Review: Olivia and the Pet Project

The Basics

oliviaandthepetproject
Title: Olivia and the Pet Project
Author: Adapted by Lauren Forte; Screenplay by Matt Negrete
ISBN: 9781481428965
Copyright Date: 2015
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Reader Brand: Ready to Read
Level: Level One Star Reader!
Series: (Olivia and Her Ducklings, Olivia and the Kite Party, Olivia and the Rain Dance, Olivia and the Snow Day, Olivia Becomes a Vet, Olivia Builds a House, Olivia Goes Camping, Olivia Measures Up, Olivia Plants a Garden, Olivia Plays Soccer, Olivia Takes a Trip, Olivia Trains Her Cat)

Thoughts

Olivia’s dog Perry is misbehaving. When Olivia’s friend refuses to play with her and Perry until Perry is better trained, Olivia opens up a dog charm school.

For a book adapted from a screenplay, it makes a pretty good reader. The text is large and has two to three sentences per page which is on par for a Level One reader. I do think that the full color background on each page was distracting to the text in a couple of page spreads.

While the readers are not nearly as charming as the picture books, Olivia’s fans will definitely follow her into the beginning readers.

Series to Know: Fancy Nancy

Series Info

The first five Fancy Nancy readers!

The first five Fancy Nancy readers!

Books:

  1. Fancy Nancy and the Boy from Paris (2008)
  2. Fancy Nancy at the Museum (2008)
  3. Fancy Nancy Sees Stars (2008)
  4. Fancy Nancy, Poison Ivy Expert (2008)
  5. Fancy Nancy and the Dazzling Book Report (2009)
  6. Fancy Nancy: The Show Must Go On (2009)
  7. Fancy Nancy: Pajama Day! (2009)
  8. Fancy Nancy and the 100th Day of School (2009)
  9. Fancy Nancy: Every Day is Earth Day (2010)
  10. Fancy Nancy: Spectacular Spectacles (2010)
  11. Fancy Nancy and the Delectable Cupcakes (2010)
  12. Fancy Nancy: My Family History (2010)
  13. Fancy Nancy, Splendid Speller (2011)
  14. Fancy Nancy and the Mean Girl (2011)
  15. Fancy Nancy: Hair Dos and Hair Don’ts (2011)
  16. Fancy Nancy and the Too-Loose Tooth (2012)
  17. Fancy Nancy: Fancy Day in Room 1-A (2012)
  18. Fancy Nancy: Too Many Tutus (2012)
  19. Fancy Nancy: Apples Galore (2013)
  20. Fancy Nancy: Just My Luck! (2013)
  21. Fancy Nancy: Peanut Butter and Jellyfish (2015)
  22. Fancy Nancy: Super Secret Surprise Party (2015)

Links: Fancy Nancy World || Page on “I Can Read” || Event Kits & Printables

Reviews: Horn Book & School Library Journal

Difficulty

Fancy Nancy is a Level One: Beginning Reading in the I Can Read brand. Level One is described as “Simple sentences for eager new readers.” Fancy Nancy books do have simple sentences, but they also have higher difficulty words and more sentences per page than other “level one” readers. (This is, of course, because the I Can Read brand also has two lower levels than Level One.)

All of Nancy’s new “fancy words” are included in a glossary with simple definitions. And all of the words are defined in the text with various takes on Nancy’s traditional: “That’s a fancy word for…”

“Your glasses are most becoming,” Ms. Glass says. That’s a fancy word I have never heard before. Ms. Glass says it means pretty.” Fancy Nancy and the Spectacular Spectacles

Most of the words will be challenging for beginning readers. I only took real offensive with the word “diorama” in Fancy Nancy: Peanut Butter and Jellyfish as being unnecessary. Although, Fancy Nancy fans expect to learn some new vocabulary in each book.

