Wish List: Beginning Reader Reviews in Professional Journals

Amy Seto Forrester (she/her) is a youth services supervisor at Eugene Public Library (OR). After serving on the 2016 Geisel Award Committee, she helped to co-found and then co-host Guessing Geisel for several years. She writes books for developing readers with her author-illustrator brother, Andy Chou Musser. Their first book will be published by Chronicle Books. She is represented by Marietta Zacker of Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency. 

As someone who eagerly awaits the release of any and all beginning reader titles, I’ve always kept my eye on reviews in professional journals such as School Library Journal, Kirkus, Horn Book, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, and the Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books. I’ve recently started a new job that includes selecting beginning reader titles, a change for me as my last library system had centralized collection development. Now that they are vital to my daily work, I’m reminded how few beginning reader reviews there are, especially in comparison to other kidlit formats. 

So here’s my wish list for beginning reader reviews from professional journals. Some changes can be made by reviewers themselves (perhaps that includes you, dear reader!), while others rely on journals reassessing how they organize and present reviews. It’s my hope that 2022 brings us many of these changes! 

Beginning readers are reviewed as books for independent readers, rather than as books to be read aloud by an adult to a child. This might seem like a subtle difference, but consider the difference font design and size, vocabulary, and layout can make when it comes to creating a successful reading experience for developing readers. I’m looking for a review that tells me about word repetition, white space, page turning dynamic, etc. not a review that tells me if a beginning reader is fun to read aloud at preschool storytime. 

Create a beginning reader category in print journals and online databases. Many journals divide their books by age or grade. Often, beginning readers get lumped in with picture books or in a category that encompasses “Elementary” or “Younger Readers.” Selectors are then challenged to determine which titles might be beginning readers. For me this involves using page count and trim size as a starting point and then searching for more information on a title to see if I can get a sneak peek of the interior or find some other clues that tell me about vocabulary, layout, font, etc. This is time consuming and I’m pretty sure there are wonderful titles that fall through the cracks. Kirkus has an “Early Reader” category and I would love to see something similar from other journals. 

Create a beginning reader category for best book lists. Did you know that the ALSC Notables Children’s Book List does not include a category for beginning readers? It’s also a missing category in the best book lists from SLJ, Kirkus, and Horn Book (to name a few). Might this lack of category correlate with the low numbers of beginning readers included on these lists? 

Review more beginning reader titles. Books that get reviewed are more visible to selectors. If it’s not reviewed, I might not even have it on my radar. And even if I do, I have to rely on prior knowledge of the creators, publisher reputation, or the world wide web to determine if it’s a good fit for my library. The percentage of beginning readers reviewed out of the number that are published each year is strikingly low, especially when compared to picture books, middle grade, and even graphic novels. 

Take Action! 

You might be wondering what you can do right now to change the landscape of beginning reader reviews. I encourage you to take one or more of these actions to advocate for beginning reader reviews and increase their quality too! 

If you write for a professional review journal, ask them to assign you beginning readers and let them know how helpful that content would be to you and your colleagues. 

If you subscribe to a professional review journal, email them to ask for a beginning reader category or tag to make beginning readers easier to find. Bonus points if you let them know that beginning reader reviews are most helpful when written with a format-specific lens. 

Kick your beginning reader book reviews up a notch by digging into these helpful resources: 

• Geisel Award criteria 
• From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children’s Books by KT Horning

What else do you yearn for in beginning reader reviews from professional journals? Use the comments below to share your ideas, questions, and thoughts. 

Jack Gets Zapped! by Mac Barnett

Jayce Senter is the lead librarian at Fort Worth Christian School. She has taught primary aged students for 16 years.

A book by Mac Barnett that looks like a video game? What else could you want? You know from just looking at the cover that Jack Gets Zapped! is going to be fun! Fans of Mac Barnett’s Jack series will immediately be in for this adventure. But even kids who don’t know Mac or his character Jack will snatch this book up. It is easy to read with sentences like “Jack! Quick! Come in!” It is reminiscent of Dick and Jane style but closer in content to Mo Willems books. They are high-interest because they are funny and hold the attention of early readers, but they are also easy to read with short sentences and predictive text. The 1st and 2nd graders I asked to read this book absolutely saw themselves in Jack who wants to do nothing but play video games. The kids that I had read this book said things like: “I liked it because it’s about stuff I like to do in real life.” “I liked it because it talked about him going into a video game.” “It was very funny!” “I liked it when the lady stomped the boss’s head. Now she can save Jack!” When I asked what the kids didn’t like about the book no one could come up with anything. It is a fun, easy book, perfect for beginning readers and a great contender for the Geisel award.

A Giant Mess by Jeffrey Ebbeler

Alec Chunn is a Children's Librarian at Tualatin Public Library. He was a member of the 2021 Caldecott committee and co-founded the mock Stonewall Book Award blog, Medal on My Mind.

