A heavily illustrated book with limited text written to appeal to the interests and reading ability of children from preschool to third grade, usually shelved in a separate section of a school library or children's room in a public library. Synonymous with easy reader.The pellet food for the young child, easy books are easily the most loved by patrons and hated by some professionals. Cute and cuddly with little by way of actual reading, these books give glimpses into our pasts when we quietly read the adventures of Curious George and the Berenstein Bears while our babysitters shot tequila and organized fight clubs in the basement. These books are about creating the gift of reading for children and reliving those memories as adults. In essence easy books are like doorknobs; everyone gets a turn.
Professionally, these books can be quite a nightmare. Thank goodness they are cheap because they are often destroyed beyond recognition. Because of their size they cannot often be shelved in the regular matter and are often organized into "bins" that act like little interment camps for refugees. These bins get more action than the entire Vietnam War. I have heard grown librarians cry when a swath of easy books show up on a holds (patron request) list and they realize they will spend more than an hour hunched over in back-clenching pain searching for those damnedable books.
But we love them all. They keep the kids quiet and coming back for more, the true point of a children's department. Just do not expect to find me down there too often. I have a bad back.