Early reading books

[jens2sons]

I'm curious about what other parents on here use for early reading for their beginning readers.  I've read on many posts that using "readers" (Pathway readers, McGuffey, etc.) are not preferred by many.  If you don't use readers, what DO you use?  I have been finding that it is nearly impossible to find a good quality book that is for an early reading stage (Level 1, Level 2, etc).  The stories just seem so stupid.  I have Bob Books set 2 on my Kindle and Pathway Readers to have in hand.  What is wrong with using these?

[simplemom]

I've heard wonderful reviews of Bob books, Pathway, and McGuffey readers. I would think it is personal opinion as to why some do not like to use them, and that is fine. I wouldn't discount either on some bad reviews, especially for the BOB books and Pathway you already have. The McGuffey readers can be downloaded and/or read for free online if you want to check them out and decide for yourself. For my son, before we discovered McGuffey, I used readers like Little Bear and Frog and Toad. He started with I See Sam books, sight words, and some phonics/word family lists in ps K before I started him on a phonics program and the early readers listed above in 1st grade.

[Coco_Clark]

We started with Bob books. My kids could read them before anything else and it really gained confidence. After the second level of Bob (advanced beginner) we did a lot Biscuit and other lame level 1 readers. And then, and only then, were they ready for "good" books like Dr Seuss, Frog and Toad, Little Bear, ect.

 

Honestly I think you just have to muscle through those very early days,

[MamaTX5]

We used both of them. We also use Abeka and Modern Curriculum Press readers. Once they are able to get through chapter books like Frog and Toad, then we start with regular books. My son still loves his Pathway Readers. :-)

[Wildwood]

We have really loved the *All About Reading* books from *All About Learning Press* ...great stories and awesome illustrations.

http://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/Supplemental-Products/Readers/

[Farrar]

Nothing wrong with the BOB books, but they're not really engaging or anything. I just used real books. I used to comb through them at the library (because there were hundreds of them in the bins) and pull the ones that were going to be on level. I got pretty good at glancing at a page inside and knowing which kid could read them. I often read back and forth with the kids and I applied the Progressive Phonics method to a lot of books, having the kids read and sound out the words I knew they could while I read the ones they couldn't yet. We built up a sense of fluency that way. And once we were over that first hump, a lot of the easy readers are actually really good - Frog and Toad, Poppleton, Henry and Mudge, etc. are all really sweet series that are actually enjoyable.

[Jackie]

We started with Bob Books and my daughter loved them. I have no issue with early readers for beginning learning. However, as soon as she was able, we added in "real" books, starting with the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems. In my signature, you will find long lists of books at various grade levels appropriate for younger readers.

[pitterpatter]

I use http://www.arbookfind.com/UserType.aspx to find books at the right level. My favorite leveled series was Step Into Reading. It was the most consistent and the levels make the most sense. Also, I liked Stone Arch Books for really early readers, particularly the Little Lizard and car books (Mud Mess, Snow Trouble, etc.). There's some new ones I see that weren't around when DD was reading them. Elephant and Piggie, and Fly Guy for a little higher level. Biscuit books were good. Holiday House has a really good line called I Like to Read...they've paired top-notch writers with quality illustrators for a series of very nice early readers. Definitely would put those at the top of your list.

 

http://www.holidayhouse.com/I-Like-to-Read/books.php - There aren't a ton of them, so I'd start with the lowest level ones and read forward. (http://www.holidayhouse.com/I-Like-to-Read/docs/I-Like-to-Read-books-by-level.pdf)

 

Here's a list of books DD read when she first started out.

 

http://bluehouseschool.blogspot.com/2013/06/lets-read-2012-13.html

 

When she got a little older.

 

http://bluehouseschool.blogspot.com/p/lets-read.html

 

We've also used/still use The Elson Readers, which we both like.

