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. 

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!

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.

Job Well Done: The Guessing Geisel Co-Hosts React to the 2020 YMA Announcements

In this post, the co-hosts of Guessing Geisel (Amanda, Amy, Kahla, and Misti) share their thoughts and reactions to the 2020 Geisel Award winner and honor titles. 

Watching the YMAs

Kahla: I watched the livestream from my office, and although my coworkers were not all as enthusiastic about the awards I was, I filled in the gaps by texting reactions with colleagues and friends. The excitement at the conference was contagious, even through the screen!

Misti: I watched the livestream from my desk, as well. I always bring doughnuts on YMA day, and figure that my enthusiastic reactions are good entertainment for the rest of my department!

Amanda: I was tuning in to the livestream from home, feeding my baby and cheering on my friends and colleagues who did amazing work on their various committees. I was so excited that the livestream included shots of the waving committees standing to be recognized for their work. On a personal note, I was delighted to have read more of the award winners than I expected in this year when I’ve had my mind on other things. 

Amy: I was in Philadelphia watching the announcements unfold live! It’s always such a thrill to feel the excitement crackling through the room. In addition to shouting out with joy when favorite books were announced, I was also texting the other co-hosts and live tweeting for @GuessingGeisel. 

Stop! Bot! by James Yang

Amanda: I was surprised to see a picture book take the top spot this year as the beginning reader series just get stronger and stronger, but not surprised to see Stop! Bot! recognized. From its unique trim size that really supports the vertical movement of the story to the predictable layout of the word balloon on each spread, there’s much to celebrate in this imaginative book. 

Kahla: The beguiling simplicity of the text pairs wonderfully with the bustling illustrations, so full of little details that invite a second (or third) look. 

Amy: We included Stop! Bot! in our mock, but it only got a handful of votes, so this was a lovely surprise. I also love the trim size; to me it says something exciting and unique is inside. This is one I also wish I had been able to read with kids.

Misti: I, too, am looking forward to getting to know this book better -- I gave it a quick read when we put it on our mock list, but now I’ll be sure to go back and give it my full attention. 

Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot! by Cece Bell

Kahla: Graphic novels got a lot of attention across the board this year, and it’s great to see the comics format becoming more commonplace in the top Geisel spots. This one solidly hits the mark for creativity that engages kids in reading! 

Amanda: I think it’s great that CeCe Bell thought that this one might be too weird for the committee, and that this riff on the classic “Dick and Jane” found a spot. I always appreciate when humor with high kid appeal is recognized. 

Misti: Oh, definitely! I always say that it’s so hard to write humor, and even harder to write it for beginning readers, so I love to see something funny taking home a prize.

Amy: There simply aren’t enough graphic novels for developing readers! I’m always happy to see a graphic novel recognized by the committee because I think it encourages the creation and publication of more. Also, a brain with legs just tickles me! 

Flubby is Not a Good Pet! by J.E. Morris 

Misti: This book was on my list from early on. I’m so glad to see it get recognition from the committee! (I'm also amused, while formatting this post, at the number of Geisel honored titles with exclamation marks this year. These books, emphatically, have something to say!)

Kahla: This book is satisfying on multiple levels, not the least of which is that there is simply something irresistible and timeless about fat, lazy cats. 

Amy: Agreed! I think kids can see the promise of a resistant cat in the title of a book can only lead to hilarity. I also appreciate the depiction of Flubby’s child owner with brown skin and hair. While not #OwnVoices, there’s still so little diversity in beginning readers that it’s notable. 

Amanda: What Kahla said! There’s not a word out of place in the pacing of this relatable story. I can’t wait to share this one with owners of bad pets everywhere. 

The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli

Amanda: Pizzoli’s no stranger to the Geisel Award. Congrats to him and CeCe Bell for being the repeat honorees this year. How meta to recognize a story in which our main character learns to read “over time, and with practice” with an award for those engaged in that very learning themselves. 

