Now I'm Reading!: Amazing Animals - Level 2 [ハードカバー]

With regard to phonics, you will find advocates for one particular approach or another. When I gather with my reading teacher colleagues, however, all agree upon the following: the absolute necessity for early phonemic awareness, the need for the child to be able to decode sequentially, and the importance of engaging text.

When I examine the various reading programs available, I look specifically for these three things. If they are present, I then look at the program as a whole. How is this program different from others available? Specifically, are the books leveled? Do the illustrations enhance the text? Will the books grab and hold the child's attention? Are the books easy to hold and manipulate? Do the stories encourage fluency and comprehension? Is there a parent or teacher guide available?

In reviewing the Now I'm Reading program I found all that and more. Six levels comprise the series, from "Pre-Reader" to "Independent."

In this review I will discuss the Level 1 books. Each hardbound holder contains 10 paperback books. The holder itself is cleverly designed. The paperbacks are held inside and in place by a large magnetic flap on the outside and individual plastic holders on the inside. There is a parent/teacher guide in the front. Each book comes with a sticker that the child places on the inside front page when he or she is finsihed reading it.

In Level 1, beginning readers are exposed to predictable, patterned text. The ten books provide readers with short vowel sounds, simple consonant sounds, and sight words. Fat Cat, for example, exposes the reader to the short vowel a, the sight words "a" and "is," the word ending -s, consonant blends cl, gl, and -st. Sound dry and dull? Not so! It does all this through a delightfully engaging tale about a cat.

Pig Jigs, another Level 1 book not only had our beginning reader laughing out loud, but our adult reviewer as well. When both reader and reviewer came back begging for some more books, I knew we had a winner on our hands.

As a parent, and now a grandparent, I have had the opportunity to experience several times over the joy of watching a child learn to read. As a reading teacher, I have had the opportunity to experience the heartache of watching teenagers struggle to read simple declarative sentences. After talking to our reviewers, readers, and reading teachers who scrutinized these books, I would, if I could, put a program such as this into the hands of every beginning reader in our nation's schools.

Finally, just a few months ago, my kindergartener son began to show interest in sounding out words so we took another look at the Animal Antics series books. My son now loves them! He is finishing the last book of the series and I will be ordering the level 2 set soon. His confidence level has soared with reading and now he will try to read anything and everything he can get his hands on. I believe this series is successful for the following reasons:

1. Each book consistently follows a certain theme, using a specific short-vowel sound and specific sight words (such as "the" and "and"). These are reinforced throughout each book and I think they build confidence.

2. The illustrations are cute, livey and somewhat goofy, which appeals to kids.

3. The stickers, which you place in each book when you have successfully read it, are a real motivator. My son, who has never responded well to the rewards system, is very determined that he master each book so he can put his stickers in them. He then shows the stickers off proudly as if they were awards.

In summary, I'm not sure whether these books will make your children want to learn to read, but once they are ready, this is an outstanding resource and confidence booster for your child!