Early Readers and Transitional Books

 

This book has some aspects of a transitional reader but based on the grades for which it is recommended, it may fit better in the juvenile fiction section. Indeed, at my public library, the book is shelved in Juvenile Chapter Books, with a Poetry label on its spine since the novel is in verse. The book’s Transitional aspects include large typeface, 15-25 lines per page, extensive white space on each page, short-ish chapters, and fairly simple vocabulary and sentence structure. However, because the novel is in verse, it actually has fewer words per line than the average Transitional book. Most lines have 4-6 words. Additionally, sentences are broken into shorter lines, separated in a poetic way, with stanzas of varying length, not paragraphs. Another major aspect that makes the book for older readers is the lack of any illustrations beyond the cover and a tiny little dog symbol at the beginning of each chapter. Additionally, the chapters, while short, are connected together and tell one larger story.

The content of the book might put it a bit beyond the patience of many readers in the transitional period. It tells the story of a girl sheltering in place with her grandparents on a Wabanaki reservation during the pandemic. The pandemic and its challenges, such as isolation and online schooling, may be most relatable to older elementary students who remember living through it, whereas younger elementary students were very young at that time. The storyline of a dog who appears at her grandparents house and befriends and protects Malian will certainly appeal to animal-lovers of all ages. But the book’s reflective tone, thinking about our connections to those who come before us and the importance of acknowledging each other’s stories, may be best suited to older elementary. The book is also a gentle and moving teaching tool about the Native American experience in the U.S.; it discusses serious topics such as residential schools, forced sterilizations, and the lack of equitable resources on reservations. This could be a great first “real” chapter book because the verse format does make it a quick read; however, the content and lack of illustrations puts it a bit beyond the Transitional category.

Faruqi, Saadia. Yasmin in Charge. Illustrated by Hatem Aly. Picture Window Books, 2019. $8.99. 9781515842729 Gr PreK-3.

This book has elements of Level Two and Level Three, but based on the vocabulary level and the sentence structures, it would probably be categorized as Level Three. It consists of four episodic chapters that tell separate stories of events in Yasmin’s life. It fits Level Two in that there are usually only about 5 words per line, and 4-14 lines per page. Additionally, there are color illustrations on almost every page. The pages that don’t have illustrations usually share a two-page spread with a full-page illustration. Many sentences are short, but some are more complex or include long snippets of dialogue. Trickier vocabulary words like well-behaved, polish, puckered, and villains take the book to Level Three. Additionally, Urdu words are included and defined in the back of the book, adding another layer to the book’s vocabulary. 

Griffiths, Andy. The Cat on the Mat is Flat. Illustrated by Terry Denton. Square Fish, 2006. $8.99. 9780312535841 Gr PreK-3.

I would categorize this as a Level Two book, although it does have aspects of Level One, such as very persistent rhyming words. Many pages only have a couple lines, but others have 4-14. Some lines only have one or two words, but the majority have 4 or 5. Several sentences are longer than 5-7 words, although the rhyming makes the sentences less overwhelming. There are a lot of one-syllable words, but there are some multisyllabic words too. The author changes things up frequently so that some pages are a “break” from other pages that had more text. There are black and white illustrations on every page, and plenty of white space. The illustrations look like they are drawn by pen, and they have a scrawled, messy style which is sometimes a bit violent. Some kids will find them hilarious, while some kids will not like them. I think this book would be good for kids who are in first or second grade and are struggling with reading but don’t want to read books that seem like “little kid” books. 

Hillestad Butler, Dori. King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth. Illustrated by Nancy Meyers. Peachtree Publishers, 2018. $14.99. 9781561458806 Gr 2-4.

This book fits the characteristics of a Level Three book. It has noticeably longer sentences than other books I looked at, and it has about 8 words per line. It does have illustrations on almost every page, but most of the pages are three-fourths covered with text. The pages are bigger than the pages in Yasmin in Charge, which makes the greater number of words per page noticeable, even though there is a good amount of white space still. Sentences have varying lengths, some short and some long. There are often repeating words in consecutive sentences. This book might challenge some readers, but the cute illustrations and the narration from a dog’s perspective may motivate them and keep their attention.