We are in a rough in-between. I struggle in general to find books that "work" for our family, where the entirety of both bedtimes falls to me, but my kids are such different people at such different stages. They share almost 0 common interests. They are both boys, 4 and 7; they share a room, and bedtime reading is a group activity for a variety of reasons. The 7-year old loves chapter books and is a highly logical person who hasn't really been grabbed by any sort of fantasy or overly fictitious type of book yet. He likes books that feel like real life; when he was younger and I was able to read to him one-on-one he loved Ramona books and the like.
The 4-year old is rambunctious and doesn't wind down, ever, as a matter of course. He just tornadoes ever further upwards into sleep, which makes the bedtime routine chaos rather than calming. I have him color while I am reading, to give him output as well as an "input," but I still need to keep the actual reading time somewhat brief and efficient. Ramona-length chapters are too long; at that length, the situation devolves completely. I have actually considered having him just jump on a toddler trampoline during story time, since that is the kind of physical feedback he seems to need. Anyway, he is, you know, 4, so books that are overly complex in world-building or plot are not super doable. He would vastly prefer to do 1-3 picture books per night.
Right now, in general, my setup is to try to give everyone a bit of what they need by having the 7-year old read a picture book to me and the 4-year old (in which case it is a fairly simple picture book), and then I read a chapter of a longer book to both of them. But I usually end up feeling like I am choosing books that - well, it's like that old saying about compromise - nobody really gets what they WANT, everybody gets something they NEED. I'm not reading chapter books my older son would probably MOST enjoy, but they aren't what my younger son would most enjoy either - they're just what's most doable.
I think our most successful recent run of chapter books was the "Toys Go Out" trilogy - nobody was too bored due to too complex/too simple issues, everybody took some things away, everybody laughed at least once, etc. I am looking for the next "sweet spot" book like that, at the moment. But I often find myself getting demoralized because I wish I could be reading stuff like The Wild Robot or things that are more of an emotional stretch for my older guy, while also wishing I could just indulge my younger guy a bit more. I was an early and enthusiastic reader, and my 7-year old is not (which is okay!) but he's rounding that cusp into reading independently and I really want to support and nurture him in this moment - by both providing him with books he likes to read on his own and also by sharing more complex books with him. I feel like I'm failing often, and get pretty down about it sometimes.
For myself! Just in case that counts, too. I am FINALLY reading My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, after being sucked hardcore into The Lost Daughter, and I'm LOVING IT.
My 4 year old and I are alternating between Gerald And Piggie books and chapters of Ramona. She also adores a picture book called Carol and the Pickle Toad. My 8 year old is working her way through all of Calvin & Hobbes (constant giggling) as well as (still) various Warriors series books. She does a lot of comfort re-reading - a graphic novel called Sylvie is the current favorite there.
We are back to a lot of Mr. Putter and Tabby (the sweetest books, truly, I love that they center on older people since so few books do), and my older daughter (7) and I are reading the Upside-Down Magic series, which I also love.
- Little Wolf's First Howling by Laura McGee Kvasnovsky & Kate Harvey McGee, a random library find that's really cute and funny (and has quite the intrinsic motivation message)
- Where the mountain meets the moon, as per your recommendation :) First time I'm reading a chapter book with 5yo, and we're both enjoying it more than I expected
My kids (3 and 6) and I have really been enjoying the "Mother Bruce" picture book series. The stories are both funny and tender.
We are in a rough in-between. I struggle in general to find books that "work" for our family, where the entirety of both bedtimes falls to me, but my kids are such different people at such different stages. They share almost 0 common interests. They are both boys, 4 and 7; they share a room, and bedtime reading is a group activity for a variety of reasons. The 7-year old loves chapter books and is a highly logical person who hasn't really been grabbed by any sort of fantasy or overly fictitious type of book yet. He likes books that feel like real life; when he was younger and I was able to read to him one-on-one he loved Ramona books and the like.
The 4-year old is rambunctious and doesn't wind down, ever, as a matter of course. He just tornadoes ever further upwards into sleep, which makes the bedtime routine chaos rather than calming. I have him color while I am reading, to give him output as well as an "input," but I still need to keep the actual reading time somewhat brief and efficient. Ramona-length chapters are too long; at that length, the situation devolves completely. I have actually considered having him just jump on a toddler trampoline during story time, since that is the kind of physical feedback he seems to need. Anyway, he is, you know, 4, so books that are overly complex in world-building or plot are not super doable. He would vastly prefer to do 1-3 picture books per night.
Right now, in general, my setup is to try to give everyone a bit of what they need by having the 7-year old read a picture book to me and the 4-year old (in which case it is a fairly simple picture book), and then I read a chapter of a longer book to both of them. But I usually end up feeling like I am choosing books that - well, it's like that old saying about compromise - nobody really gets what they WANT, everybody gets something they NEED. I'm not reading chapter books my older son would probably MOST enjoy, but they aren't what my younger son would most enjoy either - they're just what's most doable.
I think our most successful recent run of chapter books was the "Toys Go Out" trilogy - nobody was too bored due to too complex/too simple issues, everybody took some things away, everybody laughed at least once, etc. I am looking for the next "sweet spot" book like that, at the moment. But I often find myself getting demoralized because I wish I could be reading stuff like The Wild Robot or things that are more of an emotional stretch for my older guy, while also wishing I could just indulge my younger guy a bit more. I was an early and enthusiastic reader, and my 7-year old is not (which is okay!) but he's rounding that cusp into reading independently and I really want to support and nurture him in this moment - by both providing him with books he likes to read on his own and also by sharing more complex books with him. I feel like I'm failing often, and get pretty down about it sometimes.
For myself! Just in case that counts, too. I am FINALLY reading My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, after being sucked hardcore into The Lost Daughter, and I'm LOVING IT.
My 4 year old and I are alternating between Gerald And Piggie books and chapters of Ramona. She also adores a picture book called Carol and the Pickle Toad. My 8 year old is working her way through all of Calvin & Hobbes (constant giggling) as well as (still) various Warriors series books. She does a lot of comfort re-reading - a graphic novel called Sylvie is the current favorite there.
The PB "Mice and Beans" by Pam Munoz Ryan is a big hit right now. We've also been enjoying The Lighthouse Family Series by Cynthia Rylant.
We are back to a lot of Mr. Putter and Tabby (the sweetest books, truly, I love that they center on older people since so few books do), and my older daughter (7) and I are reading the Upside-Down Magic series, which I also love.
Separately, did you hear the interview with Kate DiCamillo on the OnBeing podcast? Sarah, I think you'd love it. https://onbeing.org/programs/kate-dicamillo-for-the-eight-year-old-in-you/
We're enjoying:
- Little Wolf's First Howling by Laura McGee Kvasnovsky & Kate Harvey McGee, a random library find that's really cute and funny (and has quite the intrinsic motivation message)
- Where the mountain meets the moon, as per your recommendation :) First time I'm reading a chapter book with 5yo, and we're both enjoying it more than I expected
- Papa sur la lune by Adrien Albert, which I think isn't translated into English https://www.youtube.com/embed/ApV9OHoPcJ8