Henry's Bad Day

This book is interesting. My boys' favourite character. Helps to keep the boys interested in reading.

Got to say I love these Thomas readers: they are just the thing for motivating youngsters to try more difficult material. In this book you have the story of Henry's recalcitrant and naughty days when he refused to be a 'really useful engine' out of fear that his splendid new paint job would get wet and dirty. If you are not familiar with the story, Henry is out on a run when it begins to drizzle. Fearing to get dirty, Henry hides in a tunnel and refuses to come out, so that Sir Topham Hatt has his lads brick him in to teach Henry a lesson. (Bit of overkill on Sir Topham's part in my opinion.) The stalemate continues until the fateful day when Gordon breaks down stranding his passengers. That is more than Henry can stand so he pleads with Sir T. Hatt to be freed so that he can once more be useful. The reading level on this book is listed by the publisher as Preschool thru First Grade, which I think is a good estimate. The print is large and although there are a number of words per page, and dialog (which can be difficult for new beginners), it all seems to work out because the story is so familiar. My just turned 5 y.o. son had little difficulty reading this book and he has only been reading for a couple of months. More difficult words include: bright, sparkles, handsome, vain, coaches, passengers, and station. Find following a bit of text so you can judge the level for yourself. The workmen opened the tunnel. Henry was dirty. But he was happy to be going. He pushed the Express. Slowly, slowly, slowly, the Express moved. In addition, and unlike some of the other Step-into-Reading books, this one has some thinking and writing exercises interspersed throughout the pages. Questions such as "How would you describe Henry?" and "How do you feel when it is rainy?" are asked. There is some space allocated for writing and some for drawing. The questions can stimulate conversation, while the actual writing exercises might not be right for every child depending on their age and abilities. We skipped the writing, but discussed the questions. Five Stars. Fun, colorful artwork that goes from edge to edge. Good Read-Aloud for a primer. My son was very excited about being able to read a Thomas book for himself, so I have to give this a definite thumbs up.