Early Readers: Tigers by Laura Marsh

This was the first National Geographic readers I reviewed, in April of 2012.

I can't believe I have never reviewed one of National Geographic's utterly cool nonfiction readers before, but according to my post listing I have not. Oh the horror!

So, I discovered these last year (2011) and they have been instantly successful at my library; kids quickly figured out how to identify them by the yellow spine and they fly off the shelf.

There are so many reasons I love these, but the top three are: nonfiction for younger readers, amazing photographs, and text that is challenging but in a large font and enticing to read.

National Geographic Kids publishes readers at four levels, pre-reader, level 1, level 2, and level 3. This particular title by Laura Marsh, who has so far written the bulk of the Nat'l Geographic early readers, is a level 2, aimed at children learning to read independently. It is 32 pages long, begins with a table of contents, and finishes with fun quiz questions and a simple picture glossary. The text is divided into "chapters" of a few pages each. Each spread has abundant photographs with captions, jokes (I thought these were kind of corny, but the kids LOVE them) and, when needed, simple maps and "tiger terms" or word definitions. Here's a sample of the simple text; "Tigers are full-grown when they leave their families. They are big, heavy cats, but they can climb trees and jump great distances."

Like all of National Geographic's publications, the photographs are clear and gorgeous. The book has an excellent layout, not too cluttered but with many points of interest. The pages alternate between simple paragraphs and more graphic layouts, like "Cool Cat Facts" that has pictures of tigers in pawprint outlines accompanied by a few simple sentences. Like most publishers of early readers, the levels are individual to the publisher; like most nonfiction in this area, the more complex vocabulary puts it at a higher reading level for what our school district uses (lexiles and F&P) but this does not discourage young readers.

Verdict: I strongly recommend purchasing at least a few of these early readers for your library. Ideally, you'll buy all of them! Start with the titles by Laura Marsh - a nice variety of subjects, concisely written, and appropriate for beginning readers at various levels. Tell your patrons to look for the yellow spines and happy reading!

ISBN: 9781426309120; Published January 2012 by National Geographic; Purchased for the library

Revisited: Over the years these have expanded from mostly animals to science, biography, a little history, and titles meant to be read with an adult. They continue to be popular, both with children and teachers, and I have purchased extensively in paperback for my Library on the Go. The only drawback is that, starting in 2020, National Geographic's publishing schedule became increasingly erratic. Backlist titles are no longer available or backordered for over a year, publication dates change or continue to say "not yet published" months after the date. These are worth going to the effort to replace and purchase new titles, but it can be frustrating.