Penguins!

September 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1-Popular animals to draw in emerging readers. The text of Penguins! is noticeably more substantial than in Ponies!, with about two to three informative sentences on each page. (Most pages of Ponies! contain one to two sentences, many of which are briefer, less substantial exclamations: "So fancy!," "Pretty pony!," and "Ponies are the best!") The drawback to the more weighty text of Penguins! is that it is occasionally jumpy and full of questions answered only indirectly; for example, "It is very hard to raise two chicks. Can they do it?" This query is eventually answered at the end, but is abruptly abandoned in the meantime. However, for most this will not be a deal breaker as the books are intended for "reading with help." The questions raised by the text are best discussed aloud with a proficient reading buddy who might know a little about the subject matter. Text size in both titles is perfect for beginning readers, and the amount of white space will keep them focused. The images are more consistently in focus in Ponies!, but overall the photos match the text well in both titles. VERDICT Average choices, though these will circulate due to their leveled format and endearing animal subjects.-Sara White, Seminole County Public Library, Casselberry, FL

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