Sarah, I haven’t read your newsletter in a bit because I am in a phase I’m calling “all emails feel overwhelming” BUT I read this missive just now and golly gosh did it feel like absolute magic and the message I need right now. Thank you!
So happy to stumble across your newsletter! This is exactly the spot we’re at right now and it’s challenging to find books that will stretch my six year old’s attention span and language without venturing into content he’s not ready for. We’ve been really enjoying the Bigfoot and Littlefoot series by Ellen Potter! Cozy + adventures + cryptids is a fun combo. My son would recommend Didi Dodo: Future Spy and Inspector Flytrap, by Tom Angleberger. Very silly and fun but content warning for... poop jokes.
Oh yes! I tend to forget about that series because my brain puts it into "Halloween" (I reviewed the first one for my special edition on Halloween last year) but yes -- great suggestion. Thank you!
Hey! This suggestion is for Jessica, who was looking for books she could read to her “not princess obsessed, good sense of humor” daughter!! I would suggest the Zita the Space Girl series by Ben Hatke for a quality space adventure with a graphic novel format!
For silly, but targeted a little younger (5 is kind of perfect) I LOVE George and Martha by James Marshall, Poppleton by Cynthia Rylant, anything at all by Mo Willems (champion for early reader who are into silly...Piggie and Gerald FOREVER), and the dynamic duo of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen - the shapes series are particularly funny.
The Owly series by Andy Runyon is another graphic novel for younger kids that isn’t very silly but has the sweetest animals and cute lessons on friendship and bravery.
Excellent advice re: play or eat while reading! We've done that every since my kids were young, and they now listen to me read aloud the classics for their homeschooling Literature and Socials classes (we're currently reading "Up From Slavery" by Booker T. Washington this week, and then "The Souls of Black Folk" by WEB DuBois next).
I *still* read my 14 year old picture books. My son (16) I can't get to anymore, but I'm almost sure I still read him one or two that I knew he'd like (cool illustrations or a topic he liked) even last year. I realize each time I bring one home *I* want to read, it may be the last time I read it with a kid, but I'm okay with that (quiet sob); I've had a lot of good years. <3
As for recs for that age of easing into chapter books that are funny: Freckle Juice by Judy Blume is funny and very short, and then of course, Beezus and Ramona and that series. If you have a nature lover, Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat (and then when older, ANYTHING he writes) was a favorite of my kids.
Some good + long non-fiction that you could break up into a few days (with intricate "engineering-type" illustrations) are any of the books by David Macaulay!
For younger books for early readers practicing (once they can read a bit on their own) are the Little Bear (by Minarik) series. I read these when I was little, and my kids enjoyed them, too.
Absolutely excellent recommendations all around, Sarah -- thank you for adding these!
And I want to vociferously second any/all Farley Mowat -- my grandfather introduced me to him when I was a kid (when I loved Wilson Rawls' books and wanted more in that vein) and I've been a fan ever since. He's amazing.
My son one time said "____ (an author we were currently reading) is not fit to shine Farley Mowat's shoes"... so you can see how much Mowat is revered in our household. LOL!!
I hope you enjoy them! Most of his aren't written for children, but Owls in the Family is a classic read-aloud (well written, interesting, funny), and The Dog Who Wouldn't Be is a HILARIOUS memoir of his childhood dog.
Thank you for this! We have been looking for books for my 5 year old to stretch things a little bit, but still age appropriate. I had not considered reading short stories aloud to them. May I ask what are some of your favorite sources for the 2-5 page stories you mention above? A lot of their friends have Tonies and whatever the other brand is of toys that play you stories, and I would prefer to try reading out loud the old fashioned way first. Thanks!
This is a tough question, as we've read so many over the years, but off the top of my head, I'd suggest:
• Tales from Grimm by Wanda Gag
• Tell Me a Story: Stories from the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, edited by Louise DeForest
• Fairy Tales and Fables by Gyo Fujikawa
• The Adventures of Spider by Joyce Cooper Arkhurst
• Sure as Sunrise: Stories of Bruh Rabbit & His Walkin' Talkin' Friends by Alice McGill
I've never heard of Tonies but I assume they're like Yoto players. I've heard good things about those devices but personally prefer cd players for audiobooks -- though to be clear, I have always prioritized reading aloud over anything else. In my mind, audio is awesome, but ultimately a supplement, not a replacement, for reading aloud.
There’s a “Children's Favorite Stories” series that has a bunch of these. There’s one for Japan, korea, the Philippines etc... and they are 2-3 page folk tales with some light illustration.
