You Can Read

by Helaine Becker, Mark Hoffmann (Illustrator)

Overview

Presented in light-hearted, rib-tickling verse that's perfect for reading aloud, You Can Read sings it loud and proud: Books are awesome. And so are the people who read them.

In this fun and funny celebration of literacy, kids of all ages will discover that the act of reading is a daring adventure that can take you anywhere! You can read at the playground, under the sea, at the opera and even in outer space! It turns out you can read everywhere! And when you do, you open yourself to a universe of adventure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459813243
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	02/28/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.75(w) x 10.75(h) x 0.43(d)
Lexile:	AD380L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Helaine Becker is the bestselling author of more than ninety books for children and young adults.

Mark Hoffmann is a freelance editorial illustrator, children's-book illustrator, fine artist and professor in the illustration department at Montserrat College of Art in Massachusetts. He lives with his wife and son in the New England area.

Editorial Reviews

"If read aloud, expect howls of delight."

Youth Services Book Reviews

"The tale's amusing silliness and heartfelt enthusiasm are endearing, and the message that 'reading's great for doing…Everwhere' is delightfully trumpeted throughout."

School Library Journal—Books to Celebrate International Literacy Day

"This picture book celebrates the wonderful life that comes with being a reader and the infinite portability of books…Each quirky illustration takes the text and embeds it right into the story, creating a cohesive interplay of text and illustration…Subtle delights are enough to charm both young readers and the adults reading with them. "

Canadian Children's Book News

"Will have librarians, teachers, and book mavens immediately reaching for it...This will pair nicely with other books about the pleasures of reading and can be used to invite conversation with kids."

Kirkus Reviews

Sly details in the art add cohesion and substance.

The Horn Book Online

"You Can Read is a delightful picture book that is funny, endearing, and appealing for children of all ages. From the beginning sentence, to the last page, readers are taken on a whirlwind adventure to many places where one can celebrate the joy of reading."

Resource Links

"Children will find it amusing that they can read on a toilet or in their underwear! A fun read-aloud for a storytime or class visit. This book is definitely worth purchasing."

School Library Journal

"This quirky, irrepressible picture book lists all the places where you can enjoy a book (or two, or three)...You Can Read is a perfect storytime choice for sharing at school, library, home...'EVERYWHERE!' Highly Recommended."

CM Magazine

2016-12-21
This book's title and cover, on which two kids tote heaps of books, will have librarians, teachers, and book mavens immediately reaching for it.However, the title is a bit deceiving, as the book is not a how-to for decoding words; instead, it's a paean to reading minus a plot. The device is a series of sentences beginning with the words "you can read…" followed by a list of various places. A nameless pale-skinned boy and brown-skinned girl demonstrate the many scenarios in which books can be read, proving you can read anywhere. Some of the locations are unremarkable, while others are fanciful: in the classroom, in the park, and under the covers will seem familiar, while in the desert, on the ocean floor, or in a rocket stretch the bounds of possibility. Some side-by-side pages depict a relationship, as when one child sits on the throne reading a book called The Time Taker while the other knocks on the locked door with legs crossed urgently, holding a copy of News Flush. Others add humor. Both a scenario in which a child reading while walking down the street results in a presumably poo-covered foot ("EEEW!") and another that depicts the little boy in his tighty whities are calibrated to elicit giggles. The stylized digital artwork with hand lettering fills the pages, giving the illustrations a somewhat posterlike quality. The titles of what the kids are reading comment on the activities depicted. Oddly, a library is not listed as a place to read. This will pair nicely with other books about the pleasures of reading and can be used to invite a conversation with kids. As a representative of the "reading is awesome" genre, this offers a fairly witty alternative to the often drearily earnest run of the mill. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews