Books for Children

Building Literacy Links for Young Children

Pauline Davey Zeece,1,4

Beatrice Harris,2and Noirın Hayes

3

Well-chosen and wisely shared literature facilitates transitions and builds bridges in the lives ofyoung children. Literature links are discussed and books are reviewed for infant, toddler,preschool, and primary age children and transitional readers.

KEY WORDS: children�s literature; early childhood education; transitions; Gryphon Award; transitionalreaders.

INTRODUCTION

One of the more subtle contributions of litera-ture is its ability to facilitate transitions and buildbridges in the lives of young children. All childrenexperience changes in their world. Some shifts aredevelopmentally predictable events (e.g., learning tocomprehend and produce language; mastering a widevariety of physical and motor skills; venturing intothe world of meaningful social interaction; learningto read) (Clay, 1991). Other transitions are moredifficult to handle because these are unexpected orout of the child�s and often times the family�s control(e.g., losing a parent; experiencing a divorce; dealingwith changes in child care arrangements; watching aparent leave for military service). Transitions arecrucial times for decision making about literatureselections for children. Literature linking can support

developmental continuity (Sorensen & Lehman,1995). Thus, collaboration between early childhoodeducation professionals and families through the useof well-chosen stories and books helps children tocope successfully (and sometimes even joyfully) withtransitions (Bear & Barone, 1998; Neumann &Dickinson, 2001).

Infant Links

When shared in early infancy, developmentallyappropriate literature selections provide an intro-duction into the world of communication and learn-ing and create a vehicle for fostering and developingattachment behaviors between adults and children(Bus & van Ijzendoorn, 1988; Bus, Belsky, vanIjzendoorn, & Crnic, 1997).

Carle, Eric. 10 Rubber Ducks. New York: Harper-

Collins Publishers, 2005. 36 pp., $19.99. Ages birth to

5 years.

Tumbling seas turn a rubber duck cargo into adelightful Eric Carle story. When a crate of the yellowquackers spills into the rolling waves, each duck driftsin a different direction and encounters creatures of allkinds. Familiar animals from earlier works appearthroughout the pages and provide a sense of conti-nuity for Carle fans of all ages. The closing encounterwith a real mother duck and her babies (and theembedded sound chip) will leave young readerssqueaking with delight.

1Department of Family and Consumer Sciences/College of

Education and Human Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln,

135 HE, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA.2Department of Early Childhood Education, Boise State Univer-

sity, Education Ed. Bldg. 207, Boise, ID 83725, USA.3Dublin Institute of Technology Director, Centre for Social and

Educational Research, Rathmine House Room 52, Dublin, IR,

Ireland.4Correspondence should be directed to Pauline Davey Zeece,

Department of Family and Consumer Sciences/College of

Education and Human Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lin-

coln, 135 HE, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA; e-mail: pzeece@unl.edu

Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 34, No. 1, August 2006 (� 2006)DOI: 10.1007/s10643-006-0087-x

611082-3301/06/0800-0061/0 � 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.

George, Kristine O�Connell. Up! Hiroe Nakata, illus-

trator. New York: Clarion Books, 2005. 32 pp., $15.00.

Ages 1 to 3 years.

Award-winning poet Kristine O�Connell Georgeconveys the power and playfulness of the word ‘‘up’’through the eyes of a young child. A trip to the parkwith Daddy ends in the best kind of up: up and snugin Daddy�s arms.

Stutson, Caroline. Mama Loves You. John Segal,

illustrator. New York: Scholastic Books, 2005. 32 pp.,

$6.99. Ages 1 to 3 years.

Simple, sweet rhyme describes the love mothershave for their babies. From porcupine to butterfly,polar bear to mouse, unconditional love is expressed.At story�s end, a human mother whispers to her baby:

You�re my star,My moon, my sun.Mama loves you,Little one.

Patricelli, Leslie. Binky. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick

Press, 2005. 24 pp., $6.99. Ages birth to 3 years.

