Hardie Grant Children’s
October 2024
Leggy Peggy
ISBN: 9781761213496
RRP: $10.99
Super-fast Skelly
October 2024
ISBN: 9781761213489
RRP: $10.99
Fairly recently I had the pleasure of sharing an online discussion with our Laureate, Sally Rippin (thanks to YKR) in which much of her content was focused on the need for us all to support those kiddos who are struggling to read. Sally’s own son was one of these, and readers of this blog (particularly those who’ve been around for the past 9 years) will know that this was a significant challenge for The Kid. I have long advocated that while there is a need for basal readers (as teaching tools) it doesn’t help if they are as boring as proverbial. Why should we inflict dull and dreary reading on kids who are already disengaged or are trying to acquire the skills and strategies they need? Even now, as I go into libraries and classrooms, and spend some time seeing what’s coming in, in the way of the new decodable readers, I shake my head. Because they are so banal. So here’s where Sally’s series steps up and takes beginning readers to a whole new plan. These are FUN! They rely on all the tried and true strategies – good visual clues, rhyme, new vocab, words in bold to talk about, plus more with parent tips and ‘how to draw’ tips in the back matter, and most importantly, high interest and humour. Given that these two latest are, respectively #21 and #22 in the series speaks volumes I believe. Whether you are looking for titles for your emerging readers at school or at home, I would give these a huge recommendation. They tick all the boxes! And I’m delighted to give them a monster 5 👾👾👾👾👾 rating.
Just So Stories 
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