first of all, sorry, sorry for late review - all a bit hectic in the silverfrog household atm. I have been reading the books with dd1, who is 7 (but August birthday, so in YR3, supposedly - she is at SN school, so not actually in YR3 as such) and has severe ASD. She is very interested in reading, and we sometimes struggle to find new material for her, as she has been through the relevant levels in other reading schemes, and has a phenomenal memory, so once she has read somehting a couple of times, and been given support with words she finds hard, she can remember the lot, so difficult to tell whether she is reading or reciting, iyswim.
Q1 Which pack or books did you and your child review?
We had the Rapid pack - 6 books (Get Wet!, I Dare You!, Catch It!, Perfect Pets, Ice Surprise and Going Up!)
Q2 How do the books compare with the reading practice books your child brings home from school? Which reading scheme does your child use at school if any?
dd1 has had access to a couple of reading schemes - mainly ORT though - she loves Biff, Kipper et al. She also insists on reading dd2's reading books (dd2 is in Reception, and usually brings home Ginn level 2 books). THe rapid books are very different. They are split into 2 sections, with a different story in each half, and some suggesitons for exercises and games/puzzles in between.
Q3 Would you say your child enjoy reading or looking at the books? Why/why not?
dd1 has enjoyed them a lot. she was very excited by the ones with photos in, as opposed to drawn pictures - she has always loved photos, and we have made good use of an app on her iPad where we can use photos and input text to make up picture books. She was happy to read the stories with drawn pictures too, but the photos really do spark her off - she asked far more questions, and commented a lot more on the stories with photos than on the non-photo ones.
I didn't do all the exercises/phonemic awareness/quizzes with dd1, as she is not really able to comprehend the quiz questions/comprehension questions. the jokes, especially were beyond her (she has a severe language disorder). I also found that the suggesitons for questions/hints on teasing the story out were a bit patrnising, tbh - they are just the questions I would ask anyway (and have been asking since dd1 was 2 or so!) - the teasers of 'what do you think happens next?' are a little over the top imo. When dd1 was reading the books by herself, it confused her a little, as she reads all the words on the page, and found herself in the middle of a sentence that did not, to her mind, carry the story on or have any relevance, iyswim?
Q4 What's your overall review of the book pack?
the books are good, imo. a nice good range of topics, and well put together stories, with a nice level of repetition of words and phrases. nice to have some books that are not the typical early reader subjects, and they do seem to be a lot more 'grown up', even though the text is still nice and clear and basic.
Q5 And what is your child's review of the book pack?
dd1 really likes them (although as said before, she does get a little confused by the extra bits of text - the cues and hints, and facts) and cannot (yet!) manage the extension questions or further language and discussion work.
Q6 Would you recommend these books to another parent? Why/why not?
yes, if I knew someone who needed the same things dd1 does - essentially early/first readers with content aimed at slightly older children.
Q7 Do you think your child would recommend these books to their friends? Why/why not?
erm, dd1 doesn't really have friends, and I can't envisage her even conceiving of recommending something to someone! but yes, if she were capable of that level of conversation, I think she would recommned them, she has enjoyed them a lot.
Q8 What star rating would you give this pack of books overall? Please use a rating system out of 5 where 1 star is poor and 5 stars are excellent
probably a 4. I like the books a lot, but the annoying hints and cues did irritate me, and confuse dd1. but I accept that that is an issue possible only relevant to our household!