You Should Meet John Lewis, a big kid book with a format to entice all

Recently I wrote about how an illustrated book, in some cases, can be for older audiences. They can provide talking points for people or events in history or pop culture in a way that’s more direct, effective interesting, and softer. Early and emerging readers are certainly familiar with the Ready-To-Read book series. There’s a book in that series for any student in pre-k through middle elementary. Those readers who like a challenge, or for those aged seven and up need to check out books in the most advanced series, Level Three-Superstar Reader. These books have the same format but have a more complex story, lots of three-syllable words, challenging vocabulary, and a story that requires those readers to pay attention. You Should Meet John Lewis is the first book that we’ve seen in this series and it really fills a gap that many elementary school readers have.  

It’ll vary as to when students are ready for a book like this, but it’s somewhere between late third grade and early sixth grade. That is a huge range, isn’t it? However, those advanced readers who are younger will know the majority of the words and be able to sound out the advanced ones. The delayed readers will get the confidence in understanding longer sentences that add up to a more appropriate, and advanced story. You Should Meet John Lewis is a big-kid book that teaches about the Civil Rights movement that students will learn about in fifth or sixth grade. 

Even though that’s when most students will start to study it, the story of John Lewis is one that every reader can learn from. Middle school readers who prefer a graphic novel format will enjoy Run. That’s a very comprehensive graphic novel that tells about the early political life of Lewis. You Should Meet John Lewis is a chapter book that’s aimed at readers who can handle chapters that are seven pages long, with an illustration on every page.  

Spread out over 48 pages and consisting of five chapters, as well as a quiz at the end, this is a fun book to read that’s educational. The text covers Lewis’ life, from when he grew up in Troy, his time in Congress, and more. For some readers, the text won’t be detailed enough. However, the book, as well as, all of them in the You Should Meet series is about getting new audiences introduced to the people who are profiled.

  

Fans of the Ready-To-Read series will recognize the style of the illustrations and the flow of the books. The difference is that this book is much more focused on the text than the illustrations or getting them to read basic words. It’s storytelling, plot building, finding the main idea, narrative voice, non-fiction reading that they’ll be asked to read much more of as they enter fourth grade and beyond.  

To that end, readers will immediately recognize that this is not a baby book. Sure it looks like the books that you might’ve read when you were in first grade, but this is the kind of smart, real-world book that will pay dividends as these readers learn to craft essays.  

Ready-To-Read Level Three, You Should Meet John Lewis is by Denise Lewis Patrick with illustrations by Steffi Walthall and available on Simon Spotlight, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.  

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