Meadowridge School

A step in the right direction

Purchased through the Annual Fund, new books in the library help bridge the gap for readers taking the leap from picture books to picture-less novels

Our librarians call them 'emergent chapter books,' though students have taken to calling them something else entirely: frog jump books. And when you think about it... the name makes sense. The purpose of these popular new additions is to help students jump from picture books to chapter books. The books help bridge the gap by adding more vocabulary rich text while still keeping pictures to help students along.

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Frog jump books!🐸📚 We have purchased over 50 new emergent chapter books to add to our @meadowridge library collection. They have been re-shelved for easier locating and accessing by our Grades 1-3 students. These books are perfect for developing confidence as students move from picture books to the challenge of chapter books. We have increased our Scholastic Branches collection from 3 to 9 series!

A post shared by Ms. Pallister (@mspallister) on Jan 16, 2019 at 4:05pm PST

Ms. Angela Pallister recognized the need to add to the previously acquired collection of these important, literary stepping stones after seeing that her students, especially those in Grades 1 to 3, were gravitating to the few series already in the library. These young readers, she realized, were after something a little more engaging and challenging, but weren't ready to go entirely picture-less just yet. And so, she set out to expand the library's offering of these important books.

"As children read, they come to know characters, authors and genres for themselves. This independence—forming taste and choosing books for themselves—builds confidence, interest, and, eventually, a lifelong love of reading."

Through the generous donations from the School's Annual Fund, just over 40 emergent (or, frog jump) chapter books were purchased. The series were all hand-picked by Ms. Pallister herself, who knew exactly what her students would enjoy: books with relatable characters, fast-paced plots, accessible text, and fun illustrations. The books were shelved in a new area of the library awaiting the young readers to return from winter break. It took just one class before the new collection—once filled and organized by series—to be left noticeably emptier (and a little messier!).

And for our librarians, this is major success.

"It's all about boosting children's confidence," Ms. Pallister explains. As children read, they come to know characters, authors and genres for themselves. This independence—forming taste and choosing books for themselves—builds confidence, interest, and, eventually, a lifelong love of reading. All reading is good reading, whether full of pictures, paragraphs, or somewhere in between!