While early reader comics are far from new, the explosion of titles from publisher after publisher has certainly caught my attention this year. Betsy Bird has already sung the well-deserved praises of Kraken Me Up, but I submit yet another Jeffrey Ebbeler book for consideration: A Giant Mess. I’m more than okay with the idea of both books getting some Geisel love (#TeamEbbeler) but, admittedly, I’m all in on A Giant Mess. It’s playful, funny, and—best of all—an example of brilliant visual storytelling. The story is simple: a white child named Molly refuses to clean their room. Exasperated Mom tells Molly to pick up the “giant mess.” Outside, a green giant child named Jack runs amok in the city playing with all the “cool toys” (read: people, buildings, animals, etc.). Chaos ensues until, much like Molly’s mom, Jack’s parents call for Jack to clean up. You know who else asks Jack to clean up? Molly! Their perfectly parallel plots converge and tidiness is achieved. Kind of. In defining “distinguished,” the Geisel award criteria notes how “plot, sensibility, and rhythm” contribute to a “stimulating and successful reading experience.” Cleaning up after playing is part of many children’s routines, but Ebbeler makes that familiar plot exciting through humor and careful pacing. As early as the cover image, the hand-lettered title cues the word giant’s double meaning. The cover image also sets up Ebbeler’s clever use of scale that drives the page turns once Jack is officially introduced. Molly and Jack change size depending on whose perspective is being taken (a giant eye here; a thumb there). The paneling is unusual and somewhat sophisticated, eschewing typical grid block paneling for varied panels that become part of the setting or pop out over splash pages. Even with the unpredictability, the art is never hard to follow. Obviously, the Geisel award isn’t about art but, rather, how text and art work together to support beginning readers. With fewer than 70 unique words and plenty of repetition, the text offers a limited vocabulary. All words are one or two syllables. Most pages only have a few speech bubbles and use fewer than five words per sentence, so there’s a sense of balance and consistency. Repeated phrases such as “I will not” and “This is too hard” stylistically connect Molly and Jack’s characters and give readers a chance to build confidence. Art? Check. Text? Check. My only quip is that some of the dialogue appears outside of speech bubbles, which may be confusing to readers new to the comics medium. But, hey, that’s a small mark on the Geisel scorecard of this otherwise giant contender.

Inside Cat by Brendan Wenzel

Jayce Senter is the lead librarian at Fort Worth Christian School. She has taught primary aged students for 16 years.

Inside Cat sees the world through a very narrow lens. Every window from his home gives him a different view. Brendan Wenzel plays with words and ideas by using one word sentences and alliteration. “Wanders. Wonders.” Inside Cat is sure he knows it all. And then he wanders outside. Of course, nothing is what he had thought from his limited view out the windows. It’s a wonderful book. It’s entertaining and fun, but also a great springboard for discussions about perspective. We can discuss with little kiddos and big kids alike how what we see from our limited view is not the whole picture. Ever. I had 1st and 2nd graders read Inside Cat. Some felt that it was too hard. I can understand some of the confusion in very early readers because Wenzel says things like “roaring flies” but pictures a helicopter. The picture does not help the reader figure out the words. This does make this book harder for emergent readers. I asked students what they did not like about the book. “It was hard to read.” “All the windows” But most felt it was fun and if they couldn’t read the words, they loved the pictures. I asked students what they liked most about the book. Some responses were: “All the windows. The windows showed funny stuff.” “I like the cat. He’s cute.” “fluffy rats!” (This is what the cat thought squirrels were.) “When it was rhyming.” Overall, It is a wonderful read-aloud even if some words may be too difficult for them to read on their own. It is a wonderful spring-board for conversation. However, I do not think it is easy enough or the text predictable enough to be considered for the Geisel.

Friendbots: Blink and Block Make a Wish by Vicky Fang

Robbin Friedman is the head of children's services at the Chappaqua Library. She has written for Horn Book and School Library Journal, chairs ALSC's Budget Committee, and reads a lot of science fiction.

It’s a classic story. The perky optimist meets the dour naysayer and the two become friends. Vicky Fang’s version of the well-loved trope features two robots with simple, expressive shapes, a sunny circle and a morose square who cross paths in the schoolyard. Purple square Block sits alone, watching the other boisterous bots, when blue circle Blink appears, using a sensor to scan the ground for treasure. Block reacts to each of Blink’s finds with predictable gloom (“That’s . . . a gum wrapper/With old gum in it”) but Blink persists. When they unearth a penny, Blink spins the discovery into the opportunity to make a wish. Though Block concludes the wish has been a bust (“I don’t see any gold. Or silver. Or gems!”), Blink knows better: The upbeat bot had really wished for a new friend. The visuals match the narrative in lively simplicity. A straightforward comics format and generic backgrounds keep the focus squarely on the friends, with one or both robots centered in each symmetrical panel. Word balloons offer a clear, non-serif font with ample white space and occasional bold words. In a potentially confusing decision, the word balloons are white when set against the schoolyard background but have a tinted hue matching their speaker when set against a white bleed panel. This means that the same robot may have different-colored speech balloons within the same spread. New comics readers may find the switch confusing, though the placement and balloon tails help clarify the speaker. The word choice includes some challenging vocabulary words (wrapper, probably, treasure) with minimal repetition, so this text works best for kids already comfortable with basic sight words. But the book also supports learning around comics literacy and robots. An opening page explains cartooning basics, in small text most likely designed for adults to share with kids. Back matter explains “What is a sensor?” highlighting the mechanical features both robots used to search for treasure. With a popular format and modern-age protagonists--what else could robots be?--this updated take on a classic trope might just ping those Geisel sensors.

“If you can catch it, you can keep it!”

Sylvie Shaffer served on the 2018 Geisel Committee. She’s the preK-8 librarian at the Capitol Hill Day School in Washington, DC and is active in several overlapping kidlit-focused communities including ALSC and Capitol Choices, and has also served on the 2019 and 2020 Sydney Taylor Book Awards. You can find her online at www.SylvieJuliet.Shaffer.com

Starla Jean’s resolve to capture the chicken she happens upon in the park (her dad naively promised “if you can catch it, you can keep it” ) is mirrored by emerging readers’ determination to read this title independently- and like Starla Jean, they gleefully succeed with pride.

