Penny and Her Sled by Kevin Henkes

Today's guest contributor, Benji Martin, is a librarian and educator from Montgomery, Alabama. He serves as the elementary school librarian at Saint James School, and blogs at Tales of an Elementary School Librarian. You can find him on Twitter at @mrBenjimartin.

I live in Alabama and spent most of my childhood here. It hardly ever snows. Every couple of years, we’ll get a good dusting, and even less often, a “blizzard” with snow that actually sticks.

There’s always that lingering hope, though. Every winter, when it gets cold, children and adults alike pay close attention to the weather, hoping against all reason that snow will fall and everyone will get a day off of work or school. (Everything closes here when it snows, except for hospitals and Waffle Houses.) Usually we are disappointed and when spring comes we forget about snow for a little while.

Because of where I live, I could totally relate to how Penny was feeling in this book. She wanted that snow so badly! Her parents made the rookie mistake of telling her that snow was coming. Don’t they know that a parent’s word is a promise? You don’t ever promise weather! Whenever my kids ask a weather-related question, the answer is always, “I don’t know,” or “We’ll see,” regardless of the forecast.

Reading the book, I kind of expected a very late-winter or early-spring snow just because Penny’s parents said it was coming, and in children’s books, parents are almost always right.

It didn’t snow, however, and her parents used the ol’ distraction method and got her looking forward to the snowdrop flowers that would come with spring.

There were lots of things I loved about Penny and Her Sled. It was really refreshing to me that Penny’s parents got it wrong. It’s okay for kids realize early that their parents are fallible. Being people, they’ll make mistakes and they’ll do it often.

I enjoyed the fun ways that Penny played with her sled indoors because it looked sad in the corner of her bedroom.

I also enjoyed the fact that it never snowed in the book, but Penny chose to be happy and decided to wait for something else.

Waiting seems to be a big theme in Kevin Kenkes’ books lately. I can’t help but think of his Geisel honor-winning picture book Waiting in which all of the characters are looking out of the window and waiting for something, much like Penny in most of this book.

I guess the whole point of this post is to talk about whether or not I think Penny and Her Sled stands a shot at receiving the Geisel award. I do. It checks all of the Geisel criteria boxes for me. It’s a lovely, distinguished story to my eyes. The illustrations have that classic Henkes feel. The text is just challenging enough for the child learning to read to be supported and encouraged. I think kids reading this book will empathize with Penny and her longing for snow, and will be happy with the resolution, even though Penny doesn’t get her wish.

Penny and Her Marble received a Geisel honor in 2014, and while this doesn’t mean anything for Penny and Her Sled’s 2020 prospects, I think that a new Penny book will definitely be on the Geisel committee’s radar. I feel like there’s a chance that we’ll hear Penny’s name called again this January in Philadelphia.

Whose Footprint is That? by Darrin Lunde, illustrated by Kelsey Oseid

It's always tricky to find those nonfiction titles that might be a good fit for the Geisel -- and a delight when you find one that is!

In Whose Footprint is That?, Lunde and Oseid cleverly create a book that hits all the right notes for beginning readers.  The book is structured so that each new footprint is accompanied by a question ("Whose footprint is that?" for most, though later images of a snake's slithery track and a fossil play with the question a bit) and a clue: a part of the animal peeking around the book's corner, or perhaps some other item, such as a feather, left behind. There's also a one-sentence hint in the text, explaining how the footprint was made.  Then, the question is answered simply with the name of the animal, plus a very brief sentence or two of description. This formatting choice provides admirable repetition, and I can see young readers enjoying guessing what might have made each footprint, scrutinizing the hints on the page and being pleased when they successfully guess the answer.

As with any nonfiction title, some vocabulary may prove challenging, but motivated readers will power through. Plus, Oseid's illustrations are both beautiful and accurate, providing excellent support for the text. The font size is ample, if not generous, and the text placement is predictable. Sentences are short and straightforward, and the subject matter is perennially interesting.

Wondering if this title is a serious contender? Maybe you should make tracks to your local library or bookstore and check it out!

