Recommend Books or Tools That Help Kids Learn to Read?

Updated on January 20, 2009
M.K. asks from Milpitas, CA
29 answers

I have a 6 yo daughter in Kindergarten. My question is 2 folds:
1. What books or series do you recommend for a beginning reader? I see a lot of different series from Scholastic, but don't know which one is good. Is there a series that you would recommend?
2. Another Mom recommended the LEAP FROG handheld reading game. I'm hesitant to get a computer game, but she swears it helped her kids learn how to read really quickly and they love it. Have you tried it? What was your experience?

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone for their great advice! I loved the websites that were recommended. I also borrowed the LeapFrog dvds from the library, which was very entertaining to her. She just loves having me read chapter books (A-Z mystery and Cam Jensen) to her, so I'll of course keep doing that. Her school finally bought some 'series' of books that go in reading level order. Earlier, the teacher was randomly selecting books that she thought suited my daughter's level, it was rather inconsistent.

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J.E.

answers from San Francisco on

In Kindergarten - 1st grade my children both loved any books by Cynthia Rylant - Henry and Mudge as well as Poppleton. My son was a big fan a Dav Pilkey (Captain Underpants are great books to read aloud, and the Ricky Ricotta series is an action packed fun at a slightly more advanced first year level). My daughter was/is more interested in Cam Jansen (chapter books for 1st-2nd grade).

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G.M.

answers from Modesto on

Dr. Seuss books rule in my book. Both my boys were reading on their own by age 3. It starts with you enthusiastically reading to them on a daily basis.

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S.C.

answers from San Francisco on

I would recommend the "Bob Books" series by scholastic. It is great for beginning readers...short, phonetic stories that work in progression of phonetic sounds. After that, I would recommend the "Primary Phonics" series by Educators Publishing Service. Good luck!

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A.C.

answers from Sacramento on

Hi M.,

My 4 year old son loves reading books with me, and nothing can replace that. However, we too love the Leapfrog products. He is a very visual learner. I think the Leapfrog toys are great tools to help them learn and have fun at the same time. When my son (who has some mild developmental delays) was 2.5 years he already knew his alphabet and all of the letter sounds, yet we wasn't talking yet. Seeing his success with his baby Leapfrog toys, we went on to purchase others like the Word Whammer and Leapster. They have really helped him to learn sounds simple three & four letter words, vowels, writing, and he can sound out words too. He really learned a lot from The Talking Letter Factory & Talking Word Factory Videos. If you check their website I believe they also have some fun videos that teach reading skills for older kids.

A.

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D.J.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi M.,

I have loved the "Bob Books". They are a set of readers that teach kids through patterns. My 4 year old learned to read on them. However, the best teacher for his reading has been the one-on-one time with simple picture books. We review sight words and practice spelling easy words. It is great when he picks out words when we are out somewhere.

Secondly, if your daughter is not sure of letter sounds or special letter combinations, Leap Frog has some great DVDs called:
The Letter Factory
The Talking Word Factory
The Coded Word Factory
The Storybook Factory

My son has learned tons from these dvds and whenever he gets stuck I can sing a little hint from the dvd and he remembers.

I do not do video games or computer games all that often and we do not have any kind of video game system, but some kids really learn from them.

I hope this helps.

D.

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A.C.

answers from Sacramento on

We did the "Little Blue Books". They can be found at teacher supply stores, usually on racks. Each book (maybe only 8 pages long 3x5 sized) has an emphasis on a particular sound (a, o, u, etc.). Once they master those sounds/reading, they can move on to another level... the "Little Red Books", or "Yellow", where letter combinations will be introduced (ch, th, oo, etc.). They were very simple, inexpensive and helped my daughter a great deal.

While you are at the teacher supply store you'll also find all sorts of fun learning-to-read tools. We have letters on a spiral binding where a word might say "tab", then you can flip the ab over to reveal an op, making the word "top". The people that own those stores are very helpful and will be able to point out other neat tools.

Good luck!

Just found one of the books - they're called Itty Bitty Phonics Readers. Check out www.creativeteaching.com

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A.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi M.. I would recommend trying www.starfall.com. It's a learning to read program online and totally free! My daughter is almost 3 and loves it. She is definitely learning some basic reading skills already, and it keeps her attention because it is interactive. She can control what it does, and she loves the little animations. Check it out!

