“On the Radar” is a new feature when I plan to call attention to readers reviewed in major publications.
Princess Pistachio and the Pest by Marie-Louise Gay (early chapter book for my library)
Pete Makes a Mistake by Emily Arnold McCully
And in the continuing series section…
Pete the Cat’s Train Trip by James Dean
Title: Cork & Fuzz Wait a Minute
Author: Dori Chaconas
ISBN: 9780670014811
Copyright Date: 2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Reader Brand: Penguin Young Readers
Level: Level 3 Transitional Reader
Series: Cork & Fuzz (Best Friends, Short & Tall, Good Sports, The Collectors, Finders Keepers, The Babysitters, The Swimming Lesson, No Fooling, Wait a Minute, Spring Cleaning)
Cork knows how to wait, but Fuzz just knows how to be Fuzz — impatient to the core! When a yellow balloon enters the picture, the friends try to figure out what it is and it might involves waiting again.
A longer, multi-chapter reader that’s very reminiscent (to me) of Frog and Toad. These two friends are in many ways opposites like Frog and Toad and even more recently, Elephant and Piggie. This book features them working together to solve a problem.
This is definitely a title for older readers though. It’s a Guided Reading (Fountas & Pinnell) level J and a Lexile level of 320L. Recommended for libraries looking for more friend books to introduce to kids!
Title: Mittens
Author: Lola M. Schaefer
ISBN: 9780060546595
Copyright Date: 2006
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reader Brand: I Can Read!
Level: My First Shared Reading
Series: (Mittens, Follow Me Mittens, What’s That Mittens?, Happy Halloween Mittens, Mittens Where’s Max, Mittens at School)
This book has a really simple storyline: Nick brings home a new kitten, but Mittens is scared in his new house. Can Mittens find a safe space?
I feel like this book series is the equivalent of Biscuit for cat lovers. I do really like that Mittens and Nick are boys though since this will increase readership for the series.
The text is large and easy to read. Sentences are short and there’s only one three syllable word: everything. This book is a great opportunity for shared reading between parent and child.
Recommended for public libraries who need low-level beginning readers.
Title: Gideon
Author: Olivier Dunrea
ISBN: 9780544430587
Copyright Date: 2015
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Reader Brand: Green Light Readers
Level: Level 1 Start the Engine! Getting Ready to Read
Series: Gossie & Friends (BooBoo, Gideon & Otto, Gossie, Gossie & Gertie, Ollie, Ollie the Stomper, Peedie)
Gideon does not want to take a nap and he’d rather keep playing. Will his mother ever see him settle down?
I was not familiar with Olivier Dunrea’s Gossie & Friends series until I arrived at my new library where we have multiple copies of each title. Many of them work well as beginning readers: Peedie, Ollie the Stomper, and Gossie & Gertie. (These three were the only ones available at my library at the time of this review.)
While I really enjoy this predictable series that’s perfect for read-alouds, I did not think that Gideon made a particularly good reader. Words like ruddy, sneaks, scurries, scampers, and ewe seemed too hard for a true “Level 1” reader. I also thought that the hyphenated phrases like “chase-the-piglet”, “finds-the-eggs”, and “tags-the-mole” might confuse beginning readers who will likely try to read that as one word.”
And while the storyline works well as a small picture book (very easy for toddlers to relate), Gideon trying to avoid his nap may not resonate as well with the kindergarten/1st grade crowd.
I do, however, really love Green Light Readers. They have a recommended age (4-6), grade (1st), guided reading level (E), reading recovery age/level (7-8), and a Lexile level (260L) on the back on their books. This makes a librarian’s job easy to help parents find exactly the right level book for a reader.
Recommended for purchase if you have a devoted following to the series. Other libraries may want to pass on this one.
Title: Ballet Cat The Totally Secret Secret
Author: Bob Shea
ISBN: 9781484713785
Copyright Date: 2015
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Reader Brand: N/A
Level: N/A
Series: The first!
Ballet Cat and Sparkles the Pony are deciding what to play today when two secret secrets are revealed that may change their friendship forever!
I’ve been waiting for this book since I found out about in January. Bob Shea is one of my favorite picture books artists and I had hoped that his humor would translate well to the beginning reader arena. And I think it more than did. Shea’s jokes shine in the beginning reader format making me laugh out loud.
The text can occasionally be distracting as the speech bubbles change color randomly instead of depending on which character is speaking. For those used to Elephant and Piggie books, they may think that more characters are speaking than are in the book.
I love the bright colors and illustrations and I know that kids will too. Highly recommended for all libraries.
For more information about the Geisel Award, visit the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award homepage.
Winner: Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo & Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile
This is where knowing about the award criteria comes in handy. Bink and Gollie may look more like a chapter book, but since it is directed towards the beginning reader audience (Pre-K through 2nd grade), it is eligible for the Geisel.
These two best friends go on three adventures in three short chapters: one to find a new pair of socks, one on an imaginary trips to the Andes Mountains, and one to find a marvelous companion.
There are a ton of vocabulary words in this text. The illustrations fully support the story and give the readers context clues as to what’s going on. But the words — the words are so rich and it is absolutely delightful to see a beginning reader text that doesn’t shy away from using three syllable words.
I do however think that libraries tend to shelve this one in Early Chapter/Juv Novels. Make sure to remember it for your older beginning readers or for third/fourth grade struggling readers since it looks novel size.
Honor: Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same by Grace Lin
A wonderful diverse story about twins Ling and Ting. Ling and Ting are often mixed up for one another, but they are not exactly the same. Ting has a funny haircut; Ling cannot use chopsticks. A great book series for twins to read. Also, a great selection for all libraries.
