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books/series for dyslexic 8yo?


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My dd8 is about at the same point. We team read the Kingdom of Wrenly books, alternating pages. I help as needed when it is her turn.

 

The Dragon Master books are supposed to be a similar level, haven't tried those yet.

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very gentle early readers that might appeal to an 8yo:

- Riddle books by Hall and Eisenberg

- Aunt Eater mystery series (Cushman)

- Inspector Hopper (and sequel) (Cushman)

- Detective Dinosaur (and sequel) (Skofield)

- Fox series (Marshall) -- high on humor

- Wizard and Wart (Smith) -- humorous

- Captain and Matey (and sequel) (Laurence) -- humorous

- Mr. Putter and Tabby series (Rylant)

- Amelia Bedelia series (Parish)

 

"stepped readers" at the step 1 or 2 level -- a few to get you started:

- Mummies (Milton)

- Johnny Appleseed (Demuth)

- Knights (Daly-Weir)

- Egyptians Gods and Goddesses (Barker)

- Flying Horse: The Story of Pegasus (Mason)

- Snake Hair: The Story of Medusa (Spinner)

- Sacajawea (Milton)

- Wagon Train (Kramer)

- Amazing Whales! (Thomson)

 

"bridge" books -- lots of illustrations, few words, but higher vocabulary

- Baby Mouse series (Holm) 

- Squish series (Holm)

- Scholastic Branches -- a number of different series, with varying amounts of text per page

- children's magazines -- short articles, lots of photos or illustrations

 

A bit more text, but also illustrations every page:

- Nate the Great series (Sharmat)

- Commander Toad series (Yolen)

 

And then, illustrations on most pages, but some pages all text:

- Catwings series (LeGuin)

- Jenny and the Cat Club series (Averill)

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My 8 year old dyslexic is currently reading Henry and Ribsy. We also like the level 1 and 2 fact books. He doesn't put up very well with any nonsense, lol.

 

There are lots of studies out there showing that boys overall are more interested in reading non-fiction than fiction. 

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Little Bear

Frog and Toad

Elephant and Piggie

Mouse Tales

Amelia Bedelia

Nate the Great

Geronimo Stilton

 

A step above these:

Dick King Smith books

Time Warp Trio

Graphic novels - Cleopatra in Space and Amulet are favorites here

I survived series

 

 

Edited by FairProspects
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For a kid who's firmly in the Dr. Seuss stage, I think some of these suggestions may be intimidating, like the A to Z Mysteries or Henry and Ribsy.

 

Lori's list is the sort of stuff I would suggest. A lot of the Cynthia Rylant series, like High Rise Private Eyes and Poppleton, are funny enough to appeal to older kids. Ditto things like Frog and Toad or Amelia Bedelia.

 

Graphic novels are a good idea. She might like to have something like Owly, which is wordless, but thick like a "real" book for her age, and, of course, she can practice following a story in it. But there are lots of good ones now that have so few words like Squish, Babymouse, Flying Beaver Bros, Lunch Lady, etc. The vocabulary level can be higher, but the heavy graphics content can be a big motivator.

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For a kid who's firmly in the Dr. Seuss stage, I think some of these suggestions may be intimidating, like the A to Z Mysteries or Henry and Ribsy.

 

Lori's list is the sort of stuff I would suggest. A lot of the Cynthia Rylant series, like High Rise Private Eyes and Poppleton, are funny enough to appeal to older kids. Ditto things like Frog and Toad or Amelia Bedelia.

 

Graphic novels are a good idea. She might like to have something like Owly, which is wordless, but thick like a "real" book for her age, and, of course, she can practice following a story in it. But there are lots of good ones now that have so few words like Squish, Babymouse, Flying Beaver Bros, Lunch Lady, etc. The vocabulary level can be higher, but the heavy graphics content can be a big motivator.

 

Thank you for saying this, especially the bolded. I was beginning to feel depressed thinking that my 8yo dyslexic can't even keep up with other 8yo dyslexics.

