TrustAndLove Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 8yrs old DD is hesitating to move onto more challenging chapters books after reading almost all Stilton books from library (started reading those two years ago). She also read all Ronald Dahl again and again. Is there a way to encourage a child to move onto books with less pictures? My current strategy is to ask her to read the first chapter, then decide if she wants to continue to read it or not. She enjoyed the Wizard of Oz. But feel Nadia and Harry Potter are too scary. Is there a recommend book list for kids who are not a big fan of witches or dragons? Thanks a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 (edited) Just a quick aside: if she enjoyed The Wizard of Oz, how about the sequels by Baum? He wrote over a dozen titles set in Oz. :) First: if this is for your DD's independent reading, there is absolutely nothing wrong with her wanting to read, or enjoying reading, books that are a little below her actual reading level. That's actually very helpful for students to build reading confidence and fluency with works that they aren't simultaneously struggling to decode. In contrast, to encourage "stretching", I suggest reading aloud together by "buddy reading" ("you read a page, I read a page") the books that are just a little over her comfortable reading level. Other suggestions to encourage the step to longer books/fewer illustrations: - try short chapter books (under 100 pages) to build up reading endurance gently - books that are in a series -- comforting repeating pattern, and pull the reader in to the next book - buddy reading aloud together of regular length and longer length chapter books - listen to audio book version while following along in the book For booklists of titles to use to encourage "stretching" as aloud together buddy reading, check out the booklists of grade 3/4 level books from various booklists and "living book" curriculum providers. Ideas for solo-reading: Gentle Fantasy and Talking Animals: - Pippi Longstockings books (Langren) - Toots and the Upside Down House (Hughes) - Catwings series (Le Guin) - Flat Stanley series (Brown) - The Cricket in Times Square; Chester Cricket series (Selden) - The Rescuers, Miss Bianca, The Turret, Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines, Miss Bianca in the Orient (Sharp) - Dragonslayer Academy series (McMullan) - The Littles series (Peterson) - Magic Rainbow Fairy series (Meadows) - Flower Fairies Friends series (Barker) - Fairy Realm series (Rodda) - The Unicorn's Secret series (Duey) - The Borrowers series (Norton) - My Father's Dragon (and sequels) (Gannett) Real Life - Billy and Blaze series (Anderson) - Ivy and Bean series (Barrows) - Clementine series (Pennypacker) - Light at Tern Rock (Sauer) - Follow My Leader (Garfield) - Understood Betsy (Fisher) - B is for Betsy (Haywood) - The Moffats series (Estes) - Grandma's Attic series (Richardson) Historical Fiction - Viking Adventure (Bulla) - The Sword in the Tree (Bulla) - The Minstrel in the Tower (Skurzynski) - Robin Hood: Tale of the Great Outlaw Hero (Bull) - Robinson Crusoe Reader (Cowles) -- adaptation of the classic story - Marco Polo (Graves) - A Lion to Guard Us (Bulla) - Phoebe the Spy (Griffin) - The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dalgliesh) - The Secret Valley (Bulla) - Riding the Pony Express (Bulla) - Sarah Plain and Tall; Skylark; Caleb's Story (MacLachlan) - Hannah (Whelan) - Silver (Whelan) - Pioneer Cat (Hooks) - The Little Riders (Shemin) Biography - Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie (Roop) - The Story of Thomas Alva Edison (Davidson) - Helen Keller (Davidson) - Helen Keller's Teacher (Davidson) - Helen Keller: Courage in the Dark (Hurwitz) - Louis Braille (Davidson) - Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky - The Secret Soldier: The Story Of Deborah Sampson (McGovern) - The Wright Brothers (Reynolds) - Robert Fulton, Boy Craftsman (Henry) Detective/Mystery - Jigsaw Jones series (Prellar) - Cam Jansen series (Adler) - Third Grade Detective series (Stanley) - Boxcar Children series (Warner) Edited October 14, 2017 by Lori D. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Definitely try some shorter chapter books, but also let her keep reading lots of picture books. I remember being 8--I couldn't fathom why anyone would want to create a book without pictures! Who doesn't love a good picture book?!! Buddy reading as Laurie suggested, can really help a student get over this hump. She'll get there though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Even at her age, many picture books are written at a more advanced level than the chapter books that are suitable for eight year olds. There's no rush! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrustAndLove Posted October 15, 2017 Author Share Posted October 15, 2017 Even at her age, many picture books are written at a more advanced level than the chapter books that are suitable for eight year olds. There's no rush! thank you, Tanaqui! Could you please share some pictures book recommendations for 8yrs old? I can only think of comic books such as Amulet... After watching my DD read the same serial of books for two years (first in English, then in French), I feel compelled to suggest different varieties. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Well, I wouldn't downplay graphic novels such as Amulet, Smile, or El Deafo. But for more traditional fare, just off the top of my head? Kid Blink Beats the World (and other books by that author), George vs. George, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, Many Moons um... I should get up and look at our remaining picture books, but I'm lazy. LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Here's a real pot-pourri of beautiful picture books with more text: Stellaluna (Cannon) Owl Moon (Yolen) Bentley & Egg (Joyce) Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo (Joyce) Snowflake Bentley (Martin) Roxaboxen (McLerran) Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree (Houston) The Mystery of King Karfu (Cushman) Mystery of the Monkey's Maze (Cushman) Math Curse (Scieszka) The Frog Prince Continued (Scieszka) The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Scieszka) Doctor De Soto (Steig) How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Dr. Seuss) The Polar Express (Van Allsburg) The Story of Ferdinan (Leaf) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitgrl Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 8yrs old DD is hesitating to move onto more challenging chapters books after reading almost all Stilton books from library (started reading those two years ago). She also read all Ronald Dahl again and again. Is there a way to encourage a child to move onto books with less pictures? My current strategy is to ask her to read the first chapter, then decide if she wants to continue to read it or not. She enjoyed the Wizard of Oz. But feel Nadia and Harry Potter are too scary. Is there a recommend book list for kids who are not a big fan of witches or dragons? Thanks a lot! I feel for you. We are in the same boat. Dd rereads Geronimo Stilton I couldn't tell you how many times. I've gotten her started on Encyclopedia Brown, which does have pictures, but black and white. She enjoys those. I also assign her books to read for about 10 minutes/ day. We've used some of the books Lori D. has suggested above. I let her read whatever she wants in her spare time, but will also order things I'd like her to look at, just to have them lying around. If she gets bored enough, she'll read anything. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 I’ll tell you what I wish someone had told me when I had an 8 up advanced reader. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with an 8 yo reading 8 yo level books. I nudged a bit during school but her fun reading was her choice. To get her wrapped up in a more intimidating story you can use audio books Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 When my oldest was that age, she loved the Great Illustrated Classics series. They are abridged classics on a kid level. They're not exceptional literature or anything like that, but more of a fun and easy introduction to some classic stories that your reader is sure to encounter later in entirety. There are tons and tons of titles in this series, and you can usually find them cheap used (or at libraries). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThursdayNext Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 There are no particular books that come to mind, but the supplementary reading list in SOTW often have advanced picture book fiction. We've had some GREAT books from that list, and some that were too hard, even though they were picture books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4KookieKids Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 (edited) When my oldest was that age, she loved the Great Illustrated Classics series. They are abridged classics on a kid level. They're not exceptional literature or anything like that, but more of a fun and easy introduction to some classic stories that your reader is sure to encounter later in entirety. There are tons and tons of titles in this series, and you can usually find them cheap used (or at libraries). I agree. My 8 yo loves these, even if a bit of content goes over his head (e.g., Moby Dick). On the other hand, I also still encourage him to read picture books, because my own experience just shows me that the vocabulary is richer and the sentences more complex than most younger chapter books. Another trick I use though with a kid who I know can read something but won't, if I know they'd really like the story, is just to start reading it aloud, and then have to pause to take care of a younger child. I almost always come back to find him reading further on his own... lol. This works especially well for series, and he's now reading the all the Star Wars Rebels chapter books (which have surprisingly complex language), as well as the Warriors series (about cats). Interest is a huge motivator, over here!! ETA: The back of my Spalding book also has recommended reading books for each grade level, and since it's much older, I doubt very much has to do with witches or scary stuff. Edited October 25, 2017 by 4kookiekids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 I collect beautifully illustrated versions for my son. They're not abridged, but have the addition of full color inserts: The Secret Garden Wind In The Willows Winnie The Pooh Treasure Island Wizard of Oz Harry Potter And so on and so on. I want him to fall in love with the stories, even if it means having a little help to get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 The read aloud revival podcast has some great book lists. My strategy is usually to read a few chapters and then go cook dinner at an exciting point. Often you find they pick it up and keep reading. My DD8 whose a Stilton fan is currently liking the muddle headed wombat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Many picture books are written at a 4th-5th grade reading level, so let her pick whatever from the library's picture book section. If she liked Wizard of Oz, there are something like 24 books in that series, all available free on Kindle. My kids each have a Kindle Paperwhite, and that's helped expand their reading into larger books without feeling overwhelmed. My 5th grader really liked the Dr. Doolittle series last year at age 9. He was into that series and the Wizard of Oz series around the same time. Are you reading aloud good chapter books to her? Moving to longer books without pictures just takes stamina. It's ok if she doesn't have that yet. She's only 8. :) Keep reading books to her to help her learn to enjoy a story without pictures, without the added necessity of trying to decode the words herself. This time next year, she'll probably be ready for those books without pictures. And reading a "picture book" will still be ok then too. My 5th grader turns 11 next week and still loves Scaredy Squirrel and the Elephant and Piggie books. :) He ALSO reads Percy Jackson and other such things, but when I bring in books for my 2 year old, the almost 11 year old and the 8 year old (who has read the entire Harry Potter series several times) both jump on those books and read them all the way through as soon as I walk in the door. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrustAndLove Posted October 27, 2017 Author Share Posted October 27, 2017 (edited) Thanks for the advice of reading aloud with my DD. I tried and was turned down. She told me that she prefers to read herself. I did start her with the SOTW audio and she seems very interested. Edited October 28, 2017 by TrustAndLove Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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