Read Anything Good Lately? [Hardcover]

Susan Allen (Author), Jane Lindaman (Author), Vicky Enright (Author)

Book Description

Series: Single Titles

An alphabetical look at some different places and things to read, from an atlas at the airport to a zodiac at the zoo.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-From "an atlas at the airport" to "a yoga book in the yard" and "the zodiac at the zoo," a little girl moves playfully along through biography, comics, dictionary, encyclopedia, magazine, poetry, quotations, recipes, and a variety of genres. Reading the "gossip in the grocery line," "updates under an umbrella," and "whatever in the waiting room" are somewhat looser variations on the theme but still acceptable. While relevant, choosing "literature at the library" might perpetuate a stuffy stereotype were it not for the pleasant cartoon illustration of a bean-bag chair, colorful shelves of books, and two little girls-one reading, the other enjoying an active pet rodent. The bespectacled, voracious young reader is supported by a loving family, complete with little brother, cat, and dog, as well as ethnically diverse friends. The pages have white margins for text; balloon inserts are included in the art that gives glimpses of characters reading in the featured settings. The final page offers 11 more "kinds of reading" in search of a place. This book has more value as a catalyst than as an alphabet book or enjoyable story. Though the text lends itself to reading aloud, the illustrations deserve more time. A pleasant addition but not an essential purchase.
Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. Young bibliophiles will increase their literacy with this creative take on alphabet books: from A to Z, different types of reading material are linked to places where they can be enjoyed: "an atlas at the airport," "a biography in bed," and so on. As is often the case in alphabet books, the most challenging letters are a bit of a stretch ("whatever in the waiting room"; "x rays in the examination room,"), but not inappropriate. The range of reading material mentioned is impressive ("gossip in the grocery line"), but even perusing the tabloids is reading, after all. The illustrations are cheerful, colorful, and busy with lots to look at, and the letter in question is colored red in the text and helpfully included in a frame in the upper-left corner of the page. Suggestions for more pairings close the book, giving it some curricular value. Diane Foote
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Millbrook Press (January 22, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761318895
• ISBN-13: 978-0761318897
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,774,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, February 22, 2003

By 

DON J OREAR (GILBERT, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Read Anything Good Lately? (Hardcover)

Just finished reading this book and found it entertaining and my niece loved it. It gave her lots of ideas for other places to enjoy reading and other ideas of things to read. They did a tremendous job on this book and I think it will motivate kids to read more. And also help parents to get their kids to read more as well. Should be mandatory reading for every kindergarden and first grade student. What a great way for them to learn the alphabet and learn sounds at the same time. Super job!!! I hope to see more books by these talented authors and teachers. Don

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The joy of reading, beautifully portrayed, February 4, 2003

By 

Janine Smith (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Read Anything Good Lately? (Hardcover)

The busy bookworm in "Read Anything Good Lately?" reminds us of all the various ways and locations that reading is a part of our life. Allen and Lindaman work their way creatively through the alphabet, accompanied by Enright's entertaining illustrations. Guaranteed to get you thinking of how much, and where, you read every day. A lovely, fun book all around.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read Anything Good Lately, April 16, 2008

By 

Lynda S. Smith - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Read Anything Good Lately? (Millbrook Picture Books) (Paperback)

Read Anything Good Lately by Susan Allen and Jane Lindaman is a cheerful concept book for young readers (or pre-readers). As it walks children through the alphabet, it works to stir up their interest in reading. Each letter of the alphabet is connected with words representing materials children can read and interesting places they can read. This list includes everything from "an atlas at the airport" to "the zodiac at the zoo".

Each page provides bright, colorful illustrations which stimulate discussions about the variety of situations where people can read. The fun use of alliteration (whoever would have thought of reading "joke books in a jacuzzi"?) make it a creative way to teach children the true enjoyment of reading--wherever and whenever they choose.

I connected with this book because I like to carry books with me wherever I go: the doctor's office, when I have to stand in a long line at the grocery store, or waiting in the car. It's important to show children that reading is not always a chore and I think this fun, colorful book does a fantastic job of that!