roanna Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I know there is a list of the good books for kids but just wanting to know if there are some favorites you all may have for a 5 year old who is at the 3rd grade level. He's just had a jump from 2nd to 3rd level recently but I am not interested in him reading silly chapter books and he is only 5 and very sensitive so i don't want him reading things he doesn't need to know. Or specific authors that you'd recommend. He loves Frog and Toad, Amelia Bedelia, current Disney etc. I have an 18 month old so it makes it interesting going to the library trying to find books for him. :001_smile: He reads quite a few books in a day so I have a hard time keeping up with good ones. Thanks for the help. Roanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2smartones Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 The Mensa for Kids website has a great list of challenging books here - http://mensaforkids.com/ReaderAward/all.pdf. Other than the Kate DiCamillo obsession at age 4 (glad that's past us... too dark for a 4 y/o IMO!), we've pretty much kept to either the classics (before about 1940) or books from publishers like Usborne and Barefoot. There's just way too much junk out there these days (and I do mean JUNK!) that I don't think a 5 or even 15 year old should be reading. My kids are also sensitive. I've heard so many times, "my 6 year old has read all the Harry Potter books", blah, blah, blah... you know what? That's great, but my kids haven't read those and won't read those until they're mentally and emotionally ready. Both of my kids started reading before age 2 and were at a so-called "adult" reading level by 5, but there aren't any books out there that are challenging enough for an adult yet simplistic enough for a 5 year old (well... except maybe The Phantom Tollbooth... that one's great!). Sorry for the soap box. Yes, finding good (or great) books is a challenge in itself when your child needs more challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roanna Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 Wow I love that mensa list! Thanks so much. I am going to print that out. He's already read quite a few but those are the kind of books I was looking for. I think I'll print out the other grade levels too so I'll be ready when the time comes. Awesome. roanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnegurochkaL Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 My kids really like( especially my 4.5 years old son) stories by Thornton W. Burgess. " The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse" is their favourite.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnegurochkaL Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 (edited) There's just way too much junk out there these days (and I do mean JUNK!) that I don't think a 5 or even 15 year old should be reading. My kids are also sensitive. I've heard so many times, "my 6 year old has read all the Harry Potter books", blah, blah, blah... you know what? That's great, but my kids haven't read those and won't read those until they're mentally and emotionally ready. :iagree: My kids will not read Harry Potter books; my husband and I do not think they are any good. It is better to stick with the classics. My daughter is very sensitive too, so dragons, monsters, witchcraft is not for her. We do like to read books from Yesterday's classic http://www.yesterdaysclassics.com/ There are a lot of titles at The Baldwin online children's literature project at http://www.mainlesson.com/ Edited July 30, 2011 by SneguochkaL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Magic Treehouse? I wouldn't say it's great writing, but the kids love it and learn a lot about history, science, etc. Most of them are Reading Level 2.7-3.6 or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I just printed some off the other day for my son who reads at that level (these are all on the 3rd grade reading level from 3.0-3.9, Most are picture books. Madeline Where the Wild Things Are Mouse Tales Flat Stanley Henry's Freedom Box (about an slave who mails himself in a box) The Man Who Walked Between the Towers Officer Buckle and Gloria Owl Moon Lots of Stepping Stone books and Bullseye Step Into Classics (adaptations of classics) Shrek The Story of Babar Caps for Sale Corduroy Harry the Dirty Dog books Also, I think one of the Winnie the Pooh Books (forget which) is RL 4. So keep that in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roanna Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 You guys are great, thanks so much. I have printed/written down what you've listed. Now I'll check the library inventory. This should keep him busy for a while. Roanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Don't forget science and history readers! There are a bunch in the 2-3 grade level... Read and Find Out series, that sort of thing. You might ask your librarian if there's a section for history and science readers. Mine has a section for "readers" separated out by grade level, and I found a lot of good stuff when my son was in the 3rd grade level (I still get them at that level sometimes, even though he's well above that now... they're EASY to read, which makes them fun ;) ). Also check out Scholastic Book Wizard to help you get more ideas. You can type in Amelia Bedelia and tell it to give you books like that. My son loves the A.B. books! Oh, Sonlight's Readers lists are also good. Check the 2nd and 3rd grade lists. They have good books on there. As he gets older and needs higher level books, check the read-alouds for the lower cores, as they'll often be age appropriate, but more difficult reading (Detectives in Togas is a good example from Core 1 or 2? It's grade level 7.3 according to Scholastic Book Wizard). For the library trips, learn to use your library's hold system to make it easier to go with a toddler. They'll have the books you've selected all bundled up together somewhere to pick up. Very handy! And it's all done from the comfort of your computer. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2smartones Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I think a lot of parents have been brainwashed into thinking their child has to transition from picture books to chapter books and never look back. That's SO not true! This is why I mentioned Usborne and especially Barefoot. There are a lot of great publishers out there who still offer picture books (and picture chapter books) for higher and higher levels of reading. As long as the print is large enough and the pictures are interesting enough, you can push a child's reading level higher and higher without them even realizing it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraeden Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 It definitely gets tricky when their reading ability is above their interest level. We have had issues with that at all ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunriseiz Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 The Mensa for Kids website has a great list of challenging books here - http://mensaforkids.com/ReaderAward/all.pdf. Great list! I didn't even know there was a mensa kids website. DOH! :o I will be checking out the rest of the site as well! Regarding books, Thorton Burgess books and the Boxcar Children were great at our house because #1 they are good books and #2 there are a lot of them! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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