Makeda Makes a Birthday Treat

I Can Read Level 2

by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

At A Glance

Interest Level

4+

Entertainment
Score

Reading Level
1.2

Number of Pages
32

It’s Makeda’s birthday! To celebrate, she is excited to make her marvelous coconut drops to share with the class. But everyone else brings cupcakes for their birthdays. Will her classmates like her special treat?

Makeda decides to bring coconut drops to school because she wants “to share things I love. Coconut drops and back home stories.” She is excited to share her special treats, but her classmates aren’t eager to try them. One person “made a rude face” and another asked, “Did you make a mistake?” Makeda explains her tradition: “I make them with Nana and my momma. We drop the drops, we dance, we sing. And Nana tells back home stories.” Soon, her classmates try the treats and begin sharing stories about their own family traditions.

Makeda Makes a Birthday Treat is part of the Step into Reading Level Two series, which targets readers in preschool through first grade. Each page features one to eight sentences in large font, making it accessible for early readers. The book uses basic vocabulary and familiar words with a simple plot. Many pages include full-page illustrations of Makeda and her family, who are African American. The illustrations of her classmates show a diverse group of students, including one in a wheelchair. The artwork uses bright colors and focuses on the characters’ facial expressions to help readers understand their emotions.

Readers will relate to Makeda, who is anxious about bringing coconut drops instead of cupcakes. Despite her nervousness, Makeda shares her special treats and stories with the class. Other students then share their own special treats such as halo-halo, moi moi, and stollen. The story gives adults the perfect opportunity to discuss different cultures and the importance of trying new things. Through Makeda’s brave act of sharing, young readers learn that celebrating our unique traditions can inspire others to embrace and share theirs. Encourage young readers to share their traditions through storytelling by introducing them to these books: Jingle Dancer, The Storyteller, and Octopus Stew.

Sexual Content 