From: HarrySpenc at aol.com <HarrySpenc>
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 20:44:09 -0400

With a two-year-old and a four-year-old under my roof, I've been especially enjoying the suggested titles. My school library serves children K-5, and includes a population of children who are cognitively disabled. Usually, the same things that my toddler likes work with the CD kids as read-alouds.
 _Brown Bear, Brown Bear_, by Bill Martin, Jr. is always a hit, as is _Piggy in the Puddle_ by Charlotte Pomerantz with illustrations by James Marshall.
 I feel almost silly mentioning these, as it seems everyone knows about them and they are often "done to death". I've also had good results with _Where's the Baby?_ by Tom Paxton, and _Grandpa Toad's Secrets_ by Kaska (He was mentioned earlier in the discussion, I think.) A couple of years ago I was weeding picture books and I ran across a copy of
_Looking for Susie_, by Bernadine Cook, illustrated by Judith Shahn. c.1959.
 I did not care for the dated illustrations (complete with gender stereotypes), but since it must have survived numerous weeds, I read it through, then took it home and tried it out on my pre-schoolers. Regardless of what I think, my kids love this book! The four- year-old has it memorized, and 'reads' it to the two-year-old. I have since discovered that it was re-illustrated in 1991. (at least improved, if not ideal). If you want to please a pre-school audience, _Looking for Susie_ is worth trying.

Bridget Hill Harry Spence Elementary School La Crosse, WI
Received on Wed 21 Aug 1996 07:44:09 PM CDT