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Thank you for saying this, especially the bolded. I was beginning to feel depressed thinking that my 8yo dyslexic can't even keep up with other 8yo dyslexics.

 

Agree. I think some of the posters may have missed that sentence in the original post about the student being at the Dick & Jane and simple Dr. Seuss level, and only saw the "8yo" part of the post.  ;)

 

Some of those posters' suggestions that are text-heavy/illustration-light and are at a grade 3-4 reading level will be great in a little while as buddy-reading ("you read a page or paragraph, I read a page or paragraph") with a parent once the student has a bit more reading confidence and endurance. :)

 

But for now, those early stepped readers, graphic novels, children's magazines, and books with lots of illustrations and small "bites" of text per page are going to be the most helpful in giving a beginning dyslexic reader confidence and help them build up reading endurance, while giving them lots of success with the manageable amount of text, and added enjoyment of books/reading with all of the images.

 

Hugs and best wishes for patience and gentle perseverance to those with older dyslexic students! Your DC will blossom in their own unique timing. Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited by Lori D.
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Hugs and best wishes for patience and gentle perseverance to those with older dyslexic students! Your DC will blossom in their own unique timing. Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

Thanks Lori for your encouraging comments! It sometimes feels like a dirty little secret to have an 8yo that can barely read Hop on Pop. My 8yo ds also loves the boxcar children, but he is in no way able to read them. He listens to them on audible!

 

It is terribly challenging to find books for these kids. My son has listened to all the audiobooks in our local library. He is at the children's desk every week requesting audiobooks on interlibrary loan. Every single time the librarian tells him they have the book on the shelf, why doesn't he just read that. He is unabashed because, thanks to homeschooling, he has little idea that he is seriously "behind."But, it's hard to get them interested in books they are capable of reading (which really are few and far between) when they are enthralled by Percy Jackson and The Secret Garden, and Misty of Chincoteague, and all the fabulous children's literature that is appropriate for their intellect.

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My 8yods can but he doesn't--he's good at decoding, tests out at end of fifth grade reading level on an informal word identification test, but has no stamina.

 

He went straight from Henry & Mudge to Calvin & Hobbes, but he currently prefers Garfield for recreational reading.

 

My dyslexic is in his/her late 20s now and enjoys audio books for recreation, but is able to read just fine for work/school/life stuff. When s/he was eight, s/he enjoyed Stephen Hawking and Charles Dickens for read alouds but reading independently was still hard work and not particularly enjoyable yet.

Edited by Guest
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My dyslexic son was in a similar place when he was 8 years old. He really enjoyed the Sound Out chapter books from High Noon Books. I think your son could probably handle the level 1 books at this point based on your description.  They're written to appeal to older struggling readers, and, even though they're formatted by chapter and called chapter books, they're very thin and therefore not intimidating to a struggling reader. Squirrelboy loved that he was finally reading "chapter books" like his classmates.

 

I also second the recommendation for graphic novels, especially those with very little text. It can help give him confidence in following a story in a book (as opposed to on audio) and also might make him feel good that he can read a thick book just like his peers. Though he may not need this as much as my son did since he's being homeschooled.

 

 

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The following series might be just what you are looking for, or will want in the next year or so.

 

It looks like a chapter book, but the text size is really big and the writing simple. It is very action driven and all about fighting alien creatures to save the world, level up, and get new gear. The books are also short, but there are lots of them in the series. 

 

http://www.scholastic.ca/books/series/boyvsbeast/

 

Here is a excerpt from a page with no pictures. Usually if you have a page with no pictures the next page will usually have less text and a picture. The newer edition of the books also have two to four pages illustrating a battle scene - graphic novel style. 

 

Kai Masters was 12 years old

And he was a Border Guard.

It was Kai's job to stop beasts

from getting to Earth. Beasts

that tried to break through the

border-wall.

   "We need to go," said Kai as

he patted BC. "But first I'll take 

some of this black stuff."

