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You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that learning to read is an interactive process by definition, and this book offers a built-in format that promotes that interaction. Each modified classic fairy tale "skit" ends by encouraging the reader to seek out the original version.
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What's the story?
Eight classic fairy tales, from "The Three Bears" and "Cinderella" to "The Princess and the Pea" and "Jack and the Beanstalk," are used as the basis for eight very short plays for two voices. The vocabulary is basic, and the lines are short and manageable for beginning readers. The author engages the reader by using characters from the familiar fairy tales in a lively, fanciful skit that leads to the reading of the original fairy tale in the end.
Is it any good?
The teaching technique used here is clever and appealing, perhaps most significantly in that it requires both readers, whatever their level of expertise, to participate. Each has a part in the play so both readers must think about character, voice, articulation, expression, etc. This makes the learning work shared and more enjoyable.
The alternating parts of the plays are printed in different colors and surrounded by a spacious white background. The colorful, cartoon-style pictures run alongside the text, offering support and suggestions. Emberley's attractive picture characters are as entertaining and expressive as those in the text. This is perfect for parents to use with their children who are learning to read.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about the fun of reading stories aloud. Think about your "character" in one of the plays, and try changing the way you play your part in different readings of the same play.
Book details
- Author: Mary Ann Hoberman
- Illustrator: Michael Emberley
- Genre: Picture Book
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
- Publication date: April 17, 2004
- Number of pages: 32
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