June 21, 2004
Easy Readers
For homework this week we have to write reviews for some Easy Readers. Easy Readers are those books written for kids learning to read -- they have simple vocabulary, use big fonts, have short sentences, and lots of pictures. One of our text books explains, “The easy-to-read book differs in appearance from the picture storybook in several obvious ways. Because they are intended for independent reading, they do not have to be seen from a distance and may be smaller; the text takes up a great proportion of each page; and the text is often divided into short chapters.” (Tomlinson, Essentials of Children’s Literature, p 80).
Here's the ones I wrote about:
On the Go with Pirate Pete and Pirate Joe. By A. E. Cannon. Illustrated by Elwood H. Smith. Viking Books, 2002. 32 pages. $13.99.
Yo Ho! Pirate Pete and Pirate Joe, along with their dog Dudley and cat Studley, are hungry for pirate adventures (and for seafood)! Colorful cartoon drawings illustrate each point made in the text -- from how Pirate Pete is tall and thin while Pirate Joe is short and round, to a parrot who speaks pig-latin – giving visual clues to the text and making it a delight to look at. The book is broken into three short chapters chronicling their adventures and pirate-preparations, and each chapter title has its own illustrated page. The simple vocabulary and repeating phrases make it a fun and easy story to tackle, and their zany adventures and general silliness are darling. Readers who want more can jump right into their continuing adventures in Let the Good Times Roll With Pirate Pete and Pirate Joe. Aye! No doubt about it, these are certainly some silly pirates!
Wizard and Wart. By Janice Lee Smith. Pictures by Paul Meisel. Harper Collins Publishers, 1994. 64 pages. $13.89
Double Yikes! When Wizard and his dog Wart set up a magic shop to do a little hocus-pocus, the duo learns that solving people’s problems can be hard work! Their new house is big enough for them to hocus in the front and pocus in the back (and take naps in the middle), but is it big enough for all the trouble they cause? The story is illustrated with full-page pen and ink watercolors with wonderful details that jump off the page (from the fanciful wizard robes to the box of Wizard Pops cereal and carton of bug juice on the breakfast table), making every page a delight. Silly rhymes (tragic magic? hare pair?) and silly spells are sprinkled throughout the adventure. The book is easy to read with short sentences and four short chapters and it leaves you wanting to know what kind of magic they’ll cook up next (or if they have learned their lesson!)
Molly Gets Mad. By Suzy Kline. Illustrated by Diana Cain Bluthenthal. G.P. Putname’s Sons, 2001. 70 pages. $14.99.
Molly Zander likes being the top athlete in the third grade, but a surprise field trip to the ice rink shows her some stiff competition. The story is told from the point of view of her best friend Morty, who sees his friend’s jealously and bad behavior. Molly’s efforts to prove she’s number one wind up putting Morty in a cast with a broken ankle – leading to more jealousy as Morty gets a special classroom lunch with the teacher and Molly’s new rival. Eventually a lesson in hockey teamwork gets everyone back on the same side. This transitional chapter book is sprinkled with engaging black and white drawings that capture the characters and their attitudes perfectly. While the lessons are a bit heavy-handed, the characters are endearing and readers will recognize many of the feelings the kids deal with in their elementary school lives. There’s even a math problem thrown in for fun!
Meg Mackintosh and The Mystery in the Locked Library. By Luncinda Landon. Secret Passage Press, 1996. 43 pages. $13.95
A mysterious secret message in some otherwise healthy cereal sets Meg Mackintosh and her brother Peter on an adventure through the library for their cousin Alice. Each set of pages poses a question such as “Where do you think the key could be?” and “What do you think happened?” – allowing the readers to play sleuth and discover library skills along with the book’s heroes through a series of clues in the text and images of the book. The black and white line drawings and sketches need to be closely examined to get all the clues, and invite backing up and rechecking earlier ones to find out more. Meg’s sleuthing will remind readers of Encyclopedia Brown, but she has her own style and strengths. The lack of chapter separations and relatively complex topics suggest that slightly older kids or groups of kids working on the mystery together may benefit more than young readers. Best of all, if readers enjoy solving the mystery, this is just one of a whole series of Meg Mackintosh cases. Case closed!