    Kai took out his orbix. It was

a mini computer. It was a beast-

battling tool, too. The orb and

 

ETA: For encouragement: Youngest read the first 8 books in the boy vs. beast series when he was 7. He is now ten. He can happily read Bone books and is re-reading them again but very quickly, usually 2+ books an evening. He is also reading the minecraft series, "Elementia". We do that one shared reading with me offering to read two pages for every page he reads to himself. He still doesn't like reading non-graphic novels to himself. But he can. 

 

Edited by Julie Smith
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Thanks Lori for your encouraging comments! It sometimes feels like a dirty little secret to have an 8yo that can barely read Hop on Pop. My 8yo ds also loves the boxcar children, but he is in no way able to read them. He listens to them on audible!

 

It is terribly challenging to find books for these kids. My son has listened to all the audiobooks in our local library. He is at the children's desk every week requesting audiobooks on interlibrary loan. Every single time the librarian tells him they have the book on the shelf, why doesn't he just read that. He is unabashed because, thanks to homeschooling, he has little idea that he is seriously "behind."But, it's hard to get them interested in books they are capable of reading (which really are few and far between) when they are enthralled by Percy Jackson and The Secret Garden, and Misty of Chincoteague, and all the fabulous children's literature that is appropriate for their intellect.

 

Do you have a Kindle Fire for Immersion Reading or access to Learning Ally? Those are lifesavers for us as far as audiobooks. Plus the Immersion Reading features have definitely improved both ds' reading skills as they hear the words read aloud while they track the text.

Edited by FairProspects
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WOW! This thread exploded overnight! lol I think I have several of the suggestions on our shelves. I will dig them up and give them a try. Thanks for all the input. :)

 

My 8 year old dyslexic is currently reading Henry and Ribsy. We also like the level 1 and 2 fact books. He doesn't put up very well with any nonsense, lol.

Good for him! Glad he's doing so well. :)

 

For a kid who's firmly in the Dr. Seuss stage, I think some of these suggestions may be intimidating, like the A to Z Mysteries or Henry and Ribsy.

 

Lori's list is the sort of stuff I would suggest. A lot of the Cynthia Rylant series, like High Rise Private Eyes and Poppleton, are funny enough to appeal to older kids. Ditto things like Frog and Toad or Amelia Bedelia.

 

Graphic novels are a good idea. She might like to have something like Owly, which is wordless, but thick like a "real" book for her age, and, of course, she can practice following a story in it. But there are lots of good ones now that have so few words like Squish, Babymouse, Flying Beaver Bros, Lunch Lady, etc. The vocabulary level can be higher, but the heavy graphics content can be a big motivator.

Thank you for your understanding. :) As far as your last suggestion, she doesn't like to create stories. Handwriting this week was finishing a simple story about a lonely princess (like 1 or 2 sentences) and she couldn't do it. :/ Unfortunately, she is much like her mama in this respect. I never understood wordless books.

 

Thank you for saying this, especially the bolded. I was beginning to feel depressed thinking that my 8yo dyslexic can't even keep up with other 8yo dyslexics.

You're not alone. :)

 

Agree. I think some of the posters may have missed that sentence in the original post about the student being at the Dick & Jane and simple Dr. Seuss level, and only saw the "8yo" part of the post.  ;)

 

Some of those posters' suggestions that are text-heavy/illustration-light and are at a grade 3-4 reading level will be great in a little while as buddy-reading ("you read a page or paragraph, I read a page or paragraph") with a parent once the student has a bit more reading confidence and endurance. :)

 

But for now, those early stepped readers, graphic novels, children's magazines, and books with lots of illustrations and small "bites" of text per page are going to be the most helpful in giving a beginning dyslexic reader confidence and help them build up reading endurance, while giving them lots of success with the manageable amount of text, and added enjoyment of books/reading with all of the images.

 

Hugs and best wishes for patience and gentle perseverance to those with older dyslexic students! Your DC will blossom in their own unique timing. Warmest regards, Lori D.

Thank you. :)

 

OP, what are you using to remediate the reading challenges?