As for more sentences, Fancy Nancy and the Boy from Paris averages 4.15 sentences per page. When compared with other Level One brands: Pancakes, Pancakes from Ready to Read averages 1.95 sentences per page and Ice Cream Soup from Penguin Young Readers averages 2.09. Even even compared to another I Can Read Level One book: Pinkalicious Cherry Blossom has 3.59 sentences per page.

I only figured out unique words for one Fancy Nancy book: Fancy Nancy: Peanut Butter and Jellyfish. (Seriously, it was nearly an hour of work!) It has 278 unique words, which is a LOT for a beginning reader.

And for leveling: 329L for Lexile score (discounting the two Adult-Directed books) and 2.2AR for Accelerated Reader. Interestingly enough, beginning with Fancy Nancy: Too Many Tutus HarperCollins has included the Guided Reading levels (Fountas and Pinnell) on the back of the books. Too Many Tutus was level K while the rest are at level J (Just My Luck!, Apples Galore!, Peanut Butter and Jellyfish, and Super Secret Surprise Party).

Thoughts

Fancy Nancy is a solid beginning reader series for more advanced and confident readers. With more sentences, higher unique word counts, and the French pronunciations that occasionally appear, I would definitely recommend this to first graders and above.

Perfect for kids who love all things fancy but have exhausted the more traditional princess books, Nancy has so much more than just fanciness. She faces real-life challenges like holidays and events, friends and family problems, and fears/worries. I also love that she teaches new and harder vocabulary in an accessible way.

More Fancy Nancy?

Fancy Nancy (the original), one of the shorter hardcovers, and one of the 8x8 paperbacks.

Fancy Nancy (the original), one of the shorter hardcovers, and one of the 8×8 paperbacks.

Boy, are there ever!

Picture Books:

  1. Fancy Nancy (2005)
  2. Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy (2007)
  3. Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly (2008)
  4. Fancy Nancy’s Favorite Fancy Words (2008)*
  5. Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire (2009)*
  6. Fancy Nancy Tea Parties (2009)*
  7. Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas (2009)
  8. Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire (2010)*
  9. Fancy Nancy: Ooh La La It’s Beauty Day (2010)*
  10. Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique (2010)
  11. Fancy Nancy: Aspiring Artist (2011)*
  12. Fancy Nancy: Stellar Stargazer (2011)*
  13. Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet (2011)
  14. Fancy Nancy: Fanciest Doll in the Universe (2013)
  15. Fancy Nancy and the Wedding of the Century (2014)

8×8 Picture Books (Paperback only):

  1. Fancy Nancy: Halloween or Bust! (2009)
  2. Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart (2009)
  3. Fancy Nancy: Elegant Easter (2009)
  4. Fancy Nancy and the Sensational Babysitter (2010)
  5. Fancy Nancy and the Late, Late, LATE Night (2010)
  6. Fancy Nancy’s Marvelous Mother’s Day Brunch (2011)
  7. Fancy Nancy: Our Thanksgiving Banquet (2011)
  8. Fancy Nancy: Tea for Two (2012)
    9. The first early chapter!

    The first early chapter!

  9. Fancy Nancy: JoJo’s First Day Jitters (2012)
  10. Fancy Nancy: There’s No Day Like a Snow Day (2012)
  11. Fancy Nancy: Puppy Party (2013)
  12. Fancy Nancy: Budding Ballerina (2013)
  13. Fancy Nancy: Sand Castles and Sand Palaces (2014)
  14. Fancy Nancy and the Fall Foliage (2014)
  15. Fancy Nancy: Spring Fashion Fling (2015)

Early Chapter Books:

  1. Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth (2012)
  2. Nancy Clancy, Secret Admirer (2013)
  3. Nancy Clancy Sees the Future (2013)
  4. Nancy Clancy, Secret of the Silver Key (2014)
  5. Nancy Clancy, Star of Stage and Screen (2015)

Dates to Remember

No readers are forthcoming, at least from what I know. I would guess that one more is likely to publish this year.

But there is a new early chapter coming out: Nancy Clancy, Soccer Mania on September 8th, 2015.

