Emergent Reader Book Choices

Emergent readers are in that magic stage in reading development when all of the experiences with books, all of the practice singing the alphabet, all of the exposure to words, and the introduction of phonics skill finally come together.  Emergent readers are early readers with basic print knowledge, some site words, and some phonics skills.  Most children are entering into the emergent reader stage in Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and First Grade.  I remember reading my early phonics readers.  Typically emergent reader books will be very decodable.  That means the words might be from a select word family or may follow an easy rhyme pattern.  In addition, emergent reader books will have very close print and illustration connections. Readers will be able to tell the stories via both simple text and pictures. 

All this to say: my Lil Guy is solidly in the emergent reader stage.  Some of the  This is more than just remembering a story or a few words to a story.  Cold reading an emergent reader text is a sign.  Being able to chunk words or use phonics skills to sound out longer unknown words is also a sign.  Remember that emergent readers are not independent readers by any means is important.  These readers will still need plenty of support.  My Lil Guy needs reminders to read every word on a page and is still learning some letter combinations: sh, th, ng, etc.

signs are reading and recognizing words within text.

Choosing appropriate books for emergent readers is crucial.  Great emergent reader book engage readers.  The text needs to be accessible for the reader, but can still require a bit of support.  Also the illustrations need to engage the reader and give picture clues for the readers.  Many emergent reader books will have reading levels listed.  Even early emergent readers will enjoy these books because of the predictable text patterns and easy to follow picture clues. 

 

Here are some emergent reader series:

I Can Read Series from Harper Collins Publishers.  These books are very popular and inexpensive.  The stories often have recurring characters and also include non-fiction books.  This particular series also features popular storybook characters such as Pete the Cat and Pinkalicious.  Look for “My First” and Level 1 books in this series for emergent readers.

Step Into Reading from Random House Publishers.  Again, these books are very popular and are found on the shelves at Wal-Mart and Target.  Some of the popular series in these books are Sesame Street, Disney Characters, and Barbie.  While those characters might not thrill parents there are other very engaging emergent reader books.  Lil Guy’s first book he read by himself was Hot Dog.  It’s still one of his favorites to read during storytime!  Look for Level 1 books in this series for emergent readers.

Ready to Read from Simon & Schuster Publishers.  These books showcase some of the same movie and cartoon characters, but also offer children’s favorite authors within the Emergent Reader books.  Eric Carle and Cynthia Rylant have books from Ready to Read.  Olivia is also featured as a series for emergent readers.  Look for Pre-Level 1 and Level 1 books.

One of our favorite book series lately has been I Like to Read by Holiday House Publishers.  These books we have borrowed from the library in hardback.  They tell simple but interesting stories.  I’ve seen some comments that the stories don’t feel complete, but my Lil Guy’s imagination fills in the details as he reads.  All of the I Like to Read series books fall solidly into the Emergent Reader level.  Here are a few of our favorites in the series.

So, What are YOUR favorite Emergent Reader books?  What activities do you do with YOUR Emergent Readers at home or at school?  Do you have suggestions for Lil Guy and me?

Celebrating Picture Book Month

Today is the start of Picture Book Month.  As you probably can guess by my frequent book reviews, reading updates, and blog posts, I am a huge fan of picture books.  I will most definitely be celebrating Picture Book Month.  Yay!  Having the realization that Picture Book Month protocol may not be clear and we may need guidance for how to celebrate, I’ve come up with ten ideas to celebrate Picture Month Book in your classroom, in your home, on your own, or with others. 

1. Read lots of picture books.  Make a goal of reading at least one picture book a day or one new picture book each week.

2. Visit your local libraries. Pull picture books off the shelf and discover new authors and illustrators!  Ask the librarian for assistance in find the right book for your and your child/students.

3. Find your favorite picture books from when you were a child.  My husband recently found his two favorite childhood picture books online.  Thanks to the selling power of Amazon, he found Disney Classic Button Soup.  It was such a pleasure to see Nana reading Button Soup to our Lil Guy.  (The Big Guy was listening too!)

4. Visit book blogs that are celebrating Picture Book Month.  There are so many amazing book blogs out there that may cater to your picture book tastes.   You can easily blog hop from one book blog to another just by checking for ‘blogs I follow’ links.

5. Check out past Caldecott winners.  The Caldecott medal is given to picture books by a committee that recognizes excellence in story and illustrations.  Click HERE for the official Caldecott website with a lits of previous winners and honor books.

