The Playground Problem (Ready to Read: Level One: Robin Hill School)

PreS-Gr 1-The first title features a little boy having bath-time fun. In imaginative color illustrations, the bubbles multiply and float through the house, outdoors, and into the neighborhood until, "Will bubbles never stop?/Sun gets hotter./Bubbles pop." Short sentences, rhyming words, and repetition help beginning readers to feel successful. In the second book, first-grader Emma wants to play soccer with the boys on the playground, so her dad helps her to devise a plan to make them understand that it's OK for boys and girls to play together. This is a useful story for dealing with gender roles, emotions, and conflict resolution. The colorful cartoon characters are endearing. Both books are solid additions.-Tracy Bell, Durham Public Schools, NC

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