This morning I wrote about Book Stepladders. Lots of times, when I talk to teachers about student engagement, and connecting the right kid with the right book, people say that they don't have the expertise/knowledge of books, to do this. My thought is, then, that I would like to create some lists of increasingly "harder" (and I'm still not comfortable with that word), so that teachers could help kids move further and further into the big, wide world of books. I was thrilled to get several comments- some from folks I know and some from people I have never heard from before. Franki suggested that she's done/is doing some "If you like..., you might also like..." C.A.T. said to check the Teachers' College Reading and Writing Project website because they do something similar called "Book Ladders." I did check the site, but didn't find this topic.
Several people offered to help put some book ladders together, so I say, "Let's go for it. The more the merrier."
Here are some lists I'm thinking about. These are just beginnings…Feel free to suggest stuff and I will add it, or suggest some new topics.
Junie B. lovers- Junie B. Jones, Moxy Maxwell, Clementine, Amber Brown, Ramona
Captain Underpants lovers- Captain Underpants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Diary of a Part Time Indian
Dog Lovers: Henry and Mudge, Leanin' Dog, Where the Red Fern Grows
Sports books: Matt Christopher, Dan Gutman, Mike Lupica
Animal Fantasy
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Horse Lovers: Marguerite Henry
Friendship: Pinky and Rex, Betsy, Tacy, Tib
This is just a start. Feel free to post a comment and we'll keep working on this.
