Dana Meachen Rau

Part of the Who HQ series, What Is the Story of Cinderella? takes a deep dive into one of the world’s most beloved fairy tales. Dana Meachen Rau explores how the Cinderella story has been retold across centuries and cultures, tracing its journey from early folk versions to the Disney adaptation most readers know today. The book is filled with fascinating details, colorful illustrations by David Malan, and an approachable narrative style that makes history and folklore accessible to young show more readers. show less

A young boy named Oscar teaches his best friend and classmate, Lucy, how to understand the "secret code" of Braille in this easy reader, part of the Rookie Readers series. With a simple sentence on each two-page spread, and colorful cartoon-like illustrations, author Dana Meachen Rau and illustrator Bari Weissman spin a satisfying tale of two friends that, though they use different methods, share their love of reading with one another.

I don't think I would have picked The Secret Code up - I show more tend to avoid this sort of very basic early-reader - were it not one of our official selections over in the Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is people facing physical challenges. I liked the fact that Oscar's blindness is presented in such a matter-of-fact way - no trauma here, folks! - and that the theme of children with different abilities is presented in an early-reader format. This is a title one might expect to find in any classroom, as part of the materials available to help children learn to read, making its themes all the more welcome! Beginning readers will enjoy the story, learn a little bit about Braille, and (if they're anything like me!) have fun translating the letter that Oscar sends to Lucy, toward the end of the book! show less

Dana Meachen Rau’s use of highly simplistic, patterned language is the kind of text that beginning readers consume happily. Every page is a variation on the previous one, with few if any syntactic surprises. There is something to the rhythm of Robot, Go Bot! that might remind older readers of a modernized version of the old, “See Spot Run” series, but without feeling stiff and unnatural, thanks in part to Wook Jin Jung’s clear, comic book-like illustrations. Young children might also show more feel confident in using this as a read-aloud for any toddlers in their family, as the storyline and pictures would also appeal to that age group.
The story opens with a small girl building a square, friendly-looking robot. She
quickly realizes that the robot will perform any task she commands, and as soon as she discovers this power, she begins to abuse it. While our young female protagonist builds her demands for the robot, the robot becomes increasingly worn-out and resentful until that he just cannot go (Bot!) anymore. The solution the girl concocts is, like Robot, Go Bot!, simple and effective. Rau has sneakily included a lesson within this short tale, one that young children and their newly formed friendships might find useful. Children prone to bossyness will hopefully use this tale to reflect on their actions and create new ways to give their friends control and space. show less

In my opinion, “Safe Kids School Safety” was a great book. One reason that I feel this way is because it explains why we have school rules such as no running in the hallway, wash your hands, stay together during fire drills, and don’t lean back in your chair. Usually, when children know why rules are in place, they are much more likely to follow them. Also, this book put the explanations into very simple terms that children would understand. “Do not run in the halls. You could crash show more into someone. Watch out for the swings. You could get kicked.” The short and to the point sentences are very easily comprehensible. The last thing that I really liked about this book is the picture glossary in the book. Picture glossaries are very beneficial for students with low reading levels as well as English language learners. This is an interesting feature that most non-fiction books do not include. The main idea of the book is to teach children why school rules are in place and how they keep us safe. show less