She has been in therapy through NILD since she was 5. It's a really amazing program and she has made great progress. I highly suggest seeing if there's a program near you. Ours was through a Christian school that had opened it's program up to homeschoolers.  http://discoveryprogram-inc.com/learning-center/

 

My one page chart may allow reading above current level if used for reference. Use it with her for a bit and then see if she can use it own her own successfully.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/608521-new-phonics-charts-with-cartoons/

I will take a look at it, thank you.

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Thank you for your understanding. :) As far as your last suggestion, she doesn't like to create stories. Handwriting this week was finishing a simple story about a lonely princess (like 1 or 2 sentences) and she couldn't do it. :/ Unfortunately, she is much like her mama in this respect. I never understood wordless books.

 

Maybe I wasn't clear... the wordless book I suggested doesn't involve her writing anything at all or finishing anything - there's no creating the story, it's already created. I would actually argue that wordless books are usually good for kids because they require that they pay attention to the story and focus on it in a different way than simply flying through the words. It's a skill to be able to do that. A kid who struggles to follow them probably wouldn't enjoy one as long and complex as the one I suggested - Owly - but just as a separate skill, you might consider getting some wordless picture books from the library.

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I think of wordless books as more like complete comic books without words, or as "storyboards", like for a movie -- illustrations of all the images/shots that the director will want to use to tell the story of the movie, but without the dialog. They really do tell the complete story for you without words.

 

Some picture book examples, some very simple, some become more imaginative and emotionally complex:

Good Dog, Carl -- very simple toddler board book series

Journey

Tuesday

The Arrival

The Snowman

Edited by Lori D.
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Yeah, I was thinking about this more... I remember doing a struggling readers workshop years ago where the reading specialists talked about how important wordless books could be for developing reading skills. Dyslexia is more about not being able to sound out or decode words and I think the focus with wordless books is more about other reading difficulties - for kids who have trouble following a story in any form, which can include kids who don't struggle with decoding words per se, just with reading comprehension. I think they're supposed to be good for separating that skill out.

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Owly was a huge hit!! What a great suggestion!

 

DS had to wrestle it away from his two older sisters in order to read it. The best part was he read through the entire first story in the car, narrating each picture aloud (this is my extrovert who cannot stop talking), so, it was as much a composition exercise as a reading exercise. But he loved the idea of holding a thick book in his hands and reading it!

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The Beginner's Bible for Toddlers

 

This one might work for her.  My dyslexic ds, who is in Barton 4, will read this one aloud to me The Beginner's Bible: Timeless Children's Stories.  Fwiw, he doesn't read anything for pleasure right now.  We use step readers and that Beginner's Bible.  I also sneak in reading with some math worksheets where he has to read the instructions.  To read the word problem *and* figure out the math of it doesn't work for him, but he can read the instructions and notice the details, like whether it said to circle the answer, etc.  In general, I think you could continue to plow forward with your reading instruction and not worry about books.  For our Barton work, I've loaded up every word, every phrase, every sentence into Quizlet and drilled them.  So he was reading, but he was reading the sentences from his reading program, kwim?  That way everything was decodable and working toward the goal of moving us forward.

 

Has she had language testing as part of a psych or speech eval?  You might check your results, just to make sure there aren't some language issues affecting her reading as well.  My ds had a point where he could decode the words but wasn't comprehending what he was reading, I found the answer in his language testing (CELF) by the psych.  Just something to check.

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It is terribly challenging to find books for these kids. My son has listened to all the audiobooks in our local library. He is at the children's desk every week requesting audiobooks on interlibrary loan. Every single time the librarian tells him they have the book on the shelf, why doesn't he just read that. He is unabashed because, thanks to homeschooling, he has little idea that he is seriously "behind."But, it's hard to get them interested in books they are capable of reading (which really are few and far between) when they are enthralled by Percy Jackson and The Secret Garden, and Misty of Chincoteague, and all the fabulous children's literature that is appropriate for their intellect.

 

 

I relate!

