Dear Dragon Goes to the Beach - a bookwrap

Unwrapping... 

Authored by Margaret Hillert

Illustrated by Jack Pullan

A Beginning-to-Read Book

Unwrapping the illustrations for you to take a peek...

About the book...

A family decides to take a trip and spend the day at the beach. Of course Dear Dragon is invited to come along too.  Together they  experience the sand, collecting seashells, and the water for the first time.  Illustrator Jack Pullan has done a fine job as the pictures are colourful and expressive dove-tailing perfectly with the text. I especially liked the part where they found litter and waste on the beach and cleaned it up.  What a great message to give to kids, that the world is our responsibility to look after and we (in matter how small) can pitch in and make a difference. 

"These Beginning-to-Read books capture the imaginations of beginning readers and help them on their way to independent reading.  Each book in this series includes a miniature teaching guide in the back with a note to the caregiver in the front that helps the reader take as much away from the book as possible, including phonetic and vocabulary exercise.  These books use text that is comprised of common, frequently used words to assist the reader with reinforcing illustrations to help he or she become an independent reader and develop comprehension.  A word list and activities in the back of the book are also included.

Use Dear Dragon books to:

* Practice reading high frequency words

* Expand comprehension

* Improve oral language skills."

I think these books would be perfect in a Kindergarten/Grade One/Grade Two classroom.  Libraries would also be a wonderful place to find them.  I highly recommend this book and this series.

About the author...

Margaret Hillert has written over 80 books for children who are just learning to read. Her books have been translated into many languages and have helped children throughout the world learn to read. She first started writing poetry as a child and has continued to write for children and adults throughout her life. As a first grade teacher, Margaret realized that the books available for students just learning to read were beyond their comprehension. She then began to write her easy readers and poetry for children. Her first collection of poetry Farther Than Far was published in 1969. Her many awards include the Chicago Children's Reading Round Table Annual Award for outstanding contributions to the field of children's literature. Other honors include the David W. Longe Prize and the Michigan Bookwoman of the Year Award. A teacher for 34 years, she is now retired and lives in Michigan where she continues to write stories and poetry. 

Read on and read always!

It's a wrap.

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