5183 Fall 2024 Information Resources and Services for Children discussion
Reading Responses 3 (Wk 6: 9/23-29)
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A simple story for the earliest of readers detailing a boy’s bouncy pogo stick journey through his neighborhood.
I Hop is a beginning reader book appropriate for the emerging reader. It could easily be a child’s very first book to read independently. Featuring only a total of twelve discrete words, I Hop manages to tell a complete story through words and illustrations that will give the emerging reader a sense of accomplishment upon finishing. The words printed in a large, easy-to-read font against a white background, the short sentences (max 3 words), the repetition of many words and the appealing illustrations with clues to help with harder words like “cheese” make the book accessible to early readers.
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Willems, M. (2018). Should I share my ice cream? Scholastic Inc. Should I share my ice cream? by Mo Willems showcases Gerald as he debates with the reader on if sharing his ice cream cone with best friend Piggie is a good idea. His monologue goes back and forth as he tries to make his final decision, portraying every emotion and possible outcome with authenticity.
Mo Willems effectively creates beginning reader books with his repetition, familiar words, and use of strong emotions through punctuation. The speech bubbles and text sizing variations are enjoyable for reading aloud and for engagement with others reading along. Children learn to expect certain build-up moments and this anticipation gives an excitement and a desire to repeat the reading process again. It is important for beginning readers to enjoy the subject and feel confident with the text; therefore, new readers will love this series, and specifically this book, due to the familiarity of topic and the memorable language used.
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"Let's Get a Pup!" Said Kate
"Let's get a pup!" by Bob Graham explores a family who decides to get a new dog, but find the choice of choosing just one difficult. It talks about what a good pup should be, and how they found one, but also how they found another dog who didn't necessarily have those qualities, but completed their family.
I think this is a great beginning reader book. It is a cute and enjoyable story, but is also developing reading skills beyond the story alone. The story starts with the bottom of Kate's bed feeling lonely, and at the end circles back to that notion creating deep understanding of the story. It also throws in some rhyming and descriptors. It works through emotions while creating the story, and is slightly beyond a basic picture book. The readers will be rooting for the action that takes place, ready to continue reading until the other dog is brought home. I think it is great, and I am getting it for my elementary library right now!
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1.
Sternberg, J., & Cordell, M. (2011). Like pickle juice on a cookie. Amulet Books.
2.
Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie takes the reader through the Elenors thought process as she goes through a terrible thing, her babysitter Bibi leaving. She further takes the reader through her summer and shares her thoughts, worries, and other emotions as the summer progresses.
3.
This is a transitional book that is good for readers who are in that phase between pictures and wanting something more in their stories, something longer. This book goes through Elenor learning how to be ok missing someone and make space in her life and heart for new people, like her new babysitter. The story can be relatable in the ways of being nervous about a new grade, missing someone, and trying to process emotions through it all. This is a cute story as well and easy to read and follow for early readers making the transition from picture to chapter books.
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2. A crow goes on an adventure through the snow and ends up helping a stranger in need.
3. After reading "Crow in the Snow" I believe it is a fantastic early reading book. The book is all based on phonics and rhyming and is easy to follow with not too many words on each page and large print. The author of the book has also added a portion at the back focused on phonics for parents. This portion of the books talks about learning to read and provides some helpful tips as parents read with their children.
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Dunrea, O. (2002). Gossie & Gertie. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Gossie and Gertie are best friends that do almost everything together. Gertie follows Gossie everywhere… most of the time.
This was a really simple picture book in the easy-to-read category. It is mainly suggested for ages five to eight, so this is a great book for very early readers. The sentence structure is very simple. The word choice is also very easy for a beginning reader. One of the reasons I think this book is so effective for beginning readers is because the illustrations are quite literal, and go along directly with the text. The simplicity of the sentences are easy for even the smallest of readers to understand and learn to read.
(I also read Penny and Her Marble and The Princess in Black.)
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1. Willems, M. (2014). Waiting is not easy! Scholastic, Inc.
2. In Waiting Is Not Easy! Piggie continuously assures Gerald that there is a surprise coming that will be worth the wait. Gerald gets impatient and almost gives up on something spectacular and beautiful.
