Papillon Mom Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 My dd can read at grade level but prefers easy, not too many words on the page, easy readers and picture books. For school she reads a chapter a day in her current lit book and does the guide etc. but... she would rather do anything than read a big kid book for free time. She will happily read easy readers though. I keep many, many, many available to her and she enjoys that... She has been reading Mr Popper's Penguins as a summer supplement and on her own... has been going ahead! YAY!!! She'll be done soon and I'd like a similar (level) and super engaging book to hopefully keep the momentum going. Must have pictures and probably should be short-ish. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Some ideas: Baby Island Homer Price The Toothpaste Millionaire All of a Kind Family Pippi Longstocking Ramona Series Emily's Runaway Imagination The Cricket In Times Square Riding Freedom By the Great Horn Spoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 The Whipping Boy My Father's Dragon Mouse and the Motorcyle Mrs Piggle Wiggle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecclecticmum Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 These are mostly books that I loved as a kid (and a couple that my kids love me to read now) Pippi Longstocking Mallory Towers Series' Babysitter's Club Henry Huggins series Magic Treehouse series American Girl Series The Hobbit Strawberry Girl Charlotte's Web The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe The Secret Garden Anne of Green Gables Little Women Matilda The BFG The Twits Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Goosbumps Series Choose your own Adventure books Little House series Heidi Winnie the Pooh Harry Potter Series Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass Judy Blume books Paul Jennnings books Tuck Everlasting The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly stupid Fairy Tales The Faraway Tree series Morris Gleitzman books Jackie French books Gondwana ooh. almost forgot. My kids are loving "A Cry from Egypt" but it does get a bit graphic with what happens to slaves (based around the Jews in Egypt). Another option is to have her try writing stories instead of reading. Like every now and again give her the option of reading this book or writing part of a story etc. hth xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Dr. Doolittle is sort of along the same lines. A bit more difficult but animal related would be the James Harriott Children's Treasury in picture book format. Henry and Ribsy or the Ramona series, Emily's Runaway Imagination, all by Cleary I think. Half Magic series My Father's Dragon is GREAT!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventuresinHomeschooling Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 My son was the same way at first. He read well above grade level, but he "hated" chapters. I just took him to the library and tried to pick one or two and let him get whatever he wanted. I also tried very colorful books that were not chapters or easy readers such as Aesop's Fables. He loved Aesop's Fables. We also did the Frog and Toad books and Amelia Bedelia because some of those are chapters and some aren't. He wouldn't read the Frog and Toad ones that were chapters as much. He didn't feel like it was a continuation of the story, but choppy. I just kept telling him all he was missing from chapter books. Then, it just clicked for him and he took off reading every chapter book he could think of. They weren't the same ones I was peddling like Encyclopedia Brown, but he loved the How to Train Your Dragon books and the Easy Classics and took off with Boxcar Children, etc. Now we can't get him to stop reading chapter books, including harder ones like Narnia and the Hobbit. Sometimes it helped that he had seen the movie. He liked the Ramona books. My advice would be to follow her lead. Sometimes it's not an ability thing but a maturity thing. Give her a little time and allow her to pick some of her own books so it doesn't feel like a chore. When she finds a story that interests her with the maturity to imagine the pictures, it will click. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Mom Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 Thank you so much everyone! Adventures in homeschooling--- when did your son make the leap? The multiple pictures and short chapters and pages have really helped her tolerate Poppers Penguins more than usual. The fantasy aspect and funny animal antics interest her... Anymore like that? She doesn't like Magic Treehouse for some reason, maybe still too many words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Roald Dahl's books are simple, funny, have short chapters and often lots of pictures; Charlie and the Chocolate factory, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, ect. My son loves them and also loved Popper's Penguins. My Fathers Dragon has been mentioned several times. yes yes yes. Dealing With Dragons is about a princess who runs away and finds...dragons. It is fantasy and simple with short chapters. I've heard good things about Catwings (another fantasy) but haven't read it myself so I dont know how easy it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Mercy Watson might be a little easy, but worth a try. There are 6 stories in 3 books. Nate the Great is easy to read but it makes my son laugh out loud. We really love the Greetings from Somewhere series. The words are in large print, there are pictures and the stories are good. Lastly, my son can get enough of the Ramona series. Oh and my son dealt like the Calendar Mystery Series. He is not so hot about Magic Treehouse either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristin0713 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Capyboppy! Has the cute and funny animal element, is less intimidating than Mr. Popper's Penguins and lots of pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basketcase Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 The Akimbo books by Alexander McCall Smith - they're about animals and have short chapters and pictures. Adorable little adventure books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dewdropfairy Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Roald