What Kids Say - November 2019

Welcome to the third post in this year’s What Kids Say Series. This series is meant to mimic an important part of Geisel Committee members’ experience: observing while kids read Geisel contenders out loud. Unlike some kid lit awards, kid appeal and a successful reading experience are part of the criteria and definitely a part of the discussion for committees. In fact there’s a section in the award manual that encourages committee members to “Take an active role and become immersed in the world of beginning readers” [p.19] followed by a list of possible ways to achieve this goal including, “‘Adopt’ a kindergarten or first grade class and observe how children learn to read” [p.19]. 

This series attempts to achieve a similar goal, but in a blog format. Each month I send a list of three or four contenders to a half dozen of our guest contributors that are caregivers of or regularly work with K-2nd grade students. I do my best to select a variety of levels and topics for readers at different stages of the learning to read process. While each of the titles highlighted in this post will be covered by guest contributors at some point this year, the focus of this series is on the experiences and observations from kid readers and their grown-up contributors. 

Contributors can record feedback in any format, however I do provide them with a couple feedback templates (Bookmark, kid feedback sheet, grown up feedback sheet). A big shout out to Jamie Chowning, DaNae Leu, Samantha Marino, and Stacey Rattner for all their hard work sharing, observing, and collecting feedback from the kids in their lives. 

This month about 100 kids in 1st and 2nd grade participated nationwide. Most read just one or two titles. 

And now, let’s get to the books and what kids have to say about them! 

Charlie & Mouse Even Better 

by Laurel Snyder, illustrated 

by Emily Hughes book cover

Charlie & Mouse Even Better by Laurel Snyder, illus. by Emily Hughes 
The third title in this sibling duo series follows up the Geisel Award-winning Charlie & Mouse and (not honored, but still amazing) Charlie & Mouse & Grumpy. As Taylor Worley writes in her review, this title “is another warm, fuzzy, and lovely entry in the Charlie and Mouse series.” Let’s see what the 34 1st and 2nd graders who read this title had to say about it. 

Nearly all the kids said they liked the book enough to reread it or read a sequel (keep your eyes peeled for Charlie & Mouse Outdoors in 2020!), and found it easy to follow. One grown-up contributor wrote that she was surprised at how much the gentle humor engaged her child, “He laughed out loud a couple of times. I think he really identified with the sibling dynamic--he was doing voices that were just spot-on.” When she asked her child what he thought, he said it was "medium" and that he would "maybe" read another. The grown-up contributor also appreciated the episodic, yet connected nature of the books, as well as Mouse's gentle gender nonconformity. “The high-heeled white boots are a fabulous touch.” 

Speaking of humor, it was a highlight for many kids, along with the delicious pancakes and the cake Charlie and Mouse make for Mom. Nearly half the kids mentioned them in their comments: 

• It was funny, it was interesting, and it had lots of pancakes. 
• That the boys were asking so many things about pancakes. 
• How they asked mom for al the pankacks [sic]. 
• I lacke the cake [sic]. 
• I like when the kid gav the mom the kace [sic]. 

On a similar note, two children made a point to say how much they disliked “wen the kak brnt [sic].” 

Nearly all the 2nd graders sailed through the text with little to no need for help. However, several 1st graders struggled with some of the words, including: 

• What 
• Help 
• Dragon 
• Try 
• Present 
• Decorate 
• Bubble 
• Dollars 
• Jewel 
• Instead 

To me, this indicates that this book hits a sweet spot for more confident developing readers who can decode more complex words, but still benefit from the other supportive elements in this title. Clearly, the real committee has plenty to discuss. 

Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot 

by Cece Bell book cover

Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot by Cece Bell 
17 kids, all 2nd graders, read Bell’s graphic novel style beginning reader starring a bird and a brain with large (and smelly) feet. Bell took home an honor in 2013 for Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover. Let’s see how her newest book about an unlikely duo fares with our kid readers. 

