I previously posted a question about what to get my daughter for her 4th birthday. I was thinking about books and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on good "first reader" books, Ones that might have larger font with a few letter words. Thanks and I appreciate any help!
Thanks! I will head to the book store and check some out!!
A large book store should have a good selection of books for beginning readers. There are many books, may be called "I can Read" that are perfect for the beginner. Just a few words are on each page and larger font. Plus they are usually based on popular characters like Clifford or Disney Princess, or Toy Story. Another good option to start her reading is Leap Frog books or a Leapster.
My 4yo goes to Montessori school and they use some fantastic books that have totally boosted his reading level. They are called Bob books and I just purchased a set for 3yo from Barnes & Noble.
If she likes puppies, look up Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capucilli .
Mo Willem's Gerald and Piggie, Pigeon, and Cat the Cat books are excellent for early readers. The stories are cute, funny, and repeat words enough that kids feel empowered. If you start with the Pigeon books (Don't let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Pigeon Wants a Puppy), and then move on to the other books, the kids will love finding the Pigeon character in the other books.
I sell Usborne Books so of course I think they are wonderful, but a new series just came out and they are great for new readers. They are a bit on the pricey side b/c they only come in a set (15 books for around $70...but it comes out to about $4 a book.) The books not only have easy words for new readers, but also encourage parent/child relationships because the parent reads one page and then the child reads the other. I posted the link to the site below.
* www.newbooks4kids.com ....click on the usborne books tab in the middle of the page.
* Click on the Very first reading program tab
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
Tracy
There are the "I Can Read Books" and there are also "Level Books", start at level one and go up to level 3. This might be a good place to start.
Both my daughters and I like the books by Eric Carle and Sanda Boyton. These are often thought of as toddler books, but they're great for beginning reading.
I agree with Julie. If your daughter isn't already reading books, then I would definitely start with the BOB books. The first book has only 4 letter sounds, and each book adds more sounds, so they really build phonetic awareness. The Starfall books (available at www.starfall.com) are also excellent. In both sets, the books are very short (but get longer), which also makes it easier for the earliest readers. I started with BOB books and Starfall books with my son, and when he was done with those, "I Can Read Books" were easy and fun for him. I love the "Little Bear" and "Frog and Toad" series in "I Can Read Books".
Go to half price books and look at the level 1 readers. They have all kinds.
My son who is going into Kindergarten this year has been learning to read with some books I got from my MIL, who was a school teacher. They are by Sue Graves, and the 2 I have are Dog in the Fog and Jen the Hen. The dog one has most words with the "-og" sound and the other with "-en" sounds, so most of the words rhyme and it seems to be great for beginners. Good luck finding books that your daughter likes!
You should get "The Well Trained Mind" for yourself. It has book recommendations all throughout for every stage of development. It's actually the advice that I follow to homeschool my son. Can't be beat. It even has ordering information to make it even easier.
A great place to start, even before level 1 readers is with BOB books. They were written by a Kindergarten teacher and they contain simple words that are easy for kids to sound out. Once the child knows their letter sounds, these are a great first step to start reading. They have different levels that build upon each other, and come in sets. I have seen them at Toys R Us in addition to bookstores and online. We also just checked out 2 sets from the library that include CDs for listening to the stories (which I didn't use). My daughter was a little reluctant about reading at first, but these simple books boosted her confidence and now she's reading pretty well as she heads into kindergarten in a few weeks!
