Oh that's a great selection! I hadn't heard of Bea and Mr Jones and it looks a delight. Our local library doesn't have it, so I'll add it to my next used books order.
Kiddo is currently blasting through Elephant and Piggie so trying to figure out what comes next. It's so nice to have reliably good early readers that can be gathered in a stack, I've been browsing at the library and they seem fairly hit and miss.
Jessica did an awesome job curating this list -- I'd never heard of Bea and Mr. Jones, either!
Re: Elephant and Piggie read-alikes, here are the first titles in a few series you might want to check out:
See the Dog: Three Stories About a Cat by David Larochelle
Duck, Duck, Porcupine by Salina Yoon
Baloney and Friends by Greg Pizzoli
Fox & Chick: The Party by Sergio Ruzzier
Don't worry, it's not you: early readers ARE super hit and miss, and that's just the quality. Then you get into all the leveled garbage -- which differ wildly amongst publishers, with zero guidance as to how to choose which one is the right fit for where your kiddo is currently -- and it's nearly impossible to wade through all the options. I've had the most luck (even with everything I know) asking for help from the children's librarians -- literally saying, "This is what my kid is reading and what she enjoys; can you help me find similar titles?" That's not perfect, either -- my daughter ends up rejecting at least half the suggestions -- but it's a great place to start and a heck of a lot easier than trying to figure it out yourself.
We LOVE See the Dog/See the Cat. They are so nicely done! I'll check out the rest, thanks so much!
It is so strange, the variable quality. He brought hom a terrible Ninjago book today which I've refused to read. I hate the branded books.
My kid has this incredible vocabulary "He was corrupted by his descent into the dark realm!" but is still at a fairly normal reading level. His reading group is apparently not quite ready to move up to the next level, but he is, so we are doing a lot of supplementing at home. And I like just to order a pile from the library and see what sticks.
In my experience, there's always going to be some junk mixed in with the rest, and that's okay. Sometimes we, as grownups, don't read the most highbrow, excellent books possible, right? Choice is the right of every reader, no matter the age.
A great vocab is a sign of a child that has been read to, so good job! 👏
Oh that's a great selection! I hadn't heard of Bea and Mr Jones and it looks a delight. Our local library doesn't have it, so I'll add it to my next used books order.
Kiddo is currently blasting through Elephant and Piggie so trying to figure out what comes next. It's so nice to have reliably good early readers that can be gathered in a stack, I've been browsing at the library and they seem fairly hit and miss.
Jessica did an awesome job curating this list -- I'd never heard of Bea and Mr. Jones, either!
Re: Elephant and Piggie read-alikes, here are the first titles in a few series you might want to check out:
See the Dog: Three Stories About a Cat by David Larochelle
Duck, Duck, Porcupine by Salina Yoon
Baloney and Friends by Greg Pizzoli
Fox & Chick: The Party by Sergio Ruzzier
Don't worry, it's not you: early readers ARE super hit and miss, and that's just the quality. Then you get into all the leveled garbage -- which differ wildly amongst publishers, with zero guidance as to how to choose which one is the right fit for where your kiddo is currently -- and it's nearly impossible to wade through all the options. I've had the most luck (even with everything I know) asking for help from the children's librarians -- literally saying, "This is what my kid is reading and what she enjoys; can you help me find similar titles?" That's not perfect, either -- my daughter ends up rejecting at least half the suggestions -- but it's a great place to start and a heck of a lot easier than trying to figure it out yourself.
We LOVE See the Dog/See the Cat. They are so nicely done! I'll check out the rest, thanks so much!
It is so strange, the variable quality. He brought hom a terrible Ninjago book today which I've refused to read. I hate the branded books.
My kid has this incredible vocabulary "He was corrupted by his descent into the dark realm!" but is still at a fairly normal reading level. His reading group is apparently not quite ready to move up to the next level, but he is, so we are doing a lot of supplementing at home. And I like just to order a pile from the library and see what sticks.
In my experience, there's always going to be some junk mixed in with the rest, and that's okay. Sometimes we, as grownups, don't read the most highbrow, excellent books possible, right? Choice is the right of every reader, no matter the age.
A great vocab is a sign of a child that has been read to, so good job! 👏
This is such a wonderful round-up. Ordering a few and sharing with every working parent I know!
I love hearing this -- and thank you so much for sharing, Kelsey!