Stuart Sets Sail (I Can Read Book 1) [Paperback]

Susan Hill (Author), Lydia Halverson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: I Can Read Book 1

On a picnic with his family, Stuart decides to take his boat, the Wasp, out for a quick sail to the other side of the lake. But there is a lot more to do on the water than he′d thought. Will Stuart ever make it to the other side?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-These two beginning readers are based on incidents from the movie Stuart Little, which took its name from the book, but basically that's all. In one story, the little mouse climbs into a vase while hiding from a cat, but then needs the help of the feline to get free. In the second book, Stuart has an adventure with a large fish and a turtle while piloting a toy boat across a park lake. Both are in an accessible, easy-reader format with large type and colorful pictures based on the movie, but they are a poor relation to E. B. White's famous Stuart Little (HarperCollins, 1945). Neither "adventure" is from the original book, so why steal the stars? It is blatant commercialism to take a famous character and a few familiar details (the names of the boat and the cat) and put them in watered-down scenarios. These offerings are a disservice to children's literature and to its readers.
Nancy A. Gifford, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Susan Hill has written two other stories about Ruby Raccoon: Ruby Bakes a Cake and Ruby Paints a Picture. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two daughters.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (June 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064443027
• ISBN-13: 978-0064443029
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #363,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great early reader, March 29, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Stuart Sets Sail (I Can Read Book 1) (Paperback)

I couldn't disagree more with the [other...] review above. Probably the first exposure that today's youngsters have to the Stuart Little story will be the film(s), not White's book. If they happen to be young readers, what better way to help encourage them in their reading mastery than with these beautifully-illustrated little readers (Stuart Sets Sail, Stuart Hides Out, et. al.) In particular, Stuart Sets Sail had our first grade reader engaged and interested throughout the story. The captivating illustrations and humorous text work together really well, and I agree with the other Amazon customer who wrote that the writer and illustrator did a great job. When our son is older, he'll likely enjoy reading the novel that started it all, but for now, this and the other Stuart Little readers are a great start.

3.0 out of 5 stars early reader about Stuart Little, July 28, 2004

By 

audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Stuart Sets Sail (I Can Read Book 1) (Library Binding)

When the Little family goes on a picnic outing, Stuart decides to sail his boat across the lake. He has some small adventures and then returns. The type is big and the words are basic in this early reader that is uninspiring but adequate to the task.

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Good Reader, March 29, 2002

By 

Timothy Capehart "Review-a-holic" (Dayton, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stuart Sets Sail (I Can Read Book 1) (Hardcover)

Usually when a new author takes over for a character's creator or begins to write adventures in some other author's imagined world these new efforts fall flat. (Ruth Plumly Thompson's Oz novels and Brad Strickland's Lewis Barnavelt stories are notable exceptions). Add to that that readers based on movies are quite often uninspired, flat, and boring...and the chances of this new line of Stuart Little adventures don't look good. As is obvious by the rating above, they succeed admirably! Stuart Sets Sail and Stuart Hides Out are exciting (for the reader audience) NEW adventures that keep to the original spirit of White's characters (or at least the characters as presented in the movie). With the sequel coming out soon, they will likely be popular. Good for Susan Hill and Lydia Halverson. The stories are good and the pictures are charming! (Well, I MIGHT not have shown Stuart looking at the sun with his telescope--twice--if I were illustrating this one, but I would forgive that).