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Shirley Nietzel is a former elementary school teacher and author of rebus books for kids. Beginning and struggling readers will love the repetition of these titles. They are wonderful for interactive read alouds, too! Most of these are a guided reading level J, which is a beginning of second grade level and DRA 18-20 with a Lexile around 420.
The main character is always spunky, which makes for a fun plot. She has written several books that we love, including:
The Bag I’m Taking to Grandma’s
Watch this book read aloud here.
This was our first book by Shirley, and it couldn't have come at a better time. We were discussing how my son's little sisters would soon be arriving, and how we would pack a bag for him to stay with his grandparents while Mom and Dad went to the hospital. He understood that he didn't need to take everything, and his stay went very smoothly.
Our Class Took a Trip to the Zoo
This is a fun book about a boy who gets into some mischief at the zoo. Rebus images include clothing items such as a coat, lunch bag, pants, a button, hat, shirt, and shoes. Animal words in the story are duck, lion, ostrich, bear, and chimpanzee.
We’re Making Breakfast for Mother
The House I’ll Build for the Wrens
The Dress I’ll Wear to the Party
Write your own rebus reader in the same style of Shirley Neitzel! You can download these slides and print them to write and draw on, or you can create your story digitally. I put a spin on a few of her stories here.