The hilarity of the story was clearly a hit with many readers. “Funny interesting werd. [sic],” was one child’s summation of this title. Many kids said that the phrase, “smell my foot” along with Chick actually smelling Brain’s foot were their favorite parts of the story. Some kids loved that the dog tries to eat the bird, but other kids didn’t. A couple kids said it was both their most and least favorite parts of the book. One grown up contributor noted that her child enjoyed feeling smart while reading this book. She said, “While feeling smart is always a hit with this age group, I think he enjoyed it even more because Chick was such a know-it-all.” Only two words were called out as being challenging, “wow” and “brain.” 

“I appreciated the goofy play on the social niceties that kids this age are learning,” said one of our grown up contributors. Perhaps the real committee will appreciate that too? Only a few more months until the YMAs when we’ll find out! 

See Me Play by Paul Meisel

See Me Play by Paul Meisel 
28 kids in 1st and 2nd grade read Meisel’s fourth canine-driven adventure. As Ashley Waring writes in her round up of summer Holiday House titles, “Meisel’s ability to tell such an engaging and amusing story with limited words is impressive.” 

As the book with the lowest level of text complexity on this month's list, it’s no surprise that several kids commented on how easy it was to read. One kid, who didn’t need any help with the text, proudly wrote, “I din it mess up [sic].” Although most kids didn’t need help decoding any words at all, “fast”, “wants”, “drops”, and “ball” proved a bit of a challenge for some. 

Dogs, as always, are rich with kid appeal, as noted by several kids in their comments, “I lac the dogs [sic].” And the fact that the dogs don’t get the ball at the end of the story was cited by several kids as their favorite part. One child wrote, “I like wene the bird stels the ball” [sic]. Another wrote, “I like the caritr [character]. I like the ilistrashin [illustration]. I like it all.” Nearly all the kids said the book was enjoyable with only a few saying they wouldn’t read a sequel. 

Meisel took home Geisel honors for I See a Cat (2018) and See Me Run (2012). Will See Me Play snag another honor or even the medal? 

Motor Mouse by Cynthia Rylant, 

illustrated by Arthur Howard

 book cover

Motor Mouse by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Arthur Howard 
Rylant and Howard are no strangers to the Geisel, having won the very first medal in 2006 for Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas, along with an honor in 2015 for Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page. Let’s see what our 48 readers, mostly 1st graders and a few 2nd graders, thought of Motor Mouse. 

The kids had a lot to say about the characters and the food (are we sensing a theme this month?): 

• I lik it when they tride pie [sic]. 
• I like wen he makes the cake [sic]. 
• Telly standing on his head. 
• I liked the last page with the friends. 
• I liked when they learned how to share. 

About 25% of the kids needed help 1-10 times while reading this book. The large vocabulary also proved a bit daunting for some with the following words called out as difficult to sound out: 

• Cabbie 
• Valentino 
• Trimmed 
• Well 
• Way 
• Tune 
• Thought 
• Deliveries 
• Invited 
• Shouted 
• South 
• Beside 
• Arrived 
• Waking 
• Point 
• Nearby 
• Sign 
• Handkerchief 
  

Along with a large vocabulary, this title didn’t seem to have the same kid appeal as other titles on this list with 15 kids saying they either didn’t enjoy the book or wouldn’t read a sequel or both. How will this year’s Rylant and Howard collaboration fare with the real committee? We’ll just have to wait and see! 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So that’s what kids have to say this month! What are your kids saying about these books? Let us know in the comments. We also invite you to share kid feedback on any of the titles we blog about via the comments.

Croc and Ally: Fun, Fun, Fun! by Derek Anderson

Headshot of Tanya Prax.

Courtesy of Tanya Prax.

Tanya Prax is a Youth Services Librarian with Arapahoe Libraries in Colorado and has been with the library for 2.5 years. She is from Minnesota and is a lover of the lakes, mountains, sports, and adventures. Her favorite thing about working in libraries is opening people up to the possibilities that libraries can provide. 

Croc and Ally: Fun, Fun, Fun! 

by Derek Anderson book cover. 

