How Rocket Learned to Read Hardcover – Picture Book, July 27, 2010

My 3 year old absolutely loves this book. It was the only one he'd let us read for about two weeks once he first opened it. I love that he's learning about word structure and letters, but also from the perspective of Rocket who had no interest in reading until it became fun for him to try. I think it struck a chord with my son, who also needs external motivation to begin to show interest in some things.

I bought two copies of this children’s picture book for Christmas gifts for a couple of two-year-olds, mostly based on the Amazon reviews. This book is darling! It’s really geared more for ages 3 to 6, I would say, since it deals with alphabet recognition and phonics skills for beginning readers and pre-readers. I love the illustrations and how Rocket the dog is drawn in to wanting to learn to read! There is no meanness in the story (except one dog who’s known for growling); just patience, kindness, and the idea that learning to sound out words and read them is fun!I can’t imagine any child not loving this book! Nice, quality hardback.

Really like this book for kids!

Our 3 year old has had a passion for letters and has been inquisitive about words lately, so we decided it was time to introduce reading. We have worked on several two- and three-letter words and his own name, but to get to the next step, I felt we needed to illustrate reading to him in a way that wasn't just mommy telling him how to do it. He "got" potty training through potty books, and "got" the concept of a baby brother through books, so I thought we'd try to find some books on reading this time around. Reading about Rocket's experience, he is beginning to understand the concept of sounding out words, not just spelling them. I think he understands the task of reading better with every reading of this story. We are not pushing him to read because he has a lot of time to pick it up, but we wanted to open up the idea to him, and this story is a great tool for that. My husband complains that once he read the book once, you couldn't tell if he was sounding out the words, or if he had just memorized them. To me, however, this is not an issue - if you see a word and know what it is, you may not be working on sounding the word out, but you have learned the word. He sees these words in other contexts and reads them.

Kids love to read it

It seems to me that for a kid's general interest picture/story book what you sometimes want is - a friendly looking hero, a story that moves along but makes sense, illustrations that are clear or at least easily explainable, and a cheerful overall vibe. There are other books that are edgier or maybe more audacious, but for a solid appealing read those basic elements seem to describe a successful book.Well, that's what we have here. Rocket has a certain wide-eyed cheerful appeal without being dopey or simple. He is adventurous but alert. He is brave and resourceful. He is sometimes bemused or inattentive, but he is not a foolish character. In this volume he's learning to read with the help of a very determined little bird. Between the drawings, (which are charming and expressive), and the narration, (which is clear but not patronizing), you get a story that is easy enough to follow, maybe with a little help, and very satisfying. There is a lot of extra business scatterred throughout the illustrations, so there are things to talk about or to point out to your little reader as you go through the story."Charm" is a bit of an overused description, so let's just say that this book is a mellow little lark. And sometimes that's just what you want. A nice little find. Definitely worth a look.

good story

I purchased this book for my 4 year old daughter. She really enjoys this book and I must say, so does my husband and I. It is a family favorite. My daughter loves to listen to the story and has now memorized the book so that she can "read" it to us and her little sister. It is an adorable story about how a dog named Rocket became intrigued about a story that the little teacher bird was reading. Rocket was so intrigued that he started to come to the little bird's class each day to learn to read and eventually, loved reading. The book is well written and the illustrations really bring the story to life. I would definitely recommend purchasing this book.