (and Beverly) that this is a wonderful little story, perfect for beginning readers. He loved it! I'm so glad I came across it thanks to this club! :-)
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I wish I had not had my appreciation of these simple types of books destroyed by my ESL teacher in grade four.
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
See Pip Flap: Ready-to-Read Pre-Level 1 (other topics)See Pip Flap: Ready-to-Read Pre-Level 1 (other topics)
King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth (other topics)
Tiger vs. Nightmare (other topics)
See Pip Flap: Ready-to-Read Pre-Level 1 (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Corey R. Tabor (other topics)David Milgrim (other topics)
Sergio Ruzzier (other topics)
Dori Hillestad Butler (other topics)
Emily Tetri (other topics)
The 2019 winners and honors are as follows:
Winner:
Fox the Tiger by Corey R. Tabor
Honors:
See Pip Flap David Milgrim
Fox & Chick: The Party: and Other Stories by Sergio Ruzzier
King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth by Dori Hillestad Butler
Tiger vs. Nightmare by Emily Tetri