Look! I Can Read!

December 1, 2000
Gr. 1. The excitement of learning to read is captured with minimal text, but all sorts of enthusiasm. In an expansive two-page spread set at a lunch counter, a little girl shows her mother a milk carton and says, "I can read. Milk." She can also read the stop sign. As the story progresses, she knows her ABCs and draws readers into the experiences as she wonders aloud, "What starts with "C"?" and asks them to find items in her messy room that begin with various letters. Soon the girl is reading along with her father and then reads a whole book by herself. The delightful watercolor-and-ink artwork bursts out of the borders and matches the gusto of the text. New readers will see themselves in this entry to the All Aboard Reading series. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2001
Nothing very original in the text, but the excitement conveyed by Emily is contagious as she and presumably the real young readers of this book successfully complete the entire book. The simple rhymes, the use of print for shopping lists and notes, and print on signs all work together to ease the way for new readers. The breezy watercolors are full of energy.

(Copyright 2001 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)