When people contact me - on my website - or personally, it seems that many ask the same questions -"Where can I find easy books for my child who is learning to read?" or "How do I find the right reading levels for my child?" or "What are the best books as my child learns to read?"
In response to these questions, I have decided to list some great beginning to read series, along with books for younger and older children. When looking for books for your child to read, parents need to remember that the text needs to be very simple, depending on your child's ability. For emergent readers that are just beginning to connect the words on the text with the words being read, there should be few words and many repeating words. As the child gets more assured of his or her reading ability, the amount of words can also expand.
So, parents need to: 1) look for a reading level that will challenge your child without becoming too difficult; 2) make sure that the text is large enough for the child to easily see; 3) find good series written by, or published by, established authors or publishers; 4) look for topics or subjects that entice your reader; and 5) find topics or subjects that will broaden your reader's knowledge horizon.
Remember, parents, that as your child progresses in his/her reading ability, the text will become smaller with more words and fewer pictures on each page. This is preparing the child for the transition to chapter books, and ultimately books with just the text and no pictures where the child has taken the action on the page and sees it in their mind.
I'll start my list with books that would be great for the very young non-readers. (The next question most often asked - "When should a parent begin to read to their child?" The answer to this question is probably around 5 or 6 months old - as soon as they are able to sit up on your lap. The great advantages of this daily occurrence is that your youngster will develop a longer attention span, a better vocabulary, and a stronger bond with you.) Look for books that have simple rhymes and repetition. These young children will enjoy listening and even singing the books that are continually read over and over again.
"First rhymes" and "First songs" - these two books are board books with bright pictures and simple rhyming texts; both books have just been published by Parragon Publishing.
For touch and feel books for the very young, I recommend Dorothy Kunhardt's books "Pat The Bunny", "Pat The Cat", and Pat The Puppy".
For Cloth books, I recommend any of Jan Pienkorwski's books. Some are titled: "Animals", "Friends", "Bronto's Brunch", and "Farm Faces".
For Bath books, I recommend any
of Eric Hill's books about the little yellow dog, Spot.
For preschool children, any of the Dr. Seuss
beginner books which expose your little one to rhyme, rhythm, repetition and
humor. Some of my favorites include: "A Fly Went By", by McClintock, ,
"Hop on Pop", by Dr. Seuss, "Riddles and More Riddles", by
Bennett Cerf, and "Wings on Things", by Brown. (At some point, during
this age, it is recommended to begin pointing to the words as you read them.
Children will begin associating the spoken language to the words in the book,
the directionality of the print on the page, the spaces between the words and
memorizing the text.)
Now for the emergent readers,
through more assured readers, that are getting into chapter books:
Scholastic has a new compilation of stories in the
"Hello Reader" series. "My First Hello Reader", "I Am
A...Nature Reader!", and "First-Grade Friends Forever" Each of
these books has 6 stories inside along with colorful pictures. The text is large
and the story line is simple.
Two new chapter books that children will love are "The Amelia Bedelia Treasury", published by Harper Collins, with three stories in this book all by Peggy Parish, and Marc Brown's "Arthur" chapter books # 4 - 6, published by Little, Brown, which has also has three stories in this hard back book. There is more text, the print is smaller and fewer pictures. The story lines are geared for the age of children reading chapter books so that first and second graders will really enjoy reading these books.
There are many more great books, you just have to open them up to see how many words each story has inside in order to match it with your child's ability. And, of course, in the category of picture books, these are meant for all ages and could and should be read daily. I think one of the best times for this is at bed time as children get ready for sleep. So, happy reading!