Beginning Reading
Billy and Blaze Series - My boys loved these to be read to them, but my new reader is enjoying these as he reads to me and his brothers. It is nice to be able to have something that he can read that can be accomplished in a shorter amount of time. Who doesn’t love finishing a book?! Do yourself a favor and just get the set. Totally worth it. There are also some great options of out of print stories.
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka Series - These are also wonderful to have in your “read aloud” library when they are little, but also a great length to have them read to you as they grow in proficiency. There are many, but these are a few of our favorites:
Snip, Snap, Snurr Series - another “just get them all” find for early readers. My boys love these and there is a “living idea” — or many — in every one.
My Father’s Dragon - This trilogy was just begun by my seven-year-old. He was pleased with the pictures and said, “If a book doesn’t have pictures, my mind just makes them, but these are great!”
The Life of George Washington in One Syllable - This has been a good tool for reading instruction for us. If there is a word more than one syllable it is broken up for the reader and we are able to discuss phonics and spelling rules in context.
Outdoor Visits - These stories are delightful and inspire us to get outside. The dear friend who recommended this then sent a surprise gift of goldenrod honey and it took me an embarrassingly long amount of time to figure out who it was. If you need some goldenrod honey after reading, this was the pick.
The Boxcar Children - First off, my son loved this. It gave him confidence that he could read a book himself and he truly enjoyed the story. Despite the caveats below I do think it worth recommendation and discussion. 1) I believe that the feast we spread before our children should be wide and devouring a series of 164 books is not ideal. 2) the original 1924 edition has dark themes I did not want my son reading, so I was fine with the revised version in this situation. 3) some of the later books have ideas of ghosts and supernatural represented which we would not welcome. 4) Even this first book may beg the question of where the children’s parents went, which may need further discussion.
Tim’s Friend Towzer - I can’t recommend all of these books, but this is highly entertaining for all my boys and my oldest can read it aloud enthusiastically.
Owl at Home and Mouse Soup - We all love Frog and Toad, but I thought these were lesser-known delight of the same author.
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