Review: Fly Guy Presents Insects

The Basics

flyguypresentinsects
Title: Fly Guy Presents Insects
Author: Tedd Arnold
ISBN: 9781480671782
Copyright Date: 2015
Publisher: Scholastic
Reader Brand: N/A
Level: Level 2 (on the back of the book it says it appeals to K-2nd grade but is a 2nd grade level)
Series: Fly Guy

Thoughts

An upper level, informative, non-fiction reader. Buzz and Fly Guy learn all about insects in this volume.

The book is presented in a classic throwback style to the Magic School Bus. There are photographs mixed with the story, hand-drawn journal entries, labels, dialogue bubbles, etc. The layout could potentially be distracting to a young reader, but will draw in older readers. It measures at a 570 Lexile level.

Difficult words have phonetic pronunciation guides embedded in the text. I think they could have been a few more pronunciation guides — words like thorax and abdomen are not words that have a guide — and I wish that a lot more of the insect names would have had guides.

Overall, I absolutely love this set of non-fiction readers and think that readers will too. Highly recommended for all libraries, but especially those with a Fly Guy fan base.

Geisel 2013 Award & Honors

For more information about the Geisel Award, visit the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award homepage.

uptallandhigh
Winner: Up! Tall! And High! by Ethan Long

Nine birds explore what the words up, tall, and high mean in this basic concepts book for beginning readers. The book is broken into three sections/stories in which birds compete with one another.

This is an amazing young reader. With only 34 words, very young readers will be able to read this easily without a grown-up helping them. The books also includes lift-the-flaps which help illustrate the differences between tall/high/up/down. The text is nearly always in speeches bubbles with the exception of the title pages of each story and sound effects (sigh, poof, flap).

I really like that each section tells a complete story. Struggling readers can make it through one story and feel accomplished without being daunted by finishing the whole book in one sitting.

geisel2013honors

Honor: Let’s Go for a Drive! by Mo Willems

Piggie and Gerald have grand plans to go for a drive. They begin collecting all the things they will need for the drive, but they might be missing one crucial piece for a drive… Piggie and Gerald’s emotions will keep the readers involved until the end.

Honor: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin & James Dean

Pete the Cat is back in this third installment. This time Pete’s singing about his four buttons. But when they start to pop off, will Pete worry? Goodness, no! A great storytime read to teach counting and a great beginning reader.

Honor: Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover by Cece Bell

A pair of friends have different expectations for their sleepover. Will they find a way to have fun together? An older beginning reader that’s perfect for more proficient readers.

On the Radar: Growing Minds May 2015

“On the Radar” is a new feature when I plan to call attention to readers reviewed in major publications.

Growing Minds May 2015

growingminds-may15

In this month’s Growing Minds (which is put out by Baker & Taylor and available online, Early Chapter/Beginning Reader starts on pg. 30), I found this plethora of beginning readers! No reviews, just plot summaries.

Backyard Chickens by Avery Reed
Dinosaurs in Space: Out of This World! by Pranas Naujokaitis
Odd Creatures by Elise Gravel
Fly Guy Presents: Bats by Tedd Arnold
Big Dog and Little Dog by Dav Pilkey

Big Dog and Little Dog Going for a Walk by Dav Pilkey
Biggety Bat: Chow Down, Biggety by Ann Ingalls
Buster the Very Shy Dog by Lisze Bechtold
Buster the Very Shy Dog Finds a Kitten by Lisze Bechtold
Diving Dolphin by DK Readers

Eruption! by DK Readers
Rocket Science by DK Readers
Snakes Slither and Hiss by DK Readers
The Explosive Story of Fireworks! by Kama Einhorn
Frances Dances by Mark Iacolina

I Will Take a Nap! by Mo Willems
Just a Teacher’s Pet by Mercer Mayer (Little Critter)
Let’s Go Fishing by Erica Silverman (Lana’s World)
Let’s Have a Parade by Erica Silverman (Lana’s World)
Pete the Cat’s Train Trip by James Dean