Patricelli, Leslie. Blankie. Cambridge, MA: Candle-

wick Press, 2005. 24 pp., $6.99. Ages birth to 3 years.

With transitional objects like binkies and blan-kets, young children are able to control their owncomfort. Rather than always wait for adults to providesoothing cuddles, babies learn to soothe themselves. Inher humorous, bold graphic style, Leslie Patricelliraises the plaintive question: can there be any peace inthe house when a beloved binky is not to be found?Blankie enumerates and extols all themarvelous thingsthat can be done with a treasured security object.

Shannon, David. Oops! New York: The Blue Sky

Press, 2005. 12 pp., $6.99. Ages birth to 3 years.

Much like the simplified format of No, David!(Shannon, 1998), Oops! addresses six common firstwords: Ball, Dog, Ride, Eat, Bath, and Mama. Jux-taposed to each of these utterances is a colorful sceneillustrating the related activity: a broken window, asticky puppy, a zippy tricycle ride, a splashy bath,and a peaceful rest in his mother�s arms.

Toddler Links

In the toddler years, high-quality books maycontinue to foster emergent literature development bybridging the gap between neonate listening andactive participation in literature sharing sessions

(Encouraging literacy, n.d.). Cognitive and socialtransitions abound as youngsters are exposed to firsttime concepts and events: new moons, first haircuts,strangers, and so much more.

Henkes, Kevin. Kitten�s First Full Moon. New York:

Greenwillow Books, 2004. 40 pp., $15.99. Ages birth to

5 years.

Kevin Henke�s 2005 Caldecott Medal winningstory of a winsome little kitten whomistakes the moonfor a bowl of milk is purr-fect for toddler readers. Soft-hued, black and white, gouache and colored pencilillustrations create an ideal partnership with thissimple and succinctly told tale. A brave young kittensets out on a quest for the elusive moon milk thatleaves her confused, hungry, and finally back homewhere there is something special waiting just for her.

Horn, Peter. The Best Father of All. Cristina Kadmon,

illustrator. J. Alison James, translator. New York:

North–South Books, 2005. 32 pp., $6.95. Ages 3 to

5 years.

Little Sebastian turtle asks his father, ‘‘What dofathers do?’’ and discovers that father birds teachchirping, father centipedes untangle hundreds of legswhen children stumble, father spiders teach webspinning, and funny father hedgehog sticks berries onhis back for an instant treat. In the end, Sebastian,like children everywhere, decides his own loving fa-ther is the very best father of all.

CSaltzberg, Barney. Cornelius P. Mud, Are YouReady for Bed? Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press,

2005. 32 pp., $15.99. Ages 2 to 5 years.

Transition to bedtime can be hectic for manychildren-but not for Cornelius P. Mud! Chucklesabound as Saltzberg illustrates Cornelius� answers allthe typical bedtime questions: Have you put yourtoys away? Yes (In the refrigerator); Did you feedyour fish? Yes (With Little Bitty Cookies); Did youpick a bedtime book? Yes (In a very large stack). Abedtime hug and story end the tale...or does it? Checkthe back end-papers of the book!

Savadier, Elivia. No Haircut Today! Brookfield, CN:

A Neal Porter Book/Roaring Brook Press, 2005. 32

pp., $15.95. Ages infant to 4 years.

Dominic has whirlwind hair-twisty, curly, pokey,and straight. He does not want to get a haircut andscreams at the suggestion. When clever coaxing fails,Dominic�s mother holds him close and gives him areassuring hug. No haircut today-maybe tomorrow.

62 Zeece, Harris, and Hayes

Van Rossum, Helene. Will You Carry Me? Peter vanHarmelen, illustrator. La Jolla, CA: Kane/Miller

Book Publishers, 2005. 32 pp., $15.95. Ages 2 to

4 years.

