by Lisa Taylor
I just completed another great ALSC online class, Reading Instruction and Children’s Books, taught by Kate Todd.
While I learned a lot about reading and “leveling” methods, I also learned that librarians across the country are frustrated with the publishers of “easy reader” books. Not only do they use widely different methods of classifying the “level” of each book, they neglect to tell us which method they use (Lexile, Flesch-Kincaid, whim?)!
Why is one publisher’s Level 1 book so different from another’s? I vented my frustration in this open rap to the publishers of easy readers. One of my clever classmates, Leslie Bolinger, suggested a title — “O Publisher, O Publisher, How Do You Rate?”
Librarians —
we’re a scientific bunch.
We need more to go on
than just a hunch.
We help children find books.
Some use the 5-finger rule.
We help teachers and parents
and we work with school.
“This Level 2 is too easy?
Well, this one’s just right!
Here’s another Level 2 –
Too hard! Not quite.”
Is it Lexile? Is it ATOS?
Is it Flesch-Kincaid?
Please don’t keep us guessing,
‘cause we need your aid!
Tell us how the books are leveled
all across these lands,
and we’ll make sure they end up
in just the right hands!
*******
Lisa Taylor
Youth Services Librarian
Barnegat Branch
Ocean County (NJ) Library
http://theoceancountylibrary.org/
Teresa Walls
Thanks, Lisa! Reading level is an interesting topic, isn’t it? I also wonder if some of the publishing issues comes down to the cost of being part of a system. My biggest woes are when I’m searching for high interest materials for older children who struggle with reading.
Terry Doherty
This is great! I love the rap … and the rap on the publishers, too. It is SO frustrating to try to distinguish and cross-reference the “easy readers” or even reading levels in general in the offerings from the big houses.
lisa taylor
Interacting with colleagues in this class really made me realize the widespread frustration with the classification (or lack thereof!) of easy readers. Perhaps I’ll send letters to the major publishing houses and request information on the leveling methods used for these books. I doubt I’ll hear anything, but if I do, I’ll be happy to share. Maybe I’ll send them my rap 😉
Diane Bump
I agree. Our parents are very frustrated when picking out books from the ER section. We are in the middle of re-organizing our section to our own taste-regardless of the levels that the publisher put on them. Online search showed me how Westlake Porter Public Library did it. We are doing a colored number on a white circle. Now if the 3 of us in the childrens department can all agree on each level complexity-we will be all set.