There's a Book for That

Where book love and the joy of a classroom community are shared

Celebration: Literacy to fill the year (2015)

Posted on December 26, 2015 by carriegelson

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I have been writing and planning numerous posts on the blog all about best and favourites of the year. Looking back through blog posts is such an interesting process – whether it is searching for books or searching for moments. I find the summarizing strangely comforting. So, I am going to do it again. This time? I am capturing a year of literacy thinking in the posts that highlight my passion: all things literacy connected to all things children. 🙂

Today, I celebrate what I feel are the ten “best of the year” posts on this blog related to reading, readers and #booklove.

In no particular order . . .

# 1 All author visits are all kinds of amazing. This one, from Calef Brown, was particularly out of this world. We were as excited to share the land we had created in his honour as Calef was eager to share his new book of poems with us. Read more here: Celebration: Calef Brown Land

Celebration: Literacy to fill the year (2015) There's a Book for That

#2 Camp Read – a day when everything is about reading and books. The absolute best! I highlighted this amazing day at my school here: Celebration: Camp Read Meeting author Dan Bar-el was an absolute highlight of the day!

Celebration: Literacy to fill the year (2015) There's a Book for That

#3 My first #MockCaldecott was in January of 2015. What a beautiful, literacy rich experience! I shared it here: Celebration: Mock Caldecott Results and Feedback

Celebration: Literacy to fill the year (2015) There's a Book for That

#4 I believe so strongly in the importance of sharing nonfiction titles in our classrooms. Part of that is exposing students to titles they want to read on their own and expanding their knowledge of the huge variety of nonfiction titles out there. I blogged about this here: Nonfiction conversations: Book sharing circles – What nonfiction titles are we drawn to and why?

Celebration: Literacy to fill the year (2015) There's a Book for That

#5 And while we are still talking nonfiction books? A nonfiction tour of my classroom: A room full of nonfiction

Celebration: Literacy to fill the year (2015) There's a Book for That

Talking about classroom libraries has been a bit of an obsession this year. I have it right for about twenty-two seconds before I change things again. All through the process, I share.

#6 My Classroom Library: Beyond the books, 10 important features I believe in a room full of books and time to read them. I also celebrate lots of book displays, incredible illustrations, an organization system that makes sense and a place for student voice. Reader statements from my students are an important part of our learning.

Celebration: Literacy to fill the year (2015) There's a Book for That

#7 I began this post, explaining that my classroom is a library: How to organize a classroom library: 20 points to consider Through various images and some brief thoughts, I tried to capture some essential parts of building, organizing, maintaining and using a classroom library. Labels are key!

Celebration: Literacy to fill the year (2015) There's a Book for That

#8 In this post Talking Classroom Libraries, I shared a list of questions we might begin with when thinking about how our classroom libraries work for our students.

Celebration: Literacy to fill the year (2015) There's a Book for That

#9 What are the goals for my readers? I started with some questions. Sunday Reflections: Goals for my Readers

Celebration: Literacy to fill the year (2015) There's a Book for That

#10 Literary Nest Building 101: in this post, I expressed my goals for growing passionate readers during this 2015/2016 year

Celebration: Literacy to fill the year (2015) There's a Book for That

Today, I celebrate all of my literacy learning and thinking in 2015. Sharing it here means I learn from my own reflections and the readers who join in the conversations.

Thank you to Ruth Ayres and the #celebratelu community!

Being part of a community that regularly shares gratitude and celebrations truly transforms my weeks.

celebrate-link-up

Monday March 30th, 2015

Posted on March 29, 2015 by carriegelson

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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

I have been sharing a reading photo of the week each week. This photo was taken during Nonfiction Reading day in Reading Workshop. The adults in the room were circulating and listening as children read aloud from their nonfiction texts and posed questions about what they were reading. We are working at moving beyond commentary and connections to asking questions which extend our learning. Slowly but surely . . . I love the connection in this photo – it is so wonderful to have these few moments of one on one time with students. I try to bring in as many adults as possible during Reading Workshop time.

