Easy Reader Round-Up #2

Another easy reader round-up: a few doozies this time. All stuff that I can see really appealing to emerging readers, but some to varying levels of success.

Maxie Wiz and Her Dragon by Michelle Meadows, illustrated by Sawyer Cloud

This is a cute, rhyming Level.1 easy reader that honestly feels a LOW one. “Hocus-Pocus, time to sleep” sort of easy. Our adorable, Black witch protagonist Maxie Wiz uses magic to hatch a dragon egg and then to change their house, bed, etc to accommodate. She uses magic to clean off slime, to conjure teddy bears, etc. This is really, really basic, but good if you have developing readers who need that basicness but want pretty cool pictures and a dash of magic.

Reina Ramos Meets a BIG Puppy by Emma Otheguy, pictures by Andres Landazabal

This is a cute level 2 easy reader that isn’t quite bilingual, but works to bring Spanish vocabulary into the setting. Reina and her friend Lili love doing gymnastics and when Lili gets a new dog, Reina’s excited. Until she realizes it’s a HUGE dog—think grown Saint Bernard size. Reina’s scared, but doesn’t want Lili to know, so she tries to avoid her, which leads to friendship trouble and them both confirming what they are afraid of and deciding to try and find compromise! This was cute, and not a topic I’d seen broached a lot in children’s books–it’s not about her just realizing the dog won’t hurt her, it’s about understanding she can enjoy him from afar, etc.

Misty the Cloud: Fun is in the Air by Dylan Dreyer, with Alan Katz, illustrated by Rosie Butcher

This was an interesting level 2 reader: a kind of split tale, following a girl and her mom going to the beach, and a cloud and her friends in the sky at the carnival. It was definitely a weather metaphor, etc, but I think some kids will lose that and just enjoy the pretty illustrations of the sea breeze carnival. I do think I needed background context to enjoy this one more–the end mentions other books, so I assume “Misty the Cloud” is some sort of known character? The illustrations are pretty though!

Elemental: A Family’s Dream adapted by Kathy McCullough, illustrated by the Disney Storybook Art Team

Did I just….spoil this entire movie for myself? Disney is REALLY good at getting easy readers out the second a movie is released, but the quality is always questionable. This is a Level 3 reader, mostly for length, honestly, but it’s basically just a plot summary. There’s literally not a single line of dialogue–it’s all recounted in a past/present tense situation that feels odd. Well, the story sounds intriguing…I guess.

Elemental: Better Together adapted by Kathy McCullough, illustrated by the Disney Storybook Art Team

This is a level 2 reader, and just a shorter, less specific version of A Family’s Dream. We get the same backstory of the family moving to the city, of Ember having anger issues, of meeting Wade, but then we focus on Ember and Wade becoming friends (that’s how they end. No kiss in this one) We see a few sketches of other characters, and what they are, but nothing more. Again…not a single line of dialogue.

Flashback to the…Awesome ’80s by Patty Michaels, illustrated by Sarah Rebar

I did panic a bit when I opened this Level 2 reader and found a glossary of words including “cordless phone” but overall, I think this was a kind of fun non-fiction book that focused on pop culture, technology, and fashion and encouraged kids to think about how things have changed. It would be a good conversation starter with parents or…at this point…grandparents. (shudder). I do think it felt a little difficult for a level 2, but maybe that’s just after reading the kind of phoned-in Disney ones.

Flashback to the…Fly ’90s by Patty Michaels, illustrated by Sarah Rebar

This was cute! Flip phones, Doc Martens, etc. It’s got the same set up as the ’80s book (see above) but again, I reiterate, that because of length alone, let alone content, this feels like a Level 3 reader to me! Perfect for nostalgia reading to kids if you were born and raised in the 90s and a parent now.