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E.C.

answers from San Francisco on

I have 7YO twin first-graders and these were some of their favorites (they're in the easy readers section of our public libraries):

The "Wonder" Books Phonics readers - they're books with photos and simple text that focus on a specific sound (some titles include "Gifts for Gus (the sound of G)", "Malls (the sound of M)", "Little Bit (the sound of short I), etc. - search "Wonder books Phonics" on amazon to find a few examples)

The "We Can Read!" series by Jacqueline Sweeney/Blind Mice Studios - cute animal photos and simple stories with reading activities in the back

The "Henry and Mudge" and "Mr. Putter and Tabby" books by Cynthia Rylant - simple but humorous and endearing stories about a young boy and his huge drooling dog and and an old man and his old cat

The "Young Cam Jansen" mysteries - text is shorter and simpler than the regular Cam Jansen mysteries

The Oliver and Amanda Pig books by Jean Van Leeuwen

And some picture books that I think are great for beginning readers include anything by Lois Ehlert (I love the way she combines eye-catching graphics with simple text *and* often interesting nature facts - some of our favorites are "Growing Vegetable Soup" and "Planting a Rainbow" on gardening, "Waiting for Wings" on the life cycle of butterflies, "Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf" on the life of a maple tree, "Pie in the Sky" on the life of a cherry tree) and lots of the books by Audrey Wood (my girls especially liked her "Alphabet Adventure," "Alphabet Rescue", and "Alphabet Mystery" books http://www.amazon.com/Alphabet-Adventure-Audrey-Wood/dp/0...

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A.S.

answers from Modesto on

Bob books are great for all kids. If you purchase the set, your child can actually color the pages as you go along. (An extra added bonus) LeapFrog systems are actually pretty good, but you don't have to spend the money to get the same results. The very, very best thing you can do for your child to help her develop a life long love of reading is to read to her daily. It can be you, your husband, or another relative. Just make sure she is read to daily. Just a bit of encouragement for you: Our son- who read at a college level in elementary school- didn't start really reading on his own until he was 8 years old. His dad, my grandmother, and I read to him daily. He usually got to pick the book (from the selections we offered him). When his dad started reading the Hardy Boys series to him, he suddenly could not wait until the next night to hear how the story ended. One night my husband would leave off at chapter 4 and come back the next night to find the bookmark at chapter 6. Our son had read those 2 chapters on his own. The other thing we did was to keep reading to him even though he could read on his own. Children can understand stories and concepts beyond their reading ability. So, by reading at a bit higher level, he had the advantage of knowing how to pronounce words when he encountered them for the first time. Be encouraged. You are the best teacher of your child. Keep at it until you find what works for you and your family! Blessings, A.

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R.E.

answers from San Francisco on

Check out www.starfall.com My daughter learned to read with this FREE and fun program.

R.

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A.A.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi M.,

Prior to kindergarten, we introduced Dick and Jane Books to our son who is now in 2nd grade. What I also found is that it didn't matter what type of books we read together as long as it kept him interested. Although I did enjoy reading DK (Dorling Kindersley) books. We usually find these books at Barnes and Nobles for about $4.00 each. It has four types of levels, level 1 being beginning to read. What I like about it most is that it had word repetition with limited vocabulary and simple sentences. It has lots of pictures to correspond with the words. Not only that, but it has a wide variety of topics that can keep kindergartens interested. My son still enjoys these types of books and is now a level four reader. I hope this helps.

-A.
Two sons, 8 and 2 yrs. old.

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C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi M.,

My daughter's preschool pushed the Bob Books, but my daughter had no interest in them. She fell behind in kindergarten, and I finally broke down and bought the Hooked on Phonics series. My husband always pushed for it but I didn't want to spend the money. I have to say I wish I had bought them a long time ago. They really worked wonders with my daughter. It was tough at first, but once it clicked she now gets excited and looks forward to doing it. I would try to find them used online because they are quite expensive. Or ask around because I have found a lot of people bought them but never used them.

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K.B.

answers from Yuba City on

1. Any Dr Suess, Mercer Mayer/Little Critter series; Rookie Readers. Really, anything you read is GOOD. Check with your child's teacher; many have their own library and will lend books that are levelized. Just make it fun! If she does not know the word, just give her the word. It is the little words most kids struggle with.
2) Leap Frog ROCKS! This generation seems to thrive on electronic learning. Leap Frog has addressed the need quite well. I highly recommend LeapFrog.