3. Waiting Is Not Easy! is a cute story, and I think this is a great book for beginning readers. There is a small amount of text on each page so the young reader will not get overwhelmed. At the same time, there is still a clear story that allows the reader to practice comprehension. The illustrations are simple, yet the reader is still drawn in by the speech bubbles of various sizes. Mo Willems also uses different fonts and sizes of words to show emphasis in certain parts of the story. In addition, the story itself is relatable to young children, making it a great book for them.
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Tabor, C. R. (2023). Fox Has a Problem. Balzer + Bray.
Fox has a problem, but every time he finds a solution, he creates a new problem!
This is a simple book, with limited vocabulary, perfect for a brand new reader. It tells the story of how every time fox solves one problem, another is created. Repeating the same phrases (“Fox has a problem”, “Fox has an idea”), but adding adjectives (“a new problem”, “a big idea”, “a sharp idea”), makes the very early reader more comfortable and confident with tackling new vocabulary. As with all picture books, the drawings also tell the story, and even with few words, this story of cooperation among friends is action-packed.
(I also read Waiting is Not Easy! by Mo Willems)
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Hi! Fly Guy
Arnold, T. (2005). Hi! fly guy (T. Arnold, illus.). Scholastic Inc.
A little boy befriends a fly to present at a pet show.
Hi! Fly Guy is an engaging story that allows for children to explore language textually and visually. The book is classified as a beginning reader for ages 5-7. It provides simple text, text complimentary illustrations, and a short chapter book format. The vocabulary is supported by the imagery and most words are decodable. There are many opportunities to practice affixes like -ing and -y. However, if children are just started learning CVC words and other concepts, this would be a difficult book. I would recommend this book to readers that have basic phonics concepts down.
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Yorinks, A. (2011). Flappy and Scrappy. HarperCollins Publishers.
Flappy and Scrappy are two dogs that live on a farm and are best friends. They cheer each other up, play fetch together, and always make sure to celebrate each other's birthdays.
This book is suitable for younger audiences who are just learning to read. This book may need to be read with a caregiver/adult for children just started to read, but the language and the plot is simple enough that it would be a good beginner reader for a range of kids. The story is presented with fun illustrations that do a good job of showing how the characters are feeling and provides good visuals for the actions of the characters. The plot is not only fun and light-hearted, but will probably be relatable for kids who have their own friendships.
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The Princess in Black
1. Hale, S., & Hale, D. (2014). The princess in black (L. Pham, Illus.). Candlewick Press.
2. Princess Magnolia is not just any princess! She is also the Princess in Black: the super-secret, monster-fighting, goat-protecting hero that her kingdom needs.
3. The Princess in Black is an exceptional transitional book for readers progressing from picture books into chapter books. The text is on the larger side, with clear spacing between each line. Simple sentence structure is used throughout. Watercolor illustrations adorn nearly every page, aiding the text and the more advanced vocabulary words. The storyline is light and funny, and the illustrations contain humorous details, as well. Although there are 15 chapters, each one is fairly short and singular. Young readers would definitely be able to independently read, comprehend, and enjoy this book.
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Milgrim, D. (2016). Go, Otto, go!. Simon Spotlight.
In Go, Otto, Go!, the robot sets out to journey back home. After some troubles, Otto realizes his home is with his friends.
This book is a great for beginning readers. As stated in the Every Child Ready to Read campaign, learning to read involves two skills. These include decoding and comprehension. This book features many simple beginner words that can help children practice their decoding skills. This book also has many repetitive vocabulary words, which helps with comprehension. This would be a great book for caregivers to start their young readers on. As caregivers practice the book with their young reader, the child will learn the valuable skills to become independent readers. The simple text and fun illustrations will keep young readers engaged.
(I also read See Me Run which has already been added to the bookshelf.)
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Barrett, J., & Barrett, R. (2012). Animals should definitely not wear clothing. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
2.
The author points out many reasons why animals like porcupines, camels, snakes, mice, sheep, pigs, chickens, kangaroos, giraffes, goats, walruses, moose, opossums, and elephants should not wear clothing, but makes an exception for dogs wearing coats on a freezing day.
3.
