2 Great New Early Chapter Books

Finding chapter books that are appropriate and engaging for younger readers is often a challenge.  For primary teachers who are looking for a chapter book length book for read aloud or for primary grade readers who are reading far above grade level expectations, appropriate chapter books are often few and far between.  I have been keeping my eye out for chapter books whose content is both accessible and engaging for young readers.  I was happy to find two new ones this week.

 I was soooo happy to recieve a review copy of Nana Takes the Reins from Chronicle Books this week. If you loved NANA CRACKS THE CASE (my blog review here)  when it was released, you'll be thrilled to see that Nana is back! And she is on another adventure with her grandchildren.  This time, they are off to a rodeo.  But they get sidetracked along the way when Nana's car breaks down.  This new book features the same characters we came to know in the first book (Nana, her two grandchildren, their very nervous mother) and we also meet some new characters.  I love the humor in this book and the way the author talks to the reader throughout the book.  At one point in the book, when Nana is very winded from climbing a very high hill, the text reads, "In fact, for your reading ease, all puffing and panting has been removed from the following sentence."  This book is due out in April and I couldn't be happier about this.

I picked up THE TROUBLE WITH CHICKENS by Doreen Cronin at Cover to Cover. This is a fun story about a retired search-and-rescue dog and his friends, the chickens. Even though J.J. merely wants to relax during his retirement, the chicken family on his farm need his help. They are missing two of the baby chicks and they won't leave J. J. alone until he finds them. From the information on the book, this is the first in a series and it sets the stage for a fun set of books. Kids will love the humor and the spy-like voice of J.J.  There is also another character (the villain dog) who made me laugh too.  You can hear more about the book in the trailer below.