Today, I consider a slew of different books that all fall into the no man’s land of literature. Without them, we would lose so many kids. Let us tip our caps then to the books that do our dirty work, and rarely get the thanks they deserve.
Easy Readers and Early Chapter Books: Some of the Best of 2019
July 2, 2019 by
Meet the most necessary and least loved age range of children’s books.I have been carefully combing through every last easy book and early chapter book I could get my grubby little hands on and, with the help of my co-workers, I’ve come up with a good, if imperfect, list.
31 Days, 31 Books: 2018 Early Chapter Books
December 19, 2018 by
Older than easy but not yet novels. The fact of the matter is that while Easy Books are hard to write, Early Chapter Books are hard to categorize. They’re also ideal bedtime books for older children, which means that with the European imports you get a lot of experimentation. American early chapter books are pretty much just written to please. Here then are the books written with 6-9 year olds in mind.
Contemporary Issues and a New Role for Early Chapter Books
October 30, 2018 by
I’ve heard them called any number of things. Junior chapter books. Young readers. Early chapter books. Just plain old “chapter books”. They’re the transitional readers you hand a child when they’ve graduated from easy books but aren’t ready yet for, say, Harry Potter. And like any book, they have a wide range of reading levels. […]
Review of the Day: Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David Serlin
January 11, 2018 by
Baby Monkey, Private Eye By Brian Selznick and David Serlin Illustrated by Brian Selznick Scholastic Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-338-18061-9 Ages 3 and up On shelves February 27th Brian Selznick. Honey. We’ve got to talk. Now look, it was all well and good when you started getting a little crazy and shaking up notions of what […]
31 Days, 31 Lists: Day Nineteen – Early Chapter Books of 2017
December 19, 2017 by
I almost feel as though early chapter books are the Part Two to yesterday’s easy books. If one gently guides kids on the path towards self-sufficient reading, the other certainly drills home how capable child readers have become. And, like easy books, there’s a wide range of reading levels at play here. Some of these […]
Coyote Tales by Thomas King, ill. Byron Eggenschwiler
November 3, 2017 by
Coyote Tales By Thomas King Groundwood Books $16.95 ISBN: 978-1-55498-833-4 Ages 7 to 12 On shelves now The older I get the more I like tricksters. I can’t think why that might be. By rights tricksters fall into the strict purview of children. Think of Bugs Bunny and Pippi Longstocking and R2-D2. I could make […]
Review of the Day: Charlie & Mouse by Laurel Snyder, ill. Emily Hughes
March 13, 2017 by
Charlie & Mouse By Laurel Snyder Illustrated by Emily Hughes Chronicle Books $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-4521-3153-5 Ages 6-9 On shelves April 11th Only the jaded should write reviews of children’s books. Oh, it makes sense! Think about it. Children’s books are where the saccharine and overblown and overbearing go to die. Things that wouldn’t cut it […]
Review of the Day: Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz, ill. Brian Floca
January 20, 2017 by
Princess Cora and the Crocodile By Laura Amy Schlitz Illustrated by Brian Floca Candlewick Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-4822-0 Early Chapter Book On shelves March 28th What if. What if Good Night Moon had been illustrated by someone other than Clement Hurd? What if. What if Charlotte’s Web had had an artist who wasn’t Garth Williams? […]
31 Days, 31 Lists: Day 19 – 2016 Early Chapter Books
December 19, 2016 by
Alongside yesterday’s easy book list, this is the other list that could have been a little beefier this year. Not a lot of racial diversity to be found, to be frank. That fault lies with me, not the books published in 2016. Still, with that in mind, this list is a collection of great books […]
Review of the Day: Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina
October 19, 2016 by
Juana and Lucas By Juana Medina Candlewick Press $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-7636-7208-9 Ages 6-9 On shelves now Windows. Mirrors. Mirrors. Windows. Windowy mirrors. Mirrory windows. Windows. Mirrors. Sliding doors! Mirrors. Windows. In the world of 21st century children’s literature, diversity should be the name of the game. We want books for our children that reflect the […]
Review of the Day: The Sandwich Thief by André Marois
February 9, 2016 by
The Sandwich Thief By Andre Marois By Patrick Doyon Chronicle Books $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-4521-4659-1 Ages 7-9 On shelves March 1st Injustice, that sweet universal quality, makes for great children’s books. Whether it’s a picture book or a young adult novel, if you can tap into a reader’s sense of unfairness you have yourself some children’s […]
Review of the Day: The Perilous Princess Plot by Sarah Courtauld
December 9, 2015 by
Buckle and Squash: The Perilous Princess Plot By Sarah Courtauld Feiwel and Friends (an imprint of Macmillan) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-250-05277-3 Ages 7-10 On shelves now. Considering that I will never but EVER write an early chapter book or, for that matter, an easy book for new readers, it’s funny how often I sit around contemplating […]
Review of the Day: Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon
September 1, 2014 by
Dory Fantasmagory By Abby Hanlon Dial (an imprint of Penguin) $14.99 ISBN: 978-0-8037-4088-4 Ages 6-8 On shelves October 9th Which of the following types of children’s books are, in your opinion, the most difficult to write: Board books, picture books, easy books (for emerging readers), early chapter books, or middle grade fiction (older chapter books)? […]
Review of the Day: The Meanest Birthday Girl by Josh Schneider
September 9, 2013 by
The Meanest Birthday Girl By Josh Schneider Clarion Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) $14.99 ISBN: 978-0-547-83814-4 Ages 6-9 On shelves now. Life is easier when you can categorize it. When you can slot it in a distinct category and reduce everything to black and white terms. Gray is problematic and messy, after all. […]
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