Ready to Read? Looking for some great stories for the newest
readers? Here are some terrific titles to try!
A Brand-New Day with
Mouse and Mole
by Wong Herbert Yee
In this
delightfully amusing Level 3 easy-reader, two friends find new ideas for being
together. Think Arnold Lobel’s “Frog and Toad” series, only with more advanced
vocabulary. The similar quirky illustrations are done with litho pencil and
gouache. They follow the friends through the day with sometimes-comical,
occasionally surprising, and always actively energetic artistry.
When Mole greets a brand-new day, his
initial pleasure is brief because moths have made holes in his clothes. Mouse,
his friend, helps chase away the moths and together they decide to eat first at
the diner and then look for replacement clothes at the new store next door.
Mole thinks of a creative solution
to problems with the clothes. The two friends go fishing and then unexpectedly
end up in the pond. The fourth and
concluding chapter shows the two friends as they each choose resourceful and
inventive means to share with each other.
Repetition is used to identify
characters, to connect different parts of the story between chapters, and to
draw readers attention to a circling pattern of relationships between the
characters, through the language of the story and the ideas developed by the skill
and cleverness of the projects.
This charmer will hold the
attention of beginning readers and their families!
Houghton Mifflin, $3.99
(paperback) $15 (hardcover)
Interest Level: Grade1
- 3
The Infamous Ratsos
by Kara LaReau,
illustrated by Matt Myers
Brothers
Louie and Ralphie Ratso who live in the Big City, want to be tough like their
dad, Big Lou. Their mother has been gone for a while and they remind each other
that talking a lot, and riding the bus instead of walking are for softies. They
try to think of what they can do to show how tough they are.
But, each
time, their efforts to be tough backfire. Others think they’re heroes, or
thoughtful, generous, and helpful. When they think they’re finally going to get
in trouble, their dad shares a letter from school honoring the brothers for
their kindness.
Ink and
watercolor illustrations in black and white are comic book style; humorously
dressed animal characters, with eyeglasses, droopy ears, and prickly looking
expressions. Expressive faces and body language show the contrasts between
before and after the Ratso brothers’ actions. The added depth strengthens the
storyline of this award winner, making the seventh, and final chapter
convincing in its departure from what the brothers (and early readers!) might
expect.
Candlewick Press, $4.99
(paperback) $14.99 (hardcover)
Interest Level:
Kindergarten – Grade 2
Frank Pearl in the
Awful Waffle Kerfuffle
by Megan McDonald,
illustrated by Erwin Madrid
From
the author of the Judy Moody and Stink series comes their friend, Frank Pearl
who wants to win a contest. He enters the yo-yo contest showing off his amazing
Flying Skunk trick. Frank takes his parrot, Cookie, to the Pets Are Family contest
at the Fur & Fangs Pet Store. And, in the third chapter of this cheerful
book, Frank and his friends participate in the third-grade Breakfast Bash and
Waffle-Off, a Saturday contest at school to raise funds for their field trip.
The
colorful digital illustrations show a spectacled Frank as he works to win.
There is plenty of action; the children’s expressions and the animals’ actions
are engaging. Frank and the other children are active and involved in their
community.
McDonald’s
characteristic good humor combined with Madrid’s comedic sense of fun and
timing make this a winning choice for independent readers.
Candlewick Press, $4.99 (paperback) $12.99 (hardcover)
Interest Level: Kindergarten
– Grade 2
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