At 96 pages, Starla Jean kisses the upper page limit of the Geisel Criteria, and not a page is wasted. The longer format is only one of many reasons this book has been a hit with the first and second grade emerging readers in my school library. Kids feel a terrific sense of accomplishment having read a book just shy of a hundred pages, and the book’s standout design, storytelling, word choice, and illustrations work together to pace a reading experience that provides a perfect balance of stamina-building forward momentum, and welcome pauses. The whimsical and appealing illustrations feel both modern and timeless, and provide support for the handful of challenging or un-decodable words that appear throughout the text (for example, “laughing”, “laundry”, “diaper.”) Other tricky words are repeated to help readers conquer them; “treasure” appears early in the story and is later repeated three times within a few sentences as the story winds down, ensuring the next time a reader encounters the word, they’ll likely recognize it.

The first person narration contains a variety of sentence structures and punctuation, along with plenty of dialogue, providing practice to readers still learning to parse these conventions of text. It also breaks the fourth wall, asking readers “Do you remember how I told you…” doing double duty of keeping readers engaged and offering practice at some reading skills beyond decoding: retelling, prediction, inferring. Design, both of individual pages, and the book’s overall aesthetic play a strong hand in its success. A family portrait facing the first chapter’s header introduces the family, hinting at members' personalities. The pops of red against an otherwise muted palette is brilliant and connects Starla Jean (in red boots and a striped long sleeve shirt, paired with a blue jumper) to the chicken’s comb, wattle, legs and tail feathers- tipped blue to match Starla Jean’s jumper) while the red, handwritten, onomatopoeic interjections (bawk, scritch, meow) beg to be read aloud. Although the text could easily have worked as a longer picture book, dividing it into four neat chapters makes it easy for an emerging reader to tackle this all at once, or a bit at a time as best suits their needs and desires. While not a Geisel Award criteria, there are some terrific messages both overt and subtle that are nested (ha!) here too: grit and determination are often rewarding; when something isn’t working for a member of the household, (chicken poop in the house? yikes!) be proactive in seeking a solution; do one’s best to return lost items; Dads can and should take active parenting roles (folding laundry, biking to the park.) Starla Jean is worthy of a Geisel, and I’m hopeful The Real Committee thinks so, too!

"I'm ON It!" Is on-point for Geisel Consideration

Taylor Worley (she/her) is a Youth Services Librarian for Springfield Public Library in Oregon. When not reading, she’s typically gaming, creating something, or collecting bits of nature. You can find her in various online communities at @magpiebricolage, @magpiemakesstuff, or @magpiereadsstuff.

Andrea Tsurumi is so on it with her contribution to the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series, “I’m ON It!” In the familiar and inviting style of the established series, Tsurumi excels in telling a cumulative story with minimal text.

When Frog sees Goat up on a tree stump, they are duly impressed. Eager to follow, Frog jumps upon a boulder. Not to be outdone, Goat picks up a tire to be, “...on it AND beside it!” Frog follows again, and on and on the duo goes until they are both, “...on it, along it, above it, inside it, through it, and AROUND it!” When Goat gloats, “I AM SO INTO THIS!” Frog realizes they certainly are not, and lets their tower crash to the pond below. Happily kicking back on a lily pad, Frog croaks, “I am OVER it.” Goat realizes that they, too, are over it, splashing into the pond and alleviating any tensions in the friendship. There is no question that “I’m ON It!” is an exceptional introduction to reading. The illustrations are funny with crisp, bright colors, and the text is approachable and engaging. When considering the specific criteria of the Geisel Award, does “I’m ON It!” still measure up? Absolutely. The Geisel Award criteria require that works provide a “page turning”, “stimulating and successful reading experience” for beginning readers. Tsurumi handily accomplishes this by building a scaffold in both the text and illustrations. Each page turn adds one extra element to Goat and Frog’s competition, with an added bonus of spatial reasoning. “I’m on it! … I’m on it and beside it! … I’m on it and beside it and inside it!” This format also exemplifies the criteria that words be gradually added and frequently repeated for the benefit of the reader. Not only does Goat repeat every element of the competition with each addition, but Frog also echoes Goat. As required by the award criteria, the illustrations clearly “demonstrate the story being told” and effectively “function as keys or clues to the text.” Tsurumi uses clear, medium-weight, black outlines for clean fields of color. The palette is cheerful and clean, with tonal accents to add dimension. Speech bubbles get priority placement, further emphasizing text and directing the reader’s attention. Those that linger on the silly scenes will notice fun details, including a familiar pigeon in flight. With all award requirements met (e.g. at least 24 but not more than 96 pages) and a strong showing in the core criteria, Goat and Frog should certainly be at the table for Geisel Award discussions this year. Regardless of final medals, however, they decidedly deserve a place on your early reader shelves. Let’s hope we see more of this duo in the future!

Fox at Night by Corey R. Tabor

This week we're thrilled to have another post from Jackie Partch, assessing a new entry by 2019 Geisel winning creator Corey Tabor. Jackie Partch is a School Corps Librarian at Multnomah County Library, where she does outreach to K-12 students. She was a member of the 2012 Geisel committee.

The main character of the 2019 Geisel winner, Fox the Tiger, returns in this title. The story begins with Fox in a tent at nighttime, looking frightened. The simple text accompanying the illustration reads, “It is night, and Fox is scared.” Readers are immediately drawn in--why is Fox afraid? The next page lets us know: “The night is full of monsters,” says Fox. Already, this book has met one of the Geisel criteria: subject matter intriguing enough to motivate a child reader. 

 As Fox peers through his binoculars, he spies stars and planets as well as something suspicious: two big wings and two pointy ears! Is it a monster? The illustrations on this spread serve as keys or clues to the text (another Geisel criteria). Each time a new word is introduced, it appears in a separate illustration to help new readers figure it out. In addition, words are frequently repeated: Fox regularly comments that “the night is full of monsters,” and the non-monstrous animals he meets respond in a patterned format: “I am not a monster. I am a ___.” Sentences are simple and straightforward with an average of 5-8 words each.

