easy reader – Mom Read It

Early Reader, Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate

Waiting for Sophie is great older sibling reading!

Posted on February 25, 2017February 25, 2017 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Waiting for Sophie, by Sarah Ellis/Illustrated by Carmen Mok, (April 2017, Pajama Press), $10.95, ISBN: 9781772780208

Recommended for ages 5-8

Liam can’t wait for his little sister, Sophie, to be born; once she arrives, though, he’s disappointed when she can’t do very much just yet. She can’t talk, she can’t play, and she makes quite a bit of noise. How long is it going to take before she grows up, already? Together, Liam and Nana-Downstairs, his grandmother who lives… well, downstairs, build a Get Older Faster Machine that Liam hopes will help move things along.

Waiting for Sophie is a great older sibling book for younger school-age kids. Sarah Ellis not only captures the excitement of waiting for a new baby brother or sister, but also gives voice to the little frustrations kids can experience when dealing with a new baby in the house, and the desire to have a playmate their age. Sarah Ellis shows readers the fun side of being an older brother, like being the one to make the baby giggle. The gently colored illustrations make this a cozy reading choice for parents and kids, or educators discussing caregiving, to gather together and enjoy. This is a good book for any expectant sibling – you can easily equate the excitement of waiting for an adopted sibling to arrive with Liam’s waiting for Mom to bring Sophie home.

Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Ballet Cat is Back!

Posted on February 2, 2016February 2, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Ballet Cat: Dance, Dance, Underpants!, by Bob Shea (Feb. 2016, Hyperion), $9.99, ISBN: 9781484713792

Recommended for ages 4-7

Ballet Cat is back! She and Butter Bear are having a dance playdate, and Ballet Cat wants to do super-high leaps. Butter Bear really doesn’t feel up to it, and keeps trying to put Ballet Cat off in a series of requests that become more outlandish as they go: it’s like showing off; she wants Ballet Cat to make her cereal and ice pops; she has to go to the bathroom; she has to go hibernate… Ballet Cat is getting frazzled! There’s a reason why Butter Bear really doesn’t want to do the super-high leaps… but will she tell Ballet Cat?

This is the second book in Bob Shea’s Ballet Cat easy reader series, and I can’t get enough of her. I love Shea’s cartoony art and bright colors, I love the wild and expressive text and ideas he comes up with for his characters, and I love how he gets preschoolers. Kids (and parents) will absolutely recognize themselves in Butter Bear, who puts things off in the hopes that Ballet Cat will just forget about it or give it up; they’ll also recognize themselves in Ballet Cat, who is tenacious and determined to get her way!

This may be an easy reader, but it’s great for a storytime reading. You can get silly and invite the kids to dance along with you, and you can put all sorts of wacky voices on as you reenact the dialogue between Ballet Cat and Butter Bear. And just mentioning the word “underpants” in a room full of preschoolers is comedy GOLD, so this book is a win all around. Pair this one with Vegetables in Underpants and Polar Bear’s Underwear for triple the fun, and let the kids decorate their own underpants with coloring pages! You wouldn’t believe how many coloring pages feature blank underwear for kids to color in. Thank you, Captain Underpants, for making undergarments mainstream.

If you’ve never read any of Bob Shea’s books before, you are missing out. Go check out his Dinosaur Vs. series (I’m partial to Dinosaur vs. Mommy) and Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great. Check out his author page for info on more of his books. Check out a few spreads from Ballet Cat: Dance! Dance! Underpants below!

Early Reader, Fiction

Olive & Beatrix – a fun Easy Reader chapter series!

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Not-So Itty-Bitty Spiders (Olive & Beatrix #1),by Amy Marie Stadelmann (Aug. 2015, Scholastic), $4.99, ISBN:9780545814805

Recommended for ages 5-8

Olive and Beatrix are twin sisters, but they’ve got one thing that makes them very different – Beatrix is a witch, and Olive is more of a scientist. To get back at prankster Beatrix, Olive and her best friend, Eddie try to play a prank on Beatrix involving spiders, which backfires in a BIG way!

This is a fun, new Easy Reader chapter book series; part of Scholastic’s Branches line for newly independent readers. There are bright, colorful pictures on every page, bold, easy to read text, and an interesting, fast-paced story loaded with excitement and humor. There are even discussion questions at the end fo the book, to spur some conversation. Scholastic is offering a nice PDF excerpt of Olive & Beatrix on their Branches website, so you can check it out for yourself before you buy.

