Easy Readers I Love

Easy readers are designed with the mission to help children learn to read.  Following that purpose certain restrictions are placed on easy readers for length and vocabulary.  Other ways easy readers differ from picture books; each page has lots of white space surrounding the pictures and text, easy readers are usually 6 x 9 inches for reader comfort, and a large picture dominates the page with only a few sentences of large print text.

Easy readers are usually broken into three levels, these levels vary between publishers which makes finding the right level difficult. Some libraries use an A, B and C system to code reading levels.  In this list I have included what I consider level one and level two books -- few words, big bright pictures that provide clues to the words, and repeated vocabulary.

Some of my favorite easy readers:

The Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems -- hands down one of the best series out there.  My eight year old loves them as much as my 4 year old.  They are funny, witty, and surprising. My kids will read these over and over again-- to themselves, to each other, to me.  And for those Pigeon fans, he's always hidden somewhere in the book.

Cat the Cat by Mo Willems --another very cute and funny series with simple vocabulary.

Big Pig and Little Pig by David McPhail -- a silly tale of two pigs.

Dr. Suess -- any of his early readers: Hop on Pop, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Go Dog Go, Fox in Socks, Mr. Brown Can Moo Can You?

Big Egg by Molly Coxe -- A chicken tries to figure out where a big egg came from in her nest.  Read an interesting negative review on this book from Amazon, the critic complained that there were so few words for her $3.99.  Easy Readers are best checked out from the library!

Ling and Ting Not Exactly the Same by Grace Lin -- tells the humorous stories of identical twins who have very different personalities.  My kids loved this one.

Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo - I must admit I haven't read this one yet, it hasn't come into my library, but since it won the Theordore Suess Giesel Award I thought I should include it!

Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel -- Frog and Toad are best friends who have many wonderful adventures together.  There are several other books in this series. These books were turned into a fabulous Broadway musical with delightful, funny, captivating music.  A wonderful activity: read the books then listen to the musical!

Morris has a Cold by Bernard Wiseman --funny stories about a Morris, a moose and Bori, a bear. Boris attempts to explain life to Morris who takes things too literally. My kids love catching the mistakes that Morris makes and how mad Borris gets. There are several more books in the series, but this is my favorite one.

Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold -- My kids love this series about Fly Guy and his good friend Buzz.  Many more books in the series.








Do you have a favorite easy reader?

Why I'm Obsessed with Audio Books

I am obsessed with audio books and so are my kids.  So much to the point now that they won’t even listen to music and I’m considering an audio book ban for a week. But, they are one of the best things I have introduced to my children.

Audio books open up literature in a way that is completely different than print. While pictures from a well-illustrated book can make a story come alive for one child, a well-read audio book can do the same for another.  We all know that children love to be read to by their parents, but it is not always possible for me to read as much as I would like.  Audio books are a great way to fill in the gaps.

          
Audio books can be a lifesaver for a reluctant or struggling reader, allowing them to enjoy the book without the pressure of having to read every word. They can still participate in classroom discussions and not feel left out. As the audio book is reading they can read along in their own book, which will help them to learn vocabulary and pronunciation.  After listening to an audio book the reader can go back and enjoy the print book with less stress. S has listened to me read aloud every Harry Potter book, listened to them all on CD, and he’s now reading them on his own -- and he’s enjoyed them every time!

Audio books allow for wonderful family discussions since we are all “reading” the same thing. Every time we get into the car we review what happened the last time we listened to the story.  I love to hear what my kids remember and what they are getting out of the story.  We easily listen to two or three books a week since we are in our car so much. Some of the books we listen to are advanced for my four year old or may be too easy for my eight year old, but the second I turn on that book there is silence in my car!

Today most libraries provide audio book downloads right from their web pages and you can also check them out on CD.

Audio books all my kids have loved: the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary; the Geronimo Stilton series; the A to Z mystery series by Rob Roy; the Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo; and the Bunnicula series by James and Deborah Howe.

Do you have a favorite audio book?

Reading Magic by Mem Fox

Reading Magic by Mem Fox

I just finished reading Mem Fox’s excellent book Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever.  It is a short, quick read full of wonderful tips and ideas about reading aloud to your children. Here were a few of my favorites:

1.  If you want your kids to love books, show them you love books.

2.    How can you expect your reluctant reader to read if you do not or if you show no enthusiasm for reading?

3.    Dads—read aloud to your kids!

4.    When your child is reading aloud don’t make them sound out every word, just tell them the word and move on with the story. 

5.    Don’t stop reading aloud even when your children can read themselves.

When trying to encourage your child to read it seems only natural to stop and have them sound out a challenging word they don’t know -- thus teaching them the word.  Fox suggests telling them the word to keep the story flowing smoothly along and chances are they will remember the word the next time they see it. This will keep the child’s interest and eliminate boredom and frustration for both child and parent. After reading this idea I tried it out on my daughter and I was amazed at how beautifully it worked.  When reading a wonderful story aloud who wants to be bogged down by the tedious sounding out of words?

My husband can read Spider-Man comics like no one else, well pretty much because I refuse and our son loves them.  He does all the voices for Spidey, the villans, and the POW, ZZBBPPT, and WABTTT.  I’m not saying he loves reading them, but he knows that S loves them so reads with enthusiasm.  (He also reads Strawberry Shortcakes Berry Wonderful Day with enthusiasm.) Fox states in her book that having both Mom and Dad read aloud can make a huge difference in a child’s desire to read. 

Fox stresses the importance of continuing to read aloud to your children even after they can read themselves. You can always read them more challenging books or books they would never pick up on their own. I will always remember my dad reading us Poe’s The Raven, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn when I was seven or eight.  I plan to read aloud to my children until they leave the house--if they let me.

How to get started:

The Read Aloud Handbook: Jim Trelease (6^th edition)—this book and others by Trelease are the perfect place to find some books to get started.  http://www.librarything.com/work/96385/book/70237569

Reading Together: Everything you Need to Know to Raise a Child who Loves to Read by Diane W Frankenstein. http://www.librarything.com/work/9308641/book/70237594

What do you love to read aloud to your child?  What do you remember being read aloud as a child?

Kids Read All The Time!