A nonfiction title in the series "We Both Read," this book allows children and parents to discuss safety issues. Divided into five chapters, this book discusses safety issues that relate to home, school, and outdoor fun. Students learn tips such as stop, drop, and roll, as well as how and when to use 9-1-1. Children are warned about the dangers of eating unknown fruits, playing with unknown animals, or going places with strangers. As with other books in the "We Both Read" series, adults and children can read this book together. By slightly varying text sizes and content, young children can easily read aloud with older children or adults. In this way adults can model reading strategies, and young readers are able to learn new vocabulary and talk about what they are learning. As such, this book allows for a great deal of interaction between the readers and the text. As with any other book from the "We Both Read" series, this is a great addition to a classroom library. Teachers can use it as a read aloud or as a book for students to read together. Although the adult's text is a little more complex than the child's text, many children after one or two readings with an adult would be able to read it individually or with another child. The colorful photographs complement the text and add richness and depth to the text.
Gr 1-2-The book offers safety tips for home, school, and play. It is a curriculum-driven title that is part of a series designed especially for parents and teachers to participate in a shared reading experience with a child. The adult reads the more advanced text on the left-hand page, followed by the child reading the text opposite. Unfortunately, the language is uninspiring and the photos are unappealing. The "Parent's Introduction" states that "Reading aloud is one of the most important activities parents can share with their child to assist their reading development." They would be better served by sharing Peggy Rathmann's Officer Buckle and Gloria (Putnam, 1995), discussing all the safety tips, and creating new ones.-Pamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
