What reading experts are saying about Flyleaf Publishing
Sally Shaywitz, M.D.
"The Books to Remember series from Flyleaf Publishing is an excellent series of decodable books."
Co-director of the Yale Center for the Study of Language and Attention
Member of the National Reading Panel
Author: Overcoming Dyslexia
Dr. Marilyn Jager Adams
"Books to Remember are lovely books, with gentle stories that have been carefully worded so that young readers can enjoy them on their own."
Author: Beginning to Read, Thinking and Learning About Print
Deborah Simmons
"Your books are lovely and captivating... combining decodable text with engaging storylines and illustrations. Kudos for your great work."
Associate professor, Texas A&M University
Primary author of California's Reading/Language Arts Framework
Robert W. Sweet, Jr.
"Talent like yours is desperately needed in the field of children's literature. Too much of the reading material children have today is stilted... You have the gift of making stories come alive... I commend you for creating these wonderful books."
The National Right to Read Foundation
Louisa Moats, Ed.D.
"Many books that appeal to children have beautiful illustrations and a good story line but are too hard for independent reading by a novice. Books to Remember are appealing and readable because the words follow basic phonetic patterns that are typically taught in a beginning reading program. The vocabulary is controlled but not at the expense of interest. Furthermore, the word study cards provided with the book allow the child to practice basic reading skills. You have created a commendable product: books that are attractive, interesting, meaningful–and decodable."
Past director of the NICHD Early Reading Intervention Project
Co-author: Straight Talk About Reading
Laura Justice
"This is really good stuff–in terms of building skills in the areas we really need to hit, with nicely explicit guidance to teachers... your teacher's guides are really nicely done."
The Ohio State University School of Teaching and Learning
Louisa C. Moats, Ed.D., and Susan L. Hall
"One complaint about sequential controlled vocabulary books is that the stories are sometimes dry. Because the number of words that can be used in the very earliest books is so limited, the stories are not as interesting to children who have been listening to picture book stories read to them that contain more complex characters and plots. However, for a child who is desperately trying to learn to read and experiencing frustration, the feeling of success can override the limited story development...
Some books are written with very intentional vocabulary using only words that are easy for the beginning reader to read, yet are not dry. An example of a decodable book, which contains words carefully selected to match the phonetic patterns the child is more likely to be familiar with, is The Sunset Pond by Laura Appleton-Smith. A few lines from this book demonstrate the careful selection of words:
Bud jumps in the pond and swims fast to get the stick. He huffs and puffs as he grasps it and swims back to Matt.
As the sun slips past the hills in the west, the pond glints red and pink. A duck lands on the pond and drifts in the sunset.
You can see that this vocabulary is rich and graphic, yet these words can be sounded out by the child."
Straight Talk About Reading
How Parents Can Make a Difference During the Early Years, p. 205.
Contemporary Books, Lincolnwood (Chicago), IL, 1999.
What teachers are saying about Flyleaf Publishing
Adrianne Zielke
"I believe you have the best product currently available for highly decodable books that are also engaging for students."
Michelle McStine
"I have to say that since we switched to your products, we couldn't be happier. They provide the tools for explicit, multisensory, expertly sequenced activities to boost their phonemic awareness, decoding skills, and deep understanding. We are noticing a big difference in our students' performance and rate of growth. THANK YOU for all you do!"
Risa Sokolsky
"Books to Remember are great! They are fully decodable for early readers, contain remarkable natural language given the constraints of decodable text, the illustrations are bright and engaging, and the length is long enough to feel like a 'real' book but not so long that they are exhausting... It is such a joy to be able to offer an early (or struggling) reader a book that lets them independently taste the pleasure of literature."
Teacher, New York
Felicia Far
"Let me first say how very grateful my class of second graders is for your beautiful books. For many students, your books are the first thing they have in their hands when they discover they can read. The Sunset Pond has become a "rite of passage" for the children... The buzz goes 'round the room. 'Has Ms. Far given you THE BOOK yet?????' And my favorite, 'Have you got any more of those LEAF stories?' The joy on my students' faces as they find themselves reading every word is priceless. We have experienced outstanding success with our class of readers this year."
Teacher, Vermont
Sally Shearman
"I love your books and so do my students. It is a delight to use books that are beautifully illustrated, have good story lines, AND are decodable!"
Teacher, Ontario
Lillias Martin
"Flyleaf Publishing produces a product which I believe is the best of its kind. Books to Remember are truly head and shoulders above any other materials of this type. The future readers of the world—especially those who struggle to understand the complexities of our language—and their teachers thank you!"
Teacher, Maine
Susan Farra
"I like the specific emphasis on certain letter-sound patterns in the books. The illustrations and colors are especially nice for 'controlled' readers. My students have really enjoyed reading the books; for some of them it has been their first experience at reading success."
What parents are saying about Flyleaf Publishing
Anthony Lappé
"I'd like to commend you on your excellent Emergent Reader Series. My daughter (just turned 5) just had an amazing breakthrough yesterday, reading on her own for the first time. She was literally squealing with delight!"
Parent, New York
Heike Larson
"My almost 5-year-old daughter just surprised her 10-year-old cousin yesterday evening by reading all of Meg and Jim's Sled Trip. Your wonderful stories are mainstays of reading together in our house. It's great to have a reading program that I as a parent enjoy reading, too."
Parent, California
Jenny R.
"I just found Books to Remember and have been using them in conjunction with the Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. My two 4.5-year-olds are loving them—and I am too! Thank you for phonics readers that have beautiful illustrations and interesting stories. We (and all my younger children, who don't know what gems are lying ahead in their own reading instruction) appreciate them!"
Parent, Louisiana
Mary Anne Creto
"We love The Sunset Pond. Our son had just reached the point of being able to read it when it arrived. He said it was the first 'real' book he had ever read. I agree with him completely. It is so much more interesting and beautiful than the typical readers for children. Thank you!"
Parent, Connecticut