From: Steven Engelfried <sengelfried>
Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2001 09:30:27 -0800

I agree that picturebooks are underused with older readers, but when someone at my library asks for an easy chapter book, usually that's really what they mean. If I try to convince them to read Chris Van Allsburg or Grahame Base, I'm really not responding to their need, which is: they want to make the jump to chapter books. I think most kids see it as a graduation to more grown up reading, even if technically the vocabulary and story might be less challenging than some picture books. I'd really like to see more genre variety in the easiest chapter books. Humor is easy to find, and "Magic Tree House" taps into fantasy nicely, but I find myself falling back on old titles like "My Robot Buddy" for science fiction and "My Father's Dragon" for adventure and Matt Christopher's shorter ones for sports. Anything new
(and better than average) out there in those areas?

- Steven Engelfried, Children's Division Librarian Beaverton City Library 12375 SW 5th Street Beaverton, OR 97005 503R6%99 sengelfried at ci.beaverton.or.us
Received on Sun 28 Oct 2001 11:30:27 AM CST