[tofindwisdom]

This is a great question; thank you, jens2sons!  And a big thank you to pitterpatter for sharing your family's beginning reader favorites.  My daughter LOVED "I Will Try" which is part of the Holiday House "I Like to Read" series.  It's a great alternative to the silly beginning readers marketed to girls.  She loves to talk about the girls in the book with me..."Mommy which is your favorite?" or "Mommy which one do you want to be?"  The text is very easy, but it got her excited about reading and liking it!

 

This thread also encouraged me to get the Elephant and Piggie books.  I had avoided them before, but like "I Will Try" I am happy with them for now as she likes to read them!  And they are not the only thing she is reading.

 

I think an important thing to remember about beginning readers is the good ones can force the child to decode more often than "real" books.  They can also build confidence and help a child to enjoy the learning how to read process.  My daughter is still overwhelmed by and scared of "real" books.

 

Here's our current beginning reader favorites:

 

- Primary Phonics Storybook sets (link)

- SING, SPELL, READ AND WRITE KINDERGARTEN STORYBOOKS (1-6) '04C (link)

   (Good writing, colorful illustrations and nice stories)

- The Berenstain Bears Phonics Fun (My First I Can Read) My First I Can Read

- Elephant and Piggie

  (Careful that the child isn't reciting the text from memory and not actually reading; easy to do with this series)

Morris Goes to School

Morris Has a Cold

Sammy the Seal

 

More Advanced Beginning Readers (1st grade):

See the following lit study guides for titles:

• First Favorites Guide vol 1 by Veritas Press
• First Favorites Guide vol 2
• Storytime Treasures by Memoria Press
• More Storytime Treasures 

For girls:

 

- "I Will Try" (Holiday House "I Like to Read" series) (link)

   (About girls in a gymnastics class)

- "A Day with Miss Lina's Ballerinas" (My Readers) (link)

- Nina, Nina Star Ballerina (Penguin Young Readers, L2) (link)

 

Anyone else like to share more gems they have found?   jens2sons, you are so right that the good ones are hard to find!

 

Have a happy fall!

[SeaConquest]

We used Progressive Phonics + Nora Gaydos books + AAR and Elson readers.

[Btervet]

We really like the BOB books and the I See Sam books (free on kindle) for the very early stages. Both were very big hits here. 

Once we finished those, we went straight into the Early Reader section at the library. Sometimes the books have words that are too hard, I just help him sound them out or tell him and move on. The Biscuit books are some of the easiest in the "Early Reader" section of the library. 

[shawthorne44]

We like the Nora Gaydos books.  The stories are better than Bob books.  

 

We also just started on the tandem reading books.  I don't know if that is the official name.  One page is for the parent to read, and then the next is for the kid to read.  What the kid reads is in larger font.  Because the parent reads some, the story can progress enough to have a little plot.  We bought this set from Usbourne  

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201187883836?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

The library has some from another company.  I think it is called "We Read", or something like that.  

 

But we also have a random selection of readers.  They end up in the Friends of Library section of the library because people donated them.  They are $0.10.  Since they are $0.10 I don't fight it when they jump into my basket.  But collection is extremely random.  DD likes them, she has had many of them read to her.  She likes to do the questions at the end.  

 

What people complain about with the readers is that the kids aren't interested.  If the kid is interested, then they are fine.  I had to hide the Nora Gaydos Level 1 because DD wanted me to read them to her, and I didn't want her to memorize the words.  

 

[tofindwisdom]

Carefully selected books for beginning readers and beyond from a classical Christian school:

 

http://www.thelatinschool.org/studentlife/summerreadinglist/

 

Scroll down to see list for "Rising 1st Graders" and up.

[Korrale]

My son loved the Preschool Prep readers. They are written in first person, which I think appealed to him a lot. Once he had read those he was pretty much ready to read anything he chose. We loved the buddy reading series We Can Read. We also like Green Light readers as they had some well watered down classics. And the I Can Read series had a lot of classic characters like Biscuit and Little Bear. When we were at this stage of reading I just let my son choose whatever books looked interesting to him.