Pup and Hound Scare a Ghost

In this Level 1 first reader, Pup and Hound unravel a spooky mystery.

Children's Literature

There are good features to Susan Hood s story about how Pup and Hound chase a ghost through a barn yard only to find the mysterious creature is actually a tablecloth blown in the wind. The language is quite appealing in its use of beat and rhyme. Hendry s crayoned illustrations play up the idea of the ghost all the way to the end; however, billing it as a level 1 Kids can Start to Read book is misleading at best. In virtually every way, the text is well beyond the capacity of an emergent reader. Rhyming a-twitter with a-flitter sound great but neither word is anything like decodable or close to a sight word. So, too, there is too much text and too little repetition for beginning readers. The book may make a fun read-aloud or bedtime story but its label as an early easy read is close to a violation of the Truth in Advertising act. Reviewer: Mary Hynes-Berry

Susan Hood is the Children's Content Director for Nick Jr. Family Magazine and the author of more than 200 children's books, including eight Pup and Hound titles for Kids Can Press. Other writing credits include The New York Times, Sesame Street Parent's Guide and Working Mother magazine.

Linda Hendry is an award winning illustrator and author of over 60 books for children, including many Kids Can Craft books and the Pup and Hound series. She lives with her husband, twin daughters, and a fuzzy cat near Rockwood Ontario.