August 1, 2006 9:20 AM
Children's book recommendations
Hi!
I have been reading your blog off and on for a few months now. I was wondering if you could recommend some chapter books to read aloud to my children. They are three and five.
Although a million picture books come to mind (see Barbara's Picks on the left sidebar and click Children's Books below), I would have to do a little work to come up with a list of chapter books to read aloud to preschoolers.
I think picture books are still best for 3 and 5 year olds, although the word content can definitely increase.
I am SO busy with stuff right now - I will post your question so everyone can answer. Check the blog - and you could also ask Sherry at Semicolon.
Recommendations, anyone?
Posted in Books, Homeschooling, Preschoolers | Permalink
Comments
My kids are 2 and 5 and the chapter books we've most enjoyed so far are the Little House on the Prairie series that are written for beginning readers. They're really just abridged versions of the originals.
Here's one at Amazon: (Barbara, you may want to fix this link so it goes thru your site?)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0064420493/sr=1-5/qid=1154443251/ref=sr_1_5/104-0947411-0101533?ie=UTF8&s=books
We also read Pollyanna, which was too difficult and I'm not sure how much of it she understood (the 5 year old- the 2 year old half listens, half plays) , but she LOVED it. And now we can play the Glad Game all the time!
Posted by: Stacie | August 1, 2006 10:42 AM
Also- forgot to add, any of the "easy" chapter books designed for early readers to read on their own (ie. 2nd-3rd grade level) make good read alouds since they are short and simple.
However, I still enjoy the language of the longer picture books more.
Posted by: Stacie | August 1, 2006 11:12 AM
Raul Dauls books were my favorites as a kid.
Posted by: paigeu | August 1, 2006 12:22 PM
Charlotte's Web would probably be a great start. We're reading The Tale of Despereaux right now with 10, 8, 6, 4, and 2 year olds. All but the two year old are loving it. Short chapters, lovable characters, and frequent illustrations. I think it would be a great read aloud for the little ones, but picture books are probably still best.
Posted by: Jennie C. | August 1, 2006 3:16 PM
My son who will be 3 loves Cynthia Rylant books. The "Mr Putter" and "Poppleton" series are great as are the "Henry & Mudge." My daughter who will be 5 has listened through "Wind and the Willows," "Mary Poppings," etc. I would like to try the Boxcar Children series and "Hank the Cowdog" with them both.
Happy Reading,
Alison
Posted by: Alison | August 1, 2006 3:27 PM
Bears on Hemlock Mountain is fun.
We also liked the Cynthia Rylant books.
Also, there is a "curriculum" called Before Five in a Row that is wondeful to do with children tat this age. They read the same book each day for a week and have different simple and doable activities to go along with it. The curriculum is inexpensive and the books are usually available at most libraries.
Posted by: Spunky | August 1, 2006 3:48 PM
I have boys - their dad read them Moby Dick. They also enjoyed Frank L. Baum's The Wizard of Oz; we've also done Ozma of Oz and The Patchwork Girl of Oz. I found a children's edition of Gulliver's Travels and we are working on that now.
Any adventure story seems to do well for them - they are classics for a reason! They entertain all age levels across generations.
Posted by: Lisa S. | August 1, 2006 6:34 PM
I'm working on this question over at Semicolon. I expect to have a post done tonight sometime. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Barbara.
Posted by: Sherry | August 1, 2006 6:53 PM
Posted by: Sherry | August 1, 2006 10:02 PM
Click on Sherry's comment to find out her expert answer to this question. I knew I could count on Sherry - this woman knows her books!
And remember, she's got a great Picture Book Preschool Curriculum!
Posted by: barbara | August 1, 2006 10:17 PM
We have boys, 7 and 5 years old. We love to read Cynthia Rylant books! We've also just finished reading The Chronicles of Narnia and I was amazed at how much the understood. They were begging to read everynight. We're just getting ready to start "Around the World in 80 days" by Jules Verne.
I think it's good to read above their level as it increases their vocabulary and comprehension level!
Posted by: Julie P | August 2, 2006 8:47 AM
My son 7, still loves to have pictures too. This summer break we have read these aloud: Fergus Crane, My Father's Dragon, The Giggler Treatment and The Magician's Boy. Right now we are enjoying the The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.
Posted by: Tally | August 3, 2006 12:14 PM
