1. Easy Readers and Transitional Books Based on the book From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children’s Books Chapter Six by Kathleen Horning Slide presentation by Adrienne Ross

2. Common Misconception Many adults believe that picture books are the best books to give a child who is just learning to read. BUT Usually picture books are intended to be read aloud and are written at a reading level much higher than first grade.

3. In 1954 novelist John Hersey wrote an article for Life magazine claiming that children in public schools were failing to read because the books available to them contained characters that were “abnormally courteous and unnaturally clean.” Early Reader History

4. Theodore Geisel who was already an illustrator acquired a limited-vocabulary list from Houghton Mifflin and spent more than a year shaping just 237 easy to read words into a book. Can you guess the title of the book?

6. The Cat in the Hat was published by Random House in 1957. Also in 1957, Harper and Row published Little Bear. This was the first title in Harper’s I Can Read series.

7. Harper knew that children learning to read were anxious to feel like big kids, so they designed the I Can Read series like skinny chapter books rather than picture books.

8. In the 1970s a new beginning reader series was introduced. The author managed, in only a few words, to create two distinctive personalities for his characters. What was this series?

9. Frog and Toad are so successful because their actions and reactions are based on repetition, which makes the text predictable. Arnold Lobel also introduces humorous elements to balance the predictability.

10. Horning believes that Frog and Toad books represent the perfect unity of form and content for beginner readers. Lobel’s words provide clues by using repetition and his pictures provide clues by depicting action.

11. Evaluating easy readers Vocabulary Sentence Length Plot Illustrations Page Design

12. Vocabulary Easy readers use sight words children learn in first and second grade, combined with short words that are easy to decode.

13. Vocabulary Most words should be less than five letters. If there are longer words, how are they used? are there picture clues ? Are the words likely to be part of the child’s natural language? Words like curd don’t really mean anything to a six year old even if they can decode them. The Big Egg by Molly Coxe

14. Sentence Length Easy readers should have short sentences. For those just starting to read, children should have sentences made up of a maximum of five to seven words. Cat the Cat, Who is That? By Mo Willems

15. Sentence Length If long sentences are used, are they alternated with short ones? Do you notice a lot of commas in the text? Commas make the text harder to read. Sam, a mean dog, bit my sister. (harder to read) Sam was a mean dog. He bit my sister. (easier to read) Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff

16. Plot Easy readers come in many categories, including non-fiction, folklore, poetry, science fiction, mysteries, etc…though the majority of easy readers are animal fantasies and realistic fiction

17. Plot The first pages are the most important, they gets the reader interested in the book. Super Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

18. Plot Early readers should establish the setting and introduce the characters quickly. The story should be interesting enough so that children keep turning the pages. The Littlest Leaguer by Syd Hoff

19. Plot Most stories in early readers involve two or three main characters. The plot is fast moving with clear and direct action. Descriptive passages and internal motives are kept to a minimum. Each chapter should function like a short story with a resolution at the end.

20. Plot Characters should be developed through interaction with each other. Surprises should be balanced with predictable elements. There should be action words to move the plot along.

21. Illustrations Pictures should give essential clues to help children understand words or concepts. Pictures should not overwhelm the readers by covering all the white space. Pictures should complement the text, not compete with it. Pete the Cat: Play Ball! By James Dean

22. Page Layout Typeface size standard for easy readers is 18 points. There should be two to ten words in a line. Remember the longer the line, the harder to read. Space between words should be wide and clear. Space between lines should at least equal point size or more. Lines per page should not be more than fifteen (depending on illustrations).

23. Page Layout White space is important on a page. It gives children a break from the hard work of decoding.

24. Levels of easy readers LEVEL ONE Level one is the easiest. The text is set in 17-20 point type Approximately five words per line. Words are mostly sight words or one-syllable words Two to seven lines per page. 2/3 of the page is used for illustration and white space. Are You My Mother? by P..D. Eastman

25. LEVEL TWO Level two has more complex sentences Five words per line is still the ideal length. Though sentences are longer. Still incorporates many sight words Four to fifteen lines per page Plots are a little more complicated Wiley and the Hairy Man by Molly Garrett Bang

26. LEVEL THREE Most challenging, typically written for those entering third grade. Compound and complex sentences, language sounds more natural. Line length is still short. Approximately eight words per line Lines per page, max. fifteen Illustrations may start to function less as word clues. Panda Patrol by Juliana Hatkoff

27. AFTER LEVEL THREE Transitional Books

28. Font is 14- 16 pt Number of words per line eight to twelve Lines per page usually don’t exceed fifteen Right margins are justified Usually these books are six chapters, varying in length from seven to seventeen pages Smaller ratio of text to illustrations

29. Vocabulary are common words that seven or eight year olds use. Plots are about familiar things like friends and family.

30. Transitional Books Sentences are still short. Start seeing more commas- -an indication that more complicated sentences are being used. Chapters are usually six to eight pages.

31. In transitional books, the content should be compelling enough to hold the interest of the reader, but not lose the reader. Children at this age are beginning to read to gain information.

32. Transitional Books The main goal of Transitional Books is for readers to build self confidence. Serves as a bridge that some will cross quickly, others will go more slowly.

33. Resources Horning, K.T. (2010). From Cover To Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children’s Books (revised edition). New York, NY: HarperCollins.