Always Be Safe

Children's Literature

"Sit using scissors, or you might get hurt" begins this Level C "Rookie Reader." Rhyming stanzas advise kids to wash their hands, avoid eating wild berries or siting in wet paint. In soft pastel and pencil illustrations, multi-ethnic children clutch adults' hands, climb trees carefully, sit correctly in chairs, tie their shoes, wear bike helmets, and buckle their seatbelts. The cautionary advice blends perfectly with the muted art. The rhythm bobbles only once: "Zip up your coat, or you might start to cough." The beat is on target in this line, but some of the flow is lost in the extraneous "might start." A minor quibble. The overall message shifts the text's emphasis away from "don't do this" to an upbeat ending: "Always be safe in whatever you do./Nothing is quite as important as you." This is an important book for a library or homeschool collection. 2003, Children's Press/Scholastic,
— Candice Ransom

Children's Literature - Candice Ransom and Marilyn Courtot

"Sit using scissors, or you might get hurt " begins this "Rookie Ready to Learn" series title. Rhyming stanzas advise kids to wash their hands, avoid eating wild berries or sitting in wet paint. In soft pastel and pencil illustrations, multi-ethnic children clutch adults' hands, climb trees carefully, sit correctly in chairs, tie their shoes, wear bike helmets, and buckle their seatbelts. The cautionary advice blends perfectly with the muted art. The rhythm bobbles only once: "Zip up your coat, or you might start to cough. " The beat is on target in this line, but some of the flow is lost in the extraneous "might start. " A minor quibble. The overall message shifts the text's emphasis away from "don't do this" to an upbeat ending: "Always be safe in whatever you do./Nothing is quite as important as you. " The blurb at the end of the story introduces the author and illustrator and this is followed by several activities to reinforce the lesson in counting and narration—a sing-along to a familiar tune, counting, a game to encourage narrative skills, and others to compare and classify. There is a list of the thirty-eight words that make up the story. Part of the "Rookie Ready to Learn-Out and About: In My Community" series. This is an important book for a library or homeschool collection. Reviewer: Candice Ransom and Marilyn Courtot