Text 2- Step Gently Out

Beautifully written in a poem form, each page of Step Gently Out has one or two lines beckoning you to pay close attention to the world around you. This colorful children's book with its live photography and large letters draws you into a quiet moment, where you focus only on the words on the page and the picture of the small creature that is displayed with each piece of the poem. I love books that transport you to different places! Step Gently Out does just that; it slows you  down and makes you pay attention to what nature's smallest creatures have to offer you. 

...be still

and watch

a single blade of grass.

An ant

climbs up

to look

around.

A honeybee flies past.

The language of the book is lyrical like a song and at the same time it is as quiet as a whisper. It seems to me it should be whispered when read aloud. You wouldn't want to scare the creatures away, now would you?

This book is fictional book but the creatures it portrays are real.  I think it would be best if read by and to 1st- 3rd graders (also a great bedtime book for toddlers). The language, albeit poetic, is very simple and easy to understanding. The pictures also make this text interdisciplinary in that a student could use it to observe insects. Moreover, in the back of the book there's a full description of every insect featured in the photos. The picture above, for example, features an Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly. The description in the back of the book tells you the best places to look if you want to encounter damselflies.

I wonder: In what way can this book develop a child's ability to read literature?

I think this book would benefit children in a few ways

1. Students would be able to focus on new words and phrases, their spelling and meaning because there are so few words. The book has some abstract phrases but the words have pictures that elude to their meaning (i.e. The creatures shine with stardust). Students can draw pictures of what they believe the new words/phrases mean or explain it to a partner.
2. Students have an introduction to common insects they may have seen before but now they get to know their names and learn a little about them.
3. Lastly, students can write their own short poem stories based on pictures they may have drawn, magazine clippings they may have cut out, or photos from home they have brought. This exercise makes good use of the book and helps the students to put into action what they have read.

I believe using books like Step Gently Out in these ways will deepen student comprehension and improve their reading ability.