 

My 13yo dyslexic still has a large gap between interest level and comfort level.  He's reading just fine, above grade level even...but his interest level is adult.  I don't think this problem will go away for a long time yet. He has a Kindle Fire and it's typically always with him...I set it so he can only access books, audiobooks and music most of the time.

 

 

The Christian Liberty Nature Readers are a good option if you don't object to the 'Christian' aspect.  Large print, white space, pictures, and the content is real life stuff...so easy to grasp meaning.

 

Comic books and graphic novels. :iagree:  Our library has been getting non-fiction, historical graphic novels and I'm thrilled!  They are actually very good for kids who read just fine b/c of the illustrations and the way in which they are done.  I understand things better, seeing the maps within the story and such.  We went through all of the myths & superheroes in graphic novel form.  Those were great too.

 

 

 

Have you tried a reading guide?   Those can really help.

 

Also, I made lessons to go with the Treadwell Readers. Starting with the 2nd reader (with kids who already know how to decode using phonics), the lessons take all of the tricky words and use them for decoding practice before reading the story.  When possible, I build up the words through morpheme (defend, defended, undefended) so that those big multi-syllablic words are not intimidating when we see them in the story. The lessons help them to break big words apart in their minds as a natural process.  Some kids need that process explicitly taught.

 

The Treadwell Readers have large print, white space and reasonable illustrations too.  Plus, they are traditional fables and tales so they aren't too babyish for an older child.  And, the vocab is NOT phonetically controlled but it is repetitive and grows along through the series.  If the 2nd Reader is too advanced, take a look at the Primer and 1st Reader. (I'm currently writing lessons for those, but it may take me all summer to finish. Your son is already reading, so just the readers are likely enough for him anyway.)

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I just wanted to give some encouragement to those of you with a dyslexic child. My middle son was dyslexic, and was unable to read until he was about 9yo, and after this it was still very hard to get him to read books. Of course, at his beginning reading level they were too cutesy, and so he couldn't be interested. But I worried lots, thinking that he must need lots of easy *practice!*  I found things like the Bob books and got him to read those--but finally I just laid off, thinking that he might get better in time. I still worried that I wasn't getting him to develop his reading skills! Then, when he got to be about 11 or 12 he discovered the Narnia books and read every one of them as quickly as possible.

 

A bit later (about age 12 or 13) we gave him the Lord of the Rings, and he devoured them! I was flabbergasted, because I thought that he would have needed lots more practice in order to read at that level. During the homeschooling years he was never the avid reader that his older brother was.  But then, when he was done with homeschooling he began reading books by Jane Austen, Dostoevsky, etc.--just because he wanted to!  So, even though I didn't succeed in getting him to read much when he was young, he still took off with it in his own time.  This surprised me greatly--because I just figured he was never going to be much of a reader.  

Interestingly, my brother (who is just like my middle son) was force-fed reading in 1st and 2nd grade in every way imaginable. It was a huge ordeal to try to get him to read.  And I believe it was because of the way they tried to force him to read at the same level as others, at too young an age, that he always hated reading. My brother has never voluntarily read a book for fun, or a work of literature!   So it seems that sometimes they just need to develop this skill in their own time!  

 

My theory is that my son loves reading now because his associations with reading weren't too negative. Rather than being forced to read a lot too early, instead he just saw the rest of us enjoying books (and he had heard them read aloud) so when he was older he picked up books cause he wanted to.  But my brother (and some other relatives who were force fed reading too young) have very negative associations with books.  Just my theory!!! :)

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Here's what my DD read after Biscuit books, etc. She does not have a diagnosis, but she is undoubtedly dyslexic.

 

http://bluehouseschool.blogspot.com/p/lets-read.html

 

Check into Scholastic Branches, which is what Dragon Masters is part of. There are lower-level books as well.

 

http://www.scholastic.com/branches/

 

You may also be interested in this UK publisher. Books can be purchased through Book Depository.

 

http://www.barringtonstoke.co.uk/

Edited by pitterpatter
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