Author and illustrator, Derek Anderson, has written a “fun fun fun” early reader called Croc and Ally: Fun, Fun, Fun! This book is one of two in the series and the title sets you up for an enjoyable reading experience right away. Three short stories introduce us to Croc and Ally, two wildly different best friends who always have a problem that needs solving or an adventure to go on. In the first story, A Dry Day for Croc, Ally REALLY wants to go swimming, but Croc does not want to get wet. Ally gets all his swimming gear on, jumps in the water, and invites Croc in. Although Croc still refuses, Ally manages to get him wet with his splashing. In the second story, The New Hat, Ally thinks that Croc needs a new hat since he has had his current one for a long time. They go to the store together to try on a variety of hats, but, in the end, it is not Croc that ends up buying a new hat. In the third story, One Big Bug, Ally finds a spider under his chair. Neither Croc nor Ally like bugs so they must call for back up- Ally's mother! 

Croc and Ally trying on four different hats in front of a mirror from Croc and Ally: Fun, Fun, Fun! by Derek Anderson. 

This book is targeted towards more confident readers who have already cut their teeth on lower level texts. I think every reader will identify either with Croc, who is always a little less sure than his friend, or Ally, who is a little more on the adventurous side. Each story has a plot that flows and is easy to understand. The illustrations are colorful and fun. They do a great job of catching the expressions on Croc and Ally’s faces. The reader can tell when Ally is having fun and when Croc is unsure about something. The illustrations also do a great job of telling the story without needing to read the words. Each story is full of humor and will make the reader giggle. 

Ally's mother helps a spider find his way home from Croc and Ally: Fun, Fun, Fun! by Derek Anderson

Some pages have more text than others but there is a good balance and the text is always easy to see. There are also many repeating words throughout each short story. I think that having short stories, or chapters, sets readers up for a successful reading experience as it gives them confidence and makes it seem as if they are reading a longer or “older kids” book.This book series would be great for fans of Elephant and Piggie, Monkey and Cake, or Arnold and Louise. 

Ally swimming and Croc refusing to from Croc and Ally: Fun, Fun, Fun! by Derek Anderson

All in all, Croc and Ally: Fun, Fun, Fun! has Geisel Award potential with its colorful illustrations and funny and straightforward stories.

Editor's Note: It has come to our attention that Croc and Ally: Fun, Fun, Fun! has a 2018 publication date, so it is unfortunately ineligible for the Geisel Award. However, we hope you've still found this post helpful. 

The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! and Who is the Mystery Reader? by Mo Willems

Today's guest contributor, Benji Martin, is a librarian and educator from Montgomery, Alabama. He serves as the elementary school librarian at Saint James School, and blogs at Tales of an Elementary School Librarian. You can find him on Twitter at @mrBenjimartin.

I used to jokingly refer to the Geisel award as the “Elephant and Piggie Award”. It seemed to me that Mo Willems was bringing the award home every year for his latest E & P installment. In my head, Mo Willems was basically a Geisel award factory, pumping them out whenever he felt like it.

I imagined Mo and Trixie sitting down at breakfast and talking about what the day was going to look like. Trixie would be bringing her Knuffle Bunny in to school for show-and-tell or something like that, and Mo would say, “Well, I haven’t won a major award in a while, and there’s some space left in my display case, so I think I’m going to sit down and write another 'Elephant and Piggie' book.”

I looked it up and saw that he had only actually won the gold medal two times, in 2008 and 2009. He received a Geisel honor in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and is, by far, the author and illustrator recognized by the Geisel committee most often. He’s the only person to win the gold medal twice, and no one else has been awarded more than two honors.

All of that Geisel love was for Elephant and Piggie, though. Knuffle Bunny and the Pigeon have gotten some Caldecott recognition, but nothing Geisel-wise. So, what about the newest Pigeon book, The Pigeon HAS to Go to School? Will this be the year that the Geisel committee ends Mo’s five year Geisel drought?

The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!