Another Geisel criteria is that the plot should advance and create a “page-turning dynamic.” Fox’s humorous misidentification of animals definitely keeps readers engaged (they’ll enjoy being able to identify some “monsters” before Fox does). And they may be wondering: Is Fox always wrong? Or are there monsters out at night? The book design of Fox at Night is also spot-on for a beginning reader. The large type size has plenty of spacing between lines, and the line length is usually quite short. The text always appears on an uncluttered background, even when the illustration covers the whole page. So, is this book distinguished enough to win the Geisel? Is it a “stimulating and successful reading experience”? I think so! Please share your thoughts in the comments.

A savory mix of acceptance and calamari - Kraken Me Up by Jeffrey Ebbeler

We're so lucky this week to have another post by the incredibly talented Betsy Bird! Betsy Bird is the Collection Materials Specialist of Evanston Public Library and the former Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. She reviews for Kirkus, runs the School Library Journal blog A Fuse #8 Production, hosts the podcast Story Seeds, and runs the podcast Fuse 8 n’ Kate. Betsy is the author such books as LONG ROAD TO THE CIRCUS, her debut middle grade novel out this fall, with art by David Small. 

I confess that upon reading Jeffrey Ebbeler’s near perfect easy book KRAKEN ME UP I felt distinctly miffed. As far as I’m concerned, if an author/artist has the necessary skills and wherewithal to produce a legitimately good and original easy book, why would they shine their lights under bushels until now? Well, the fact of the matter is that in the case of Mr. Ebbeler, he’s been in the picture book game a very long time. Take a gander at his website and you’ll see a large number of familiar titles on display including (I’d like to note) an entire easy reader series called We Read Phonics from around a decade ago. No stranger to the easy reading format, Ebbeler has clearly taken care to hone his skills over the past few years. The end result is the aforementioned KRAKEN ME UP, a book that manages to both have a story worth remembering (two words: pet Kraken) as well as words that fall perfectly within the purview of a beginning readership.

  This tale begins at a setting worthy of CHARLOTTE’S WEB itself. When a little girl brings her pet to the county fair pet show, no one thinks much of it. That is, until they notice that it’s a humungous, hard-to-miss Kraken! As pets go, this one’s a standout, and certainly there are prejudices to overcome. Yet after the Kraken, subjected to fear on the part of the other children, has a good sulk in a pond, a solution is reached, beneficial to one and all. All told, this is an exceedingly sweet and subtle tale of acceptance and calamari. I’m sure we’re all familiar with easy books that strain at the tensile strength of that ambiguous term “easy”. What sets this book apart is its absolute commitment to words of a particularly basic construction. The actual word “kraken” is an odd one, I would grant, but there are few phrases here more complex than your standard “pretty pig” and “fine hen”. Additionally, I would also like to award some extra points to Holiday House for publishing this book at the standard 9 X 6 inches. As many a librarian will tell you, attempts to shelve their oversized I Like to Read series on our library shelves over the years proved to be a losing proposition. After all, easy book shelves are significantly smaller than picture book shelves. Happily, KRAKEN ME UP clocks in at a mere 9.25 inches high and 6.25 inches wide. This book is also just as adorable as its cover implies, and, after finishing it, both kids and their gatekeepers will find themselves hoping for more Kraken books real soon.

The Rock From the Sky by Jon Klassen

This week we're delighted to have a post by Jackie Partch. Jackie Partch is a School Corps Librarian at Multnomah County Library, where she does outreach to K-12 students. She was a member of the 2012 Geisel committee.

A turtle, armadillo and snake (all wearing hats, of course) narrowly escape death while also navigating friendship troubles in the five chapters in this book. Klassen’s signature dark humor is evident, and these characters have those expressive eyes, found in most of his books, which are so effective in conveying emotion. How does the book stack up to the Geisel criteria, though?

  The Geisel award is given to the “most distinguished contribution to the body of American children’s literature that encourages and supports the beginning reader.” One of the definitions of distinguished is “individually distinct,” and this picture book with 96 pages (the upper range for the Geisel award) is certainly unlike most other beginning readers. Klassen is a master of pacing, and the “page-turning dynamic” is especially strong in chapter one, when the turtle shows off his favorite spot, but on the next page, readers see a rock hurtling towards it. Can the oblivious turtle be convinced to move in time? Similarly, in the last chapter, an alien creature with a gigantic laser eyeball appears to be ready to zap the (still oblivious) turtle. I know I was enticed to keep turning the pages to see what would happen. Giant rocks and aliens aside, the subject matter will be familiar to children. The turtle has an especially childlike personality, insisting to Armadillo that he doesn’t need help and is not tired. He also feels excluded when his friends hang out under the rock without him. A Geisel winner should create “a successful reading experience, from start to finish,” and the surprise ending to this story (it turns out there is more than one rock from the sky), definitely leaves the reader feeling satisfied as the story comes full circle. 

 
 The Rock from the Sky also has simple, straightforward sentences, text in a large font on an uncluttered background, and the characters frequently repeat newly introduced words in their conversations. I did have a few quibbles with this title. Some more challenging words (actually, enough, future) are included without visual support. Multiple times when characters were shouting, it was conveyed in all caps, which can be more challenging to read. In addition, like Klassen’s other books, the text is in different colors to show which character is speaking. This time, the colors are very similar, and when I read the book in different lighting, I noticed sometimes it could be more difficult to tell them apart. I wonder if first-time Klassen readers (are there any kids who haven’t already read a Jon Klassen book?) would be confused. Have you heard from kids who have read this book on their own? What were their opinions? Please leave a comment to let us know!

