Jim Trelease organized this collection as a practical anthology for reading aloud to children between the ages of five and nine. The book compiles forty-eight individual chapters and short stories from established authors like Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, and C.S. Lewis. Each selection includes a brief introduction that provides context about the original work and suggests a designated reading time. Trelease groups the entries by genre, ranging from animal fables and folk tales to historical fiction and contemporary realistic stories, featuring characters like Ramona Quimby and Wilbur the pig.
Parents, librarians, and primary school teachers use this volume to build children's listening vocabularies and attention spans before they transition to independent reading. Readers find a pre-selected curriculum of literature designed to bridge the gap between picture books and complex novels. The collection serves as a testing ground for different writing styles, allowing adults to identify which genres hold a child's interest. A person finishing this book gains a diverse repertoire of stories and a functional routine for daily oral reading.
- Published
- 1992
- Language
- EN
