A good children's book is deceptively simple. Each layout—each word—requires an astonishing amount of thought and consideration. Simple stories, yes, but such important lessons! The children of Ready Set Pre-K—Freda, Percy, Emma, Carlos, Camille and Ajay—live in an idealized world, but their stories must resonate with children in the real world. To help us strike the right balance between showing behaviors designed to be modeled and presenting real life stories, we asked five experts in early childhood development and education to serve as the I See I Learn Review Team: Louise Belmont Skinner, Nita Copley, Jessica Hoffmann Davis, Cindy Gennarelli and Maurice Sykes. Their insights have been invaluable. They have become so familiar with our fictional friends, their responses often include comments such as, "That doesn't sound like Freda!" or "What would Ajay do?" And, of course, "Oh that Percy!" Likewise, tales of some of the many real children the reviewers have known—their foibles, humor and the uncanny ability of the very young to cut to the chase—have helped give the I See I Learn stories a sense of grounding. On behalf of Miss Cathy, the children at Ready Set Pre-K and, of course, Pickle, thank you! |