The Basics

Title: 3, 2, 1, Go!
Author: Emily Arnold McCully
ISBN: 9780823432882
Copyright Date: 2015
Publisher: Holiday House
Reader Brand: I Like to Read
Level: N/A
Series:

Thoughts

Ann and Bess are playing school. Little Min wants to join in on the fun. When the big girls exclude her, Min develops a plan to meet them without crossing the line they have drawn.

A great example of a simple beginning reader that’s really well done. The text is fully supported by the illustrations, the story is clear for a young child to understand, and the vocabulary only has a few multiple syllable words. Bonus points for this book showing girls doing STEM activities instead of choosing to make the story about a little boy engineer.

Definitely recommended for most public libraries. Great for those looking to increase STEM offering featuring girls and for those looking for very early beginning readers (level 1).

The Basics

Title: Grace
Author: Kate Parkinson
ISBN: 9780823432073
Copyright Date: 2015
Publisher: Holiday House
Reader Brand: I Like to Read
Level: N/A
Series: N/A

Thoughts

Grace wants very much to be a ballerina, but just isn’t making the cut. When the other girls tell Grace to give up, she figures out a plan to stay involved in the ballet and to keep dancing.

The “I Like to Read” series are formatted very much like a picture book. Their font is definitely beginning reader sized though and encourages a child to read on their own. I like this series for that reason — for kids who are wary to try a new format but still need that beginning reader support.

Grace’s story is very simple and easy for a child to understand. Once Grace leaves the ballet, she draws a picture to feel better. She begins to realize that maybe her efforts are better served as a set designer and that she can continue dancing on her own, in her own way.

While I liked the story’s idea of being able to try something else if your original plan doesn’t work, I didn’t feel that the page spreads of Grace trying really gave readers a full picture of how Grace was feeling. (And I know it’s hard to convey all that in a reader, I know!) Maybe if I had known that Grace was frustrated with her dancing, I would have bought into the storyline more. Overall, I just felt Grace was sad the whole time and even a bit bullied by her classmates.

Still, this is definitely a beginning reader that will work for most collections.