TOON Paperbacks: A Look Inside Our Level 1 Readers

TOON's new paperbacks are now in stores (where you can photograph them to participate in our giveaway), and we are so, so very excited about them. The new paperbacks feature a redesigned cover, a special back-cover TOON into Reading insert to help get the most out of our books, and are affordably priced at $4.99. Today, we'll be revisiting our three Level One paperbacks -- Little Mouse Gets Ready, Chick & Chickie Play All Day, and Silly Lilly and The Four Seasons. 

Unlike many early readers out there, TOON books are designed specifically for the needs of the beginning reader, from the words we use to the pictures accompanying them. Let's start with a few basic facts about Level 1 TOON Readers that you may not already know:

• Our Level 1 books use a vetted vocabulary: Experienced educators and reading specialists proofread early versions of each and every book to make sure that every word we use is appropriate for a K-1 age level
• Each Level 1 book usually features about 200-300 of these easy sight (easy to sight read for beginning readers) words, in short sentences
• Level 1 books also keep the story simple, with often only one character, a single time frame or theme, and just 1-2 panels per page
• If you don't want to use our level system, each TOON book is also levelled by grade, Lexile, Guided Reading, and Reading Recovery 
• Every new TOON paperback is complemented by a common core guide and lesson plan, available for free on our website 
• For even younger readers, Level 1 TOON Readers are just as wonderful when an adult reads them aloud to a child (and eventually, when that child reads the same book aloud to their adult)

"The way the best comics combine art with the written word to capture the readers interest has special magic to children--even children who otherwise shy away from books." -- Brenley MacLeod, librarian

"Smith's deceptively simple style is a terrific match for a young audience—one- or two-panel pages that are elegant, lighthearted, and touching all at once—and a knock-your-socks-off twist at the end will leave children giggling. As a dual treat, the subject matter encourages the empowering activity of dressing oneself at the same time that its medium helps build visual comprehension and reading confidence." 
-- Booklist

• A 2009 Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor Book
• A Junior Library Guild Selection
• School Library Journal Best Comics for Kids 2009
• Pennsylvania Center for the Book Best Children's Books for Family Literacy 2010

Buttons! Snaps! Pants! Shoes! This much-beloved tale of a Little Mouse who just needs to get dressed for a big day at the farm will delight young readers, who will relate to the adorable mouse getting through the difficult duty of getting all his clothes on in the right order. 

Our Common Core Guide and Lesson Plan for Little Mouse Gets Ready 
TOON Online Reader 

"No American publisher has attempted what TOON Books is doing, providing interesting graphic novels with educator-approved text for readers as young as four years old...Chick & Chickie [is] its first volume featuring the art of Claude Ponti, one of the most respected French authors of children’s literature. Ponti has a background in fine art, and his books contain stunning visuals, often with surrealistic dreamlike elements...The art is all Ponti, but the book itself is re-imagined for a young American audience."

-- ICV2

Chick and Chickie love to play -- whether its crafting scary masks or chasing around a giant red 'A,' these two little birds know just how to have fun. Kids will be enchanted by these two feathered friends, while adults will appreciate the sly humour in Ponti's gorgeous drawings. 

Our Common Core guide and Lesson Plan for Chick & Chickie Play All Day

"This graphic-early-reader entry from TOON Books is itself an objet d'art. The slight story, in basic comic-book format, briefly and joyfully bounds through the seasons at the rate of four panels per page...Emergent readers will be drawn to Lilly's ebullient perspective and captivated by the uncluttered layout; the easy lesson on the seasons is a bonus."

-- Kirkus Reviews

• Starred review in Publishers Weekly
• One of Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books of 2008

Silly Lilly is a spunky little girl who -- like all spunky children -- finds lots to do as the seasons change. She and her faithful friend Teddy play in the snow and in the sand, leaping and jumping across fields in the spring, and sorting apples in the summer. 

Our Common Core Guide and Lesson Plan for Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons
TOON Online Reader