1. Easy Readers Design, Content, Levels, Trends

2. Books for Beginning Readers Picture Books EASY READERS Transitional Books

3. History The Cat in the Hat (Seuss) Little Bear (Minarik) Frog and Toad (Lobel)

4. Like Chapter Books Gives children a sense of accomplishment and pride. Helps them feel like a big kid. Stories conclude at the end of a chapter.

5. Vocabulary Use sight words and short words. Use compound words. Pair long words with picture clues. Use words that are part of the child’s oral language.

6. Sentence Length Use short sentences. Vary length to give time to rest. Use sensible line breaks.

7. Plot Attention grabber on the first page. Use lots of action. Quickly moving plot. Familiar main characters.

8. Illustrations Provide clues. Should compliment text rather than distract from it. Use white space.

9. Lines 2-10 words per line Sentences should begin on a new line. Longer sentences should break at a logical point: I got on the school bus with my lunch box.

10. Design Elements Lines per page vary with level. Line placement should be consistent in lower levels. Use an 18 point typeface. White space is essential.

11. Content Predictable, with humorous surprises. Repetition. Unpredictable actions should be linked to pictures.

12. Trends for Beginning Readers A Splendid Friend, Indeed (Bloom, Suzanne) Benny and Penny in the Big No-No (Hayes, Geoffrey) Not a Box (Portis, Antoinette) One Boy (Seeger, Laura Vaccaro) Little Mouse Gets Ready (Smith, Jeff) There is a Bird on You Head (Willems, Mo)

13. Selection Does the design support the reader? Does the content support the reader? Does the plot support the reader? Do the illustrations support the reader? Does the work as whole engage the reader?

14. Levels at AHML Pre-emergent 10 words or less per page Emergent More than 10, with repetition Early-fluent Longer Fluent Very long, or chapter books

15. I Can Read! Product Architecture and Design

16. Contact Information Lindsay Huth Early Learning Specialist Arlington Heights Memorial Library lhuth@ahml.info