Our newest iPad book available on the Who Can Read? ipad app is Beauty and the Beast. Students will enjoy reading this classic tale about a lovely girl named Beauty who is sent to live with an ugly beast. This level K/19 book is ideal for your second-grade reader. Beauty and the Beast was retold by Rose Lewis and illustrated by Shelley Dietrichs. See our level chart for more information about leveling. This book is available for in-app purchase for $2.99.
Follow Who Can Read? on Twitter.
Our newest iPad book available on the Who Can Read? ipad app is Daisy’s Party Dresses. Students will enjoy each cute party dress that Daisy puts on. This level A/1 book is ideal for your beginning level Kindergarten to first grade reader. See our level chart for more information about leveling. This book was written by Michele Dufresne and photographed by Heather Rush. This book is available for in-app purchase for $2.99.
Follow Who Can Read? on Twitter.
Our newest iPad book available on the Who Can Read? ipad app is Lion’s Birthday. Students will enjoy the colorful illustrations and African animal characters in this story about Lion’s birthday celebration. This level M/23 book is ideal for your upper level second-grade reader. See our level chart for more information about leveling. This book is available for in-app purchase for $2.99.
Follow Who Can Read? on Twitter.
A Country Mouse and A Town Mouse is a lovingly illustrated take on the traditional tale. This level E book is ideal for your first-grade reader. See our level chart for more information about leveling. This book is available for in-app purchase for $2.99.
Follow Who Can Read? on Twitter.
Our newest iPad book available on the Who Can Read? ipad app is Cookies for Santa. This Level H book is perfect for a very good first-grade reader. The engaging story will keep your reader interested while the lively illustrations support her understanding of the plot. This book was written by Michele Dufresne and illustrated by Cula Carmen Elena. Be sure and review our leveling chart to get a handle on your child’s level. Book is available for in-app purchase for $2.99.
Follow Who Can Read? on Twitter.
We have a handful of new books for the Who Can Read? app to share with you.
Baby Animals of the Rain Forest, a title from our Tiny Treasures series. It is a level B book, which means it is perfect for a young reader who is just starting out with reading but has progressed beyond level A. It is important to move your child or student up the reading ladder gradually by introducing higher level texts. At any point, though, reading books slightly below the child’s current level will keep his or her confidence level up, so don’t be afraid to keep those in the mix, too.
There is no chance you won’t be hungry after you read Making Pizza. This nonfiction C-level book is a popular one in our print catalog.
Another book in our nonfiction series is Vehicles. Level B. All of our nonfiction books feature a glossary at the end of the book. Lower level books have a picture glossary like the one pictured. Higher level books will actually include a definition.
Food for Jasper is another Level B book. This one is illustrated fiction introducing the adorable fat cat Jasper.
This time around we’ve also added a chapter book at level K. Fishing in the City is written by Michael Rafferty and features two adorable city mice (not rats!).
If you need any help downloading new books or have any questions, concerns or comments, go to our help page.
We have four new books at various levels available for purchase inside the app for $2.99 each.
The Garbage Can Concert is another book illustrated by Ann Caranci. It’s about two mice (not rats!) who want to raise money for the orphan mice in their city. Adorable! This is a Level L book, which means it’s appropriate for highly skilled readers at the 2nd-grade level.
Lemonade for Gilbert is a cute book about Gilbert, a pig who often gets into trouble. It’s leveled at an H, which means it’s good for the skilled 1st-grade reader.
Insects is a super-easy book at Level A. Help your new reader with her insect vocabulary.
Fun for Pickles features the adorable pup Pickles who loves to watch TV, to the chagrin of her owner. This Level K book is good for any 2nd-grade reader.
The following is a story that appeared in the Daily Hampshire Gazette on Thursday, July 28, 2011.
Easthampton pilots new reading technology
Thursday, July 28, 2011
EASTHAMPTON
Students at Center/Pepin elementary school will be piloting new reading technology this fall, thanks to a longtime friendship between city schools Superintendent Nancy Follansbee and Michelle Dufresne, owner of Amherst-based Pioneer Valley Books. The company, founded in 1998, provides books for children learning to read.
“Michelle and I were Reading Recovery teachers together 20 years ago,” Follansbee explained. “We’d been talking about how they want to have an iPad app for books. She asked me if we’d be willing to pilot the devices and course we said we would.”
In mid-August, the company will be delivering six iPads to the school preloaded with the “Who Can Read?” book reader application. Each book is illustrated and features audio so that a student can choose to hear it read aloud or turn the audio off as they develop their own reading skills. The book reader, which came out in May, also features a trademark animated owl that helps students follow instructions. (More information is available at www.whocanread.com)
Lauri Yanis, director of sales and marketing for Pioneer Valley Books, said the Easthampton elementary school is “the only one we are making this gift to.” In addition to providing the iPads, the company will offer training to kindergarten and first grade teachers at Center/Pepin in the use of “Who Can Read?” and other iTunes apps that are helpful to reading instruction,
Follansbee said once teachers at Center/Pepin are trained, administrators will look for ways to share the book readers with other city schools.
Gilfether oversees curriculum, grants
Shirley Gilfether, a former interim assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the Easthampton schools, has been hired as the district’s new director of curriculum/grants manager.
Gilfether, who lives in Greenfield, will replace Melissa Earls, who left after a year in the job for a new post at the Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School for Excellence in Springfield.
The curriculum director’s job was advertised at an annual salary of $75,000 to $85,000. When reached last week, Superintendent Nancy Follansbee declined to provide Gilfether’s exact salary, noting that a contact had not yet been signed. She is expected to start work in early August.
Gilfether earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and psychology from San Jose State University in California and a master’s degree in education administration and supervision from California State University in Hayward, according to her resume. Her experience includes stints as a high school math and physical education teacher, assistant principal and principal for public schools in California, Massachusetts and Vermont. Gilfether has also worked as an independent educational consultant.
Avid users of our app will be thrilled to find out that you will now be able to see what level each book is when you are looking at your Bookshelf. If you aren’t seeing the levels labels there yet, there’s one thing you have to do to get them to show up: You will have to download the books again (don’t worry, the updates are free). It’s easy. Here’s how to do it.
Step One: Launch the app on your iPad and go to the Bookstore.
Step Two: Touch the tab that says “Updates” (you should see a number next to the word).
Step Three: Click on each book in the lefthand column, one at a time, and touch “UPDATE” in the top righthand corner of the app. The new versions of the books will start downloading. We’re sorry that this is the only way we can get you the levels icon in your bookshelf. But don’t worry, this part is almost over. And Apple won’t charge you for the update to the book. Once you’ve purchased the books, updates to them are free.
Step Four: When all of your downloads are complete, touch “Done” in the lefthand corner of the app.
You can now go to your Bookshelf and your books should have black-and-white level labels on them! (See screenshot below for an example) The levels will make it easier for you to choose which books you want to use with your child. For more information about levels, check out our Leveling System page here or go to “About Levels” on the app.
We have just rolled out two new books for the iPad that we think you will enjoy.
The Gingerbread Boy is a whimsically drawn book written at a level that can be enjoyed by everyone. This Level C book is ideal for Kindergarten to first-grade readers. If you want your child to know the classics, introducing the stories at a lower level is a good way to give them a solid foundation in later years when they come upon the stories again at more difficult levels.
The Fisherman and the Golden Fish offers a lesson at the end of the book (that it’s never good to be overly greedy). This Level J book is ideal for first-grade readers transitioning into second-grade reading.
Want to know how to get these books?
Happy reading!
