Great Book Suggestions for 6 Year Old Girl Who Is Learning to Read?

www.arbookfind.com Will tell you the level the book is and how many points it will have. I use this as a teacher and it is great. The book RL - means what grade. So you should try .8-1.2 books to start. The 1.2 means 1st grade 2nd month of reading.

You can also pull some books at the library and have her try them there to see if they are interesting to her.

Good luck,
D.

Amelia Bedelia was my favorite book series at that age. It's about a nanny/maid that takes all of her assignment way too literally. It was very funny to me at that age. Read them with her.

I've bought good books at Dollar General. I have a toddler and wanted to get him interested in books/reading. He's not interested in books that much for now, so I'm glad I didn't spend a lot of $$ on books for his age.

Peace,
E.

Most public libraries have a summer reading program. You could get her into that and that would give her some incentive to read. They usually give away prizes for the most books read and so forth. Also you can get a list of books from her school which are on her level and that way you'd be assured she was reading appropriate level materails. The main thing is to get her to read. I have a reading time set up everyday and their play time is based on how much reading time they complete--every 15 minutes of reading equals 1 hour of play time with a friend. Every total hour of reading equals a hour at the Y pool. Hope this helps.

I'm not sure if anyone has suggested the author Bill Martin Jr. He wrote books such as "Brown Bear,Brown Bear,What Do You See" Those are good because they have repetition and you can also do echo reading with your child. Your child will eventually start repeating what you are reading, with cues. I hope that helps.

Three suggestions. The first is to ask your school librarian or someone in the main office if they have a reading list for students transitioning from kinder to first. The second is to go to your local public library! Often they won't just have books, but readers that come in. This often gets the kids excited so that they want to read the next book in a series. The third is to check with your local book stores. They often do the same ~ have an appropriate aged reading list and readers. Good Luck.
PS My daughter LOVED Junie B Jones and Amelia Bedelia!

I spent four years working in a children's bookstore, fielding just such recommendations.

I second the Junie B Jones books and the Magic Treehouse books. These are both fun series for kids; also, she might enjoy Hank the Cowdog.

If you need a little bit younger, try the Amelia Bedelia books.

Mostly, let her pick books that interest her, even if they seem too hard. If the book interests the kid, the kid will do the work to read it. The Lord of the Rings books were extrememy popular with kids a few years ago, even though most adults consider them difficult...When she gets to that point, where she's comfortable venturing into a wide range of books, buy her a cheap pocket dictionary and help her use it.

I tried Junie B Jones but was unimpressed because the stories are written by her and at least the Kindergarten series had horrible grammar and spelling which was hard for my Kindergartener to read (sound out or sight read). We have enjoyed Magic Treehouse, Cam Jansen and Young Cam Jansen. Magic Treehouse might need to be read to her depending on her reading level but they are fun for the family. My daughters ages 7,5,2 enjoy having Nancy Drew read to them as well.

Hello J.,
I have a couple of suggestions. First, check out the local library. they usually have a summer reading program which rewards children for reading.
My school has a summer enrichment classes that include reading classes and other fun classes over the summer.(ccisd.net for clear creek isd.)
Also, ask your child's teacher for a list of summer reading. Some schools send home this list at the end of the year.

good luck, hope this helps.
C.

J., go to or log onto your local library. They usually have a suggested summer reading list for all age groups and the librarians are a great source for more suggestions. I spend a lot of time at the library with my kiddos (I'm here now) so I've use their suggestions pretty regularly.
L.
mom of 6, 4, and 2 yr. olds

Junie B. Jones!!!! She will LOVE them!

Junie B. Jones books by Barbara Parks. You may need to read them to her at first but they are a wonderful set and very funny. I read them to my class and we all laugh together. Some of the kids in the class have started picking them up and reading them by themselves as well.

Check with the librarian at your daughter's school - she knows exactly what books are for her reading level and you can make a list and then check them out at the public library over the summer - a field trip and learning experience in one!