Tag Team (back again)

We're thankful this week to have a post by Betsy Bird. Betsy is the Collection Materials Specialist of Evanston Public Library and the former Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. She reviews for Kirkus, runs the School Library Journal blog A Fuse #8 Production, hosts the podcast Story Seeds, and runs the podcast Fuse 8 n’ Kate. Betsy is the author such books as LONG ROAD TO THE CIRCUS, her debut middle grade novel out NOW, with art by David Small.

About ten years ago, as I was working at New York Public Library’s Children’s Center at 42nd Street, we hosted a class of local schoolchildren. After our standard presentation they were allowed to come to the reference desk to ask for books on specific topics. All at once ten kids were in front of me, all asking the same thing: “Where are your books on Mexican wrestlers?” A decade or more has passed since I received that query and yet the answer has remained fairly static. There just ain’t that much out there, kids. Until now. Who could have predicted that Raul the Third would be so adept at spinning off side characters from his popular Vamos! picture book series into easy books of their own? And, even better, side characters with direct ties to the sport of Mexican wrestling? Tag Team and Training Day both star El Toro, a masked Mexican wrestling hero who is not without flaws. In Training Day El Toro needs to practice but, much to the dismay of his coach (a rooster named Kooky Dooky), he keeps avoiding it. In Training Day El Toro and his partner La Oink Oink discover that they must take matters into their own hands when they find that their beloved wrestling stadium is a complete mess. Both books inject a much needed shot of adrenaline into the easy book format. Not only are the colors bright, eye-popping, and vibrant, but the content is brimming with excitement. Sure, one of the books focuses primarily on cleaning, but when you’ve got El Toro and La Oink Oink doing the work it’s anything but dull. I’d also like to pay special tribute to the plot of Tag Team. The book takes pains to show that when El Toro discovers that the stadium is in disarray, he doesn’t call up the female La Oink Oink to help him clean up because she’s a girl. Instead, it is the equality of the two that makes them an excellent team. El Toro calls her up because she is his partner, sharing both the victories and the hardships that come with that relationship. This is a book about being a team through both the good and the bad. As for the language, simple words are the norm. It is also worth noting that incorporating Spanish words and terms into easy books is a splendid method of paying tribute not merely to Mexican and Mexican-American culture, but also to the importance of normalizing other languages in our easiest literature for youth.  With any luck, perhaps these books will mark a new trend in culturally explorative, exciting easy book fare. So long, Dick and Jane! With El Toro and friends, they’re here to save the day from the banal and mundane once and for all.

Charlie and Mouse Lost and Found by Laurel Snyder

 Charlie and Mouse are back in a 5th book in the series, exploring themes of Lost and Found. Laurel Snyder and Emily Hughes received Geisel Gold in 2018 for the initial entry to the Charlie and Mouse series, about which the committee chair that year compliment the "authentic dialogue, thoughtfully repeated phrases, and distinctive illustrations". But does this latest entry have what it takes to catch the committee's eye? It is tough but not impossible for a series to earn repeat recognition - just take a look at Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series. Are the charming Charlie and Mouse among the "most distinguished" again this year?

The opening story jumps right into the repetition that makes this series such a strong choice for beginning readers, as Charlie and Mouse search all manner of "somewheres" for Mouse's missing blanket. The direct sentences give the dialogue a cadence reminiscent of Frog and Toad.

Emily Hughes' illustrations again add to the story, from a depiction of the many somewheres they're searching to the absolutely perfect representation of "nothing fun" at the opening of "Errands".

And then we have it - the ringer on every beginning reader team - a dog! While the Geisel criteria obviously don't require the presence of a dog, there's no denying the success of pups ranging from Henry and Mudge to King and Kayla and of course the protagonist of last year's Geisel Medal winning See the Cat. If connecting to a criteria, I'd say that dogs more often than not speak to "Subject matter must be intriguing enough to motivate the child to read". And with Charlie and Mouse as our examples, we see that the addition of a dog is enough to liven up the dreaded errands.

Laurel Snyder and Emily Hughes paint a clear picture of the impact of a new dog on family life (especially for poor Kittenhead), and the story finds its way to a touching conclusion with one last moment of silliness as it ends on another intriguing subject matter for kids of a certain age - dogs peeing. This story, like others in the Charlie and Mouse series makes sure to call back to the earlier stories in its conclusion - a reward for beginning readers who tackle all four stories in one go. 

This addition to the series is sure to be adored by fans (who could resist the utterly adorable Boop?) Will it be as impressive to the Geisel Committee? We will have to wait and find out. 

Hello October! Guessing Geisel is back for another season!

 Hello folks!

Guessing Geisel is back for another season. There are some great books out this year for beginning readers and more with publication dates yet to come. We'll have some exciting guest posts, and we'll do our best to cover as many Geisel eligible titles as we can. Has anything in particular caught your eye? What are your picks for the best books for beginning readers for 2021? Let us know in the comments, and we'll be back Tuesday, October 12th with our first review post. 

Welcome back,

Amanda

Surprised and Delighted!: The Guessing Geisel Co-Hosts React to the 2021 YMA Announcements

In this post, the co-hosts of Guessing Geisel (Amanda, Amy, and Misti) share their thoughts and reactions to the 2021 Geisel Award winner and honor titles. 

Winner 

See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog written by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka 

 

Amanda: Delighted to see this choice! Congratulations to David LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka. A fantastic combination of meta humor and solid beginning reader fundamentals. I hope this means we’ll see more beginning readers from this pair. 

 

Amy: I love the clever humor and off-stage narrator for this meta charmer. I’ll be honest, I had totally overlooked this one because of the way the text and illustrations often say and show different things. I worried new readers might get confused by the juxtaposition. However, knowing that the real committee makes a point to observe developing readers interacting with contenders, I have a feeling this book did better with real readers than it did with the imaginary ones in my head! I do so love being proved wrong when it means another book for new readers to love! 

