Beyond Picture Books: Subject Access to Best Books for Beginning Readers / Edition 3

by Barbara Barstow, Leslie M. Molnar, Judith Riggle

Overview

Here's an exciting new edition of a work that helps you to encourage independent reading skills in children ages 4 to 7, to develop your collection of first readers, and to plan thematic, literature-based programs. With a new user-friendly organization, this guide profiles some 3,750 of the best first readers published mostly within the past decade (with a few classic and benchmark titles included as well). These books feature lively interaction between text and illustration, and cover topics and themes with true kid-appeal. Every entry offers bibliographic information, a brief plot summary, and critical comments that help you make informed selection and programming decisions. Detailed indexes of titles, illustrators, series, and reading levels, in addition to the subject index, provide easy access to the books. PreK-3.

Here's a brand-new, extensively revised edition of the classic guide to first readers. Use it to encourage independent reading skills in children ages 5-8, to develop your collection for this age group, and to plan thematic literature-based programs.

With a user-friendly, subject-based organization like its companion guide to picture books, A to Zoo, this annotated volume profiles some 3,750 of the best books for emerging readers. First readers feature lively interaction between text and illustration, and cover topics with true kid-appeal.

Entries cover titles published mostly within the past decade (a few classic and benchmark titles are included as well). Each entry offers bibliographic information, a brief plot summary, and description of illustrations and other features to help you make informed selection and programming decisions.

A list of outstanding first readers, chosen for their exceptional language and treatment of subject, makes collection development easy, and four indexes - title, illustrator, series, and reading level - provide additional access points. Lexile levels are given where available, making this volume particularly valuable for reading teachers as well as for librarians and parents, and children in kindergarten through the beginning of third grade who are starting to read independently. A boon to librarians, teachers, and parents. PreK-3.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591585459
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/30/2007
Series:	Children's and Young Adult Literature Reference
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	668
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.44(d)

About the Author

Barbara Barstow, retired Head of Youth Services, Cuyahoga County Public Library, is the author of previous editions of this book and has published articles in major professional jourbanals. She was president of the Association for Library Service to Children (a division of the American Library Association) in 1990-1991 and has served as chair of the Newbery Committee (2006) and the Caldecott Committee (1999).

Judith Riggle is a storyteller, former children's librarian, and retired director of the Avon Lake Public Library, Ohio. She was named Ohio's Outstanding Librarian in her year of retirement. She is coauthor of previous editions of this book.

Leslie M. Molnar, Youth Services Assistant Manager and Selection Head at Cuyahoga County Public Library, is a former children's librarian and teacher. She has served as chair of the Association for Library Service to Children's Notable Children's Books Committee.

Table of Contents

Preface
The Geisel Award
Outstanding First Readers
Subject Guide
Annotated Bibliography
Title Index
Illustrator Index
Readability Index
Series Index

Editorial Reviews

Featuring a net increase of 1,265 titles, this third edition moves its subject guide to the front of the book and includes Lexile Framework for Reading levels in its annotaions. . . . The list of 200 outstanding first readers will be welcomed by anyone charged with developing an opening day collection or looking to beef up existing collections. The book's 3,600 titles are well-balanced between fiction and nonfiction. . . . This is a very welcome, much-needed update. Recommended.” —Library Media Connection

“[T]his tool will serve as an excellent collection building and reader's guide in school and public libraries.” —Lawrence Books at Books

“Now in a thoroughly updated and expanded third edition, Beyond Picture Books: Subject Access to Best Books for Beginning Readers, continues to be the ideal reference for developing reading lists and library collections that will encourage independent reading skills in children ages 5 to 8. . . . [A]n essential and comprehensive addition to school and community Children's Literature reference collections for librarians, classroom teachers, and parents working with children preschool through third grade.” —Midwest Book Review

“Beyond Picture Books: Subject Access to Best Books for Beginning Readers, Third Edition offers user-friendly, subject-based organization.” —Library Media Connection

“This is a book with multiple uses. Librarians can use it as a selection tool for collecting beginning readers and as a reader's advisory tool for helping young readers find additional interesting books. Teachers can use it to help do lesson planning in the early grades; the subject index could be used to select works of fiction and nonfiction that correspond to units of the K-3 curriculum. Pre-service teachers can use the readability index to familiarize themselves with what makes a book qualify for the various levels. Public, school, and academic libraries with juvenile or curriculum collections will want to have this book in their collections to use as a resource.” —Collection Management

“There is no excuse for getting readers off to a good start in English; and here is a list through 2007 to facilitate that job.” —Teacher Librarian

“This clear reference book is designed to be helpful to librarians, teachers, and parents as they provide reader's guidance to children from kindergarten to third grade. . . . I can envision using the index to gather readers for genre studies, classroom units, and to aide selection of accessible materials for struggling readers. The book can provide that multiple access that could greatly increase of use of a libraries beginning reader books.” —Colorado Association of Libraries

“Beyond Picture Books presents access to picture books and beyond for the beginning readers via a variety of formats. . . . Including both fiction and nonfiction titles, this volume will assist in collection development and readers' advisory for children in grades three and under. The numbering of entries so as to ease locating via the index is useful, as is the inclusion of subjects, genre, and reading levels within each annotation. The subject index includes see references, and refers to works by author, then title, then entry number in the annotated bibliography. . . . Teachers, librarians, and parents will all appreciate the vast knowledge Barstow, Riggle, and Molnar have presented regarding what they have deemed to be the best books for beginning readers.” —ARBA

From the Publisher