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J.A.

answers from Sacramento on

Hello,

I love all the Leap Frog products and I think my kids have learned a ton from them. I have almost 5 year old twins who will start kinder next year. We recently got the Tag from Leap Frog and my kids love it and learn a lot from it. I'm staying away from the Diji (I think that is what the hand held is called) for now. I want my kids to have real books, which the Tag system does. They may be ready for the hand held computer next year. I taught 1st grade for 7 years before I had kids...I so wished I had known more about Leap Frog then.

As far as a series for beginning reader, there are so many. It really depends at what level your child is at right now. Most importantly, get her books about topics she is interested in. Scholastic has books that are leveled starting at the pre K level I think. Check out the Scholatic website. It might give you some good ideas. They have books for all levels. Scholatic is a good company and they usually have quality products.

Happy reading.......

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L.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I am another big fan of the LeapFrog products! We had the my first leappad and the regular leappad and now we have a leapster, but the touch screen wasnt working right and today I found a new in box Leapster2 at goodwill!

I have been seeing a lot of LeapFrog products in Goodwill lately, so definatly check there!

As for books, we have always read to our daughter, usually more advaced books than what she was reading, but her favorite series when she was really learning to read last year (in Kinder) was the Biscuit books. My daughter is also 6.

Hope that helps a bit!

L.

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E.B.

answers from Fresno on

Hi! My son just turned 6 on Wednesday 1/14...he started reading right around Christmas. The first book he read all by himself was Green Eggs and Ham (his decision). I think Dr. Seuss is really good for beginning readers because it is mostly phonetic and obviously repetitive. The repetition was really important for the non-phonetic works like would, could, should etc. so I could tell him "that word is 'would', and that next word looks just like 'would' but has a different letter in the front, what do you think that word is?" and he got it! and then it repeated for the next few lines so it was really ingrained.

Now on to the Leap Frog hand held reading game...I assume you mean the TAG learning system, which is a device about the size of a large pen or small flashlight. You have to buy special books for it and you move the pen over the words and the pen reads it to you. The voice is great...not robot sounding at all. Each book has special games and once you have "read" a book with the pen you can have the pen read the story to you w/o the book (might be useful for a kid who gets carsick and wants something to do in the car?) We just gave that to him for his birthday and he loves it! So far he is more into the games, but it is really cool and I know that when we do the books together it will be a great tool in his reading adventures!

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S.G.

answers from Stockton on

My son got a little behind in 1st grade and in 2nd grade, the teacher recommended BOB books. There are 3 sets. I am not sure where to get them now, but they were great. There are about 12 books in each set and they start with one or two sounds and build from there.

Good luck!

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S.K.

answers from San Francisco on

I recommend the Hooked On Phonics program. But it is very expensive. You might try to get a used one. One thing I would look at is does your daughter see you read?

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L.H.

answers from San Francisco on

Other people have said this, but I'll repeat it. Go to your local public library. They buy lots of easy readers. They're free, and you don't need to figure out what to do with them when your daughter outgrows them (as she quickly will).
If you're working on reading skills, look at READING REFLEX, by Carmen McGuinness (available through the county library system). Some good information about how children learn to read, a brief test to assess her knowledge, and then lots of activities to do with her.

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M.V.

answers from San Francisco on

1 - We have used the BOB book series. My daughter loves it and it has really given her a lot of confidence to read. They are a great deal when you can find them at Costco.

2- The only leap frog product we have for reading is the DVD The storybook factory, really cute, but I'm not sure how much influence it had over my daughter's ability to read.

We have also used the Reading Lesson -http://www.readinglesson.com/
Great program, my daughter would ask to work on a lesson!!

Good Luck!

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N.J.

answers from San Francisco on

Does she like being read to? Sometimes taking turns and pointing out words as you read them helps her realize what the words are saying and where they are located in addition to the pictures. How about having her go through the pictures in a new book and guess what the words are going to say (what the story is about)? My husband and I are helping struggling second graders get up to speed at their school as volunteers. Reading together at home seems to be the major thing missing for these children. Go to book stores that specialize in childrens books and let her look at them and choose and when that works start going to the library and do the same thing (a lot less expensive) story hour at the library is wonderful too....Have fun with this . Loving books is so important! N.

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K.G.

answers from San Francisco on

Ask the kindergarten teacher for advice. Some kids learn with phonics, some more visually, others in even different ways. Her teacher should know how your daughter learns best. Also, make sure your daughter doesn't feel pressured, even just a little. Most research shows that, barring a learning difference, by third grade, kids are all reading at roughly the same level, whether they started reading in preschool or in first grade, etc.