Kahla: To echo Amanda, how cool to see a book all about the power of stories and libraries make one of the top spots for an award that celebrates learning to read! Especially when said story manages to tug at adult heartstrings while also hitting that kid-humor sweet spot with a nice toilet scene. 

Misti: This is a book with great kid appeal -- well, all-ages appeal, really!  I also love the learning to read connection in a Geisel honoree.

Amy: Pizzoli lives in Philadelphia, so I imagine it must have been a really cool experience to receive that phone call on Sunday and know that the YMAs were happening in his own city! I didn’t see him there (there were a lot of people!), but I hope he was able to be in the room to experience the excitement of a roomful of people going wild about his book! 

Other Thoughts

Amy: A little part of me is sad to say goodbye to this round of contenders, but another part of me is excited about all the amazing titles to come! I stopped at a lot of publisher booths to ask about upcoming Geisel contenders (see the @GuessingGeisel Twitter account for pics) and it’s gonna be a good year! 

Kahla: Can't wait for it! Thanks to everyone who helped fill this year at Guessing Geisel with great conversations. 

Misti: It’s been a great year on Guessing Geisel, and I echo Kahla’s thanks to all of our great guest contributors, and to those who read and comment.  We couldn’t do it without you!

Amanda: It’s very exciting to have the historic overlap between the CSK and Caldecott/Newbery picks! And what a delight to see Antoinette Portis (2007 Geisel Honor) take a Sibert honor, and Kevin Henkes (2014 and 2016 Geisel Honors) recognized with the Legacy Award.  Overall it feels like a pretty satisfying year! There will always be beloved books left out the selections, but job well done to the committees this year.

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! 

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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.

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.

What Kids Say - October 2019

Welcome to our second 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. 

Image of two children reading Fox + Chick: The Quiet Boat Ride and Other Stories by Sergio Ruzzier. 

Image courtesy of Jayce Senter. 

This month over 100 kids in Kindergarten through 2nd grade participated nationwide. Most read just one or two titles. 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, Stacey Rattner, Amma Romero, and Jayce Senter for all their hard work sharing, observing, and collecting feedback from the kids in their lives.  

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

I Will Race You Through 

This Book! by Jonathan 

Fenske book cover

I Will Race You Through This Book by Jonathan Fenske 
In her recent post, Kahla Gubanich writes that this book “calls back to both the endearing fable of the tortoise and the hare as well as the rich history of metafictional children’s literature, while still standing strong on its own (speedy) legs.” Let’s see what nearly fifty 1st and 2nd graders who read this title had to say. 

Many kids liked that the rabbit broke the fourth wall to talk directly to the reader. One child said, “It’s like you can talk to him!” The racing element was much discussed by kids. One wrote that they liked, “that the bonee wos raceing [sic}.” and another wrote that they liked “that we won.” Some kids loved the cheating bunny, others weren’t so sure, “I did not like thet the bune chedid [sic].” Most kids loved the “funny bunny”, but one kid just wrote “winey!” when asked what they didn’t like about the book. 

Most found the book interesting and easy to read and follow, but a few found it confusing and uninteresting. Unfortunately, none of them shared any comments about what they thought was lacking. “Through”, “now”, “even”, and “readers” were called out as difficult and one child wasn’t sure how to navigate “Wow” as a verb, but otherwise it seems the rest of the kids breezed through the text. 

One grown up contributor wrote, “In my experience, kids this age really like to feel smarter than the book and enjoy humor that plays off of the characters knowing they're in a book, so this was right in their zone.” 

Will this book win the Geisel race? We’ll have to wait to find out! 

Fox + Chick: The Quiet Boat Ride 

and Other Stories by Sergio 

Ruzzier book cover

Fox + Chick: The Quiet Boat Ride and Other Stories by Sergio Ruzzier 
The second title in Ruzzier’s Fox + Chick series (book one received a 2019 Geisel Honor) was read by twenty 1st and 2nd graders. It really seemed to shine for these kids, who all said they enjoyed the book and would read another in the series. In addition to enjoying the book, the kids found it easy to follow and easy to read. The speech bubbles were a particular hit with a few children. 