A Pig, A Fox, and a Box by Jonathan Fenske
Pulling Back the Curtain on Magic by Sheila Sweeny Higginson
Splish, Splash, ZooBorns! by Andrew Bleiman
The Totally Secret Secret by Bob Shea
Welcome, Bao Bao by Gina Shaw

Review: Max Finds an Egg

The Basics

maxfindsanegg
Title: Max Finds an Egg
Author: Wiley Blevins
ISBN: 9780448479941
Copyright Date: 2015
Publisher: Penguin Group/Penguin Random House
Reader Imprint: Penguin Young Readers
Level: Level 1 Emergent Reader
Series: Max (Max Has a Fish)

Thoughts

Max finds an egg and immediately begins waiting for what he thinks is a dinosaur to come out. He takes care of the egg, but when the egg finally hatches, Max does not get a dinosaur. But what he does get is a new friend.

This is a simple story with very basic vocabulary. The hardest words are “dinosaur” and “chicken” where the images give enough context clues for the reader to sound out those words. Max’s eyes are very dynamic and help convey the storyline for beginning readers.

This is a Fountas & Pinnell level C and it will be a good addition to libraries looking for the low-end of beginning readers.

Series to Know: Mr. Putter & Tabby

Series Info

mrputterandtabby

Books:

  1. Mr. Putter & Tabby Pour the Tea
  2. Mr. Putter & Tabby Walk the Dog
  3. Mr. Putter & Tabby Bake the Cake
  4. Mr. Putter & Tabby Pick the Pears
  5. Mr. Putter & Tabby Fly the Plane
  6. Mr. Putter & Tabby Row the Boat
  7. Mr. Putter & Tabby Toot the Horn
  8. Mr. Putter & Tabby Take the Train
  9. Mr. Putter & Tabby Paint the Porch
  10. Mr. Putter & Tabby Feed the Fish
  11. Mr. Putter & Tabby Catch the Cold
  12. Mr. Putter & Tabby Stir the Soup
  13. Mr. Putter & Tabby Write the Book
  14. Mr. Putter & Tabby Make a Wish
  15. Mr. Putter & Tabby Spin the Yarn
  16. Mr. Putter & Tabby See the Stars
  17. Mr. Putter & Tabby Run the Race
  18. Mr. Putter & Tabby Spill the Beans
  19. Mr. Putter & Tabby Clear the Decks
  20. Mr. Putter & Tabby Ring the Bell
  21. Mr. Putter & Tabby Dance the Dance
  22. Mr. Putter & Tabby Drop the Ball
  23. Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page

Links: Publisher Page || Author Site (Cynthia Rylant) || Illustrator Profile (Arthur Howard)

Reviews: Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Jouranl

Awards: Geisel Honor 2015 (Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page)

Difficulty

A higher-level beginning reader series. Mr. Putter & Tabby books are told in multiple chapters that converge into a single storyline. Stories are simplistic and easy to understand: painting the porch, reading a book at the library, having a birthday, going on a boat, etc.

The series has a Lexile average of 467L and an Accelerated Reader average of 2.5. Most online resources put Mr. Putter & Tabby at Guided Reading Level J, although none of the books have the rating on the back covers. Make a Wish has 213 unique words and Pour the Tea has 194 unique words. This is a great series for 2nd graders.

Thoughts

I am not a cat person. I’m typing this while playing ball with one dog and another one laying at my feet. And yet…there is something so endearing about Mr. Putter and Tabby. I love the universal things they represent — we all want good company and companionship and that’s exactly what Mr. Putter and Tabby are.

More Mr. Putter & Tabby?

Give fans of Mr. Putter & Tabby either of Cynthia Rylant’s other beginning series: Brownie & Pearl, Henry & Mudge, or Annie & Snowball.

Dates to Remember

The past few years indicate a yearly release, sometime in the fall or winter.