Misti: In a year of not reading as widely as I usually do, it was exciting to see the award go to something I had actually read! But whether or not I had read it beforehand, I would have been so pleased with this pick, with its clever use of speech bubbles and fonts, its hilarious back-and-forth between the dog and the book, and its charming illustrations. 

Honors 

The Bear in My Family written and illustrated by Maya Tatsukawa 

Amanda: This one caught us by surprise, but I can see how the design choices and the relatable storyline for anyone with a sibling appealed to the committee. I find the illustrations charming. I’ll bet there was some interesting discussion in the room about the hand-lettered text, and the brevity and repetition that we know really supports an emergent reader. 

Misti: Boy, do I love the illustrations in this book! The font is dark and clear, and the hand-lettered text is generally also clear enough to be easily deciphered by a beginning reader. As Amanda said, it caught us by surprise, but that’s another reminder to us all that the committee is always working hardest to discover and discuss all of the year’s best. 

Amy: I’ll echo the others: surprised, but delighted! There are too few beginning readers by BIPOC creators that feature BIPOC characters, so I was really happy to see two on the honor list this year! Strong word repetition and page-turning dynamic provide support to help readers over the occasional uneven punctuation and line breaks. The illustrations are so playful, and I think the idea of a protection bear is really relatable for early elementary kids. 

Ty’s Travels: Zip, Zoom! written by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Nina Mata 

Amanda: Both entries into Ty’s Travels were great this year, and such welcome additions to the beginning reader shelves. It is fantastic to see one of them receive the honor. Congratulations to Kelly Starling Lyons and Nina Mata for creating this celebration of imagination, perseverance, friendship and joy. 

Misti: This book has repetition without feeling repetitive -- that’s an impressive display of writing skill! There’s so much kid appeal in both the illustrations and the plot, and hooray for a story featuring BIPOC characters just having a fun day. We need more of that in the beginning reader arena.

Amy: The illustrations are such a stand out for me. The change in illustration style makes the transition between the real and imaginary worlds crystal clear. I can also see a book featuring scooters as a real winner with kids. I’m still working mostly from home and I kind of miss having to remind kids that scooters, while awesome, are best used outside the library. 

What About Worms!? written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins 

Amy: I find the word repetition in this one especially clever. The illustrations add humor and foreshadowing in a way that is not often seen in beginning readers. Here’s hoping for more beginning readers from Ryan T. Higgins! 

Misti: I’m always excited to see humor recognized for excellence, and this book definitely has it, both in words and pictures. Well done!

Amanda: The Elephant and Piggie Like Reading series is definitely building a reputation for quality easy readers, and this funny entry about fears and mistaken impressions will surely leave readers giggling. Thrilled to see so much well done humor for beginning readers being recognized this year, and this one is as delightful to read aloud to others as it is to read alone. 

Where’s Baby? written and illustrated by Anne Hunter 

Misti: I was initially on the fence about splitting up the syllables in the word “ba-by” in most instances in the book, but I think the intention is clear, and it’s repeated often enough that the reader will be confident in encountering it by mid-book. Indeed, repetition is definitely one of this book’s strengths. Clever illustrations, as well. 

Amy: Picture book contenders can easily fall through the cracks because reviews, publisher summaries, and other online book discussions/content seldom evaluate picture books with a beginning reader lens. So I was happy to see the committee had cast such a wide net when looking for contenders. I agree with Misti, repetition is clear and intentional throughout. The illustrations are unusual for a beginning reader text, which makes me love them all the more. I’m always a fan of the unique! 

Other Thoughts 

Amanda: Overall it felt like a great morning. A mix of pleasant surprises and affirming choices both for Geisel and all the other YMAs. I am thrilled for all the committees and winners. 

Misti: This has to have been such a challenging year for the committee, with virtual meetings, delayed deliveries, and all of the stress and uncertainty of everyday life. Thank you all for all of your hard work. And thank you to our blog readers for sticking with us through all of the changes in our lives and yours. Here’s to a better year ahead. 

Amy: The pool of Geisel contenders isn’t as big as that of the Newbery or Caldecott, but it nevertheless poses some challenges. With the many additional obstacles Misti mentioned above, I’m sure the process of identifying beginning reader excellence beyond the beginning reader section took much more time and diligence on the part of the committee members than it would during a non-pandemic year. Thank you to the committee for persevering to select such wonderful titles! Thank you to the winner and honor authors and illustrators for creating such supportive, engaging books for new readers!

Congratulations, to the 2021 Geisel Award Winner and Honors!

This morning the 2021 Geisel Award Winner and Honor Titles were announced at the Youth Media Awards (YMAs) Announcement. You can view a complete list and a video of the announcements here. 

Congratulations to the 2021 Geisel Award winner... 

See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog, written by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka and published by Candlewick Press. 

 

This year four honor books were named: 

• The Bear in My Family, written and illustrated by Maya Tatsukawa and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House 
• Ty’s Travels: Zip, Zoom! written by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Nina Mata and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers 
• What About Worms!? written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins and published by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group 
• Where’s Baby? written and illustrated by Anne Hunter and published by Tundra Books of Northern New York, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers, a Penguin Random House Company. 

Congratulations to all of the book creators! Here at Guessing Geisel we’re still gathering our thoughts and hope to be back later with a longer reaction. For now, congratulations to committee chair Lori Coffey Hancock, and to the members of the committee - Jessica Gillis, Jamie Fujiko Kurumaji, Michelle Ng, Katie E. Patterson, Charles Pieri, Elizabeth Wright Redford - on your selections. Thank you all for your dedication to recognizing the very best books for beginning readers!

