Beginning/Transitional Books

 

Fox the Tiger. By Corey R. Tabor. Harper Collins Children's, 2018. 32 pages. $16.99. ISBN 9780062398697

Grades K - 2. Fox the Tiger is a Level One reader and is a part of the "I Can Read!" series classification as a "My First Shared Reading" book. This easy to follow plot begins with Fox wanting to be a Tiger and this inspires other animals to become things they dream of being. This book is episodic as we see the characters have their costumes washed away but we learn that Squirrel wants to be just like Fox which allows our main character to have a moment of growth and self-actualization. Each page is cleanly laid out with large, double spaced text and a colored illustration that depicts exactly what the text and characters are saying. There is an undeniable repetition and rhythm present on each page amongst the mostly two to three lines of text present. Includes sight words and a collection of animal vocabulary. Tabor's illustrations are rendered in a mix of colored pencil and watercolors while being set against the white page thus allowing them to stand out and be engaging with the reader. 

We Are Growing! By Laurie Keller. Hyperion Books for Children, 2016. 64 pages. $9.99. ISBN 9781484726358

Grades K - 2. This Level One reader is introduced by Mo Willems' classic character duo that many young readers will know: Elephant and Piggie. These two introduce the book and are extremely excited for the audience to read a book about watching grass grow. Readers meet a collection of grasses as they begin to grow and learn about their personal physical traits like silliest, curliest, and pointiest. One grass blade is unable to find out what he is prior to a lawn mower coming through and cutting them down back to the start. Keller's vocabulary usage includes sight words and multiple adjectives to describe each blade's unique characteristic. The text is handled using multiple font sizes, colors, and punctuation that literally seems to yell the excitement of each grass blades' discovery at the reader. The pages full colored with the text and illustrations sharing almost equally the whole layout. 

The Princess In Black. By Shannon Hale. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Candlewick Press, 2014. 96 pages. $5.21. ISBN 9780763665104

Grades 1 - 2. The Princess In Black is a Level Three beginning chapter book and is the first in it's series. The plot is a slightly more developed modification on a tradition fairy tale format that the intended audience is attuned to: we have a hero who fights monsters to protect the innocent with her trusty sidekick all while hiding her true identity. The text is exciting and humorous while also creating a relatable character in the Princess and her alter-ego. Hale's sentence structure across the fifteen chapters includes a mix of short sentences, three-line paragraphs with the occasional complex one but the vocabulary includes sight words that are repetitive. Visually, the text is set at a large font with wide kerning and double-spaced along with drawn pink border. Pham's illustrations are rendered in full-color in a mix of watercolor, colored pencil, and gouache. There is also an equal mix of full-page illustrations and smaller ones throughout the book that assist readers in the understanding of the storyline and its cheeky, adventurous tone.