Cover of The Pigeon HAS to Go to
School! by Mo Willems

Let me just tell you, I love a good back-to-school book. I am a school librarian, and the summer is long. I come in to the school year a little rusty, and out of practice when it comes to planning my class story times. It’s all good, though. The story times on the first week of school practically create themselves. I can read Rocking in my School Shoes, We Don’t Eat Our Classmates or School’s First Day of School while I get back into the groove of things. The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! Is another fun one to add to my back-to-school arsenal.


Most of my students already know the Pigeon well, and in this particular book, I think they enjoy sharing the anxieties of a new school year with a familiar character. The Pigeon is very nervous about starting school for the first time. He freaks out a bunch, as the Pigeon will do, and then changes his mind completely when he realizes that a bus will be taking him to school, which is a fun inside joke for those who have read the first Pigeon book.

Image from The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! by Mo Willems

Is it Geisel award material, though? It’s a good book, but is it distinguished? I think it is a great addition to the Pigeon series, but does it do anything new or different? Is it individually distinct?


Unfortunately, for me, this book doesn’t really tell a new story. I’ve seen the “anxious character starting school” book pretty often. It doesn’t really stand out among other back-to-school books, and it isn’t the best Pigeon book Mo has written, either. If I was sitting on the Geisel award committee this year, it would be very hard for me to say that The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! is one of the most distinguished beginning readers of 2019. I will be reading it to my students every August, probably for the rest of my career, and I think it’s a wonderful book, but when I stop and think about what “distinguished” really means to me, this one doesn’t quite hit the mark.

Who is the Mystery Reader?

Cover of Who is the Mystery
Reader? by Mo Willems

The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! isn’t Mo’s only chance for a Geisel this year, though! Who is the Mystery Reader? is the second book in Mo’s "Unlimited Squirrels" series, and definitely fits in that beginning reader category, at least for most of the book.

I can’t help but think of Elephant and Piggie when I read these "Unlimited Squirrels" books. They have the same dialog-driven format, with lots of white space. Although, I do sometimes feel like the large number of characters takes away from some of the simplicity that made the "Elephant and Piggie" books so genius. Gerald and Piggie are very different, and their voices are so distinct. I don’t feel that way about the squirrels. I have trouble telling them apart sometimes.

In the first section of the book, the main story, the language is pretty simple and perfect for a pre-k through 2nd grade reader. The words that might offer the child a challenge like “mystery” appear often enough to ensure knowledge retention.

The story is unique and, to me, very distinguished. The idea of the mystery super reader is original, and the squirrels teaching each other to sound out the words is appropriate for kids who are learning to read. I think kids will love that they know what the stop sign says before the squirrels figure it out. 


I think if the book stopped there, after the first section, it would have been a very short beginning reader, but it might have been on the Geisel committee’s radar. After that, though, I feel like Mo tries to do too much.

Image from Who is the Mystery Reader? by Mo Willems

At one point, the squirrels bring in this big text book called the Book of Wonders, and they learn about the earliest types of writing like cuneiform and hieroglyphs. While this is all interesting, and something I would have loved as a child, I feel like the language in the book, which was so accessible to the child learning to read before, takes a drastic turn and becomes much more difficult. I feel like this part will be frustrating for the kid who has been working their way through the book. A new reader will either ignore this part completely, or will, hopefully, find an adult to help. For me, that one small section of the book probably takes it out of Geisel award contention.


Will Mo Willem’s five year drought end in 2020? My guess is probably not. I think that Who is the Mystery Reader? has a better chance than The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!, but in the end, neither really scream ‘GEISEL AWARD WINNER!!!” at me like some of Mo’s other books have in the past.

Publisher Reading Levels: Helpful or Confusing?

Our guest blogger today is Taylor Worley. Taylor (she/her) is a Youth Librarian at Springfield Public Library in Oregon. When she isn’t reading, she can be found drinking tea while stuck in a video game, making something with yarn, or exploring. You can find her on Instagram or Goodreads @thatonelibrarian.

Publisher Reading Levels: Helpful or Confusing?