This book is suitable for early readers of ages 4-8 but will most likely require an adult for the younger side of that age range. Thanks to the large print and unfussy typeface, emerging readers will have no issue identifying the letters. The vivid illustrations are great prompts for discussion and further exposure to language both literarily and conversationally. It also introduces a dose of reality and logic for children that is not too real while managing to keep it silly and lighthearted. Though the situations depicted are absurd, they each correlate to the environments, physical, or behavioral aspects of the animals. The text does not always literally describe the pictures, allowing for a participating adult to gauge whether the young reader is guessing at the words.
Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing
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1. A citation for the book, formatted in APA format.
Fenske, J. (2021). Nothing fits a dinosaur. Simon Spotlight.
2. A brief annotation (no more than two sentences) for the contents of the book.
A little boy is playing and his mom tells him that it is time for bed so he imagines all the household objects that he would wear as pajamas if he was a dinosaur.
3. A brief commentary on the book, stating whether you think it is effective as a beginning reader book and why or why not. Your answers to #3 should be about 100 words.
The biggest thing that stands out to me about this book as an early reader is how silly and fun it is. I think that it works well as a beginning reader book in part because of how interesting it is for a child. They have likely not imagined putting a lamp on their head as a hat or using pillowcases as socks before. It makes you want to giggle and keep on reading. Some of the words are pretty big, like pillowcase so this is best read with an adult still for a beginning reader. There are excellent and simple pictures to go with each page though so if they do not have an adult with them, they can likely still tell what is going on in the story. I also enjoyed that the main character is a black boy with natural hair and that POC representation is very important with this age group. They need to see themselves and the people that they interact with regularly in the books that they read so that they stay interested and feel like they are a part of it. It also contains several easy to spot sight words like “ my, inside, is, and, a’ and repeats them frequently. This is a good beginning reader book.
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1. Henkes, K. (2013). Penny and her marble (K. Henkes, Illus.). Greenwillow Books.
2. On a walk with her doll, Rose, young Penny discovers a beautiful marble in her neighbor's yard and takes it home. After wrestling with her decision to take the toy, she discovers that the marble was for her to enjoy, after all.
3. Penny and Her Marble is an effective book for beginning readers. The illustrations in the book help convey the plot of the story in an impactful way: children are able to see Penny take all of the actions described in the text of the book. The syntax and vocabulary are at an appropriate level for beginning readers. While there may be a few words that children do not know, they would be able to use context clues to help determine their meaning. The book is also part of a series which will keep readers engaged in the different episodes of Penny’s daily life.
This week, I also read Don't Throw it to Mo, Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride, and The Princess in Black.
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1. Willems, M. (2010). Can I play too?. Hyperion Books for Children.
2. As an elephant and pig play catch, a snake asks to join. Together, the animals must figure out how to play despite certain circumstances.
3. I believe this book is great for beginning readers because it is written in a way that can properly reach younger readers and shares important lessons. The story revolves around how the elephant and pig can include a snake in a game of catch. Initially, it seems they do not want to involve the snake in the game, but they are only hesitant because the snake does not have any arms to actually catch the ball. Through trial and error, the group ultimately finds a solution so the snake can play with them. This story teaches beginning readers that although we are all different, it is important to be kind and promote inclusivity for all. These lessons are crucial for young readers to endure as they grow older, and I believe this book handles it in an accessible manner for this specific age range through word choice and illustrations.
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Antony, S. (2017). Please, Mr. Panda. New York, Cartwheel Books.
2. Mr. Panda appreciates good manners, but will he ever find anyone worthy of his donuts?
3. The story "Please Mr. Panda" uses repetition, color words, and simple text. The pages are not overwhelming, and the font is clear and easy to read. I believe this book is highly effective for beginning readers. Beginning reader stories should aim to build the reader's confidence while also being entertaining and enticing enough to make the reader want to continue. This story does that by keeping the reader wondering who will be worthy of the donuts. Although Mr. Panda never says that he changes his mind due to a lack of manners, this provides excellent practice for the reader to infer and make connections based on their own understanding of politeness.
I want to add that three of my favorite series for beginning readers are Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series, as well as The Adventures of Otto and The Adventures of Zip, both by David Milgrim. I love reading these books with my first graders at school and with my six year old, who is a struggling reader.
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Fox is Tiger by Corey R. Tabor
Tabor, C.R. (2018). Fox is tiger. HarperCollins.