I would get her involed with your local library. They have great summer reading programs. I am from Alvin and our library has a story time about 10:00 or 10:30 where the chrildren are read too. And then after story time a small art project. It is really great. This way you and her will get the to love reading. Last summer I would take my nephew (my baby is 15 yrs and loves to read)who was 4 at the time and we would spend about hour or more reading, putting puzzels together, looking at different books. Today he loves to read.

Hope this helps.
J

Hi, Junie B Jones books are a great start. You can find them for cheap at the bookstores, like Katy Budget books. Chapter books will be what she will be more suitable for that age group. The Magic Tree House. You can also look on your school website to see if they have the preferred summer reading.

Happy Reading!!

I would suggest using the library for her at this age. She could pick her book and your house wont fill up with once read books.

Hi J.!

I just bought my 8 year old a book program called OneMinuteReader.com. It helps with reading accuracy in a short non over- whelming way. His school was using the sister program Read Naturally. You can buy the whole program for a level for $100.I let my son pick out a few books of interest to him in hope that his reading level will increase quickly and we can order the next level soon. The books and listening cd are $12.95 each and they are very interesting. It's fun and will really help reading fluency. Blessings.

Several people have already mentioned Junie B Jones, but I want to emphasize how great these books are. They're funny, topical to a kid this age, and they have enough vocabulary to strengthen her command of language without even realizing it. My daughter is almost 12 and doesn't want to trade in hers for newer books!

My daughter is just finishing first grade. What helped her were the Dr. Seuss books. She loved reading them and the rhyming helped he learn sight words better. She now loves the Junie B. Jones books. We find one for different things she is going through. For Example we read about first grade and getting glasses which are both things that occured this year for my daughter. Our library has a section of level readers. I let my daughter pick the ones she wants to read that is right on her reading level. Best of luck.

I have a book called "Honey for a Child's Heart." It is a great resourse with lists of timeless, classic, wonderful books for all ages.

Foster a long term love for books and reading by getting your daughter her very own library card! There she can check out books that she wants to read. The Austin Public Library also does storytime and had tons of other fun programs during the summer.
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/

Hi J.,

I will strongly recommend that you go to the Library. They have a lot of great books for your daughter and you to read, and this is less expencive than if you have to buy your own books!
This is what I did when my daughter was 5 years old, and we had many good hours together.

Hope this will help,
M.

Summer reading program at library our bookstore is the best way to go! We used to do the Half Price Books and the public library program every summer. They offer little prizes and name on the wall----things like that.
Much more motivational than a mom trying to get her kid to read!
I have one kid who will read anything. But my other 2 don't love reading as much and the key is to let them find what THEY like to read about. Try the library or half price books first----books are free or very inexpensive.
Learn from me----you can spend a heck of a lot of money on books at the nice bookstores that YOU buy for them, then they sit around for years without being touched, then you give them away. That wasn't a good plan.

As a teacher I can tell you the best thing is to choose books that are right for her, not necessarily her age. When at the book store, open any book in the middle, if she can read a line or two with minimal struggle that's a book for her.

Also, get harder books, books that you will read to her. The object of this is to get her to listen how to read with fluency (speed and expression). Discuss the books, flip thought the pages and ask her what she thinks the book will be about, then discuss it, pausing every few pages to ask her what she thinks will happen next.

The best thing when introducing a new book at her reading level is to read it out loud with her, then have her read it, then read it together. Repetition and practice are important at her age.

Good luck, and enjoy her this summer. Finally, most important, make it fun, don't let her know she's learning, hehe.

I would recommend going to your local public library for suggestions. Most public libraries have summer reading programs. The librarians in the children's dept. should be of great help. Have her check out some different titles and see which she prefers.

Or, check with the librarian at her school. They could be of great help too.