The universal toddler cry ‘‘Carry me!’’ is cleverlyredirected as Thomas a toddler finds himself too tiredto walk home after a long day of playing in the park.His resourceful mother agrees that he is indeed tootired to walk, but can he jump, fly, swim, and evenrun home? Humorous illustrations give clues to mo-ther�s next zany idea for locomotion as the pair isjoined by animal friends. Witty repetition and simpletext make this a book worth carrying to the next storytime!

Preschool Links

The nature of children�s early experiences inand before kindergarten is variable, and the de-mands placed on children differ. Researchers agreethat emergent literacy begins during the period be-fore children receive formal reading instruction,including the preschool years (Stahl & Miller, 1989;Teale & Sulzby, 1986; van Kleeck, 1995). Duringthese years, emergent literacy differs from conven-tional literacy as it examines the range of settingsand experiences that support literacy, the role of thechild�s contributions, and the relation betweenindividual literacy outcomes and the diverse experi-ences that precede those outcomes (Gunn, Simmons,& Kameenui, 2002).

Downs, Mike. You See a Circus, I See... Anik

McGrory, illustrator. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge,

2005. 32 pp., $14.95. Ages 3 to 7 years.

Understanding that things and people are notwhat they initially appear is an important cognitivetransitional skills. In a lively, rhyming text, MikeDowns shows young readers through the eyes of ayoung boy that first impressions of his circus familyare not always correct. The muscle bulging giant is atender wrestling uncle. The tamer of fierce lions is ateacher. The tattooed man is really silly Joe.

You see a circus.Tattooed men, trapeze stars,Mighty strong men bending bars.Jugglers, clowns, acrobats,Lion tamers, roaring cats.All beneath a three-ringed dome.But when I see a circus,I see...Home.

Kudlinski, Kathleen, V. The Sunset Switch. Lindy

Burnett, illustrator. Minnetonka, MN: Northwood

Press, 2005. 32 pp., $15.95. Ages 4 to 7 years.

The transition from day to night is integral toevery living thing. The Sunset Switch reveals themoment when daytime animals go to sleep and night-time animals appear. Packed with interesting infor-mation about creatures and their habitats, the story isorganized into six pairs of animals that eat the samefood. Swallows hunt mosquitoes during the day andbats chased them at night. The slithering green snakesnaps up bugs under the sun, while the spotted redsalamander takes its turn during the night. The end-ing brings young readers back to morning, when thesunrise switch begins.

Morrison, Vicki. So Shy. Nora Hilb, illustrator. New

York: North–South Books, 2005. 32 pp., $15.95. Ages

3 to 6 years.

Reticent children often hear the label shy for thefirst time during their early childhood years. So Shyprovides a tender vehicle to explore shy feelings. Inthis story, Jake�s only friend is his shadow. The youngboy is shy, but his kindness and bravery help him toforget his shyness, rescue a stranded kitty, and best ofall, make a new friend.

Rosen, Michael. Three Feet Small. Valeri Gorbachev,

illustrator. San Diego, CA: Gulliver Books, 2005. 32

pp., $16.00. Ages 3 to 7 years.

It is difficult to be little when everything elseseems so big! Little bear has legs that dangle, armsthat cannot quite reach, and a sister who constantlyreminds him that she is bigger. Just when hope ofgrowing bigger is about to be abandoned, little bearfinds proof that may-just maybe-he is growing. Atender tale to address the frustrations of being littleand the excitement of discovering each new thing asmall bear (and child) can do.

Waddell, Marin. It�s Quacking Time! Cambridge, MA:

Candlewick, 2005. 32 pp., $15.99. Ages 4 to 6 years.

Few transitions affect children as completely asthose contained within the role of sibling (or duck-ling)-in-waiting. When mother lays a new blue egg,Duckling asks with anticipation and curiosity: ‘‘Did Icome from one of those eggs?’’ A series of typicalquestions and answers ensue. Despite all the attentionand urging from various family members, new babyduckling appears only after Duckling quacks softly

63Building Literacy Links for Young Children

by himself to the egg. Then and only then is itquacking time.