This week has been about lots of literacy related things! We had Camp Read on Friday and I highlighted many of the amazing things we did here. Lots of reading and lots of yoga!

I also got to go book shopping. Plan to share more about some of these books in the next few weeks.

New books for my classroom thanks to a Vancouver Kid’s Books Gift card #booklove pic.twitter.com/Q3grTP4fjF

— Carrie Gelson (@CarrieGelson) March 29, 2015

Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Follow the links to read about all of the amazing books the #IMWAYR community has read. It’s the best way to discover what to read next.

My favourite picture books of the week:

Marilyn’s Monster written by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Matt Phelan

What do you do when everyone gets a monster and yours never arrives? Marilyn grows impatient with the endless waiting. This book wormed its way into my heart. I left it at the bookstore but it seems to be calling me. I may have to go back for it.

Room for Bear by Ciara Gavin

Persistence. Persistence. Persistence. Sometimes finding where you are meant to be is starting with the who. Utterly sweet.

Where Bear? by Sophy Henn

Just where can this bear go to be “bearish and big”? Finding the perfect place is certainly not easy. Charming.

If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson

How does Kadir Nelson make pictures like this? Saturated in colour and signs of spring, this story reveals many things about the amazing power of seeds to grow – vegetable seeds, seeds of generosity . . . .

Hoot Owl: Master of Disguise written by Sean Taylor and illustrated by Jean Jullien

Oh this Hoot Owl is one big talker. Hilarious. This would be a perfect read aloud. I can see the children shouting and shaking their heads even now. Little Hoot Owl, wannabe big hunter eventually finds the perfect prey.

A Fish Named Glub written by Dan Bar-el and illustrated by Josee Bisaillon

There are small questions and there are big questions. When a small fish poses the big ones, many people find some important answers.

Library Lion written by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

It turns out that this particular lion is perfectly suited to the library. Quiet, helpful and very, very needed. My students adored this title.

Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall

It is so easy to judge when we are looking through the incorrect lens. A beautiful book about identity, acceptance, self-expression and what a waste of everyone’s time labels really are.

In other reading, I finished:

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

I don’t have a quick summary of this book but yet I am not ready to write on and on to include all that I am thinking. I will just say this: How the heck did Jennifer Niven fill up my heart and leave me feeling so light while at the same time, leading me through sadness I did not want to wade into? Somehow, she did just that.

Updates on my 2015 Reading Goals:

2015 Chapter Book Challenge: 15/80 complete

Goodreads Challenge: 124/415 books read

#MustReadin2015: 7/24 complete

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 28/100 titles

Diverse Books in 2015: 12/50 books read

Up next? I continue reading We Were Here by Matt de la Peña and will be starting Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero next. This week I also started rereading Drums Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick as it is our new title for my student book club. What a book this is!

Celebration: Camp Read

Posted on March 28, 2015 by carriegelson

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Sometimes a day just must be celebrated with lots of details. Today was that day. It was Camp Read at my school. All day, all literacy, all the time.

There was an author visit. We got to do yoga twice. Once outside. We had buddy reading for a second time this week. Lots of independent reading. Lots of reading aloud. I mean, really, could this get much better?

Our day began with the magical book Dream Boats written by Dan Bar-el and illustrated by Kirsti Anne Wakelin. This is a beautiful book to read aloud. It is lyrical and full of gorgeous images.

After I read the story, Miriam led us through some yoga experiences where we got to ride on our own imagined dream boats. Who says you need a boat to go sailing? Or even water.

We then got to go and meet author Dan Bar-el and listen to his engaging presentation. One of my students got to introduce Dan and then she spent the entire presentation in awe of his hilarious voices and dramatic retellings of his books.

“How does he do those voices? Really – how does he make his voice do that?!”

Such a fun and entertaining author visit! The children talked about it all day!

After recess, we had a very special guest reader come to our classroom. Our school secretary Sally came in and read us the charming book Library Lion written by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes.

It was so wonderful to share the story experience with an adult who is very dear to us but isn’t often in the classroom with us.

After reading some of our current class novel Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles, we headed outside to read Silence by Lemniscates.