I LOVE the Polk Street Kids series. They are easy to read, thin chapter books. As an educator, I urge you to start her with these books by taking turns at night...you read a page and then she reads a page. She will hear the flow of the words and feel the momentum of being a smooth reader.
Knowing that there's another book in the series to look forward to makes it motivating too. Also, don't always get her to sound out the word. When she hesitates or asks for help with a word about 50% of the time, just tell her what the word is so she doesn't get too frustrated with ALWAYS being told to "sound it out"..

My best suggestion is your local library. This would not only allow her to pick books that she likes, but teach her responsibility as well.

If there isn't a library near enough or hours convienent or whatever, barnes and nobel usually has a knowledgeable person or two around who can make great childrens book suggestions. . .

the important part is that your daughter reads, even if it is a little young, as long as it is reading practice and I found when mine was little that letting her choose was the most effective way to get the book read.

I would recommend getting her a library card. Make her a part of the process - it's a very big deal for them.

Take her to the library and plan to spend a few hours in the children's section. It's hard Mom, but stay out of the selection process and let her pick the ones that interest her. Her selections may be based on the color of the cover, the picture on the front or by the name. Let her pick and you can help her read them.

My daughter is 9 and has had a library card with the city and county since she was 4. We've spent countless hours at the library. At times she had 15-20 books pulled out and either looked at or later on, read all of them. My daughter is in 3rd grade and has been reading on a 5th-6th grade level since 1st grade.

Now when we go, I tell her we're leaving at a specific time and we gather up our reading material and sit and read our selections until that time.

Have fun and enjoy your adventure filled summer.

Hi J.,

Summer is a great time to spark interest in reading. The pressure of grades is off and you can cater to her interests when you pick out books. I strongly suggest joining a Summer Reading Program at your nearest library. They offer incentives such as small trinkets and coupons for cool things like ice cream. Also, it's free! Having her own library card will help her feel special, too.

When picking out books, let her choose 1/2 and you choose the other 1/2. Pick out books that she can read with minimal support as well as harder books to read together. Caldecott Award winners are a great place to start for buying books. They are beautifully written and illustrated. I also love Kevin Henkes, Eric Carle, and Marc Brown.

Books on tape/cd are great for quiet time or in the car. Magazines for kids, silly songs, poetry and grocery lists are also excellent ways to incorporate reading into everyday life.

Since reading and writing go hand in hand, have her keep a "Reader's Journal" of her favorite books. She can illustrate her favorite stories or make a puppet of a favorite character.

Most of all, have fun with it. Reading is such an exciting endeavor. Enjoy the adventures!

Sincerely,
J. R

I taught kindergarten and to boost her confidence in reading you need to get her books that are predictable in their wording. I'm sure your daughter was working on sight words this year (I, am , is the to for and it) look for books that use those words on each page, one to two lines of story on a page. Books like Brown Bear Brown Bear What do you see by Bill Martin Jr (THere is a whole series that is the same in wording by him) or you can use www.starfall.com it is a wonderful website that has predictable books your child can read and if they get stuck on a word they can click on it and the computer will read the word for them. It has games and videos as well. Very good. Also, just read anything to her. Find books that talk about things she likes and read to her. My daughter will be in kinder next year and loves for me to read the Junie b Jones series to her. Easy chapter books about a little girl who gets into trouble a lot. I've also heard that Barnes and Noble will be having a different story time theme each day. Have fun reading this S.!!!

I agree with many here who have posted suggestions to visit your local library. Most have summer reading programs and I still remember this being a highlight of my summer when I was a child! Also, check with your local book stores like Barnes & Noble, Borders and Half Price Books--I know they all offer reading clubs in the summer time (some are geared only for kids in grades 1-5 though).

As an avid reader, I was sad when my daughter did not take to it right away, even saying that she hated reading! I struggled in trying to find the right balance to keep it a regular activity without being pushy. Last summer (after 1st grade) she really developed her love of reading. I let her pick a series and she read every single one last summer--like 35 books! They were in the "Young Cam Jansen" and "Henry & Mudge" series. What I found was that although she could read the "Magic Tree House" series on her own (which we also enjoy), she developed confidence by reading the other series that were a bit easier but she felt a much greater sense of accomplishment. That's what we needed--for her not to struggle through a book but to really read and enjoy the stories.