When I set out to write this post on publisher reading levels (“leveled readers” from this point on), I had no problem putting my own thoughts in order, but I needed the Great Brain to weigh in on the matter. So, I polled the ALSC listserv and the Oregon Library Association’s Children’s Services Division listserv and 250 of you responded. Surprise! Librarians have feelings about leveled readers. 

The Survey:

Question one addressed the organization of leveled readers within libraries. Almost all libraries responded that they separate leveled readers into their own section of some kind. Over half of the respondents said they do not divide by any level, while a third reported having created their own leveling system. Less than 5% of respondents report dividing their leveled readers by the publisher levels.

Question two asked about your experience with leveled readers. 93% said that the levels are inconsistent, and 67% reported the levels confusing. About 20% of respondents said that the levels are helpful in some way, but about 44% reported the levels being troublesome for both patrons and staff.

Question three addressed your observations of patrons, both adults and children, with leveled readers. The most common observations by a significant margin were an adult telling a child a book was too easy or difficult for them and general confusion over the levels not being consistent. 30% of respondents reported witnessing a child return a book to the shelf because it wasn’t their level, while less than 10% saw a child find “just the right book” using the levels.

Question four was an open ended, “Anything else you’d like to share...” question; 83 people responded. 

The Results:

The overwhelming consensus is that if there was a way for the levels to be consistent among publishers, then having leveled readers would be quite helpful. Many libraries have developed their own criteria and assign levels to these books in-house to mitigate confusion for patrons, but this takes time, effort, and money.

There is also a general consensus that the levels can be beneficial in certain situations. Librarians teach patrons to open the book and analyze the text when selecting titles with or for their emergent readers. They also explain that a “Step into Reading” book is going to be completely different than a “I Can Read” book, and how to differentiate the brands.

Some librarians are in favor of ridding the world of leveled readers altogether, likening them to other dreaded quantifying systems like Lexile, AR, etc. Multiple librarians expressed frustration with both leveled readers and these other systems, noting that there seems to be an over-reliance on levels and an expectation that all books will be clearly labeled by difficulty. The anecdotal result is a less independent and motivated reader.

What do we want? An industry standard! How do we get it? We have no idea!

Hey, HarperCollins? Penguin Random House? National Geographic? We need to talk. We appreciate what you’re trying to do with your leveled readers, but we can’t make sense of your criteria, and sorting out one Level 1 from another publisher’s Level 3 is exhausting. Maybe you’re trying to build brand loyalty, but you’re doing readers a disservice. What we want more than anything is an industry standard, but we’re not sure how to go about making that happen.

The Verdict

I doubt any of this discussion comes as a surprise, but rest assured you are not alone in your frustration. While we try and figure out how to convince publishers to work together (we might be here a while), reach out to colleagues and see how they handle their leveled reader collection. Do you have an in-house leveling system working well? Share the criteria! Leveled readers won’t be disappearing any time soon, so perhaps our job is to make those waters easier to navigate. 

So, are publisher reading levels helpful? They’re confusing and inconsistent, but still provide a modicum of guidance. Simply put, there’s a lot of room for improvement.

Do You Like My Bike? and Let's Have a Sleepover! by Norm Feuti

Image courtesy of Betsy Bird

Today's guest blogger is Betsy Bird, the Collection Development Manager of Evanston Public Library and the former Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. She writes for the Fuse #8 Production blog hosted by School Library Journal and reviews for Kirkus. Betsy has written several books and her latest, THE GREAT SANTA STAKEOUT, is out this year. She also runs two podcasts: Story Seeds and Fuse 8 n’ Kate. Find Betsy at betsybirdbooks.com or on Twitter @FuseEight.

What to do, what to do? When two easy books are released simultaneously in a season, how on earth do you judge them individually when considering them for major awards like the Geisel? Norm Feuti first came to prominent attention years ago with his thoroughly charming graphic novel The King of Kazoo (Scholastic, 2016). Now he’s returned with two characters straight out of the Frog & Toad playbook. Hedgehog is laid back, easy going, and a good friend to Harry, the guinea pig. Harry, in contrast, is anxiety prone, if sweet. The low stakes adventures are right there in the books’ titles. In Do You Like My Bike? Harry dreads the dangers that come with a bike ride, only to be helped through his fears by Hedgehog. In Let’s Have a Sleepover, Harry is gung-ho to stay the night at his friend’s . . . until he realizes the plans involve camping outside (gulp!).