A book like this must be followed by some mindful, quiet listening. And then some yoga.

Sun salutations.

Growing “seeds”

Group balance

After lunch we read more books – one aloud – Papa’s Mechanical Fish written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Boris Kulikov – and many on our own.

We also had a visit from our little reading buddies. Which is always delightful!

This week, I celebrate a beautiful day full of literacy. A day that highlights that so many of our days are full of literacy. Surrounded by stories. Inspired by books. Definitely worth celebration.

Thank you to Ruth Ayres and the #celebratelu community! Being part of a community that regularly shares gratitude and celebrations truly transforms my weeks. Read all of the celebrations by following the links shared here.

Monday February 2nd, 2015

Posted on February 1, 2015 by carriegelson

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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

I have been sharing a reading photo of the week each week. This week I am sharing a photo of students engaged with a variety of nonfiction texts during “Nonfiction Reading Day” – where we devote our Reading Workshop time to reading nonfiction. Of course, for many readers, nonfiction reading happens all week but this focus allows all children to read more nonfiction, more widely.

I was excited to share our #MockCaldecott results and reflections here. In mere hours, we will know the actual medal and honor winners. So excited!

Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Follow the links to read about all of the amazing books the #IMWAYR community has read. It’s the best way to discover what to read next.

I realize that much of my reading this week was nonfiction picture books. Lots of variety and as usual, I learned so much. Some highlights:

The Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest by Steve Jenkins

If you want to climb Mount Everest, what would you need to know? This book is filled with facts about history, geography and the myriad of challenges that climbers might encounter.

Animals in Flight by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

An older Jenkins title that I found in my school library. I was most interested in the history of flying creatures and the different ways various wings function.

A Place for Butterflies by Melissa Stewart and illustrated by Higgins Bond

Focuses on a variety of butterflies and the threats to their environments. Framed with specific ideas about how to change human actions to make a difference to butterflies like planting native plants, protecting swamps and marshes and not trying to catch live butterflies for collections.

Mites by Valerie Bodden

Magnified things we never actually see in our day to day life are quite creepy – yet incredibly fascinating. Made me want to vacuum.

I also read

Nine Words Max by Dan Bar-el and illustrated by David Huyck

Max is too talkative – wouldn’t it be great if he could only say nine words at a time? Ideal, think his brothers. But is it? Clever.

Dolphin SOS by Roy Miki and Slavia Miki with illustrations by Julie Flett

This was one of those read alouds where at one point the silence in the room was thick – surrounding us like fog – it seemed like we could see it and feel it all at once. Such a beautifully emotional book about three dolphins off the coast of Newfoundland who became trapped in the ice in a cove. The townspeople had to listen to their cries for days before they finally intervened when government wouldn’t help. There is a moment between a dolphin and one of the rescuers that is just awe inspiring. Based on a true story.

The Memory Tree by Britta Teckentrup

Death and grief healed by memories and community. A lovely, accessible picture book.

A Gift for Mama by Linda Ravin Lodding illustrated by Alison Jay

I love Alison Jay’s illustrations and this book, set in Vienna, was an absolute visual and historical treat. A circular story about Oskar trying to find a perfect gift for his Mama for her birthday. Yet, he keeps encountering people in need of his gift and trades each of them for something new. Themes of kindness, generosity and optimism.

I also finished The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

I finished this morning. Incredible.

#bookaday The Crossover by @kwamealexander A novel in verse bursting with heart, rhythm and truths Highly recommended for MG/YA readers

— Carrie Gelson (@CarrieGelson) February 1, 2015

Up next? My children and I continue reading The Shadowhand Covenant (Book Two of the Vengekeep Prophecies) by Brian Farrey. With my class, I have started Each Little Bird that Sings by Deborah Wiles. Oh, so very good!

I am starting The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy (one of my #MustReadin2015 titles)

Updates on my 2015 Reading Goals:

2015 Chapter Book Challenge: 6/80 complete

Goodreads Challenge: 43/415 books read

#MustReadin2015: 4/24 complete

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 10/100 titles

Diverse Books in 2015: 3/50 books read

Monday January 27th, 2014

Posted on January 26, 2014 by carriegelson

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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Follow the links to read about all of the amazing books the #IMWAYR community has read. One of the very best ways to discover what to read next!

