Lee & Low's Dive Into Reading

Yoo, Paula and Ng-Benitez, Shirley. Lily's New Home

February 15th 2016 by Lee & Low Books
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Lily is not happy that she and her parents are moving to the city-- it's too noisy, and she misses her yard. Soon, however, she learns that there are lots of interesting things in her neighborhood, and lots of new fascinating people. 
Strengths: The illustrations are very pleasant, and the story simple yet interesting. A great choice for beginning readers. 
Weaknesses: Not really much new; there are lots of books about moving.


Yoo, Paula and Ng-Benitez, Shirley. Want to Play?

February 15th 2016 by Lee & Low Books
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Settling in to her new neighborhood, Lily meets some new friends, and they spend their days playing inventive games. There is some friction, but it is easily solved. 
Strengths: I liked that the children were shown playing fun, outdoor games rather than looking at computing devices!
Weaknesses: The cast of characters seems rather contrived. Still, that is where we need to start with #WeNeedDiverseBooks. This is a great introduction to books with a variety of characters. Expect nothing less from Lee and Low. 

I was hoping that this series would be good for my struggling readers, but it is for VERY beginning readers. 

I hope that Lee and Low will investigate having a book with characters who have recently arrived in the US from Nepal. We are seeing more and more students from there, and this year we have three new students from India, who are making great strides with their English. They are reading a lot of Captain Underpants and Ricky Ricotta, but it is hard to give them books they enjoy that are also something that they can understand. 

Houran, Lori Haskins and Pamintuan, Macky. Flat Stanley on Ice
October 13th 2015 by HarperCollins
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Jeff Brown's favorite traveling character is back at home with this easy to read tale. Stanley and his younger brother, Arthur, are enjoying some winter activities more than others-- Stanley can't make a good snow angle because he is flat! Ice skating is a lot of fun until the day gets warm and the ice starts to melt. Luckily, Coach Bart and the other skaters come to the rescue when Stanley gets stuck out on the ice!

Winter tales are always fun, and readers who have followed Stanley's adventures will be glad to see him back. There have been many incarnations of this character since the publication of the original in 1964, and many kindergarten classes still hand out Flat Stanley drawings to decorate and mail away to relatives so that they can report back about his adventures. This is a great choice for young readers who are familiar with the character,and want a book they can read independently. It is also a good introduction to Stanley and his family. 

I know my children always loved books that came in a series, and there are so many Flat Stanley books that many happy hours can be spent reading about this beloved character.