O so sweet. The picture of Sal and her mother in the kitchen is perfection.

Mother Tongue Notes: Good “longer” book for readers that need a confidence boost. The pictures fit the text well, and the more difficult words are repeated often, lending familiarity. The storyline is great for predictive reading.

Use the picking theme to encourage beginner readers to pick out a certain word on the page. “Can you find the word blueberry? It’s a long word that starts with a b and has a b in the middle.”