Books in Read to a Child! series

This exuberant story follows a Chinese American family as they prepare for the Lunar New Year. Each member of the family lends a hand as they sweep out the dust of the old year, hang decorations, and make dumplings. Then it’s time to put on new clothes and celebrate with family and friends. There will be fireworks and lion dancers, shining lanterns, and a great, long dragon parade to help bring in the Lunar New Year. And the dragon parade in our book is extra long–on a surprise fold-out page at the end of the story. Grace Lin’s artwork is a bright and gloriously patterned celebration in itself! And her story is tailor-made for reading aloud.

The lion at the little French zoo is a favorite of all the townspeople. Every day they stop by to feed him tidbits and say, “Bonjour, Happy Lion.” Naturally, when the lion finds his door open, he decides it would only be proper to visit all his friendly neighbors in return. But, wait—sacré bleu! Why is everyone fleeing in terror?“Louise Fatio’s timeless tale about friendship still sparkles and Roger Duvoisin’s elegant illustrations are as engaging as ever in this 50th Anniversary edition.” —School Library Journal

From the author of National Book Award finalist Hey, Kiddo.Ollie is a purple elephant who is lost and has no place to call home. Until Shelby and Peter find him in the park—and invite him to live with them. Soon Ollie is a regular part of the family. He doesn't have a room to call his own, but he doesn't mind. He is happy. He loves hopscotch and kickball—but most of all he loves the dance parties the McLaughlins have after dinner.But Mr. Puddlebottom, the downstairs neighbor, most certainly does not love Ollie. And neither does the McLaughlins' cat, Ginger. Ollie has taken her spot on the couch at night. When the conspirators hatch a plan to get rid of Ollie, the purple elephant walks right into their trap—and onto a circus cart. Will he ever be reunited with his family?

While full of exciting adventure, these stories reveal the problems and discrimination faced by many girls. The stories show what girls can achieve if they are given the same opportunities and treatment as their brothers. The characters in these readers provide positive role models for both girls and boys, developing their confidence and self-esteem and demonstrating the importance of life skills, such as communication and critical thinking. A central theme for the series is the value of girls' education.To Have a Son Like You is a Level 3 reader. In this story, Leonora is the third daughter to be born to her parents. Her father, who is deeply disappointed not to have a son, disappears and is presumed dead. Many years later, Leonora saves a man's life in a storm. He says he would be proud to have a daughter like her.....but who is this man This story illustrates how boys and girls should be valued equally in the family.The Girl Child series can make a useful contribution to educational initiatives seeking to promote girls' performance and retention in school. They can also be used as support material for life skills programmes, in and out of school. The books are graded at two levels, intended for upper primary and lower secondary classes. The readers can be used as an integral part of a Social Studies or Environmental Science curriculum. They can also be used in Language and literacy classes.

Each book has been written by an experienced educationalist in conjunction with a panel of medical and language specialists. The books have been graded into three reading levels, and each book deals with a different health topic of relevance to children in Africa.The Market Dentist and Other Stories is a Level 1 reader which contains three humorous animal fables about Kalulu the Hare and his rival, Fisi the Hyena. The stories illustrate the importance of nutrition on good eyesight, the effects on teeth of eating too many sweets and sugary items, and the inportance of regular care of hair and teeth. The stories are linked by the young narrator, Tina, who explains to her friend the importance of each message.The readers can be used as an integral part of a Health part of a primary Science, Social Studies, Environmental Science, Home Economics or Health Science curriculum. They can also be used in language lessons.