November 1, 2015
PreS-Gr 1-Large, bold black type makes these books easy on beginner readers' eyes. The visuals are strong: brightly hued page borders, text set in stark relief on white against vivid background colors, and crisply reproduced, child-friendly photos depicting adorable animals and a cast of delightful multicultural kids engaged in familiar activities. Except in Cute! and Smiles, the text generally serves as captions for the images rather than as stories per se. Children won't mind, though. They'll meet with reading success here, as the simple, often rhyming sentences so closely correspond to the referent photos. Targeted vowel sounds are repeated often. Each title concludes with a list of words containing the specific sound and an identical "Note to Parents and Educators." VERDICT A fine introductory series for new readers.
Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
October 1, 2015
Preschool-G Part of the Long and Short Vowels series, this teaches kids different words that produce this titular sound by integrating them into a single, simple sentence: for example, I smile when I ride my bike. Implementing the philosophy that children learn better through pattern recognition than rules, the text gives readers ample opportunities to observe the long I in action. Photos of happy, multicultural children illustrate each sentence's meaning, and a list of all the long-I words used are collected at the book's end. New readers might have benefited from having keywords highlighted within the sentences, or, at the very least, a quick description of the long-I sound at the book's outset, but each page holds plenty of chances to practice this long vowel sound.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)