BETTER BOOKS! BETTER READERS! How To Choose, Use, and Level Books for Children in the Primary Grades.

BETTER BOOKS! BETTER READERS! How To Choose, Use, and Level Books for Children in the Primary Grades. L. Hart-Hewins & J. Wells. York, ME: Stenhouse, 1999. 151 pp. $17.95. The authors have carefully organized a jewel of a book that will bring a sparkle to classrooms and beyond. Better Books! Better Readers! is written for classroom teachers. It is well-organized, easy to read, and contains explicit guidelines to follow that will help beginning readers achieve literacy. This book is also a guide for a wide audience of professionals and people interested in developing young children's beginning reading skills and habits. Both beginning and experienced teachers, from prekindergarten through elementary, will find a wealth of appropriate materials and suggestions. College students in education would find it a most practical and valuable text to read, study, and discuss before and during student teaching. Parents and volunteers could also use it.

The authors summarize the essential ingredients for implementing a successful language program in the introduction. Their strategies include building a collection of books in the classroom to regularly share with individual children. The authors recommend consistent reading sessions with small groups, having a daily read-aloud time, and holding shared reading and writing sessions. In addition, children should have opportunities to practice reading, borrow materials to bring home, listen and read to a buddy, and write.

Chapters and charts emphasize the enjoyment found in reading together, along with the particular skills that are built. Stages of reading, suggestions for lesson plans, and organizing centers are all presented clearly. Reviewed by Rita Newman, Retired Elementary Principal, Dallas, TX