Emily and Alice Babysit Burton. By Joyce Champion. Illustrated by Joan Parazette. Gulliver Books, 2001. 32 pages. $14.0
Baby-sit a bulldog? When best friends Emily and Alice decided to start a babysitting company, that’s not exactly what they had in mind. But they took the job of cheering up their friend’s dog Burton, who had been unhappy since the family had a new baby. When even peanut-butter cookies won’t make Burton come out from under the bed, the two friends realize what’s troubling him and give him the attention he needs. Bright colorful illustrations which fill each page will have you falling in love with the adorable Burton dressed up in baby clothes and out for a stroll with the girls. The attention to detail in these watercolor and marker drawings complements the telling of the story and adds volumes to the experience. This is the third in the Emily and Alice series chronicling their friendship and adventures together, and its short chapters and straight-forward text should make it appealing to many young readers.
[And yes, I chose it because it was an Emily book!]
Babar Loses His Crown. By Laurent de Brunhoff. Illustrated by Laurent de Brunhoff. Random House (Beginner Books), 1967. 63 pages.
Babar can wear a crown, but he can’t wear a flute! So after his bag is switched accidentally at the train station and he realizes he crown is missing, Babar and his family race all around Paris trying to find the man in the mustache who took the wrong bag. This pleasing story features many of the highlights of Paris, and Babar bravely goes about his day despite being terribly sad about losing his crown. Laurent de Brunhoff carried on the legacy of his father, Jean de Brunhoff, who created Babar in 1931, and the simple watercolor and ink illustrations are as appealing today as they are when the book was published in 1967. The classic yellow end-papers with the parade of elephants holding onto one another’s tails and Babar in his famous green suit will delight parents who knew the books from their own childhoods. This edition, adapted to be an easy reader, contains a limited vocabulary and short, straightforward sentences. It is no wonder that Babar and his family have been favorites for almost 75 years!
I also read:
Pinky and Rex
By James Howe. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
Poppleton has Fun
By Cynthia Ryland. Illustrated by Mark Teague.
Which I loved, even though it sent a message that its no fun to go to the movies by yourself... a fear which I only recently overcame
The Golly Sisters Go West
By Betsy Byars. Pictures by Sue Truesdell.
All of Our Noses Are Here and Other Noodle Tales
Retold by Alvin Schwartz. Pictures by Karen Ann Weinhaus.
Pooh Goes Visiting
By A.A. Milne. Adopted (into an Easy Reader) by Stephen Krensky. With decorations by Ernest H. Shepard.
Lost at the White House: A 1909 Easter Story
By Lisa Griest. Illustrations by Andrea Shine.
Featuring President Taft (but she didn't get scared by the Easter Bunny like Brian did when we went when he was 2 -- years later I think he even volunteered to _be_ the bunny)
Little Bear
By Else Holmelund Minarik. Pictures by Maurice Sendak.
Make New Friends
By Rosemary Wells. Illustrations by Jody Wheeler.
Morris the Moose
By B. Wiseman.
The High-Rise Private Eyes: The Case of the Missing Monkey
By Cynthia Ryland. Pictures by G. Brian Karas.
Frog and Toad Together
By Arnold Lobel.
(interesting, both this book at Morris the Moose are dedicated to Barbara Dicks)
Amelia Bedelia
By Peggy Parish. Pictures by Fritz Siebel.
Emily's Shoes
Written and illustrated by Joan Cottle.
(this was the very first one I picked off the shelf -- and the author turns out to be from Connecticut and live her in Los Gatos!)
The Lucky Duck
By Sarah Durkee. Illustrated by Dave Prebenna.
(part of the Between the Lions series, which you can see on PBS)
EEK! Stories to make you shriek: A Very Strange Dollhouse
By Jennifer Dussling. Illustrated by Sonja Lamut.
Amanda Pig and Her Big Brother Oliver
By Jean Van Leeuwen. Pictures by Ann Schweninger.
The Tea Squall
By Ariane Dewey.
Henry and Mudge: The First Book
and
Henry and Mudge in the Family Trees
By Cynthia Rylant. Pictures by Sucie Stevenson.
Singing Diggety.
By Maggie Stern. Illustrations by Blanche Sims.
Zena and the Witch Circus
By Alice Low. Pictures by Laura Cornell.
Pish and Posh
By Barbara Bottner and Gerald Kruglik. Pictures by Barbara Bottner.