Series Background

Louie the Lobster was created in response to what I perceived as an opportunity for independent readers (typically found between Grades 2 and 4) to more easily make the transition from easy to read picture books to more advanced text heavy books.

It was during my years teaching Grade 5 in Calgary, AB when I noticed (and reinforced by some parents) that there were few books that acted as 'reading' stepping stones for this independent reader group. This apparent lack of 'stepping stone' books was essentially forcing some students to move too quickly from picture books over to 'text heavy' books. Over the years since I first became aware of this 'gap', I have noticed a continuing increase in focus on children's books catering to different reading levels, especially in the area of picture books taking on more advanced themes and educational content.

The Louie the Lobster series was specifically designed to act as a 'stepping stone' book for these independent readers by keeping the story grounded with strong imagery and layering in more advanced vocabulary and sentence structures, all of which aid in higher learning and provide the child with a great sense of accomplishment. However, in line with the publishing (and learning) philosophy of Crafty Canuck, we are looking to trial different versions of a book to see which version suits which audience or reader level the best. If you would like to contribute to this work and share or start a discussion on how best this gap may be bridged, visit us at Facebook or send us a Tweet.

I hope you and your child will enjoy reading and being a part of Louie's first adventure - the search for the true meaning of friendship.