If I Had a Snake (We Read Phonics - Level 4 (Paperback))

Bruce wants a snake. A nice green snake. A snake would be so much fun! Bruce thinks about all the things he would do with his snake. He would make a big cage for the snake, feed him ice cream, and take him to class. There is just one little problem: will his mom let him get a snake?

K-Gr 2–In If I Had a Snake, Bruce contemplates all the things he could do with a pet snake. I Do Not Like Greens! is a rather disturbing account of the contrasting diets of a girl and her dog. While she is forced to eat healthy food, her dog eats junk food day in and day out. The result: “That junk makes her sick/and makes her so weak…but with all my greens,/I run like a streak.” In Robot Man, a boy and his father build a Robot Servant to help them around the house. When it gets out of control and puts the moves on Mom, it's disassemble time. This series is designed for use as a home-learning tool. The books include a parent introduction to phonics, suggestions for discussing and reading together, and rhyming and word-family games to play before and after reading. Each title is leveled, focusing on introducing specific vowel and consonant sounds. Often, the story is sacrificed for the rhyme, making the plots seem disjointed and a bit strange. If I Had a Snake is reminiscent of the old “Dick and Jane” primers. Of the two illustrators, Ebbeler does a better job of adding some visual delight to the books. However, these are basically mediocre offerings; their value might be in the supplemental information for parents.–Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh, PA. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.