Pls recommend books for a first grader to read independently

Mommeeeeeeee!

Thu, Dec 23 2010, 8:59 am

My 6yo dd is ready to move on from the storybooks we have. I would like to start giving her easy chapter books to capture her interest that she can read on her own. She has excellent vocabulary and comprehension skills and enjoys when I read more sophisticated books to her and understands them easily, but she isn't able to read the really difficult words yet. So for reading on her own, she needs books with interesting age-appropriate stories but on a reading level she can handle independently (to illustrate, she is on the higher end of typical first grade level - they had a classwide reading assessment and she scored third highest in the class, attaining level "F" where the rest of the class scored between B and H, with only two kids outscoring her, if that helps gauge what kind of books would be appropriate). Can you recommend books, secular or jewish, that your kids enjoy(ed) at this age?

PinkFridge

Thu, Dec 23 2010, 12:01 pm

Many secular series books have the bonus of being written with an educator's eye. Still, she should be able to stretch herself a bit. In our secular library, the books Madys mentioned are in one section; the picture books in another. The picture books, which tend to be larger (in size, not words) and have great illustrations may be just right at this point.

Though I just saw Hinda Rochel's post. Those are the books tickling my brain! I don't know when they start English in your school, pre 1 A or first grade, but that's much more likely to be enjoyable reading material for her. But the picture books are still great - fun stories, fun to read aloud if she likes to be read to.

There is a lot of lovely Judaica, I hardly know where to start. Dena Rosenfeld, Yaffa Ganz (Mimmy and Simmy), for starters. I'm thinking of others but I'm going to stop because there are so many and I'll leave people out. (This is if you also have access to a Judaica library or are inclined to buy books.)

SingALong

Thu, Dec 23 2010, 3:10 pm

my DD is also in first grade learnign how to read. I have some junie b jones books for her and amelia bedelia. however it is still too hard for her, I read them to her. I think by the end of the year she will be able to read these on her own. now she can read the dr suess book on her own, or other similar age level books.

Mommeeeeeeee!

Thu, Dec 23 2010, 3:49 pm

thanks for all the suggestions, I will check them out.

red sea wrote:

boxcar children, easy words, nice size chapter books

I have never read these, but I seem to vaguely recall hearing somewhere at some point, can't remember where, that they may contain some inappropriate material, though I don't know what. Is anyone familiar with these, or know what this might be referring to? It is, of course, entirely possible that I am mistaken and am confusing this with another series.

Also, I just remembered something else. I recall reading and loving Mrs. Piggle Wiggle as a child, I think I was in third grade though. If you remember these, do you think they dd is ready for them?

And as for Junie B. Jones, those books are really cute and at the right reading level, but my concern is, I feel like they might encourage bad behavior, making it seem "cute", "fun", and "ok" - what do you all think?

PinkFridge

Thu, Dec 23 2010, 4:13 pm

Mommeeeeeeee! wrote:

thanks for all the suggestions, I will check them out.

red sea wrote:

boxcar children, easy words, nice size chapter books

Re Boxcars: some people make a chiluk between the ones written by Gertrude Chandler Warner and those that aren't. I'm not one of them but I didn't look into them carefully. There are some newer Boxcar books that are shorter than the standard ones. (There're even some graphic novel Boxcars now.)

As far as Junie B. Jones, I know exactly what you mean. But there's a point when kids feel ever so grown up and laugh AT the books, not with her, I.e. living vicariously through her. I was fine with that. (Though there were two my kids didn't read, JBJ loves that Warren or whatever, and the Valentine's Day one.) Even now a buzzword/phrase in our house is, "Fly like the windows, Helen." Your judgment call and IMO reasonable either way.