Two Undecodable Books (ok, maybe a little decodable)

Reading List
Written By Rebecca Grabill

Henry and Mudge and the Tumbling Trip plus The Big Sleepover by Cynthia Rylant. 2005.

An adventure story about fun and friendship.

Rylant uses short sentences, though I must say from a reading-developmental level (whatever it’s called), the vocabulary used requires decoding skills a Level 2 might not have. “Knocked” and “enough” are more level 3 or 4, I think, but what do I know? I only taught three kids how to read.

The second of hers (Sleepover) was fun and un-frightening but on a topic that might be frightful for a child. Tender. It does not, however, make me eager to host my kids’ first sleepover (and I don’t even have knickknacks!).

more like this...
I Wanna Be a Rodeo Queen!
I Wanna Be a Rodeo Queen!

Kylie Jean: Rodeo Queen by Marci Peschke (illus. by Tuesday Mourning). Picture Window Books, 2011.

I'll admit I was a bit skeptical when Pie pulled this off the shelf. It's very pink. But Pie Had to Have it, so into the Library Bag it went.

On Fairies and Frogs and Such
On Fairies and Frogs and Such

Rainbow Magic: The Party Fairies, Cherry the Cake Fairy by Daisy Meadows. Rainbow Magic Ltd., 2005.

In my quest to understand early chapter books, I read a handful of the Rainbow Magic series. I enjoyed discovering that strict "logic" isn't so much of a concern for this sort of book. No one is asking...

Two Undecodable Books (ok, maybe a little decodable)
Two Undecodable Books (ok, maybe a little decodable)

An adventure story about fun and friendship.

Rylant uses short sentences, though I must say from a reading-developmental level (whatever it’s called), the vocabulary used requires decoding skills a Level 2 might not have. “Knocked” and “enough” are more...

Friends Forever: George and Martha
Friends Forever: George and Martha

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In the stories two happy friends...

Silly Old Bear! Winnie The Pooh by AA Milne
Silly Old Bear! Winnie The Pooh by AA Milne

Bump, bump, bump on the back of his head. Winnie Ther Pooh. Haycornes and Heffalumps.

How many times have I read these charming stories to my own kids, skipping whole pages so bedtime doesn’t stretch on until 10pm?

The tone is gentle, paternal (without being didactic). And there’s a lesson to writers...

Like Sitting on a Cloud and Flying: Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
Like Sitting on a Cloud and Flying: Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik

Four easy-to-read chapters with engaging pen and ink illustrations (Sendak). Each story uses carefully controlled and repeated vocabulary; many have surprise twists at the end. And as with most books...

Is there a Doctor in the House? Two by Seuss
Is there a Doctor in the House? Two by Seuss

Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat, 1957.

Singsong rhyme and controlled vocabulary are great for beginning readers. The story is incredibly imaginative, with the twist that the cat is the “child” who tears up the house and makes a mess, while the children are the...

Rebecca Grabill

Rebecca has been writing since childhood, her first book about a kitten published between homemade cardboard covers in second grade. Although she studied religion and philosophy in university, she continued writing, earning an MFA from Hamline University and publishing multiple picture books (no longer with homemade covers) and a collection of poetry with a variety of New York and independent publishers. She has also published a wide array of fiction, essays, and poetry in magazines and journals and photographs for Getty Images. She balances writing with homeschooling the younger of her six children, launching her young adults, church activities, and overseeing a small flock of chickens in rural West Michigan.

www.rebeccagrabill.com
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