How to Teach a Slug to Read

by Susan Pearson, David Slonim (Illustrator)

Overview

A little boy explains to Mama Slug how to teach Little Slug to read. Here are a few of his reading rules: Attach labels to Little Slug’s favorite things; Read out loud to him; Point out words that repeat; Sound out words; Make a vocabulary list; Be patient! And, of course, it helps if Little Slug can see the book, so prop it up and set him on a rock! David Slonim’s hilarious acrylic and charcoal illustrations and Susan Pearson’s witty text show that reading can be fun!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761458050
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	04/24/2012
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,039,619
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	490L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Susan Pearson lives on a spooky hilltop in Plainfield, Massachusetts, where she writes and edits books for children. Among her poetry collections are Squeal and Squawk: Barnyard Talk and Who Swallowed Harold? And Other Poems about Pets.

Illustrator David Slonim is the author-illustrator of Oh, Ducky!: A Chocolate Calamity and the illustrator of Moishe’s Miracle by Laura Krauss Melmed, which was recognized by the New York Times as one of the Ten Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, he lives in Chesterfield, Indiana.

Editorial Reviews

This charming and funny manual is also informative for older siblings or parents who are beginning the teaching process themselves…Everything is made amusing by adding the slug perspective (underline favorite words in slug slime). Presented in a combination of bold text and speech bubbles, Pearson’s text is simple and appealing. Illustrations are cartoonish with plenty of bug appeal, humor, and a scintilla of grossness. Beyond its cleverness, this is a terrific bookfomercial for READING. The final pages share some of the joys to be found in books in an unpreachy way. And that is no small achievement.” —School Library Journal

“Pearson is a slug intimate, having previously charted the course of two Slugs in…so who better to explain, exactly, the best way to teach a slug to read? It is really quite elementary, starting with opening the book (make sure it has slug characters), read it to the slug, point out repeating words, help sound them out, get a vocabulary list going, underline favorite words and, you bet, [r]ead your slug’s favorite poems to him as many times as he wants. Read him other books too!…Slonim’s upbeat illustrations give readers a sense that they are there with the slugs, flipping the pages, while the interjections from the slugs…convey, with a light hand, the joys of reading. And though it isn’t cricket to diminish a slug’s capabilities, readers can’t help but feel that if a slug is up to the task, well then, maybe someone else in the room is, too.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

K-Gr 2—This charming and funny manual is also informative for older siblings or parents who are beginning the teaching process themselves. The bits of advice include: "Attach labels to Little Slug's favorite things," "Read out loud to him," "Point out words that repeat," "Sound out words," "Make a vocabulary list," and "Be patient." Everything is made amusing by adding the slug perspective ("underline favorite words in slug slime"). Presented in a combination of bold text and speech bubbles, Pearson's text is simple and appealing. Illustrations are cartoonish with plenty of bug appeal, humor, and a scintilla of grossness. Beyond its cleverness, this is a terrific bookfomercial for READING. The final pages share some of the joys to be found in books in an unpreachy way. And that is no small achievement.—Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME

School Library Journal