I Eat a Rainbow. (My World). Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2010. 16 pp., pbk. & hc., $6.95 (pbk.), $15.16 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-9456-1 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-9412-7 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Food-Juvenile literature. Nutrition-Juvenile literature. Colors-Juvenile literature. Kindergarten-grade 1 / Ages 5-6. Review by Ian Stewart. **** /4
	My Toys Have Shapes. (My World). Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2010. 16 pp., pbk. & hc., $6.95 (pbk.), $15.16 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-9457-8 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-9413-4 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Shapes-Juvenile literature. Geometry-Juvenile literature. Toys-Juvenile literature. Kindergarten-grade 1 / Ages 5-6. Review by Ian Stewart. **** /4
	Who Am I? (My World). Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2010. 16 pp., pbk. & hc., $6.95 (pbk.), $15.16 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-9458-5 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-9414-1 (RLB.). Subject Heading: Families-Juvenile literature. Kindergarten-grade 1 / Ages 5-6. Review by Ian Stewart. **** /4
	I Can Count. (My World). Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2010. 16 pp., pbk. & hc., $6.95 (pbk.), $15.16 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-9455-4 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-9411-0 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Counting-Juvenile literature. Animals-Juvenile literature. Kindergarten-grade 1 / Ages 5-6. Review by Ian Stewart. **** /4
	Where Do Animals Live? (My World). Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2010. 24 pp., pbk. & hc., $7.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-9493-6 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-9449-3 (RLB.). Subject Heading: Habitat (Ecology)-Juvenile literature. Grades 1-2 / Ages 5-7. Review by Ian Stewart. **** /4
	My Backyard Community. (My World). Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2010. 24 pp., pbk. & hc., $7.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-9492-9 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-9448-6 (RLB.). Subject Heading: Urban ecology (Biology)-Juvenile literature. Grades 1-2 / Ages 5-7. Review by Ian Stewart. **** /4
	An Animal Community. (My World). Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2010. 24 pp., pbk. & hc., $7.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-9490-5 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-9446-2 (RLB.). Subject Heading: Prairie dogs-Habitations-Juvenile literature. Grades 1-2 / Ages 5-7. Review by Ian Stewart. **** /4
	How Do Animals Hide? (My World). Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2010. 24 pp., pbk. & hc., $7.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-9491-2 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-9447-9 (RLB.). Subject Heading: Camouflage (Biology)-Juvenile literature. Grades 1-2 / Ages 5-7. Review by Ian Stewart. **** /4

excerpt:

I am a girl. I am a boy.
I am a sister? (From Who Am I?)


A community is a place.
It is also the group of living things
that shares that place.
Living things are plants, animals and people.
Prairie dogs are animals
that live in communities.
They live in communities
to stay alive. (From An Animal Community.)

Who Am I?, I Can Count, My Toys Have Shapes and I Eat a Rainbow are the Level A books in the "My World" nonfiction levelled reading series. They will be a valuable addition to any kindergarten or grade 1 classroom library. Early-years teachers will be able to put them to good use as supplementary materials for teaching colours, shapes, counting and self-identity.

      They are equally colourful and extremely well illustrated, and they all contain a glossary of words to know, appropriate activities for students page and notes for adults.

      The books use a number of Level A beginning sight words (I, am, a, my, can, is, the) as well as colour, number and shape words. However, they will be difficult to use in a beginning level guided reading programs or as Reading Recovery texts because of the pattern breakdown in the text, the introduction of difficult words and an abrupt change of emphasis from the concrete to the abstract, which will confuse some students. In I Eat a Rainbow, for example, the pattern is "The blueberry is blue." / "The pepper is purple." followed by the more difficult construction, "I eat a rainbow everyday." / "I am a rainbow child." The pattern in Who Am I? is "I am a boy" / "I am a student." followed by, "I am a child of the earth."

      My Community Backyard, An Animal Community, How Do Animals Hide? and Where Do Animals Live?, are the Level H books in the "My World" non-fiction levelled reading series. Like the other level reviewed, these titles will be a valuable addition to any school library or kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2 classroom book collections. The sentences are appropriately long and use appropriate levelled vocabulary and explanations. They are equally colourful and well illustrated, contain an index and a glossary of words to know.

Level A books: Recommended.
Level H books: Highly Recommended.

Ian Stewart is a Reading Recovery and Nursery/Kindergarten teacher at David Livingston School in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

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