A few kids thought the book was long and one kid specifically pointed to the yellow water as something they didn’t like. Most kids only needed help 1-5 times. The following words were called out as difficult by various children: 

• Received 
• Shipwreck 
• Stressful 
• Plunder 
• Captain 
• Still 
• Pirate 
• Quiet 
  

Chick was the most talked about character in this book. Here are a few kid comments (written exactly as kids wrote them): 

• That chick did’in whant to opne the box 
• Wen chic found the choclet cake 
• Wen cick gode on the botride 
• Chik was so silly 
• How chik kepe asking qestens 
  

Overall, it seems that despite some difficult vocabulary, that kids enjoyed the book enough to stick with it. Will that page turning dynamic equal a Geisel nod? 

Harold & Hog Pretend for 

Real! by Dan Santat and

 Mo Willems book cover

Harold & Hog Pretend for Real! by Dan Santat and Mo Willems 
In her review, guest blogger Sylvie Shaffer writes that this book “is the brain-bending story of Gerald and Piggie reading the story of Harold (an elephant who looks quite a bit like Gerald) and Hog (a pig resembling Piggie) pretending to be Gerald and Piggie, who are reading the book Harold and Hog Pretend for Real.” Over eighty 1st and 2nd graders read this title. Let’s see what they had to say. 

A majority of the kids were able to read the book through without needing help sounding out words, although a handful needed help with 1-5 words, and another handful needed help 6-10 times. “Pretend” and “Real” were difficult words for one child, however the word that seven kids struggled with was “Carefree.” 

The kids who found the book easy to read and follow also found the book interesting. On the flip side, of the dozen kids who found the book a challenge to read also found it to be confusing, uninteresting or both. 

Unsurprisingly, the humor was a big hit with kids. One child wrote, “It is funny. It makes me happy. It is joyful.” The characters were much loved and written about by kids. Notably the characters pretending to be other characters, but also specific moments. Here are a few answers to the question, “What did you like about this book?” (again, written exactly as the kids wrote them): 

• Its when Harold and Hog asked pigi to drive the bus. 
• Harold and Hog looked so realistik. 
• When Harold tride to fly. 

It’s hard to deny the power of Elephant & Piggie. Will they have another brush with the Geisel Award? We shall see… 

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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.

Topics I’d like to See Covered in Beginning Reader Books

Anna Taylor

Today's guest contributor, Anna Taylor, is the Head of Youth Services for Darien Library in CT. She currently serves on ALCT's Cataloging of Children's Materials Committee and is active in ALSC and YALSA.

Think about your top circulating beginning reader books. What do they have in common? Perhaps it’s a funny story about a fly, or an adventure with a sparkly fairy, or maybe a superhero who doesn’t like to wear pants. Young readers love these books. They check them out by the handfuls and read them over and over and over again. It’s amazing! Even the most reluctant of readers are drawn to these books. I don’t care what anyone else says, if a book makes a child love reading, then I’m a fan. Yes, even those books written by a daisy. 

I know. I know. Some of these books are seen as “formulaic” and not “quality” literature. Parents can see the cover and automatically ask the child to find something more “appropriate” and less “silly”. How do you meet them in the middle?

I would like to see beginning reader books that have the following things:

• Flashy cover (glitter, texture, metallic)
• Cartoon-like art throughout
• Relatable and diverse characters
• Everyday topics and issues
• No numbered series

Kids judge a book by its cover (you know you do, too) and they are much more likely to pick a mediocre book with a flashy cover than an amazing book with a basic cover. Can we mesh the two? The I Survived series does a pretty good job at this pairing: exciting cover, great historical story. Let’s read about bullying and divorce and kindness and other cultures in a Geronimo Stilton format with flashy text and color illustrations.

I want to give a beginning reader a book that I know they will not only want to read but, after they read it, will learn something about themselves. Going on adventures with animals and fairies is a blast but I want a 15 year old to come up to me with a beginning reader book and say “this book changed me” while clutching it to their chest in a hug.