Primary Grade Links

As children begin their formal education, litera-ture choices help to contribute to the development ofa wide range of concepts and skills across all devel-opmental domains (Hart-Hewins & Wells, 1996).Emergent readers are just beginning to control earlyreading strategies such as directionality, word-by-word matching, and concepts of print. They usepicture books to support reading and rely heavily ontheir knowledge of language (Pinnell, 1996; Snow,Burns, & Griffin, 1998).

Graham, Bob. Oscar�s Half Birthday. Cambridge,

MA: Candlewick Press, 2005. 32 pp., $16.99. Ages 5 to

6 years.

Oscar is 6 months old, but no one can wait for hiswhole birthday.Mom andDad pack sandwiches, packOscar in his stroller, and take older sister Mil-lie—handmade fairy wings attached—to their urbanpark for a half-birthday party. Over the footbridge,Oscar kicks his feet and Millie flaps her wings.Through the graffiti-laden tunnel, they hear the rush-ing of the wind and the clickety-clack of the 11:15train. An impromptu gathering of admiring park vis-itors joins, one by one, in a hearty birthday song tocomplete the perfect half-birthday celebration.

Bunting, Eve. Sunshine Home. Diane de Groat, illus-

trator. New York: Clarion Books, 2005. 32 pp., $5.95.

Ages 5 to 8 years.

Seven-year-old Timmie and his parents go to visithis grandmother for the first time since her move tothe nursing home. Although the visit seems to go well,he senses that something is wrong. Mother cries whenthe family leaves. When Timmie realizes that he forgotto give his grandmother the photographs he broughtfor her, he returns to his grandmother�s room anddiscovers that she is crying too. A warm, honest, andreassuring reunion concludes this timely tale.

Bryant, Jen. Georgia�s Bones. Bethanne Andersen,

illustrator. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for

Young Readers, 2005. 32 pp., $16.00. Ages 5 to

8 years.

Although she is teased for her interest in uniqueshapes and sizes, young Georgia declares that she willsome day become an artist and this is exactly whatshe does. Bryant�s lyrical text and Andersen�s

gouache, colored-pencil, and pastel compositionscapture the spirit of O�Keefe�s work for imaginativesharing with young readers.

McDonald, Megan. Stink: The Incredible ShrinkingKid. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2005. 102

pp., $12.99. Ages 5 to 8 years.

Every morning, Judy Moody measures Stinkand it is always the same: three feet, eight inchestall. Stink feels like even the class newt is growingfaster than he is. Then, one day, the ruler read-s—can it be?—three feet, seven and three quartersinches! Is Stink shrinking? He tries everything tolook like he�s growing, but wearing up-and-downstripes and spiking his hair do not trick anyone intothinking he�s taller. If only he could ask JamesMadison–Stink�s hero, and the shortest person everto serve as President of the United States. Stink�sspecial style is irrepressible and humorously com-plemented by the series of comic strips, drawn byStink himself, that are sprinkled throughout thebook.

Tomp, Sarah Wones. Red, White, and Blue Good-bye.New York: Walker & Company, 2005. 32 pp., $17.95.

Ages birth to 3 years.

Saying good-bye can be difficult for the increas-ing numbers of young children in service families.When daddy must ship out, his young daughter en-gages in creative attempts to thwart his departure.But special rituals and daddy�s uplifting red, white,and blue good-bye reminds his child that families canstay connected in their hearts even when they areseparated in person.

Transition to Reading

At the end of the early childhood years, litera-ture selections can serve as transition vehicles toreading competencies. The Gryphon Award forChildren�s Literature is given annually and sponsoredby the Center for Children�s Books (CCB) at theGraduate School of Library and Information Scienceat the University of Illinois and funded by the CCBOutreach Endowment Fund (American LibraryAssociation, 2005). It was conceived to focus atten-tion on transitional reading and to acknowledge thatthis literature is crucial to the successful transition ofchildren from new readers to independent lifelongreaders.