My favourite picture books (both fiction and nonfiction) reads of the week:

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin written by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Again, Sweet just slays me. Everything she does is vivid colours and spectacular details. This fascinating biography of artist Horace Pippin is an inspirational tale of an artist with everything stacked against him who makes art despite it all. Loved the back story of how Bryant and Sweet collaborated on the research to create this book.

The Invisible Boy written by Trudy Ludwig and illustrated by Patrice Barton

This is such an important book with themes of exclusion, kindness and friendship. I shared what this book was like as a read aloud experience in my classroom in this post.

Dream Boats written by Dan Bar-el and illustrated by Kirsti Anne Wakelin

Lyrical text. Illustrations full of folklore, magic and dreams. Fall asleep and ride through dreams and history on a dream boat. A title that must be read, reread, examined and explored. It sails you through many legends and cultures around the world.

Lost Cat by C. Roger Mader

Come and see the world from the perspective of a little lost cat, left behind when her owner moved. I shared my students’ reviews here.

The Very Brave Bear by Nick Bland

Bear and Buffalo square off in a battle of bravery. I am completely charmed by the silly antics revealed in the illustrations. Not sure how much of the text I even paid attention to – the pictures are hilarious!

Noisy Poems for a Busy Day written by Robert Heidbreder and illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

Busy, bustling poems perfect for the preschool set. Full of sounds, fun to say and lots of silly . . .

Twisty-Twiggle.

Jump-up jiggle.

Undies backward!

Wiggle-giggle.

Hee! Hee!

Born to Be Giants: How Baby Dinosaurs Grew to Rule the World by Lita Judge

I learned an incredible amount about dinosaurs in this nonfiction title and thoroughly enjoyed all of the details and comparisons to modern day creatures. Amazing illustrations.

I read some other fabulous nonfiction picture books which I shared in my Nonfiction Wednesday Post: Animal Stories

I also read:

Forgive me, Leonard Peacock written by Matthew Quick

A perfect book to sit down with when you don’t have to get up for hours. I found myself pulled quickly into the world of Leonard Peacock and not wanting to put the book down and abandon him for even a moment. Raw. Vulnerable. Hurting. What a character. This is the story of a teenage boy who begins his last day on Earth because by day’s end, he’s planning to be dead. How did he get to this place? He will tell you, unravelling details of his history and his pain. This was one of my #MustReadin2014 titles – the second Matthew Quick title I have read this month. Definitely YA.

Next up? I am reading The Living by Matt de la Pena and then plan to read Marie Lu‘s The Champion to finish the trilogy.

Reading Goal updates:

2014 Chapter Book Challenge: 6/100 novels complete

Goodeads Challenge: 61/650 books read

#MustReadin2014: 4/30 complete

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 24/65 complete

Happy Reading to all!

Monday May 27th, 2013

Posted on May 27, 2013 by carriegelson

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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Join Jen and Kellee’s meme and share all of your reading from picture books to young adult reads! Such a fantastic way to learn about “new to you” titles by exploring all of the blog posts shared! Share your own reading on twitter via the hashtag #IMWAYR

My picture book obsession has continued and so again I have many books to share. Like the last few weeks, I will keep it to my ten favourites.

Brief Thief written by Michael Escoffier and illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo Absolutely hilarious. Dare you to read this and not laugh. Or at least smile. Definitely smirk. My daughter called it disgusting when I read it to her which made me love it all the more. So of course I had to share it with my students. The first three pages each have one sentence. On page three, we find out that the main character (a likeable lizard) has to go poo. Well, of course, . . . that got everyone’s attention. One child even shared that he often had a meal, went to play and then (like the lizard) had to run back in and take a poo! Oh thank goodness, we have created an environment where connecting is valued 🙂 Anyway, I don’t want to give much of the plot away as this book really does need to be experienced. I will say though that the “briefs” on the cover are stolen to deal with a toilet paper crisis, there is a battle with a “conscience” and in the end, heroes (of sorts) win out. That’s all I’m saying (Except – Go read the book!)

