How to Read a Story

K-Gr 2—In 10 easy steps, each one expanded upon, this metafictive tale offers its young audience a primer not merely on how to read, but on how to read a picture book aloud and enjoy it. Beginning with Step 1, "Find a Story," the book guides a mop-haired kid and his whimsically blue dog through all the necessary stages by using a story within a story called "The Princess, the Dragon, and the Robot." Other steps include finding a friend to read to, getting comfortable, reading with expression, showing the pictures, sounding out unfamiliar words, and using pictures for clues—all wonderfully useful advice for new readers. Siegel's bright cartoonish illustrations in watercolor and ink lighten the mostly practical text with a few funny moments—the boy stuck in the chair with the dog, the princess taking the dragon for a walk. A nice departure from the typical focus on silent personal reading that educates without being overly didactic.