Father of Our Country: George Washington The First President by Sarah Albee

In 1776, the colonists in America declared independence from Britain. The two sides called it the American Revolution.

Of course, to King George and his subjects in Great Britain, it was a rebellion, and he sent warships, cannons, and more troops to put down the uprising in his largest colony.

The Americans needed an army, and for that they needed a general.

George Washington was the general who led the American army. He was brave and fair. 

After a long and difficult war, with some battles lost and some won, the British Army surrendered, and the Revolutionary leaders asked Washington to continue to lead the country. But Washington declined. He chose to return to Mt. Vernon, the farm in Virginia he had inherited from his brother Lawrence. He had married a widow, Martha Custis, with two children and even more land, and Washington wanted to become a successful planter.

He said, "I retire," he announced.

But the new country needed help, and Washington returned to public life to help write the Constitution and became the first president of the new United States, guiding the nation through two terms. Sarah Albee's George Washington: The First President (I Can Read Level 2) (Harper-Collins, 2017). This Level 2 beginning reader is a fine introduction to historical biography for early independent readers. It provides a full summary of Washington's life, including his family story, his early work for the British Crown and service with the British army in the French and Indians' War and his leadership in the formative days of the new American republic.

Illustrator Chin Ko supports Albee's narrative well with active and realistic illustrations with much visual information for young readers, and the book offers a substantial supportive appendix with a timeline of Washington's life, a special photo essay on slave life at Mt. Vernon, with a fascinating section on the black double agent spy who was part of Washington's critical spy network that helped win the war. This is a great book for classroom libraries and an informative and rather absorbing read for early primary students suitable for a biography or history report in that period leading up the Presidents Day.

Back to School: Back to Dog-Gone School by Amy Schmidt

FIRST DAY JITTERS

I am ready for school.
It's my first day.

I see the bus

Heading my way!

Even an adorable golden Lab pup has holidays, and when it's time for back-to-school days..., well, things can get a little scary and hairy.

Well, who wouldn't have the jitters? Will he miss the bus? Will the driver fuss?

If not, will he get a seat? Will his teacher be sweet? Who's he going to meet?

And even if old friends Simon and Ralphie are in his class, will math be too hard for him to pass?

Will he remember the alphabet? Who will be the teacher's pet?

Will the water fountain be too tall? Will he find the Boys' Room down the hall?

This little Lab has a lot to think about on his first day of school, in Amy and Ron Schmidt's easy reader, Back to Dog-Gone School (Step into Reading) (Random House, 2016), which offers a vicarious run-through of the first day of school for kids with the opening-day willies. Poet Amy Schmidt provides the pup-themed verses, and Ron Schmidt provides the cute canine photos (the boys' bathroom door has a fireplug icon to make it easily recognizable) in this rehearsal of that epic day, including math class, lunchroom sharing, know-it-all golden girls, and the best part of the day. D.E.A.R. --Drop Everything And Read!

Random House, the pioneer of the I-Can-Read genre, offers a bit of school orientation for nervous new scholars in this title in their Step-into-Reading series, Level Two, which offers controlled vocabulary, visual cues, and rhymes to ease the way for practice for newly independent readers.

All Aboard! Pete the Cat's Train Trip by James Dean

PETE THE CAT IS GOING TO VISIT GRANDMA.

HE GETS TO RIDE A TRAIN!

Pete is excited as he, Mom, and brother Bob board the big passenger train. It's a first for him!

"I CAN'T WAIT TO EXPLORE THE TRAIN!" SAYS PETE.

And explore he does! When he tells the conductor collecting tickets how much he loves the train, he gets an invitation to a guided tour, beginning with a walk through the cars back to the caboose, where Pete is thrilled as he watches the train approach and cross over a high bridge!

"WOW!"

The floor rumbles under Pete's feet as they head back toward the front of the train. Pete is surprised to discover Mom and Bob in the snack bar car, where Mom hands him an apple. Moving forward through his own car, Pete finds himself in the engine at the very front!

Pete is wowed again by the sight of the controls--throttle and brake--and then the engineer points to a tunnel ahead.

PETE GETS TO HONK THE HORN AS THEY GO THROUGH.

Pete has a lot to tell Grandma when the train pulls into her station, in James Dean's beginning reader book, Pete the Cat's Train Trip (My First I Can Read) (Harper, 2015). Many kids never get to ride a bona fide passenger train for real, and Dean's vicarious ride with his Pete the Cat is a virtual treat. As usual, Pete dresses for the occasion in his blue-striped overalls and railroader cap and is a enthusiastic guide to what a train trip is like.  With controlled vocabulary and plenty of visual cues to help with decoding the text, this entry in Harper's venerable I-Can-Read series offers a groovy treat for emergent readers.