My New Shirt written by Cary Fagan and illustrated by Dusan Petricic This pair work so wonderfully together. Their recent Mr. Zinger’s Hat is one of my favourite picture books of 2013. My New Shirt came out in 2007 and I happened upon it at my public library today. This isn’t a book for those that don’t like a longer picture book. It is on the lengthy side and would likely be best shared with readers 8 and up just so that the length can be managed and the humour appreciated. It is basically about a young boy who is gifted a new white dress shirt every year on his birthday by his grandmother. This year when his “Bubbie” gives him the shirt, he has a sort of “out of body” experience (that involves an image of endless white shirts floating towards him) and the shirt ends up getting dropped out the window. What happens from there is an amusing romp through the neighbourhood and around the eclectic neighbours as the chase is on after the shirt (keenly held in the pet dog’s teeth)! Maybe this book especially appeals to me because I have “gift receiving anxiety” It’s a lot of pressure to receive a gift gracefully – especially one you might not like – although I have never thrown anything out of the window!

The Big Question written and illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch A simple little picture book that tackles a huge life question: “Why am I here?” Turning the pages allows us to hear many answers to this big question. “You’re here to kiss the clouds,” says the pilot. “You are here to obey,” the soldier states. “So that you many learn patience,” the gardener shares. The book takes us through many answers from people and animals alike. It ends with the wisdom that as you grow, more answers will reveal themselves and includes a place in the back to make notes for when answers are discovered. This book won the Bologna Ragazzi award in 2004. Original edition is in German.

Backbeard and the Birthday Suit written and illustrated by Matthew McElligott All about fun and ridiculous pirate fashion. One of the best pirate books out there. Backbeard is the quintessential pirate – hairy, stinky, and full of pirate swagger.

Puffin Peter written and illustrated by Petr Horacek Absolutely stunning illustrations. A story about friendship, the similarities and differences in birds and the importance of being specific. And whoa . . . a gorgeous whale page!

Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping written and illustrated by Melanie Watt When I shared this book with my class, we had to pull out every Scaredy Squirrel book in the room and these books travelled from child to child during independent reading time. Scaredy Squirrel is the most wonderfully anxious, eccentric character out there. How can you not love a squirrel who dons a survival kit to bring an extension cord to a power outlet so that he can watch TV shows about camping in the safety of his own tree? (Think I just summarized the book in one very long and exhausting sentence) Hilarious!

The Princess and the Pig written by Jonathan Emmett and illustrated by Poly Bernatene This lovely little read manages to link to many classic fairy tales while telling a great original story and poking fun at just about everything! A pig and a princess switch places and the happy ending is not what you might predict.

Not your Typical Dragon written by Dan Bar-el and illustrated by Tim Bowers What happens when a little dragon is born into a long line of wonderful fire breathers and can’t manage to even produce a little puff of smoke? A story about diversity, acceptance and realizing what you need.

Little Red Riding Hood written by Lari Don and illustrated by Celia Chauffrey I have been collecting many fairy tales for our class collection and loved the illustrations in this version. Some twists from the original tale. A Barefoot Books book so just beautifully done and contains a story CD.

Just Ducks! written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Salvatore Rubbino I love the gentle narration infused with facts in this beautifully illustrated book about ducks! And I love ducks. This book would have been a treasure to my childhood self.

In other reading, I finished two fantastic middle grade novels.

Bigger than a Breadbox written by Laurel Snyder So powerful. A sensitive story about a young girl coping with the separation of her parents. Captures emotions and thinking that is so personal and raw. The magic in this book is really well done. It seems possibly impossible and I’m sure would entice young readers to continually ask themselves, what would they do in Rebecca’s place? While this book is about the break up of a marriage and what it does to a family, it also handles all of the emotions of moving to a new place and new school so well. Important and real family moments. Friend anxiety. A perfect middle grade selection.

