From: Kathleen Horning <horning>
Date: Fri, 05 Oct 2001 07:46:20 -0500

Thanks, Betty and Robin, for helping us stay on topic by bringing the discussion back to books for newly independent readers in general. An thanks, too, to both of you for your clear remarks about the characteristics of young readers and their needs/tastes.

Many of us have mentioned specific series that are especially appealing to newly independent readers. What about individual stand-alone books? I myself recently witnessed a 6 year old make the exciting journey across the bridge from easy readers to chapter books with "Margaret and Taylor" by Kevin Henkes. Not only is "Margaret and Taylor" not part of a series, there is not other book quite like it, so far as I can see. Everything else was just a little bit too easy or a little bit too hard from this 6 year old's perspective, but he seemed perfectly happy to read and reread "Margaret and Taylor" for a few weeks.

Anyway, if any of you don't know this book which is one of Henkes' early works, I suggest you seek it out. It's a small gem, out of print I'm afraid, but I hope you'll find it in library collections.

Kathleen Horning
Received on Fri 05 Oct 2001 07:46:20 AM CDT