Runningmom80 Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 My DS is just starting to read books on his own. He's been reading since about 2.5, but never really sat down to read books alone, and I never pushed it. The only "problem," and I put it in quotes, because it's not a serious problem, just something I'd like to change, is that he only wants to read those easy readers. They are way below his level, which in and of itself is not a problem, but I feel like they don't really do much for his brain. I'm not going to take them away or anything, but is there anything like this, but not so daft for him to read? Something I can use to steer him in the direction of better reading materials? He is not going for the kid books meant for adults to read anymore. He briefly read those but has since stopped. He also has a stack of toy catalogs that he reads. He can tell me the recommended age range and battery requirements for any toy. :lol: Like I said, I'm not losing sleep over this or anything, just trying to brainstorm what direction to nudge him in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Nonfiction books. Guiness book, or something about snakes or dangerous animals etc - often, boys like books with facts that are concise and without too much verbage. One of the first books my son read for fun was Usborne's book on Greek myth- short stories, almost like summaries, in boxes, not too much text at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 My son loved those history/science readers at the library that were around a 3rd grade level. Those got him excited about reading. Then he started reading SOTW - the whole series. :lol: So yeah, my boy has tended to prefer non-fiction. He likes some fiction, but tends to get most absorbed into a non-fiction book. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I've made this suggestion before-old reading textbooks. A lot of them ARE simply chapters of longer books bound together, but with illustrations. I really credit the Scott Foresman readers that DD's former school was getting rid of with moving her from short books to longer books-the larger print size and illustrations gave her the support she needed, and once she'd met the characters, she was willing to dive into the actual novels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 I've made this suggestion before-old reading textbooks. A lot of them ARE simply chapters of longer books bound together, but with illustrations. I really credit the Scott Foresman readers that DD's former school was getting rid of with moving her from short books to longer books-the larger print size and illustrations gave her the support she needed, and once she'd met the characters, she was willing to dive into the actual novels. Where does one find these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I have a couple of usborne books, the classics for boysnand a science one, I'll make sure I show him those again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Have you considered the Sonlight collection of readers for his level? They are explicitly trying to build a love of reading, and it's gone over well here. -- we are not Christian, and I have to say I didn't like their science or their history which so many folks do seem to love; but the readers were right on. You might also check out Great Books for Boys , which your library should have ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 I wouldn't try to change it at all... I'd go for a Montessori sort of approach and figure that he's giving you signs that he isn't ready to move on developmentally... not that he can't technically *decode* something more difficult, but just that where he's at right now is the world of easy-readers. And that's totally fine for him. There's a lifetime of reading out there and only a limited window of time in your life when easy readers are appealing. He might as well enjoy it because he will, at some point, get bored... just have some trickier stuff ready when he does. He's not going to enter university with a secret stash of Fly Guy or Frog and Toad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 My dd did the same thing for a long time. She was capable of reading at a much higher level than the books she chose to read. It didn't bother me. I like pictures sometimes too. I chose harder books for read aloud for her as well as for school reading but her free reading was her own choice. Henry and Mudge and the Lighthouse family books were a start. From those it was the Spiderwick Chronicles and then she leapt into the Lang Fairy Books. She will still read below level but just as often read way over. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Where does one find these? For old school readers, check library book sales, book sections at Goodwill, or make friends with a few teachers. Ebay or Amazon, too, may have them. Most schools adopt books every 5-7 years, and usually don't get rid of the prior series until a couple of adoptions down the way, so they've often got a book room to dump. I'm fortunate in that my church has a parochial school, and when we pulled DD to homeschool her because they couldn't meet her needs, the principal offered us our pick of their old books. The Scott Foresman ones are nice because the supplemental materials are still available online if you want to use them, but we mostly just have used the books as free reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Where does one find these? One such collection of stories and poems can be found in McGuffey's Eclectic Readers: Primer Through the Sixth. It's a boxed collection of seven small books. Amazon link here. The photo they show is of one side of the box, btw. I also used E.D. Hirsch's Books to Build On: A Grade-by-Grade Resource Guide for Parents and Teachers. Amazon link here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennynd Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 DS love magic tree house and captain underpants at that age Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Thanks everyone! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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