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!
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Charlie & Mouse Even Better
by Laurel Snyder, illustrated
by Emily Hughes book cover
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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].
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
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Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot
by Cece Bell book cover
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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!
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| 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?
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Motor Mouse by Cynthia Rylant,
illustrated by Arthur Howard
book cover
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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
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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.
This is so fun for my students. I can still see the two second grade girls, rolling with laughter as they read SEE ME PLAY. They were well over the target audience, but still enjoyed it immensely. One of them asked for more like it and I was able to show her the other Meisel titles we had.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Danae! I think there's really something to be said for reading books that are "too easy" because kids can practice reading fluently, build confidence, and have fun! Adults don't always read at their highest level (thank goodness!), so I think it's great that you're empowering kids to do the same :)
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