Beginning and Transitional Readers

Beginner and transitional books are a major part of learning to read and to process written language. Typically, beginner readers have fewer words and less complex sentences. Imagery tells a major portion of the story or provide a large portion of the information for nonfiction materials. Transitional readers are as the name implies between a beginner reader and a traditional written piece. Transitional readers begin to include more complex sentence structure, and typically rely less on imagery to do the heavy lifting of providing context. For this week, I chose the following four books to focus on.

Adler, David A. Don't Throw it to Mo!. Illustrated by Sam Ricks. Penguin Random House. 32 pages. $5.99, ISBN 978-0-593-43234-1

A young boy who is much smaller than everyone else on his football team must use the skills he does have to help his team win the big game. Simple writing with a large font and images that help sell the story. A great beginner reader for those looking to sound out full sentences and learn some basic grammar and context skills. 

Pizzoli, Greg. The Book Hog. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 48 pages. $17.99, ISBN 978-1-368-03689-4

A great picture book with a focus on a pig who loves books, but never learned to read. Pizzoli's writing is heartfelt and the imagery is clean and striking, with limited color usage. Teaches budding readers the importance of looking for help when it is needed, and accepting change that comes from growth. 

Hale, Shannon, and Hale, Dean. The Princess in Black. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Penguin Random House. 96 pages. $15.99, ISBN 9780763665104

The first in the Princess in Black series of transitional readers, written by the husband-and-wife team of Shannon and Dean Hale. Princess Magnolia wants to be seen by the visiting duchess as just another princess, but when trouble strikes, she must take on the attire of her alter-ego, the Princess in Black. A humorous adventure with laugh-out-loud moments, but also with a sense of adventure and exploration. Princess Magnolia must battle a monster hoping to eat the goats of the locals. With help from Duff the goat boy, The Princess in Black must stop the monster before it is too late, while also avoiding the prying eyes of the duchess.

Pilkey, Dav. Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-a-Lot. Scholastic, Inc. 208 pages. $9.99, ISBN 978-0545504928

The final book in the ever-popular Captain Underpants series, this cross between a novel and a graphic novel is a good transitional reader for those looking for something longer to read. With an engaging story and loads of humor, Pilkey continues to entertain with the antics of George Beard, Harold Hutchins, and their principal-turned-underwear-clad superhero Captain Underpants. Time-travel antics add to the story by showing future events in the lives of the main characters, as this is the final book in the series. A good finale to a series that has remained popular for children all across the United States. Recently re-released in a full-color edition.