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T.J.

answers from San Francisco on

I recommend taking your daughter to the library. Let her pick out some books. Offer to read to her, and let her "be" with the books, I wouldn't push the reading until the curiosity is present. Sometimes just looking at pictures, feeling the pages turning the pages, making up a story for the pictures is away of getting to know the book. Have books around the house, not just "children's" books but books that you wouldn't mind being handled a lot. When there is some comfort and familiarity with books ask her to try to read a word or sentence...and offer to read to her.

There's no one way to learn to read...to have reading material available can give children access to find their style(s) of learning.

Computer reading games like Leap Frog are great, especially if your daughter likes using the computer. Also, pointing out words when you are out doing errands, i.e. freeway signs, banners, signs in store windows, labels in a grocery store, are helpful.

I've watched children learn to read and it reminds me of watching them learning to walk. They all learn how, when is when it happens for them.

I found that pushing and making a big deal out of it causes anxiety. Make books fun. We all learn best when it's fun.

Whoops! Sorry for the rant.

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B.D.

answers from Sacramento on

My personal feeling is that it's not how fast our children learn to read but helping them see the importance of reading in their own lives and developing a lifelong love or reading. Both of these usually begin with parents making a special time for reading every day. And I don't think that any computer system can replace the intimacy of reading together. Aren't these the memories we want them to cherish for the rest of their lives?

So, my suggestion is that you make weekly trips to the library and let her choose an armload of books. She should have her own library card. What interests her? What does she want to know more about? It might be Disney princesses one week and snakes the next.

B. D.
Author, The Emma Lea Books

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A.L.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi M.,

You got some really good advices from other Mamas on the forum. Don't forget to ask your child's teacher if she/he is giving out Scholastic book orders and/or game orders. There are some fun and good computer program games available too like Reader Rabbits. I know they have phonics and different grade level for reading. I also shop at the Scholastic warehouse during their huge warehouse sale during beginning the school year and Christmas. I still find the prices on books are still better deals in the classroom book orders. If you have a tight budget, someone already mentioned borrowing books from the public library. Don't neglect the story reading time held in the library and bookstores like (Barnes and Nobles). You just need to find the actual time for the event.

A.

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S.P.

answers from Sacramento on

we went with some dr. seuss (hop on pop, etc) and some care bears phonic books. i would also recommend getting books that jive with the system they are using in the classroom. ask the teacher what she would recommend. i think consistency is very helpful at this age.

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S.C.

answers from Sacramento on

I have found that if you just find what the child is interested in the well like to read books about it . SO really any book they are interested in well do .it does not have to be a special kind good luck haVE FUN S.

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K.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi M.,

First, I highly recommend asking your daughter's teacher for her thoughts/recommendations.

Second, I will offer my own recommendations as a first grade teacher.

1. Scholastic publishes a series of "Hello Reader" books, with levels 1-4. Level 1 for the beginning reader are good. In general, you will want to look for minimal text on each page (maybe 1-2 sentences per page) and big and colorful illustrations that make the text predictable.

2. If your school sends home Scholastic Book Clubs, you may be able to ask your daughter's teacher for recommendations on which books would be most appropriate. There is a list of book levels that the teacher may be able to access to help choose narrow down which books would be most suitable for a beginning reader. A local librarian would be able to help you with this as well.

2. Choose books that have a predictable/repetitive pattern, are familiar songs, or are rhyming books. Children often "pretend" read first, making up their own words before actually reading words. Later, they make the connection that words are written and we actually read them.

3. Many times, more than anything, I think establishing a good reading routine is what beginning readers need - and this can be done with almost any book. Basically, read, and re-read with your child. First, do a picture walk - tell the story through the pictures. If there is a picture of a dog, see if she can find the word dog on the page. With picture walks, you teach her to use picture clues and match them with letter sounds that she knows to infer a word that she might not actually know. After a picture walk, read aloud the book to your child. Maybe reread that book 2-3 times to your child and then let her read with you (shared reading). Ideally, after 2-3 read alouds, she will have memorized some of the words and putting that together with her knowledge of letters and sounds, she might be able to read bits and pieces on her own. Eventually, she will be able to read that book independently (even if it is mostly memorization, but this is the first step in becoming a more independent reader).

4. Some of my favorite children's series for kinder and first grade: Froggy, Frog & Toad, Morris & Borris, Arthur, Franklin, Clifford, Henry & Mudge, Amelia Bedelia. Some favorite children's authors: Eric Carle, Kevin Henkes, Dr. Seuss, Jan Brett, Eve Bunting, Bill Martin, Jr.

Good luck!

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