Hold Fast written by Blue Balliett This is the first Balliett title I have read. I was very curious about this novel. I have seen people rave about it and others have some pretty specific criticism. I was quickly captured by the brilliant word/literacy reverence and the rhythms of language. What held me was the power of family and faith and the desire for home. Such an important book.

What’s next? Homesick by Kate Klise. This was a recommendation made to me by another blogger from the #IMWAYR community, Ms Yingling, when she saw I had read another title about a child of a hoarder. Will be interesting to see how this topic is handled in this novel.

ABCDEFG . . . Alphabet books for you and me!

Posted on February 23, 2012 by carriegelson

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The alphabet. The basis for all we write and read. Let’s celebrate our letters! We can do it with rhyme, with nonsense, in quiet or noisy ways. Our letters tell many stories. Some wonderful books to celebrate the A, B, Cs!

Achoo! Bang! Crash! The Noisy Alphabet by Ross MacDonald

Noisy letters. Yippee! Wahoo! Ding Dang, Eeek, Fwip, Grunt, Honk Honk and on it goes. This book delivers our 26 letters marching across the pages with much exuberance and the aid of a vintage printing press. Noisy! But gorgeous!

LMNO peas created by Keith Baker

These little green peas inspire many different ideas for occupations. Painters. poets. plumbers, pilots, parachutists? That covers the “P”s! Want to guess the “S” occupations? Come on! This is a great way to share this book as a read aloud!

Dr. Seuss’s ABC

Nobody does nonsense better than Dr. Seuss! He is the King of Silly 🙂 My class loved this book and begged me to read certain pages over and over so we could try to recite particular pages together as a class. A taste. Big M little m: Many mumbling mice are making midnight music in the moonlight . . . mighty nice

Alphabetter written by Dan Bar-el and illustrated by Graham Ross.

This book invites the reader to do many things on each page. First, enjoy a story that weaves through letter by letter.

Alberto had an alligator, but he didn’t have a bathing suit.

Benoit had a bathing suit, but he didn’t have a clarinet.

Second, search each page (sometimes you need to search and search and search) for a hidden letter. (a on A page, b on B page, etc)

My Little Sister Hugged an Ape written by Bill Grossman and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes.

This alphabet book has much more text than others and carries us along in delightful rhymes. The little sister, on a hugging spree, hugs animals from A to Z. Fun!! And then some more! A sample:

She gave an OCTOPUS a hug. Those eight long arms felt nice and snug,

Gripping my sister in eight different spots. And tangling themselves into eight different knots.

The Dangerous Alphabet written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Gris Grimly

Follow not just letters through the pages. This is is a superbly edgy journey through the land of adventure. Pirates. Monsters. Bats. Creepy tunnels by boat. Eyes are watching you. Will you make it to safety? Follow two children and their pet gazelle through a world beneath the city. Beautifully creepy.

H is for “Help me!” – a cry, and a warning . . .

Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

This book could be a very simple, run of the mill ABC book. B is for Ball, C is for Cat, etc. But. . . a very impatient moose cannot wait for his turn and M is very far away when we begin with A! Full of moose mishaps, much humour and a lovely act of kindness. This is easily one of the most shared book during buddy reading time in my room.

Bruno Munari’s ABC

First published in 1960, travel through interesting pairings and graphically interesting pages.

A piano, a Package, Peanuts, a Pear a Pea Pod for a . . . (turn the page) a Quail.

Each page flows and connects in the most interesting of ways

Flora McDonnell’s ABC

A study in letters, opposites and clever pairings. Each page has 2 objects beginning with a specific letter. Some of my favourites? The large giant with a tiny red glove perched on his thumb, a regal tiger with a teapot balanced on his head and a rhinoceros sniffing at a radish. Bright, bold and beautiful.

Caveman a B.C. Story by Janee Trasler

A hilarious tale told one word at a time in ABC order. Much humour and much to infer.

These books are not just for our children learning their letters. Read them right into the intermediate grades. They let us guess, wonder and delight in the magic of language – from one letter to long strands of text! Enjoy!