I really like the Branches books. I’ve got a few of the series on my library shelves, including Eerie Elementary, The Notebook of Doom, and Lotus Lane. The kids love them, and the fact that they’re easy chapter books really helps bridge that Easy Reader-Intermediate gap I sometimes find my readers experiencing. Plus, I’ve got kids coming in, younger and younger, asking for “spooky stories”. This will be a big addition to my Easy Reader shelves for those brave little readers!

This is the first series for author Amy Marie Stadelmann, but she’s got a great resume – she works on Nick Jr. preschool programming! She’s worked on shows like The Wonder Pets and Team Umizoomi, so she knows what kids like and she knows how important learning and literacy is. Check out her author website for a look at her illustration portfolio.

Early Reader, Non-Fiction, Preschool Reads

It’s a great day for A Visit to the Library!

Posted on September 10, 2015September 9, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

A Visit to the Library, by Mary Lindeed (Aug. 2015, Norwood House Press), $21.95, ISBN: 9781599536910

Recommended for ages 4-7

Take a trip to the library! Read a book, listen to a story at storytime, and use the computer! See what the librarian does, and check out a book! This Easy Reader is a great introduction to the library for young audiences and readers. There are vivid photos and informational, large print text, plus sight words and vocabulary at the end of the book. Activities round out the book and provide a neat little lesson for kids who are about to start using the library through school, maybe without a parent for the first time.

I’m going to read this with my preschoolers at my next storytime as a way to introduce them to the library, and talk with them about using the library. Norwood’s website suggests pairing At The Library with its fiction counterpart, Dear Dragon Goes to the Library by Margaret Hillert. Teachers may want to consider this pairing for a pre-library visit warmup, and parents could borrow this to read to their children in anticipation of a library visit.

A great addition to nonfiction collections.

Early Reader, Non-Fiction

Celebrate Spring with Mary Lindeen’s latest!

Posted on May 26, 2015May 26, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Spring, by Mary Lindeen (July 2015, Norwood House Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781599536798

Recommended for ages 3-6

Seasonal books are great for young readers. Preschool teachers always request them, they’re great nonfiction picks for storytime, they pair really well with a related fiction choice, and you can tie super-fun crafts in with them.

Prolific children’s author Mary Lindeen’s newest seasonal book, Spring, is a great choice for school and public libraries alike. There are beautiful, bright pictures of springtime images and multicultural children enjoying the season, easy to read text, loaded with sight words for new readers, and parent/teacher resources in the back, including a list of the 85 words included in the book, plus discussion questions. This book is already on my to-order list for my libraries, because I can’t keep seasonal books on the shelf long enough – like I said, everyone loves them.

You can find more books on Spring from Norwood House at their website, and a partial list of Mary Lindeen’s work on Goodreads.

Animal Fiction, Early Reader, Fiction

Shaun the Sheep: Flock Factor – Not just any talent show!

Posted on September 26, 2014September 26, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Shaun the Sheep: The Flock Factor, by Martin Howard (Nov. 2014, Candlewick Press), $4.99, ISBN: 9780763675356

Recommended for ages 4-6

There’s a talent show coming to Mossy Bottom Farm, and it’s sheep versus chickens to see who’s got the real talent!

Shaun and his friends are thrilled when they see a sign advertising a talent show – The Flock Factor! – at Mossy Bottom Farm. The only problem is, none of the sheep have much in the way of talent. Except for Shirley, who can belt out a soulful tune that would make Adele weep. The chickens, who have an enviable lineup, are the mean kids here, teasing Shirley, whose stage fright renders her unable to perform in front of anyone. Can Shaun the Sheep bolster Shirley’s confidence enough to get her on stage? Will the chickens win the talent show, or will the sheep pull it together?

Shaun the Sheep is an adorable Claymation show, spun off from the hugely successful Wallace and Gromit children’s show, coming to us from the UK. The series is getting its own, original illustrated fiction series, perfect for new readers who are ready to tackle the next level in reading. Parents who enjoy a good storytime cuddle will enjoy reading this to their preschoolers, who may have a longer attention span than their little siblings.

It’s not always easy to translate something so visual to the written word, but the illustrations help fill out the story. Familiarity with Shaun the Sheep isn’t necessary, but Shaun is likely to win some new friends and viewers if this book series takes off.

The Shaun the Sheep website offers games, videos, and a social media network that allows subscribers to post their game scores, sign up for newsletters, and enter contests.