Honor: We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems
Piggie and Gerald get more than a little meta in this installment of the Elephant and Piggie series. My favorite book of the series and one that will have all the kids laughing at any mention of the word “banana”.
Title: Froggy is the Best
Author: Jonathan London
ISBN: 9780448483818
Copyright Date: 2015
Publisher: Penguin Group/Penguin Random House
Reader Imprint: Penguin Young Readers
Level: Level 2 Progressing Reader
Series: Froggy (1st reader)
Froggy doesn’t know what he is the best at — kayaking? Surfing? T-ball? He spends a morning daydreaming about what he is the best at until finally he realizes it and goes off to do the activity he is best at!
This is a treat for fans of the Froggy series. Readers will see familiar activities from many of the beloved Froggy picture books and be able to journey with a familiar friend to a new world of reading on their own.
The vocabulary once again (like with Pig and Pug, another Level 2 Progressing Reader) starts off harder and gets easier as the book goes on. Readers will have unfamiliar words like “kayaking” and “surfing”, but the pictures help give context clues.
While it will never top my favorite Froggy book (Froggy Gets Dressed), I did enjoy the read. Recommended for Froggy fans everywhere!
The first five Eric Carle Ready to Read readers.
Books:
Links: World of Eric Carle at Ready to Read || Eric Carle’s Website || Richard Buckley’s page at Simon & Schuster
Reviews: Horn Book (as readers)
All of these readers were published as picture books first. Some of the text has been altered and some words have been simplified. All of Carle’s art has been resized and the layout has occasionally changed to accommodate the larger traditional text of the beginning reader.
Lexile average was 560L based on three books, one of which (Pancakes, Pancakes) was Adult-Directed. Only one book (The Greedy Python) had a reader specific AR test at level 2.7. Many of the other titles have scores, but I only averaged in the scores that were specifically for the beginning readers since the text was changed from the originals. While each book does not have a Guided Reading Level (Fountas and Pinnell) assigned to it, the Ready to Read brand gives a range for each level which you can find here.
Interestingly enough, the World of Eric Carle books span three of the Ready to Read levels.
Pre-Level One (ranges from A, B, C, D, & E): Have You Seen My Cat?
Level One (ranges from F, G, & H): The Greedy Python, Pancakes, Pancakes, & Rooster is Off to See the World
Level Two (ranges from I, J, & K): A House for Hermit Crab, Walter the Baker, The Tiny Seed, & The Foolish Turtle
Is there ever enough Eric Carle? I don’t think so. However, the classic picture books will always be my favorite since they showcase his art much better than these trimmed down versions. Some of the books work well as beginning readers while others are best left in picture books.
Penguin Young Readers Eric Carle readers.
I’ve only tracked the Ready to Read brand above. There are also three Eric Carle readers available from Penguin Young Readers:
The Very Quiet Cricket is a Level Three readers while the other two are both Level Twos readers. No Lexile scores were available for these readers, Accelerated Reader average was, the Level Two books were both Guided Reader (Fountas & Pinnell) level I and the Level Three book was Guided Reader (Fountas & Pinnell) level K.
I don’t have any for you to bookmark right now. It seems like the Ready to Read Eric Carles are published two a year in the spring. So keep an eye out for them in 2016!
Title: Picture Perfect
Author: Jacqueline Jules
ISBN: 9781479557738
Copyright Date: 2015
Publisher: Picture Book Windows
Reader Imprint: N/A
Level: N/A
Series: Sofia Martinez (The Missing Mouse, Abuela’s Birthday, The Marigold Mess)
Sofia is feeling left out. No one can tell her and her two older sisters apart and her baby cousin is stealing all the attention at family gatherings. When school picture day arrives, Sofia comes up with a plan to stand out from her sisters.
This is a higher level beginning reader for confident kiddos. (I’d put it on the same level as “Ling & Ting” personally in terms of chapter length.) Each chapter builds on a central story with a conclusion at the end of three chapters. Additionally, Spanish words are intermixed with the mainly English text. This may be confusing for non Spanish readers, but a helpful glossary is provided in the back.
So here’s why I think this is a worthwhile buy: Sofia is a great character with a high relatability factor. (Yes, I just made up a word.) I cannot think of another beginning reader series with a Latino/Latina main character except for media brands like Dora and Diego. Also, I think this would be a *great* sell to ESL students. A bit of Spanish may make the transition easier.
Three other Sofia books were released simultaneously and I hope to see more in the future.
For more information about the Geisel Award, visit the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award homepage.
Winner: Tales for Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider
In this beginning reader, there are five stories all about how James’s father tries to convince him to try five new foods. He comes up with creative solutions that eventually convince James to try the food in front of him. In the last story, James decides to try a food just in case he might like it.
What a familiar story for so many parents out there! I remember one time my parents promised me a Skip-It to try fishsticks — the one food I put my food down no matter how many times my parents served it. They might have learned something from James’s father!
Lots of text and new vocabulary words are presented in this text perfect for more advanced beginning readers.
Honor: I Broke My Trunk! by Mo Willems
Gerald broke his trunk and it is a very long story. Piggie waits patiently to hear all of Gerald’s crazy, long story and winds up with a story of his own to tell. A humorous and imaginative addition to the Elephant and Piggie series.
Honor: I Want My Hat Back! by Jon Klassen
A bear is looking for his hat. He asks several animals before realizing that he has seen his hat! This twisty ending will have preschoolers and beginning readers laughing at bear’s sense of justice.
Honor: See Me Run by Paul Meisel
Dogs go throughout their day, running and digging, etc. When the dogs dig up a set of dinosaur bones, they have a surprise of their own. This selection from the I Like to Read! brand is a winner as a picture book and a beginning reader.
Step Up Readers 