Book series for all ages

Can we read? No. 82: A guest post from Caitlin Mallery

Hi there!

I have a fun guest post for you today. Caitlin Mallery, one of my dear fellow Substackers, writes a newsletter meant to help people on their faith journey. While I don’t share Caitlin’s faith tradition, I’ve been fascinated by the deconstruction of her own experience, and regularly find beautiful gems tucked into her thoughts and writing.

Today Caitlin, a parent of children of multiple ages, shares her recommendations for book series for all ages.

Read on!

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Book Series for all ages

“Can We Read?” is such a wonderful resource for reading to your kids. Mine are just a bit older than Sarah’s, so I can share from my experience that reading to your children will bring wonderful things for you and your family.

I don’t remember not knowing how to read. From the earliest age I could, I read voraciously, and my mother kept the shelves full. She took my sisters and me to the library regularly. The thrill of my first library card lingers pleasantly in my memory. As a brand new mom, it was not shocking that I would read to my baby, eagerly awaiting the day that I could read my favorite books to my children. From poetry collections to beautifully bound classics I have been reading to my children for over a decade now.

In that time, we have explored picture books, graphic novels, classics, and new releases. Both of my boys (ages 8 and 10) have struggled to learn to read, yet their teachers marvel at their complex vocabulary. Their reading comprehension far outpaces their ability to read. This can be attributed to my own large vocabulary in conversation with them and reading aloud to them a lot.

Early in my parenting journey, I was introduced to the Read-Aloud Revival Podcast. Many of Sarah Mackenzie’s episodes shared not only interesting books but also the value of reading to children. Her interviews with educators and writers helped me realize that my kids would learn at their own pace, and the best way to cultivate a love of books was to read to them.

I am a big advocate for reading the books before watching a movie adaptation, so we are currently working our way through the Harry Potter series. After reading the first two books the kids were thrilled to watch each movie. We are currently working our way through book three. I love to read British stories aloud since I have an excellent ear for accents. (As a teenager I actually convinced some British tourists that I was British.)

Listening to audiobooks in the car is a way for all of us to engage in a story together with a captive audience. For Halloween of 2020, we took inspiration from a favorite series, How to Train Your Dragon. The kids’ costumes were from the movies, but we used many phrases from the books. David Tennant’s brilliant reading of it captures a variety of accents and character styles. The books are significantly different from the movies and tv shows, but the premise is the same: a young Viking boy must determine the fate of the dragons for his world. In the books, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third is a scrawny, often underestimated hero-in-training. Through the series, he collects a crew of precocious friends and dragons who will save the world. Giving kids multiple formats for enjoying a story gives a lot of chance to compare and contrast, and play with ideas.

I introduced Little House in the Big Woods to my kids when my oldest daughter turned four, since Laura Ingalls is four in that first book. I have either read the books aloud to them or we have listened to one of the audiobooks. Farmer Boy was a particular hit with the group. We often enjoy trying recipes and crafts from the books, as well as paying attention to how the world has changed since the 1800s. Learning about how Native Americans were viewed is an important part of reading this story. While Ma views all of them with suspicion, Pa takes a more nuanced perspective. Teaching children how times and prejudices have changed is important.

There is plenty of research supporting reading chapter books to young kids. But it works just as well to read picture books to older kids. A good picture book demonstrates the power of “show rather than tell.” It fills the imagination, preparing them for the day when books become less illustrative and more verbose.

The Little Blue Truck books have grown from simple board books to a series for all seasons. Because the big kids know them so well, they love reading them to the baby. Good Night Little Blue Truck makes a particularly good read for a stormy night. The easy rhyming story is a good way to introduce poetry to kids.

Another delightful series, The Questioneers, has both picture books and easy chapter books for budding readers. Each new book added to the series will have callbacks to previous books, giving a seek-and-find experience to the books. Starting with Ada Twist, Scientist, the kids and I work our way through each book, noticing connections between characters, and enjoying the rhymes and problem-solving second graders.

Detailed illustrations make for an enjoyable read-aloud and a delightful time lingering over the pages to see all that could be found. The Brambly Hedge books feature mouse houses in a way that will inspire many kids to draw their own. Cut-away stumps reveal multiple storied mouse homes and businesses, even a boat for adventures down the river. Winter Story shows mice architects constructing an elaborate ballroom in a snowdrift!

As my children grow, I hope that we will continue to form bonds over books. Reading through new series, maybe doing more family costumes.

Mostly making memories and building a culture around stories.

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A big thank you to Caitlin for this post — I read Little Blue Truck over and over and over to my first baby, so that series holds a special place in my heart. And of course I can never gush enough about Brambly Hedge, as you well know if you and I have ever exchanged book recommendations for six-year-olds.

I hope you've found a new series to explore with your family today. Thanks for reading, and as always, if you know someone who may enjoy this newsletter, please pass it on! 💌

Sarah