#readinglevels

[thefamilyvillage]

Home

Interact with friends and family while reading. A great way to get everyone involved in those development milestones.

[runningwithcrayons]

Reading Log 3 - Easy Readers

Limited Vocabulary Easy Readers: 

Go, Dog, Go!

by P.D. Eastman

Random House, 1961

I Can Read All By Myself

72 pages

Ages: 3-7

This book is the quintessential beginning reader. Dogs drive cars, talk about hats, and have a party atop a big tree. Go, Dog, Go! introduces concepts such as color, size, and opposites using simple vocabulary, rhyme, and repetition. The story begins with one easy word: dog. Page after page, the words and sentences build upon one another and become increasingly complex (but not too complex). This book is designed with the beginning reader in mind. Content and design work together seamlessly. The font size is large. There is ample white space, space between words, and space between lines. The cartoon illustrations in bright, primary colors help the beginning reader to decode unfamiliar words without being overwhelming. Children will find this to be an accessible and enjoyable book as they are learning to read.

The Thank You Book (An Elephant & Piggie Book)

by Mo Willems

Hyperion Books for Children, 2016

57 pages

Ages: 6-8

Piggie decides to thank everyone, since he has a lot to be thankful for. Elephant points out that he has forgotten someone important and we later find out that Piggie forgot to thank us, the reader. The Thank You Book uses text bubbles to encapsulate simple vocabulary. The text size is larger than 18 pts., with enough spacing between words and sentences. There are quite a few longer sentences (longer than five words) with which beginning readers may have a difficult time. The use of all capitals where Elephant and Piggie are yelling adds tension to the story but might prove difficult for early readers. Willems uses simple cartoon illustrations and lots of white space, which allows the reader to focus on the text. The strong use of curved lines shows movement and denotes Elephant’s frustration with Piggie. This would be a great book for a parent and child to read aloud together. Elephant and Piggie have become iconic story time characters. Children will love seeing what these two have gotten themselves into and enjoy the friendly banter.

Boy-Oriented Easy Reader:

Danny and the Dinosaur

by Syd Hoff

HarperCollins, 1958

I Can Read, Level 1

64 pages

Ages: Publisher/book does not offer an age range

Danny befriends a dinosaur at the museum. The dinosaur offers to give Danny a ride and they end up having a fun-filled adventure. In the end, the dinosaur returns to the museum and Danny sadly returns home, thinking, “we don’t have room for a pet that size anyway.”

This book makes good use of font-size and spacing. White space surrounds the text at the bottom of every page. The vocabulary is relatively simple, but there are some difficult words, such as “delightful.” There is a lot of dialogue, which might be distracting for the child learning to sound out words but not yet familiar with punctuation beyond the period and exclamation point. Some of the sentences are much longer than five words, but the author breaks them into short, intelligible lines.

The illustrations are bright and fun, mirroring the emotions of a little boy’s best day ever, but becoming more muted at the end when Danny has to say goodbye to his new friend. The pictures complement the story, but in many places would not be effective in helping the reader figure out more difficult words. For instance, when Danny enters the museum, the picture does not aid the reader in deciding whether he is entering a school, library, museum, etc. This is a great early reader for children who like dinosaurs (and what child doesn’t?). Children will be delighted with the engaging plot and illustrations, perhaps wanting to explore other books about Danny’s adventures with the dinosaur or to delve into nonfiction books about dinosaurs and fossils.

Girl-Oriented Easy Reader:

Fancy Nancy Sees Stars

by Jane O’Connor; illus. based on art of Robin Preiss Glasser

HarperCollins, 2008

I Can Read, Level 1

32 pages

Ages: 4-8

Fancy Nancy loves stars, but misses her class trip to the planetarium because of the rain. Luckily the sky clears up when they return home and the family gets to stargaze in the backyard. Nancy is happy to learn that their class trip has been rescheduled in the end. The vocabulary is a bit difficult for a beginning reader. The author uses long sentences, a lot of dialog, contractions, and complicated words (e.g. fascinating, planetarium, constellation). The more difficult words are defined both in the text (“We eat alfresco. / (That’s fancy for eating outdoors.)”) and in a glossary at the end of the book. The text size and spacing is on point and there is sufficient white space surrounding the text. The illustrations are a bit busy, however, taking away from the text rather than explaining it clearly.

Given the difficulty of the text, I think this book should be given a higher level. It would be a great read-at-home book for an independent reader. Young girls with an interest in science might be especially drawn to this book.

Nonfiction Easy Reader:

Tale of a Tadpole

by Karen Wallace

DK Publishing 2009

DK Readers, Level 1

32 pages

Ages: 5-7

This nonfiction book illustrates how tadpoles turn into frogs. It is structured like a very simple science textbook with real-life illustrations. The process it described using easy words and simple sentences. There are some technical terms, but they are used minimally.  The font is large and words/sentences are given adequate spacing. There is a lot of white space and the illustrations are not overpowering. The visual images illustrate the text and aid the reader in decoding difficult words. This book is a great early reader for children who are interested in learning about animals.

Easy Reader Series Involving Pets:

Harry and the Lady Next Door

By Gene Zion, illus. By Margaret Bloy Graham

I Can Read, Level 1; HarperCollins, 1960

64 pages

Ages: Publisher/book does not offer an age range

Harry the dog does not like his next-door neighbor because she sings too loud. In the first chapter, he is reprimanded for trying to bite the lady at a party. Harry spends the rest of the story trying to make the lady stop singing. He brings home a herd of cows and a marching band, but to no avail. In the end, the lady wins a singing contest and leaves for a faraway country. The reader is both surprised and relieved by this turn of events. 

Content and design work well together in this book. It is broken up into four short chapters with simple vocabulary and sentences. The author uses a lot of repetition, which is very effective for a beginning reader. The font is 18 pt. with the proper spacing between words and sentences. White space preserved at the bottom of every page for text. The green and yellow illustrations help the reader figure out what is happening in the story. The plot in engaging and the surprise ending is satisfying. This is a great book to use for read-at-home homework. Young readers will enjoy Harry’s very funny ideas for stopping his neighbor’s horrid singing.

Resources:

HarperCollins Children’s Books, n.d. “I Can Read! Levels.” Retrieved from http://www.icanread.com/levels/

Horning, K.T. (2010). From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children’s Books (revised ed.). New York: HarperCollins.

Vardell, S.M. (2014). Children’s Literature in Action: A Librarian’s Guide (2nd ed). Santa Barbara: Libraries Unlimited.

[buildingvoices]

Reading Stepping Stones

Below are reading stepping stones and suggestions of great books to purchase for your children to read.

Stage 1: Baby Books – Age 0-3

These books are for infants and toddlers. They usually consist of alphabet sounds, books about color, lullabies and nursery rhymes.

Example: Goodnight Moon

Stage 2: Picture Books – Age 4-8

These are hardcover books filled with tons of color and illustrations. The…

View On WordPress