Good Books For Kids

I love! Margaret Hillert's books. The reason I'm so enthusiastic about them is that her books tell complete stories and that gives children a real sense of accomplishment when they can read them from beginning to end.

"The Three Bears" is a wonderful choice for new readers. Using just 206 words total (45 individual words) Margaret manages to tell the story amazingly well.

"Here is something.
Red, yellow, and blue.
One is big.
One is little.

Here is one for me."

This is a pattern for Goldilocks and the porridge and chairs and beds. It's got the repetition the beginners need, and yet it makes perfect sense story-wise.

I read many books from her series with my children and I highly recommend them.

THE TECHNICAL BITS:::
45 unique words

The toughest words are: yellow, something, and friend. The rest can be found in the standard Margaret Hillert list (hover here).

Pam
Somewhere in the X-burbs

The Three Bears

Accelerated Reading level : .06
Library Binding: 30 pages
Publisher: Norwood House Press; Rev Exp edition (January 15, 2006)
ISBN-10: 1599530260
Take-a-Peek-Inside

Well, if you've been looking at Margaret Hillert primers, you're probably tired of hearing about me gush about how great her little books are. But they really are good.

"I Like Things" is a fine example of one book that can be tied into other projects. It's a story about a little boy and 'collections'. It starts out which him playing with buttons. He sorts them by color and size and shape and finally makes a necklace out of them for his mother.

I like things.
Big things.
Little things.
Red and yellow
and blue things.

Look here.
Look here.
Here is something I like.
Something pretty.

Look what I can do.
Red, blue, yellow.
I can do it this way.
This is fun.

Following this he looks at a stamp collection with his father.

Oh, look.
Here are good ones.
Good ones for my book.

It is fun to do this,
but I have to work at it.
I find out things, too.
I like to do it.

More types of collecting follow -- shells, rocks, trading cards -- which makes this a very 'rich' book to have in the library because it can be tied in to so many activities. Children can be motivated to start collections --fall leaves, buttons, etc. -- and with all the sorting this book can be mixed in with a math exercise.

THE TECHNICAL BITS:::
64 unique words

The toughest words are: yellow, something, and friend. The rest can be found in the standard Margaret Hillert list (hover here).

Highly Recommend

Pam
Somewhere in the X-burbs

I Like Things