Dahl, Mr. Popper's Penguins, the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series, and the Ramona books helped my younger break through from reluctant reader to one who doesn't complain too loudly anymore. Series are often great for kids because they are familiar with the characters so they feel comfortable reading the books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dewdropfairy Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Also, my younger son really enjoyed reading The Hobbit, but you may want to be careful about that one. The reading level is more 6th-7th grade. My 3rd grader loved it, but he loves the movies so already related well to the characters. A kid who doesn't already love Tolkien's stuff may find it hard to slog through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Mom Posted June 7, 2014 Author Share Posted June 7, 2014 Hobbit, Harry potter, etc. is waaaay out of her league for pleasure reading. I might as well tell her to eat Brussels sprouts during a movie. She could do it but it wouldn't be fun, you know? Hopefully we'll get there. I certainly have done the ground work dangnabbit! She should love reading! And, she does like babyish books. We've been through all the Dahl books, many a few times, as read alouds. She had me read My Fathers Dragon over and over and I tried to get her reading it but, OY! What a struggle! Thank you all for your recs! You're life-savers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventuresinHomeschooling Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Honestly, it was just a few months. He had this idea in his mind that chapters were too long, and he couldn't finish the story. Plus he liked more pictures. This was last summer just after first grade. We are just ending second grade now, and he got Narnia in November. We started reading out loud, and he took over. It was a story that really interested him. I just kept explaining that chapters just give the reader a natural resting point and that you don't have to read it all at the same time. It was a mental maturity block. He still loves picture books and reads them to his siblings, but he is always reading. I think Highlights magazine helped too because there were stories without tons of pictures that were short enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Mr Poppers Penguins reminded me of Paddington bear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 We did the Wizard of Oz as a read aloud and it had several pictures throughout it? I don't know if that is to advanced though. Also what about Stuart Little? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyE Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 The Boxcar Children - lovely language but not too difficult to read - both my girls loved them. Animal Ark series - I don't think these are in the stores anymore but you may be able to find them at the library or on Amazon. Both the "Bad Kitty" and "The Wayside School" book series have short chunks of text mixed many illustrations in a chapter book format - plus they are full of antics. Ralph and the Motorcycle would be a great read aloud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohop Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 My suggestions would be Roald Dahl (Fantastic Mr. Fox is a pretty easy and fun read as well as the better known ones); Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series, and Mouse and the Motorcycle books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallingjan Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I second My Fathers Dragon and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallingjan Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I second My Fathers Dragon and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallingjan Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I second My Fathers Dragon and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaquitita Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 My suggestions would be Roald Dahl (Fantastic Mr. Fox is a pretty easy and fun read as well as the better known ones); Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series, and Mouse and the Motorcycle books. I second this. Roald Dahl has a few shorter books that look less intimidating... The enormous crocodile was a favorite. Along with fantastic mr. Fox and the giraffe, the pelly and me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I don't really have anything new other than to suggest audio books, also. You aren't limited by reading level with audio books, only by interest. I completely understand your need to keep her in books also, to increase fluency, comprehension, etc. but audios are so good for taking the pressure off and letting a kid just enjoy the story. Kind of a teaser for what all is out there without having to slog through it on her own... You can get free open-domain stuff like Tom Sawyer via Librivox, current publications through your library membership at Overdrive, or of course through a paid membership at Audible.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upward Journey Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 My reluctant reader (3rd grade) just discovered the Poppy series by Avi and loves it. He also loved reading The Littles and Gooney Bird Greene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 My son had a breakthrough with Tashi. We bought him the Enormous book (http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Enormous-Book-Tashi/dp/1742372910/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402432937&sr=8-1&keywords=Enormous+Tashi) which is 996 pages long. It starts out with more pictures than words and progresses gently to more and more text. Ds LOVED the book and was so proud that he read a book that was almost a thousand pages. He then felt that he could read anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konglish Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 My DD6 wouldn't be ready to read it on her own yet, but the kids and I found the My Father's Dragon series incredibly engaging and funny as a read-aloud. I thought Mr. Popper's Penguins was kind of a letdown afterwards! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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