2020 Contenders (and Ineligible Titles, too!)

As the Youth Media Awards (YMAs) announcement draws near we've been thinking about all the wonderful books for developing readers published in 2020. We didn't have time to blog about as many as we'd hoped, but that doesn't mean we can celebrate them! So we're using this last post before the YMAs to present you with a list of eligible contenders. And to wrap it up we'll include some of our favorite ineligible titles at the end.

While we've done our best to include as many eligible contenders as we could find, this list is in no way comprehensive. There's also no way to know what the real committee read or discussed. Perhaps this year's winner and honor titles are on this list. Perhaps none of these titles will be announced on Monday! We'll just have to wait and see. 

Did we miss your favorite? Let us know in the comments. 

Eligible Contenders

Note: Titles with an asterisk (*) are written and/or illustrated by a previous Geisel winner/honor author and/or illustrator.

Beginning Readers

Bumble and Bee (series) by Ross Burach

Bunny Will Not Jump by Jason Tharp

Charlie & Mouse Outdoors by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Emily Hughes*

Dog Meets Dog by Bernice Myers

Duck and Cat's Rainy Day by Carin Bramsen

Come In, Zip! and For Otto by David Milgrim*

Fox Tails (series) by Tina Kügler

Fox Versus Winter by Corey R. Tabor*

Frog & Dog (series) by Janee Trasler

Horse & Buggy Plant a Seed! by Ethan Long*

Go, Go, Go by Bob Barner

Jack Books (series) by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli*

King & Kayla and the Case of the Unhappy Neighbor by Dori Hillestad Butler, illustrated by Nancy Meyers*

Layla and the Bots (series) by Vicky Fang, illustrated by Christine Nishiyama

Lunch Box Bully by Hans Wilhelm

A Pig, a Fox and a Fox by Jonathan Fenske*

Princess Truly: I Can Build It! by Kelly Greenawalt, illustrated by Amariah Rasucher

The Really Rotten Princess and the Awful, Icky Election by Lady Cecily Snodgrass, illustrated by Mike Lester

Run, Mo, Run! and Swim, Mo, Swim! by David A. Adler, illustrated by Sam Ricks*

Score One More by Marilyn Janovitz

See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka

Shark Report (series) by Derek Anderson

Snow is Fun by Steve Henry

Testing the Waters by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mike Moran

Ty's Travels: Zip Zoom! and Ty's Travel's: All Board! by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Nina Mata

Unlimited Squirrels: I Want to Sleep Under the Stars! by Mo Willems*

What About Worms!? by Ryan T. Higgins 

Who Ate My Book? by Tina Kügler

Who Needs a Checkup? by Norm Feuti

Picture Books

Black is a Color Rainbow by Angela Joy, illustrated by Ekua Holmes

Blue Table by Chris Raschka

The Camping Trip by Jennifer K. Mann

Round by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Lisa Congdon

Sun Flower Lion by Kevin Henkes*

Turtle Walk by Matt Phelan

Up on Bob by Mary Sullivan*

Graphic Novels

Baloney and Friends by Greg Pizzoli*

Chick and Brain: Egg or Eyeball? by Cece Bell*

Cookie and Broccoli: Ready for School! by Bob McMahon

Noodleheads Lucky Day by Tedd Arnold, Martha Hamilton & Mitch Weiss, illustrated by Tedd Arnold*

Pizza and Taco: Who's the Best? by Stephen Shaskan

Puppy Problems by Paige Braddock

Nonfiction

Being Frog by April Pulley Sayre

Early Chapter Books

Astrid & Apollo and the Happy New Year by V.T. Bidania, illustrated by Dara Lashia Lee

Kondo & Kezumi Visit Giant Island by David Goodner, illustrated by Andrea Tsurmi

The Princess in Black and the Giant Problem by Shannon & Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Ineligible Titles

If we're wrong about the eligibility of any of these titles, please let us know! 

• All the Dear Little Animals by Ulf Nilsson, illustrated by Eva Eriksson - Swedish author and illustrator
• Ana & Andrew (series) by Chrstine Platt, illustrated by Anuki Lopez - Illustrator born and currently living in Spain
• Beach Day! by Candice Ransom, illustrated by Erika Meza - Illustrator born in Mexico and currently living in the UK
• Big Shark, Little Shark, Baby Shark by Anna Membrino, illustrated by Tim Budgen - Illustrator born and currently living in the UK
• Bug Dipping, Bug Sipping by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Lucy Semple - Illustrator born and currently living in the UK
• Cat has a Plan by Laura Gehl, illustrated by Fred Blunt - Illustrator born and currently living in the UK
• Donut Feed the Squirrels by Mika Song - Exceeds the 96 page limit
• Fairylight Friends (series) by Jessica Young, illustrated by Marie Vanderbemden - Illustrator born and currently living in Belgium
• Fox & Rabbit by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Gergely Dudás - Illustrator born and currently lives in Hungary
• Hound Won't Go by Lisa Rogers, illustrated by Meg Ishihara - Illustrator born and currently living in Japan
• Houndsley and Catina at the Library by James Howe, illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay - Illustrator born and currently living in Canada
• If You Love Books, You Could Be...by Elizabeth Dennis, illustrated by Natalie Kwee - Illustrator born and currently living in Singapore
• Interrupting Cow by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Joelle Dreidemy - Illustrator born and currently living in France
• It Is a Tree by Susan Batori - Author born and currently living in Hungary
• King of the Birds by Elise Gravel - Author born and currently living in Canada
• Sea Sheep by Eric Selzter, illustrated by Tom Disbury - Illustrator born and currently living in the UK
• Shadow in the Woods and Other Scary Stories by Max Brallier, illustrated by Letizia Rubegni
• Tip and Tucker Paw Painters by Ann Ingalls & Sue Lowell Gallion, illustrated by Andre Ceolin - Illustrator born and currently lives in Brazil
• You Can Do It, Yasmin! by Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Hatem Aly  - Egyptian born illustrator currently living in Canada

Science and Learning to Read: I am NOT an Expert

Before I jump into the meat of this post, I want to make it very clear that I am not an expert in the science of learning to read. I’m a children’s librarian with a profound passion and interest in supporting kids learning to read and the grown ups in their lives. 