Fox wants to be a tiger because tigers are cool. His friends help him learn who is cool.
I believe that Fox is Tiger is an effective beginner book. The writing and grammar are simple, and the story has a nice flow. The pictures in the book are simple and not over stimulating, which will allow the beginner reader to focus on the story. The pictures in Fox is Tiger also tell the story, which can allow the reader to understand the story. I also like the message the story, which I believe that young readers can understand. The message being that you don’t need to change yourself or copy someone cool, you are cool as the way you are.
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Fenske, J. (2019). I will race you through this book! Penguin Workshop.
I will race you through this book is a story about "Book It bunny" who is "racing" throughout the story.
I Will Race You Through This Book is an affective book for young readers. The text is written simply but in an intriguing way that encourages the reader to keep going. The text does include some repetitiveness and rhyming words, but also has substance to somewhat push the reader as well. Book It Bunny is also a silly/ goofy character that helps keep the reader engaged throughout the story.
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1. Brown, M. (2011). Arthur Turns Green. Little, Brown.
2. Arthur works on a school project about protecting the planet. His little sister DW learns the true meaning of "going green".
3. The story “Arthur Turns Green” is a simple story meant to engage readers with the concept of environmentalism. The story is valuable to beginning readers because each page contains limited text and the pictures support the story to help with reading comprehension. It is also valuable because it is a part of a series with recognizable characters, making it easier for beginning readers to form connections between characters and traits. This story is funny and simple. The print is smaller than in a picture storybook, indicating that it is meant for children to read alone rather than having it read to them. Overall, this book meets the criteria for an easy-to-reading beginning reader book.
(I also read "Waiting is Not Easy!" by Mo Willems.)
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Stein, P. (2019). The boy and the bear. First edition. New York, Holiday House.
The boy. The bear. Always a pair. None of the other could ever compare.
This book is a book written for an age range of preschool to 2nd grade. The Boy and the Bear is a short story that uses art and rhyming to show different forms of emotion throughout the book. This is a great book that focuses on the social emotion aspects of life in a way that young children can understand. This was an enjoyable book to read and even as an adult, we could also connect with this book in a fun manner. This is a great book to read when teaching a lesson on the different forms of emotion.
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Capucilli, A. (1996). Biscuit. HarperCollins.
Going to bed can be hard, even for small puppies.
I think this book would be appropriate for a beginner reader. The story follows a cute puppy named Biscuit and his owner during their bedtime routine. Biscuit needs everything to be just right for him to go to sleep. The words follow a pattern and only introduce a couple new words into that pattern on each page. I think the repetitive pattern would be helpful and not overwhelming for new readers. It would give them a chance to see the words used in different situations during the bedtime routine. Finally, the illustrations are very sweet and fun to look at making the book even more engaging.
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1. Moore, K., & Si, Z. (2022). The disappearing act. Katherine Tegen Books.
2. Bessie Lee is a tiny girl who wants to make a big impression by performing an amazing magic trick at her school talent show.
3. This is a transitional book that I think would serve its purpose and demographic well. The sentences are simplified and easy to understand without losing personality. It avoids contractions to avoid confusing readers who have yet to learn about them. There are a few bigger, complex words that Bessie, the protagonist and narrator, takes the time to define and help the reader understand. At the same time, she gives us insight into how she understands and interprets those words which she often finds confusing. The illustrations found on most pages go a long way to help convey the setting and actions to help the reader get the idea.
5183 Fall 2024 Information Resources and...
Books mentioned in this topic
The Disappearing Act (other topics)Biscuit (other topics)
The Boy and the Bear (other topics)
Arthur Turns Green (other topics)
I Will Race You Through This Book! (other topics)
More...
Note: You may not be able to add a book, if the book has already been added to the group bookshelf by another student. In this case, just add the title with your response.
Part 2: Answer to the following questions in the comment area. Your response this week should focus on ONE of the five beginning reader books that you chose to read.
1. A citation for the book, formatted in APA format. (Add a book cover/link to the book in the comment area, if possible.)
2. A brief annotation (no more than two sentences) for the contents of the book.
3. A brief commentary on the book, stating whether you think it is effective as a beginning reader book and why or why not. Your answers to #3 should be about 100 words.