Review: Pinkalicious Cherry Blossom

The Basics

pinkaliciouscherryblossom
Title: Pinkalicious Cherry Blossom
Author: Victoria Kann
ISBN: 9780062245939
Copyright Date: 2015
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reader Brand: I Can Read
Level: Level 1 Beginning Reading
Series: Pinkalicious (Pink Around the Rink, Pinkalicious and the Cupcake Calamity, Pinkalicious and the Pink Parakeet, Pinkalicious and the Pinkatastic Zoo Day, Pink-a-rama, The Pinkerrific Playdate, Pinkie Promise, The Princess of Pink Slumber Party, Puptastic!, School Rules!, Soccer Star)

Thoughts

Pinkalicious has been waiting for the cherry blossom festival so she can fly her kite. But when she has trouble getting her kite off the ground, will anyone help her?

I like to think of Pinkalicious as magical realism for beginning readers. After all, the original Pinkalicious story involves the protagonist turning pink after eating too many cupcakes. So I wasn’t surprised to read (in my first Pinkalicious reader!) a little magical transportation to Japan.

I was happy to see some diversity in Pinkalicious’s world, but the illustrations struck me as being on the smallest end of diversity. The Japanese characters look very much like Pinkalicious and her family except that they have slanted eyes and darker hair.

The text itself isn’t too difficult with its short sentences. Readers may stumble over some of the more difficult words like “festival” and “pinktastic”, and I expect that most will have trouble with the Japanese words “Sakura” and “mochi”. This is a Guided Reading Level J and a Lexile level 210.

A purchase for libraries who have Pinkalicious fan bases.

Geisel 2014 Award & Honors

For more information about the Geisel Award, visit the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award homepage.

thewatermelonseed
Winner: The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

It’s a classic childhood dilemma — when you love watermelon, you’ll eventually swallow a watermelon seed. The Watermelon Seed tells that exact story in simple words and sentences, creating a delightfully funny beginning reader.

The text is large and easily read; the book is illustrated using only four colors: green, pink, white, and black. The illustrations help readers with potentially confusing sentences like “growing in my guts” by showing an X-ray. Crocodile is wonderfully dynamic in his expression, cluing readers in to his panic after he realizes that he has swallowed a seed.

This is another book that was actually shelved and processed as a picture book before it won the Geisel Award. At my previous library, I put it in Stories/Pizzoli. At my current library, it was read and cataloged by the previous Early Literacy Librarian as Picture/Stories/Food/Pizzoli.

The hilarious conclusion — seriously, what kindergarten/preschool student doesn’t love a good burp joke? — will have kids rolling in the aisle.

The Watermelon Seed is currently on our state’s K-3rd grade reader’s choice list of nominations and it’s one of my favorites. Fingers crossed!

geisel2014honors

Honor: Ball by Mary Sullivan

A single word — ball — is all that a beginning reader needs to read this imaginative book about a ball-obsessed dog. A great book to work on punctuation and emotions. (Also reminds me of my sweet dog-nephew who is also ball-obsessed! I am playing ball with him as I write this!)

Honor: A Big Guy Took My Ball! by Mo Willems

A big guy has stole Piggie’s ball. When Gerald tries to get it back, he is surprised to see a bigger big guy than him — a whale — has the ball. Can they figure out how to play together? Another wonderful addition to the Elephant and Piggie series.

Honor: Penny and Her Marble by Kevin Henkes

When Penny finds a marble in Mrs. Goodwin’s yard, she picks it up and takes it home. Later that evening, she begins to wonder if Mrs. Goodwin is missing the marble. Another familiar childhood story for Penny and her fans.

On the Radar: Kirkus 4/15/15

“On the Radar” is a new feature when I plan to call attention to readers reviewed in major publications.

Kirkus Reviews 4/15/15

kirkus415-otr

All of these titles received reviews:

Lazy Bear, Crazy Bear by Kevin Bolger (and a mention of Gran on a Fan)
I Will Take a Nap by Mo Willems

This title was mentioned in Continuing Series with no review:

pinkaliciouspinkparakeetPinkalicious and the Pink Parakeet by Victoria Kann