Definitely find a subject that she likes and find books in that area--your librarian will be able to help you. Let him/her know what kinds of books she is reading now and that will help them. My daughter is very tall (like me) and librarians at first would assume she was in 3rd or 4th grade when she was only in 1st and lead us to books that were too difficult.

One other thing to keep in mind, in my opinion, that just because a child is ABLE to read at a certain level does not mean she SHOULD. I remember kids in my daughter's first grade class last year reading novels that I felt just weren't appropriate subject content for a 6-7 year old. A friend of mine has two very voracious readers but she discovered that her first grade girl read a book last year that dealt with a girl's changing body, Santa, boys and girls dating, etc. My friend was not ready to have those conversations yet with her daughter! And I am probably the dissenter here, but I do not like the Junie B. Jones books. Perhaps it is the writer in me but the grammar is terrible (Junie's "voice") and I also do not think she treats the adults in the books with respect. Perhaps that is what is so appealing to the kids, but I could not get past that--maybe it's just me.... :-)

Oh! One more thing. There are a number of "regular" chapter books that have been made into mini-chapter books (in paperback) like the "Little House on the Prarie" series and even classics like "Black Beauty"-so check for those--they are a great way to introduce your child to some timeless stories without it being overwhelming. We also like any of the animal series books--Animal Ark, Pony Pals, etc. and also Cam Jansen, Arthur.

Good luck and have fun!

Fun with Dick and Jane....yes, believe it or not, they make a thick book of Dick, Jane, Spot stories just like the ones we used to learn to read in first grade. These books are ideal for learning to read...have all the elements necessary incuding a story that is simple but interesting to children your daughter's age. I learned to read all by myself when I was 3 years old by listening to my big brother read Dick and Jane repeatedly.
Good luck!
L.

Fancy Nancy books are Super! They are age appropriate for 4-7. The Auther is Jane O'Connor and the Illustrater is Robin Priess Glasser. My five year old daughter and my 3 yr old son truly enjoy these books.
There are many titles to choose from:
Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy
Fancy Nancy and the Boy from France
Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly
Fancy Nancy and
Fancy Nancy's Favorite Fancy Words.

Good Luck. Hope she likes them as much as my children.

Hi, I cannot resist telling you about The Magic Tree House series, though they are written for 7-8-9, a 6 yr old is definitely able to listen to them, though not read them on her own yet. The library will have them on CD as well as hard copy so you can read them to her. She'll eat them up. Does your daughter have favorite characters, favorite things, baby animals, insects, other subjects? Perhaps having a library day (and attending story time at your nearest branch library) would help her find interest in the books. Some others that I hope will help are: (and some may be on CD at the library as well) Henry and Mudge series, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (and others by that author), Winnie the Pooh series, Berenstain Bears, The Boxcar Children (from my childhood, such sweet adventures), Little House on the Prairie, Holly Hobbie has written some books about two pigs who have fun adventures abroad and at home, Curious George, to name a few. Some days she'll want to try herself and other days she won't. But when it finally clicks for her, she'll want to read even the labels at the grocery store. May I suggest a regular reading time during the day, other than at bedtime, when the plan is for you to read to her. She can read if she wants to, but no pressure. With lots of exposure to different topics and adventures, she'll pick it up at her pace. Also, may I suggest, when she writes, let her "sound spell" and encourage her and let her spell things the way she wants to. At her age, this is all she needs to do. Sure hope this helps!

scholastic is a great source of books at a very resonable price. Books start at $1 and are typically not more than $6. These are the same books that teachers keep in their collection for when students have free reading time. We have great collections of level 1 books all the way through chapter books and series books for my son. I love getting these book orders from my kids teachers bc I love the prices and the titles available. scholastic.com