The 2005 Gryphon Award for Children�s Liter-ature is:

64 Zeece, Harris, and Hayes

Bang-Campbell, Monika. Little Rat Rides. Molly

Bang, illustrator. New York: Harcourt Brace, 2004. 48

pp., $15.00. Ages 6 to 9 years.

Little Rat impatiently waits ride a horse, just likeher daddy did when he was young. But when it is timefor her first lesson, she almost changes her mind. Noone said her horse, Pee Wee, would be so big! Withhumorous determination and fatherly support, herdream of becoming a fancy rider might just come true.

Two honor books were also named:

Nolan, Lucy. Down Girl and Sit: Smarter ThanSquirrels. Mike Reed, illustrator. San Diego, CA:

Marshall Cavendish Children�s Books, 2004. 64 pp.,

$14.95. Ages 6 to 9 years.

A madcap dog who believes her name is DownGirl pairs up with her neighbor Sit to keep theneighborhood safe from thieving bird, disarmingpaper boys, a frightening creature named Here KittyKitty, and most importantly pesky squirrels. Thisdelightful four-chapter transitional book is easy toread and easier to relish.

Hoberman, Mary Ann. You Read to Me, I�ll Read toYou: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read. Michael Em-

berley, illustrator. New York: Little Brown Children�sBooks, 2004. 64 pp., $16.95. Ages 4 to 6 years.

Three columns, three colors, and rhyme, rhythm,and repetition frame 35 poems for beginning readersto read alone or in unison. Words are printed in dif-ferent colors to signal whose turn it is to read or whenit is time to read together. All sections conclude with arefrain for the book�s main theme: ‘‘you read to you’’.

REFERENCES

American Library Association announces award winners (n.d.).Retrieved May 15, 2005, from http://www.ala.org/awards2005.

Bus, A., Belsky, J., van Ijzendoorn, M., & Crnic, K. (1997).Attachment and book reading patterns: A study of mothers,fathers, and their toddlers. Early Childhood Research Quar-terly, 12, 81–98.

Bus, A. G., & van Ijzendoorn, M. H. (1988). Attachment and earlyreading: A longitudinal study. Journal of Genetic Psychology,149(2), 199–210.

Clay, M. (1991). Becoming literate: The construction of innercontrol. Portsmouth NH: Heinemann.

Encouraging Literacy in Your Infant/Toddler Program (n.d.).Retrieved May 15, 2005, from http://www.zerotothree.org/cpe/tip_2002_09.html.

Gunn, B., Simmons, D., & Kameenui, E. (2002). Emergent literacy:Synthesis of the research. Washington, DC: National Center toImprove the Tools of Educators/U.S. Office of SpecialEducation Programs.

Hart-Hewins, L., & Wells, J. (1996). Learning to read with children�sliterature. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Neumann, S., & Dickinson, D. (2001). Handbook of early literacyresearch. New York: Guilford.

Pinnell, G. (1996). Guided reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.Shannon, D. (1998). No, David!. New York: Scholastic.Snow, C., Burns, M., & Griffin, P. (Eds). (1998). Preventing reading

difficulties in young children [Electronic version]. Washington,DC: National Academy Press. Retrieved May 15, 2005, fromhttp://books.nap.edu/html/prdyc/.

Sorensen, M., & Lehman, B. (Eds). (1995). Teaching with children�sbooks: Paths to literature-based instruction. Washington, DC:National Council Teachers of English.

Stahl, S. A., & Miller, P. D. (1989). Whole language andlanguage experience approaches for beginning reading: Aquantitative research synthesis. Review of Educational Re-search, 59(1), 87–116.

Teale, W., & Sulzby, E. (1986). Emerging literacy: Writing andreading. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing.

van Kleech, A. (1995). Emergent literacy: Learning aboutprint before learning to read. Topics in Language Disorders,10, 25–45.

65Building Literacy Links for Young Children