I’m Taller Than You! (Tadpoles). A.H. Benjamin. Illustrated by O’Kif. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2008. 24 pp., pbk. & hc., $7.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-3885-5 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-3854-1 (RLB). Subject Headings: Readers-Stature. Readers-Giraffe. Kindergarten-grade 1 / Ages 5-6. Review by Robert Groberman. *** /4

excerpt:

“I’m taller than you,” Giraffe says to Elephant.

“I’m taller than all of you!” Giraffe says to everyone.

 

I’m Taller Than You! is a beginning pattern book from the “Tadpoles” series published by Crabtree. In the story, by A.H. Benjamin, a giraffe compares its height to a number of other jungle animals. The giraffe concludes it is the tallest of all. The story, though easy to read by beginning readers because of the simple repetition of  “I’m taller than you,” Giraffe says to . . . , also introduces new vocabulary like “tortoise” and “monkey” and “hyena.”

     The full-colour pages, drawn by O’Kif, contain very detailed jungle pictures and very clear depictions of the individual animals as they are introduced. This is a book which should attract reluctant beginners with its vibrant colours and very simple sentence pattern. The story ending, while breaking the pattern, is also easy enough to read for the beginning reader to complete the entire text without assistance.

Recommended.

Robert Groberman is a grade two teacher at Kirkbride Elementary School in Surrey, BC.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

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