Hop on Pop
A teacher’s look at why this book belongs in the Read-to-Me, Read-by-Me stage.
Why it fits Read-to-Me, Read-by-Me (for the kindergarten-ready set, between being read to and reading alone)
Word families bounce off each other in the silliest possible pairs. It is phonics disguised so well the child never notices the lesson. The 'simplest Seuss for youngest use' claim on the cover is accurate.
What makes it special
Seuss called it 'the simplest Seuss for youngest use,' and it delivers: word families arranged into pure slapstick. The elastic cartoon physics show each rhyme's meaning the instant it's decoded. Phonics drills dressed this well don't feel like drills — which is the entire trick of early reading.
From the publisher
**LibraryThing: Pairs of rhyming words are introduced and used in simple sentences, such as "Day. Play. We play all day. Night. Fight. We fight all…
About Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904–1991) reinvented learning to read: The Cat in the Hat was written on a dare from a 225-word list, and fifty years of beginning readers descend from it. Two Caldecott Honors, a Pulitzer special citation, and a verb-defying legacy.
His first book was rejected by 27 publishers; Geisel was walking home to burn the manuscript when a college friend, newly hired at Vanguard Press, met him on Madison Avenue. He later said if he'd walked down the other side of the street, he'd have been a dry cleaner.
Also by this author: Green Eggs and Ham · The Cat in the Hat · One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
More from “I Can Read This Myself”
This book is part of The Best Books for Beginning Readers: 30 Teacher Picks (Read-to-Me, Read-by-Me) in our guide The Best Children’s Books by Age — 120 books chosen by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX. Come see how we build readers →
Nobody paid for this review — not the author, not the publisher — and the store link above earns us nothing. Our only interest is the reader this book fits.