Image courtesy of normfeuticartoons.com

Many times we discuss the rudimentary ramifications of a book’s word length and appropriateness of the text in conjunction with the Geisel Awards. Character development is often disregarded due to the succinctness of the writing. Yet in many ways, some of the best easy books for young learners go above and beyond the simplicity of the words and produce stories full of heartwarming, memorable characters. Art plays a large role in this as well. With just the slightest dip of a pen, Feuti can change a character’s entire attitude and stance. Consider Hedgehog. In Let’s Have a Sleepover there is a moment of dawning comprehension for him when he realizes that Harry is being weird because he fears the idea of sleeping outside. In this way, the connecting thread between the two books is empathy: understanding how others feel and modeling good behavior for young readers.

In my own library, the children’s librarians overwhelmingly preferred Sleepover to Bike. While technically Bike was released first, there’s a disjointed feel to the length of its chapters that can jar a casual read. Sleepover, in contrast, lacks this herky jerky feel, doubles down on emotional resonance, and contains equal parts humor and heart, all done with simple words and pictures.

Looking over this year’s crop of Geisel contenders, few would argue that there’s a clear cut winner anywhere in the batch. Feuti’s books, with their gentle animal duo, conjure up memories of classic buddies in easy books of the past and present (the aforementioned Frog & Toad, Elephant & Piggie, etc.). And for kids learning to read on their own for the very first time, there’s a strange comfort, not just in Harry’s alleviated fears, but in Feuti’s comic book-inspired artistic style. These titles feel like the best possible amalgamation of comic influences and easy book packaging. Bound to be beloved by so many for so long. Books to consider. Books to treasure. Some of the best of the year, bar none.

Frank and Bean by Jamie Michalak, illustrated by Bob Kolar

Image of Gigi Pagliarulo 

with a frog puppet. 

Courtesy of Gigi Pagliarulo

This week's guest contributor is Gigi Pagliarulo, a librarian for the Denver Public Library. Gigi is especially interested in youth services, early literacy, and issues of diversity and multiculturalism within children's literature and programming, has served on the steering committee of Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy, and the CLEL Bell Picture Book Award Selection Committee. 

Frank and Bean by Jamie Michalak, 

illustrated by Bob Kolar book cover. 

A hilarious take on the odd couple trope, Frank and Bean is a beginning reader that seamlessly meshes camping fun, humor, thoughtfulness and superior artwork and writing. 

Frank, a nervous and introverted hot dog, sets up his camp just so: tent, pencil, spork, secret notebook for writing poetry, and plenty of solitude. Other animals come along to ribbit, hoot and chirp, but weary of their noises and anxious that they are peeking at his special secret notebook, Frank eschews their company. When exuberant, raucous, messy, musician Bean comes roaring into Frank’s campsite, replete with bus, trumpet, drum, triangle, motorbike and gong, Frank is aghast at the loss of his peaceful repose. But Bean’s infectious spirit (and delicious jelly donuts) eventually win over the reluctant wordsmith, and together the new friends find they fit together like, well, franks and beans. The poet and the composer even write a song together and join forces to form a rock band! 

This excellent title would work well for advanced early readers with more confidence and facility, as it includes four chapters, multiple lines per page, and a larger controlled vocabulary. Plenty of repetition of words and phrases scaffold readers’ learning and assimilation of unfamiliar vocabulary, and colorful, hilariously expressive digitally-rendered illustrations support the action and the plot. 

Image of Frank sitting on a log talking to a frog. And on the left hand side, Frank talking to an owl in a tree.
From Frank and Bean by Jamie Michalak, illustrated by Bob Kolar

Page and line breaks are natural and supportive as well, and a slow, steady story arc builds on itself to a satisfying conclusion as Frank and Bean create a band and dream of taking their show on the road. The relationship between this unique and appealing duo is sure to strike all the right notes with young readers, and there is plenty of opportunity for sequels to keep fans reading and laughing with Frank and Bean. 

