October's Book Pick is UP! TALL! AND HIGH! by Ethan Long. This book contains three easy to read stories, accompanied by some well placed lift-the-flaps. A group of perky, expressive birds introduces young readers to the title concepts with some age-appropriate humor. In each of these stories, the birds are one-upping each other to see who is the tallest, who can fly the highest, and how much better it is to be up than down.
Each story ends with a satisfying twist, and readers can feel clever right along with the birds. The illustrations accurately depict the concepts in the text, and the fairly sturdy flaps advance them with imagination. The whole package brings a fun experience to the reader of this book.
I think that short, full-color easy readers like this one are a terrific way to move kids along from beautifully illustrated picture books to the more sparsely illustrated chapter books. The Geisel Award has helped. Past winners include books with pictures by the very best picture book artists. Some look more like picture books, some look like easy readers, and some are beginning graphic novels.
Here's a link, if anyone wants to take a look:
http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/geiselaward/geiselawardpastwinners
I think these kinds of books are a fine way to make learning to read a fun and rewarding experience!
--Lynn
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