Bink & Gollie! My girls were OBSESSED with those 3 books for months. Like to the point where I was about to hide the books because I couldn't read them anymore, but not because they aren't entertaining and a great intro to longer books (because they are).
The other series that I highly recommend and was a huge hit here was the Lighthouse Family (https://www.simonandschuster.com/series/Lighthouse-Family), a very sweet series about various animals who live at a lighthouse and help one another. Cynthia Rylant wrote the series so of course they are well written and a joy to read. Jessica might like these since she mentioned her daughter liking animals (also, the Dinosaur Club series I'd consider early chapter books about animals that are fun).
Omg I always forget about The Lighthouse Family series; it so great! That’s such a good recommendation. And yes also to Bink and Gollie — I love those two.
I thought of another series, also by Cynthia Rylant. Did you read her Mr. Putter and Tabby series? They are the sweetest duo and I love that the books are about an older person.
Magic Treehouse was audiobook at preschool right before their rest time and my husband got the box set of Merlin’s Missions. My kids love it, they aren’t my favorite but I will keep reading them as long as they love them.
Both my kids also love captain underpants and Ricky Ricotta, they’ve been a mainstay for the last 2 years. My MIL got Calendar Mysteries from the library and we read January-July in the series before my kids wanted a break.
My niece loved The Secret Garden and A Little Princess when she was 3.
For books young kids can read my 6 yo started with three books by Todd Parr. He is really loving all the Crayon books by Drew Dewalt this year in first grade too and I’m enjoying hearing him read to his 4 yo brother. I heard The Crayons Trick or Treat this morning.
It is hard to find good chapter books that offer a gentle story like a Charlotte’s Web, Herriot for children or the worlds of Roald Dahl. There does seem to be a gap between the PB genre and the middle grade for kids who are still primarily listeners to absorb richer stories and more complex language.
Sarah, I haven’t read your newsletter in a bit because I am in a phase I’m calling “all emails feel overwhelming” BUT I read this missive just now and golly gosh did it feel like absolute magic and the message I need right now. Thank you!
You're very welcome, friend 😘
So happy to stumble across your newsletter! This is exactly the spot we’re at right now and it’s challenging to find books that will stretch my six year old’s attention span and language without venturing into content he’s not ready for. We’ve been really enjoying the Bigfoot and Littlefoot series by Ellen Potter! Cozy + adventures + cryptids is a fun combo. My son would recommend Didi Dodo: Future Spy and Inspector Flytrap, by Tom Angleberger. Very silly and fun but content warning for... poop jokes.
Yes, it's such a specific phase, but there's a real need for books that fit. Thanks for your recommendations -- Bigfoot and Littlefoot is new to me.
For Jessica, the Kitty superhero series by Paula Harrison. A really lovely series, I love the black, white, and orange illustrations.
Oh yes! I tend to forget about that series because my brain puts it into "Halloween" (I reviewed the first one for my special edition on Halloween last year) but yes -- great suggestion. Thank you!
Hey! This suggestion is for Jessica, who was looking for books she could read to her “not princess obsessed, good sense of humor” daughter!! I would suggest the Zita the Space Girl series by Ben Hatke for a quality space adventure with a graphic novel format!
For silly, but targeted a little younger (5 is kind of perfect) I LOVE George and Martha by James Marshall, Poppleton by Cynthia Rylant, anything at all by Mo Willems (champion for early reader who are into silly...Piggie and Gerald FOREVER), and the dynamic duo of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen - the shapes series are particularly funny.
The Owly series by Andy Runyon is another graphic novel for younger kids that isn’t very silly but has the sweetest animals and cute lessons on friendship and bravery.
Happy reading!
Great recommendations, Alexis! Thanks.
Excellent advice re: play or eat while reading! We've done that every since my kids were young, and they now listen to me read aloud the classics for their homeschooling Literature and Socials classes (we're currently reading "Up From Slavery" by Booker T. Washington this week, and then "The Souls of Black Folk" by WEB DuBois next).
I *still* read my 14 year old picture books. My son (16) I can't get to anymore, but I'm almost sure I still read him one or two that I knew he'd like (cool illustrations or a topic he liked) even last year. I realize each time I bring one home *I* want to read, it may be the last time I read it with a kid, but I'm okay with that (quiet sob); I've had a lot of good years. <3
As for recs for that age of easing into chapter books that are funny: Freckle Juice by Judy Blume is funny and very short, and then of course, Beezus and Ramona and that series. If you have a nature lover, Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat (and then when older, ANYTHING he writes) was a favorite of my kids.
Some good + long non-fiction that you could break up into a few days (with intricate "engineering-type" illustrations) are any of the books by David Macaulay!