6. Stock up on picture books as gifts for birthdays, holidays, or give them as children (or adults) just because.  I love giving (and receiving) books as gifts. Work a book into a themed gift! (Give sporting goods plus a book about a favorite character playing sports.)

7. Visit a local book store.  Book stores are one of my true vices.  I love seeing the full book shelves and new books ready to be discovered.  I also love used book stores where I can grab a stack of picture books from the clearance section for a steal.  Try local indie book stores for unique local reads!

8. Participate in PiBoIdMo.  Picture Book Idea Month was started by Tara at Writing For Kids.  You can sign up on her blog.  The idea is simple.  Get your ideas for picture books out of your head and into notebooks, onto paper, write, sketch, and get organized.  If you are the writing type, check out herideas along with the other participants HERE.

9. Reread your favorite picture books.  Grab those favorites off the shelves.  Enjoy them or look at them critically for a new perspective.  Use fun voices for the characters or read a book in the dark with only a flashlight.  (Kids love that!)  Try reading book for younger students to an older audience and see their reaction!

10. Join a reading community.  Connect with other readers of picture books online at GoodReads or on twitter.  Check for your favorite author or illustrator’s website.  Go to story time with your children or encourage older students to share non-fiction picture books in the classroom.  (It’s worth it, I promise!) 

Overall, have fun and enjoy picture books.   

Have a great Picture Book Month and for more information, 

visit Picture Book Month Blog HERE.   

Anyone else planning to celebrate 

Picture Book Month?

Machines @ Work

Machines Go to Work in the City

My Lil Guy loves looking out the windows as we are driving around together.  In the country he finds cows and goats, but in the city it’s all about the cars and trucks, big machines and construction.  While orange barrels mean using caution and traffic for me, Lil Guy can’t wait to see workers and machinery.  It’s this love of big machines that is celebrated in author/illustrator William Low’s new book Machines Go to Work in the City.  Low had previous success with his beautiful Old Penn Station and his latest book has much to enjoy as well. 

Machines Go to Work in the City takes readers on a trip through the city showing many city workers.  Each page spread also features a fold out page with an oversized picture of workers using each machine.   One of my favorite things about the book is the urban scenes showing diversity in workers.  We see female police officers and many different cultural groups represented in the many roles.  The machines themselves are also accurately drawn with many details such as the hydraulic lift on the utilities truck and the tool compartment on the vacuum truck.  Little details like this are also diagramed on the last few pages of the book giving older readers much wanted facts.

This book has a lot to like from high interest machines to beautiful drawings.  I can’t say that I will be excited about reading and rereading this book, but I know that Lil Guy enjoyed it and learned about machines too.  Recommended for interested non-fiction readers, ages 3 to 8.

Halloween and Spooky Reads

It’s October and before you know it, Halloween will be here.  We’ve been reading Halloween and spooky reads the last few weeks and here are a few I have to share with you today:

Creepy Carrots  by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown (Illustrator) is a spooky book for young readers.  The story isn’t just for Halloween and features Jasper a carrot loving bunny.  The book is styled like a graphic novel with sometimes multiple panels on a page.  Many people have been featuring this book lately, I read one review from School Library Journal that mentioned the coloring in the book is mostly black and white with tons of shadows and interesting ‘film angles’.  Add in the little touches of orange focusing your eye throughout the book and you have a nod to Film Noir.  Maybe young readers won’t recognize the homage, but teachers and parents might appreciate the details.  Overall, the book was loved by my 3 yr old Lil Guy.  We’ve been rereading it and going back through to find details in the illustrations.  Highly Recommended to Preschool to Grade 3 who are look for a scary but not too scary book for read alouds, 2-3 grade independent readers, and Halloween readers who like film noir.

Pumpkin Heads by Wendell Minor is a picture book for the youngest of readers.  Each 2 page spread features a beautiful depiction of fall or Halloween with simple text.  This book would be great for a read aloud or for young independent readers.  It’s great to see a children’s book that treats children respectfully, offering a sophisticated view of Autumn.  The sparse text begs for readers to slow down and note the details.  Recommended for readers who want to connect to the natural part of fall.

The Hallo-wiener by Dav Pilkey is a fun picture book with Pilkey’s trademark sense of humor.  The story features Oscar a wiener dog who is miserable and getting picked on at school.  When Halloween comes around, Oscar has the worst possible costume, a hot dog.  Little Oscar becomes a hero when the tables are turned on his bullies.  The book’s illustrations are extremely appealing to K-3 readers.  The overall story is funny and predictable, but it lacks a bit of restraint with the name calling and pranks.  Recommended for a fun and light read before Halloween.

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