Shanna's Party Surprise

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-These first readers share the same African-American characters and stories as the popular television program. They include rhyme, rhythm, phonics, and plenty of fun, all the while teaching young readers important skills. Shanna ("rhymes with banana") and her brother Shane ("rhymes with rain") rap their way through the stories. In Bear Hunt, the siblings and their friends, an alligator, tiger, and duck, play a hunt game, repeating, "We sneak-. we peek!" as they search around the house. The bear is really Shanna, and each time they call out for the animal, her answers lead them to her hideout. In Hooray!, the characters take their turns leading the hip-hop rap and invite readers to "get on stage" and show what they can do, too. In Party, Shanna plans a surprise for her "bro," Shane. This book serves as a review of colors, shapes, and numbers. Each title concludes with a simple game. With the speech bubbles and text scattered all over the pages, new readers would find these titles somewhat confusing, making them best suited to sharing aloud. The large, brightly colored and sharply outlined cartoon characters are sure to attract children's attention.-Deborah Rothaug, Pasadena Elementary School, Plainview, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.