For younger books for early readers practicing (once they can read a bit on their own) are the Little Bear (by Minarik) series. I read these when I was little, and my kids enjoyed them, too.
Absolutely excellent recommendations all around, Sarah -- thank you for adding these!
And I want to vociferously second any/all Farley Mowat -- my grandfather introduced me to him when I was a kid (when I loved Wilson Rawls' books and wanted more in that vein) and I've been a fan ever since. He's amazing.
My son one time said "____ (an author we were currently reading) is not fit to shine Farley Mowat's shoes"... so you can see how much Mowat is revered in our household. LOL!!
Requesting Farley Mowat books right now....
I hope you enjoy them! Most of his aren't written for children, but Owls in the Family is a classic read-aloud (well written, interesting, funny), and The Dog Who Wouldn't Be is a HILARIOUS memoir of his childhood dog.
😂😂
Thank you for this! We have been looking for books for my 5 year old to stretch things a little bit, but still age appropriate. I had not considered reading short stories aloud to them. May I ask what are some of your favorite sources for the 2-5 page stories you mention above? A lot of their friends have Tonies and whatever the other brand is of toys that play you stories, and I would prefer to try reading out loud the old fashioned way first. Thanks!
This is a tough question, as we've read so many over the years, but off the top of my head, I'd suggest:
• Tales from Grimm by Wanda Gag
• Tell Me a Story: Stories from the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, edited by Louise DeForest
• Fairy Tales and Fables by Gyo Fujikawa
• The Adventures of Spider by Joyce Cooper Arkhurst
• Sure as Sunrise: Stories of Bruh Rabbit & His Walkin' Talkin' Friends by Alice McGill
I've never heard of Tonies but I assume they're like Yoto players. I've heard good things about those devices but personally prefer cd players for audiobooks -- though to be clear, I have always prioritized reading aloud over anything else. In my mind, audio is awesome, but ultimately a supplement, not a replacement, for reading aloud.
There’s a “Children's Favorite Stories” series that has a bunch of these. There’s one for Japan, korea, the Philippines etc... and they are 2-3 page folk tales with some light illustration.
Bink & Gollie! My girls were OBSESSED with those 3 books for months. Like to the point where I was about to hide the books because I couldn't read them anymore, but not because they aren't entertaining and a great intro to longer books (because they are).
The other series that I highly recommend and was a huge hit here was the Lighthouse Family (https://www.simonandschuster.com/series/Lighthouse-Family), a very sweet series about various animals who live at a lighthouse and help one another. Cynthia Rylant wrote the series so of course they are well written and a joy to read. Jessica might like these since she mentioned her daughter liking animals (also, the Dinosaur Club series I'd consider early chapter books about animals that are fun).
Omg I always forget about The Lighthouse Family series; it so great! That’s such a good recommendation. And yes also to Bink and Gollie — I love those two.
I thought of another series, also by Cynthia Rylant. Did you read her Mr. Putter and Tabby series? They are the sweetest duo and I love that the books are about an older person.
Ohhhhh yes, they are so good and so sweet. I guess I tend to think of those as early readers…
Oh, yes, of course. Mixing my book types, apologies.
I was 100% willing to believe you knew something I didn't 😊
They DO have chapters... they are just short.
Magic Treehouse was audiobook at preschool right before their rest time and my husband got the box set of Merlin’s Missions. My kids love it, they aren’t my favorite but I will keep reading them as long as they love them.
Both my kids also love captain underpants and Ricky Ricotta, they’ve been a mainstay for the last 2 years. My MIL got Calendar Mysteries from the library and we read January-July in the series before my kids wanted a break.
My niece loved The Secret Garden and A Little Princess when she was 3.
For books young kids can read my 6 yo started with three books by Todd Parr. He is really loving all the Crayon books by Drew Dewalt this year in first grade too and I’m enjoying hearing him read to his 4 yo brother. I heard The Crayons Trick or Treat this morning.
Great advice and great recommendations, always!!
Thanks, Taylor 🩷
What are your thoughts on older series from years back? Junks B Jones, Boxcar Kids? Magic treehouse?
Great! Whatever kids enjoy. I’m a firm believer that pub date doesn’t matter at all. (I’ve reviewed tons of old books here.)
Wonderful post Sarah! My husband does „Lego reading“ even still with our 11 year sometimes!
Love it!
It is hard to find good chapter books that offer a gentle story like a Charlotte’s Web, Herriot for children or the worlds of Roald Dahl. There does seem to be a gap between the PB genre and the middle grade for kids who are still primarily listeners to absorb richer stories and more complex language.
Very true!