On the left, Bean driving a motorboat. On the right, Frank being still as a rock.
From Frank and Bean by Jamie Michalak, illustrated by Bob Kolar

Veteran author and illustrator Michalak and Kolar have teamed up to create an exciting new duo for early readers to enjoy. They have produced a high-quality beginning reader that excels at the nitty-gritty details that keep beginning readers accessible and useful for fledgling readers, while also managing to create moments of great humor and thoughtfulness. Meditative Frank is downright philosophical in his approach, while wild and free Bean models openheartedness and loving connection. 

On the left, Frank singing a poem to Bean. On the right, the two characters high fiving.
From Frank and Bean by Jamie Michalak, illustrated by Bob Kolar

Frank and Bean is an unusually strong, cohesive and supportive beginning reader, and if Geisel committee-members are considering longer titles, Frank and Bean is an excellent choice. If you’ve shared this book with kiddos, let us know their thoughts and impressions in the comments!

Interview with a Reading Specialist

Headshot of Jamie Chowning.
Courtesy of Jamie Chowning. 

Guest contributor Jamie Chowning is a librarian with Denver Public Library working primarily in early literacy programming and reader’s advisory for children. Marilyn Thompson, the interviewee and the author’s mother, retired in 2016 as the National Board certified reading specialist at a suburban Title I school. 

Public children’s librarians and reading specialists who work in public schools may share similar goals of helping children become confident readers, but our work rarely brings us together and so we function in parallel. By a fortunate coincidence, however, I was raised by a reading specialist--my mother, Marilyn Thompson, worked as a reading specialist for the last twenty-four years of her career. As a librarian, I was excited to sit down with her and learn more about the overlap between our fields. This transcript of our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. 

What are some reading trends that came and went during your career? 
When I first started, it was all about whole language and we taught very little phonics. It was all taught through writing and through what kids needed to learn and we taught about developmental spelling and word study. 

The current reading method across the country is guided reading, which was brought to the US by Fountas and Pinnell many years ago, and it is actually based on an intervention. It’s based on Reading Recovery. 

I will tell you, the method doesn’t really matter that much. Because 80% of kids learn to read regardless of how they’re taught; it’s the other 20% and the interventions that you use that make more difference. 

Mrs. Thompson reads Dick and Jane with her visiting grandson Gus. Courtesy of Jamie Chowning.

What are some common challenges teachers face in teaching kids to read? 
Lack of vocabulary. If you haven’t been read to at home, you’re missing a lot of vocabulary, but you’re also missing that sense of story--you don’t know that stories have happy endings, you don’t understand what a story is. And of course in some cultures stories aren’t told from beginning to end; they’re told in roundabout ways. We can teach them the alphabet, we can teach them to read, we can teach them all the sounds and things, but if they come in with limited vocabulary, limited sense of story, those are big challenges. 

What kind of books did you use with your students? Did you notice a change over the course of your career? 
There was a huge difference. When I first started as a reading specialist, we used predictable books, like Drummer Hoff Fired It Off or Brown Bear Brown Bear. And none of those books were leveled. We knew about instructional level, of course, but it typically wasn’t measured in kindergartners and first graders. But with the advent of guided reading and leveled books, instructional level became a huge concept. Which is fine, but some of those predictable books were really good, the kids really liked them, and they were a lot less boring than some of the guided reading. 

What advice do you have for librarians on helping customers whose children are “not reading on grade level”? 
Encourage the parents to give the kid lots and lots and easy reading practice. Find easy books that the kids like. And I know some people worry they’re not going to get smarter if they read easy books, but that is absolutely not true. I had this paper that I used to give out that was FAQs for parents of beginning readers and that was one of the questions, will my kid get smarter if they read harder books? Well, no. They just get more frustrated.The more they read, the better they get, the more efficient their processes are.