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Hey Aussies - opinions of Tashi series?


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That's weird. I thought I replied to this thread, but it's gone. Huh.

 

We recently discovered these and I sang their praises on my blog here.

 

I was very curious to know if they were as well-known in Australia as the blurbing on the book jacket made it sound. Sounds like maybe not according to Melissa!

 

I really liked them. My 6 yo tore through the first 5 but then they got a little too long and he got stuck. They're very short (even the "longer" ones are very short). I don't know what I would compare them to, actually. They're shorter than most chapter books, but they have a much, much richer vocabulary. Some of it is really challenging stuff. I think they would make an excellent read aloud for a kid just learning to sit through a "chapter book" read aloud. I think they would also make a good independent read for a kid who tires out easily on length but needs a bigger challenge in terms of vocab and sentence structure.

 

Anyway, they're lovely, magical books that are all about imagination. Great stuff.

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I really liked them. My 6 yo tore through the first 5 but then they got a little too long and he got stuck. They're very short (even the "longer" ones are very short). I don't know what I would compare them to, actually. They're shorter than most chapter books, but they have a much, much richer vocabulary. Some of it is really challenging stuff. I think they would make an excellent read aloud for a kid just learning to sit through a "chapter book" read aloud. I think they would also make a good independent read for a kid who tires out easily on length but needs a bigger challenge in terms of vocab and sentence structure.

 

Anyway, they're lovely, magical books that are all about imagination. Great stuff.

 

:iagree:

 

My son really likes the stories. My dad is from Australia and always brings back neat books for the kids a couple of times a year.

 

 

ETA: I think it could be compared with The Hobbit. Just more child like and not dark, but the same kind of fantasy world.

 

Lesley

Edited by oldskool
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We love the Tashi stories. My DD read them independently at 4. She still loves the story lines so much she is getting The Big Book of Tashi for Christmas. I think they are a great stepping stone book to go from picture book to chapter books for an independent reader. We have quite a few HS friends who boys love Tashi too.

 

A word of caution. Some conservative Christian types may be uncomfortable with Tashi as he is magical and comes from 'another land'.

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That's weird. I thought I replied to this thread, but it's gone. Huh.

 

 

You did! I cross-posted on the k-8 board! :D

 

I'm glad to know the language is rich. I think dd might enjoy the shorter books. She just hasn't connected with any series.

 

What grade level would you say it is?

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You did! I cross-posted on the k-8 board! :D

 

I'm glad to know the language is rich. I think dd might enjoy the shorter books. She just hasn't connected with any series.

 

What grade level would you say it is?

 

Okay, the strangeness of dueling threads...

 

I think the grade level is very hard to characterize. My 6 yo ds is reading things like Ricky Ricotta, Commander Toad, Nate the Great, and so forth - upper end of 1st grade and maybe sort of 2nd grade reading level. The Tashi books are as short as those... but the vocab is much harder. However, my son got into them and really liked them.

 

This will sound like a strange rec... but maybe get one of the later books (they don't really build on each other that much) and read it as a read aloud. Then, if she likes it, give her the first and second one to try and read independently.

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Tashi was one of the books that pushed my teetering then 8/9yo son into reading. He hated reading and I was making it as fun as possible- Tashi appealed to him so he read it. Not long after that he was reading well above his age level- his reading just jumped from poor to excellent in a short time and Tashi just happened to be one of the books that was on his list in that time period. I bought him the thick book of combined Tashi stories and he was so proud of himelf reading such a thick book.

There were/are some pretty trashy popular books intended to "get kids reading" for that age group- especially boys. We managed to avoid most of them. I feel Tashi was much better than most of them.

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:iagree:

 

My son really likes the stories. My dad is from Australia and always brings back neat books for the kids a couple of times a year.

 

Lesley

 

We love the Tashi stories. .

 

Thank you. I was just about to place the order and realized I never thank you both! :001_smile:

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