From: Robin Smith <smithr>
Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2001 13:00:34 -0500

Thanks, Megan, This is an issue that is near and dear to my heart as I work with my second graders and move them forward in their reading. There are so many parts to this challenge for me:

1. Most parents need to be educated about picture books. The vocabulary in picture books is challenging because picture books are written for adults to read with children. So, picture books are often too much of a challenge for the emergent reader who is ready to move beyond the phonetic vocabulary of basal readers or very simple repetitive rhyming books.

2. Many children get the message that they should be "challenging themselves" and end up trying to read unsatisfactory books that are too difficult. All teachers should free their children from the competition to read "hard" books--every child is different and each child needs to read books she enjoys.

Having said all this, I use two resources to remind myself what it means to be an emergent reader and what makes up a good book for these readers. Both are resources from the CCBC people!: One is Margaret Jensen's phenomenal booklist entitled Books for Beginning Readers. It can be found at http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/jensen2.htm The other is a chapter from Kathleen Horning's excellent book, From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books. (I can't remember the title of the chapter but it is all about books for new readers and it is an excellent description of what books for new readers are and what they should.) Which brings me to a few individual books (as opposed to series books like Step into Reading) that I like to give to newly independent readers to read on their own:

Iris and Walter and Iris and Walter, True Friends by Elissa Haden Guest, illus. Christine Davenier Dorothy and Mikey by Keiko Kasza The Cobble Street Cousins Books by Cynthia Rylant, Illus. by Wendy Anderson Halperin Agapanthus Hum and Major Bark by Joy Cowley, illus. by Jennfer Plecas Henry and Mudge books by Cynthia Rylant, illus. Sucie Stevenson Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, illus. Marc Simont Little Sister, Big Sister , Hot Fudge Hero and Little Sister, Big Sister by Pat Brisson, illus. Diana Cain Bluthenthal Good Night, Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas
        Of course there are many, many more that most people already know and love that should not be neglected: Hoban's Arthur books, Frog and Toad, George and Martha, Little Bear... Poetry books like Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutskey are very popular with this type of reader as well. Robin Smith Grade 2 teacher
Received on Tue 02 Oct 2001 01:00:34 PM CDT