Ready... Set... Read!: The Beginning Reader's Treasury (Hardcover)

by Joanna Cole (Author), Stephanie Calmenson (Editor) (Editor), Anne Burgess (Illustrator) (Author), Chris Demarest (Illustrator) (Author), Arnold Lobel (Illustrator) (Author) "Beep! Beep! Sheep in a jeep on a hill that's steep..." (more)
Key Phrases: little bear, Mother Bear

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If Ready...Set...Read! were a movie, it would surely be a box-office hit with its all-star cast, including Little Bear, Morris the Moose, and Frog and Toad. This rich treasury of children's favorite stories, as well as poems, riddles, tongue-twisters, and hidden picture games, will delight and inspire every beginning reader. There's something for everyone in this diverse collection: Have a young poet in the house? How about a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks or Robert Louis Stevenson? Let the budding scientist discover "Our Earth in Space." The amateur comedian might pick up a few tips from the knock-knock jokes and riddles. And be prepared to untie some messy knots after the tongue-twister section: "Wendy went to rent one red room."

Ready...Set...Read! is a perfect introduction to many well-loved authors and illustrators, including Maurice Sendak, Else Holmelund Minarik, and Russell Hoban. Most importantly, this all-in-one collection, with its easy-to-read type, simple vocabulary, and variety of lively and colorful illustrations, will provide a jump-start to reading that will soon have children racing to the bookshelf for more.

From School Library Journal
A dynamite anthology for emerging readers that features stories, poems, and a section called "fun and games." The stories include selections from favorite easy readers by Dr. Seuss, Else Homelund Minarik, Arnold Lobel, Joanna Cole, and Bernard Wiseman. The poetry section is predominantly humorous and includes Calmenson's "Giggle Poem" and Russell Hoban's "Soft-Boiled Egg" from Bread and Jam for Frances (Harper, 1964). Anne Burgess' illustrations for the poems are fresh but muted watercolors with a comic element. The "fun and games" include a generous variety of riddles, rebus stories, tongue-twisters, silly rhymes, and hidden pictures. Demarest illustrates these with watercolors splashed with vibrant color. The book design is perfectly suited to beginning readers; borders in simple designs and one-color frames both unify and distinguish individual selections. While readers may find the single story books more appealing for read-alone times, families who read and share stories together will find this to be an excellent introduction to a variety of literature, authors, and book characters. A rich and satisfying collection. --Sharron McElmeel, Cedar Rapids Community Schools, IA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (September 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385414161
• ISBN-13: 978-0385414166
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,863 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something for everyone!, August 7, 1998

By A Customer

Treasury is the right word for this book! From the hilarious Sheep In A Jeep and Morris Has A Cold, to the interesting and educational Our Earth In Space the stories riveted my four-year-old son. He also enjoyed the nice variety of poems and the funny riddles and tongue-twisters. This book will not spend much time on his bookshelf!

An extra bonus is that the book Morris Has a Cold by Bernard Wiseman is no longer in print. But with this treasury, a child can still delight in Morris' hilarious verbal misunderstandings.

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was impressed, May 31, 2000

By A Customer

I just received this book yesterday and I was so happy by the response of my 4 1/2 year old daughter. She loved listening to the variety of stories, laughing aloud to some, and she loved the tongue twisters. She especially like the short stories where there are words and pictures in the sentences. We read these together and she felt like she was really reading. This gave her such a confidence boost. She insisted on taking the book to daycare today to read aloud to her class.

Another thing I like is that there are so many stories. This will be a great book to take on vacation. You could read a different story everyday and just pack one book.

This book is wonderful for a variety of reasons. I know it will be helpful for a beginning reader.

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good collection for early readers, July 8, 2001

By	Kira Sirote - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book for my son who is in first grade. He has grown with this book - from the stories where some of the words are replaced by pictures, to the riddles and jokes, to complete stories of Frog and Toad and Morris the Moose. Most importantly - he picks up this book now and reads for pleasure.

My one complaint is that the book seems to be organized backwards - the easier reading is in the back, the harder is in the front.

The same applies to the Ready-Set-Read and Laugh anthology. Good collections and my kids enjoy reading them.