Thursday, November 7, 2019

Brainstorm 192: The new beginning chapter book duos

It used to be that Dick & Jane, Little Bear & his Mother, and Frog & Toad had a corner on the market for friendly duos who’d usher kids into the broader reading world with the first chapter books littles could read on their own. Then came a new wave with Mr Putter & Tabby, Henry & Mudge, and Judy Moody & Stink joining the ranks. Today’s generation has a few more duos to usher them into the chapter book world, and I thought I’d introduce you to some of them. To make it to this list the duo has to have multiple books out, have entered the book world in the past decade, and have books that feature multiple little stories or chapters. (And for those who are wondering, that’s why Elephant & Piggie didn’t make the list. Their books all have just one story and no chapters.) Clicking on the series title will take you to my review of the duo's first book. And if you notice shiny stickers on the covers of several of these titles, that's because many of these series have won at least 1 Theodore Seuss Geisel Award or Honor (some are more modest and aren't showing theirs off). It's a lesser-known ALA award specifically for beginning reader books.


Bink & Gollie series by Kate DiCamillo & Alison McGhee, ill. by Tony Fucile
Bink and Gollie are two girls very different in personality and height, but they are great friends. They have imaginative adventures that are still based in reality. There are 3 books in the series. They are each big on attractive illustrations, with just the right amount of words to get the story across (and make readers crack up) without overwhelming beginning readers.

Target Readers:

  • Contemporary Fiction Fans, Humor Fans, Beginning Chapter Book Readers


Charlie & Mouse series by Laurel Snyder, ill. by Emily Hughes
Charlie and Mouse are two brothers who are also great friends and have adventures in their neighborhood and with family. There are currently 3 books in the series with a 4th coming out in 2020. The books feature vocabulary that is fairly simple with the occasional challenging name. The illustrations are charming and the adventures somewhat humorous everyday events kids will easily grasp.

Target Readers:

  • Contemporary Fiction Fans, Touching Story Fans, Humor Fans, Brother Story Fans, Beginning Chapter Book Readers, Picture Book Fans (their books look like picture books more than readers), Lower Grade Readers


Fox & Chick series by Sergio Ruzzier
Fox & Chick are the most recent duo to break into the beginning chapter book world. They just arrived in 2018 and their 2nd book came out this year. In this comedy duo, Fox is the straight man and Chick is the source of the punch lines. Chick doesn't always think things through, and the results are entertaining for the reader while Fox just calmly carries on. They are a little bit like Abbot and Costello for a beginning reader audience (though the target audience likely will have no idea who those two are). Definitely entertaining and a little different from any other beginning reader duo. You almost get the feeling that these two aren't necessarily best friends but that Fox is very patient and allows Chick to hang around.

Target Readers:

  • Dry Humor Fans, Art Lovers, Animal Lovers, Beginning Chapter Book Readers, Picture Book Fans (their books also look more like picture books than readers)


Ling & Ting series by Grace Lin
Ling & Ting are Asian American twins who look the same, but are different. They have 4 books out and are aimed at readers ready for their very, very first chapter books. Each one is only about 48 pages long so they can easily be read in one sitting.

Target Readers:

  • Twin Story Fans, Diverse Character Fans, Easiest Chapter Book Readers, Cute & Silly Story Fans, Contemporary Fiction Fans


Narwhal & Jelly series by Ben Clanton
Narwhal and Jelly are like a graphic novel marine version of Elephant and Piggie for lower grades. The illustrations are simple but cute and emotive. The plots aren't super complicated, but are fun and things kids will identify with, and overall, they're super delightful. So far there are 4 books in this series.

Target Readers:

  • Animal Lovers, Graphic Novel Fans, Reluctant Readers, Beginning Chapter Book Readers, Lower Grade Readers


Snail & Worm series by Tina Kugler
A friendly duo with laugh out loud antics. Snail is delightfully oblivious, and Tina Kugler is brilliant with his lines. Kids may miss the full humor (though they'll definitely get enough), but adult readers should get even more. Which is really important when adult readers have to last through multiple re-readings. The illustrations are done in panels, so it is kind of a graphic novel. And the illustration style is quite fun. So far these two creepy crawlies have 3 books out.

Target Readers:

  • Beginning Readers, Friendship Story Fans, Humor Fans, Animal/Creepy Crawly Lovers, Adults Desperate for a Little More in the Books They Read Aloud, Graphic Novel Fans, Picture Book Fans


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