I want to share a bit of a personal struggle I’ve been having with a segment of the Geisel criteria over the last few years. The library system I work for has prioritized supporting developing readers since 2017. As a part of the team working on various projects and services for K-3rd graders, I’ve had the opportunity to really dig into the science around learning to read. And more than just reading the research, I’ve had thought-provoking conversations with colleagues about how science should inform the way reading is taught, and more importantly for this post, about how books can support, rather than hinder, reading skills. 

To be clear, I'm discussing research about the science around learning to read as distinct from the teaching approach called The Science of Reading, which has been gaining momentum lately. This approach has become part of the decades-long reading wars in which educators have been debating the most effective way to teach reading. If you're interested in learning more check out this article by Jill Barshay from the Hechinger Report, Four Things You Need to Know About the New Reading Wars. 

Thinking about the scientific research I've read over the past 3 years (and there's a lot of research out there; there's so much more for me to explore), many parts of the Geisel criteria hold up:

“New words should be added slowly enough to make learning them a positive experience” 

“Words should be repeated to ensure knowledge retention” 

“Sentences must be simple and straightforward” 

“The illustrations must demonstrate the story being told” 

The part of the Geisel criteria that I’ve been struggling to reconcile with science is: 

“The book must also contain illustrations, which function as keys or clues to the text.” 

Without science, this criteria seems to make sense. Upon first encountering a new word, readers can use pictures to help them figure out that word. But scientific research shows that readers who are taught to decode (in simple terms, sound out), rather than guess words based on visual context clues, are more likely to be stronger readers in the long term. Emily Hanford looks at this specific area of learning to read in her article/podcast for APM Reports in 2019, At a Loss for Words: How a Flawed Idea is Teaching Millions of Kids to be Poor Readers. 

So what do we do with this information? I don’t have the ability to magically change the Geisel criteria, although I hope ALSC might be interested in exploring and potentially updating the criteria in the near future. So let’s think beyond the award itself. Let’s think about the many ways libraries continue to perpetuate myths about the learning to read process. And let’s start thinking, and more importantly, taking action to use our library powers to debunk those myths so that we can help the children in our communities become strong, motivated readers. This includes lifting up truly supportive beginning reader titles during reader’s advisory interactions, and addressing the way we shelve, label and organize our books for new readers. We can also use our voices and collections budgets to encourage publishers, editors, authors, and illustrators to delve into the research themselves so that books being created and published for new readers are supportive AND fun, captivating, and page-turning. 

I am not an expert in the science of learning to read. But as a library professional, I can find research, educate myself, share my knowledge, have conversations, question how things are done, and make changes at my library that can and do impact the developing readers in my community. 

Interested in learning more about the science of learning to read? Here are a few resources to get you started. Add your recommendations in the comments section. 

• The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System—And How to Fix It by Natalie Wexler. 2019. 
• Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can't and What Can Be Done About It by Mark Seidenberg. 2017. 
• Reading Levels Unfairly Label Learners, Say Critics. And Then There's the Research by Wayne D’Orio. School Library Journal, 2020. 
• Science of Reading: The Podcast, Amplify Education.

A Bit Different This Year

It's January and you might have noticed we haven't posted anything about a Mock Geisel. In fact, you might have noticed we haven't posted nearly as much this entire mock season. This has been a challenging year and as we four co-hosts struggled to maintain personal and professional balance we determined that the best thing we could do was and is to give ourselves some grace. We love running this blog, but it takes a lot of work to coordinate, communicate, write, and edit, in addition to our full-time jobs and lives. Additionally, much of our content is usually created by guest bloggers. We felt that it was important to do what we could to give time and space to our colleagues who might be dealing with their own personal and professional challenges. So we decided not to reach out to our usual roster of guest bloggers this year. 

So what can you expect from Guessing Geisel as we count down to the Youth Media Awards (YMAs) announcement on January, 25h at 8 a.m. CT? We'll post a bit more about contenders and Geisel-related topic, however we won't post a shortlist or host a mock via an online survey. We know this is disappointing, so we want to share some other opportunities to participate in mocks and celebrate the YMAs. 

Participate in a mock held by one of our sibling mock blogs across the interwebs. 

• Calling Caldecott
• Ears on Odyssey
• Heavy Medal (Newbery)
• Pondering Printz
• Sydney Taylor Shmooze 

Get excited about mocks by listening to this episode from The Book of Life podcast featuring the hosts of the Sydney Taylor Schmooze, our newest mock blog sibling, and mock blog hosts Steven Engelfried from Heavy Medal, Julie Danielson from Calling Caldecott, and me, Amy Seto Forrester, from Guessing Geisel. There's also a bonus episode with even more mock blog content. 

View the results of other mocks on the ALSC (Association for Library Services to Children) Blog's 2021 Mock Election Results page. We encourage you to submit the results of any mocks you host as well. 

Share you predictions with us in the comments below. Even though we aren't holding a mock, that doesn't mean we aren't interested in what will win or be honored! 

Livestream the YMAs. We know 8 a.m. CT is early in some time zones, but the thrill is worth early morning bleary eyes (IMHO). 

What will this coming mock season look like for Guessing Geisel? Our current plan is to return to more robust content this summer/fall and to host a mock in January, 2022. We hope that you'll be there with us when we do!