High interest books for 8 yr old similar to Frog and Toad?

[Dmmetler]

He's only really just starting to catch on to reading. He really likes Frog and Toad and that they have "chapters"and aren't "baby books". It's been a long time since I had a child at that reading level :), and she was obsessed with the assorted "Name, the Blank Fairy" books at that stage. Somehow, I can't see him going for those. Any ideas?

[HomeAgain]

Mine liked the Black Lagoon books - Teacher From The Black Lagoon, Class Picture From The Black Lagoon...there is a set of picture books to pique interest and then a set of easy chapter books that follow on. 

[alisha]

I don't know if these are on the same level, but mine really enjoy Mr Putter and Tabby, Henry and Mudge, Nate the Great, Fly Guy and Elephant and Piggie-though these are easier, but oh, they are silly! They are all series, so have many books in each series.

[Sneezyone]

Jean Van Leeuwin books. There's a whole series for Oliver the Pig that are at that level. Arnold Lobel also has more books at that level.

Edited August 9, 2017 by Sneezyone

[Zoo Keeper]

Check out the others by Arnold Lobel, like Mouse Soup, Owl at Home, Uncle Elephant. 

 

Little Bear books

 

Billy and Blaze series

 

Clyde Robert Bulla is a good author for beginning readers, too.

 

Sonlight has nice reader packages.....here's grade 2

 

Edited August 9, 2017 by Zoo Keeper

[Miss Tick]

Tim Egan's Dodsworth books.

Murilla Gorilla series

[EKT]

Yes to all the previous recs, plus any of Kate DiCamillo's books for beginning readers: Mercy Watson (which is hysterical), Leroy Ninker, etc.

 

Oh! And Cynthia Rylant's Poppleton (this would be great, I think - the reading level is very much beginner, but it has chapters and Poppleton is this really lovable adult pig with a bunch of animal friends.) 

Edited August 9, 2017 by EKT

[prairiewindmomma]

The DK Star Wars readers are actually quite good for boys who are into the series. We used them as a reward after other phonics work. We followed the DK books with the Jedi Apprentice series (there are 6).

[knitgrl]

Another vote for Mercy Watson and hot buttered toast! Also, the Henry and Mudge books are a delight.

[PeterPan]

Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel | Scholastic

 

It's guided reading level (Fountas and Pinnell) K, so then you just search for more level K books.

 

Book Wizard: Teachers, Find and Level Books for Your Classroom | Scholastic  

 

That's the search result for level K. If it doesn't look right, that book wizard search goes down to level I. Use the Level pulldown and click the letter under Guided Reading Level. 

 

For levels below that, F&P actually have their own books. The teacher's lab at our local college has them to check out. They're surprisingly adorable. I think I saw their own books through level K maybe. That would give you a really consistent, gradual increase in the language and length difficulty. What they don't seem to give a rip about is actual phonics, no shock. But when you're trying to control language and length and picture supports, yeah, brilliant.

Edited August 9, 2017 by OhElizabeth

[alisoncooks]

All the James and Edward Marshall books (Fox at School, Three in a Tree, etc)

Dav Pilkey's Dragon books

Jonathon Fenske - his books are like a Piggie & Elephant/Dr. Seuss mashup

Edited August 9, 2017 by alisoncooks

[MotherGoose]

stink series, goes along with Judy moody series.

[JenneinCA]

Commander Toad was a win for us at that stage.

[eternallytired]

I also find Mercy Watson hilarious, but my 8 yo might think it's beneath him, since it's picture-heavy.  Louis Sachar has the Marvin Redpost series that's listed as Level L...  (My 8yo has been reading and re-reading Sideways Stories from Wayside School and laughing hysterically, but I that one is level P, so maybe a stretch.)

 

Here--this link is for a blog post I made about the early chapter book series that my kids read.  I charted the reading level (I'm still pretty pleased with that chart) and then summarized the content of each so you can see if it sounds like a fit.

 

https://butmostlymommy.wordpress.com/2016/04/15/15-or-maybe-19-or-26-chapter-book-series-to-get-you-through-the-early-years/

[rebbyribs]

Just in case: Owl at Home, The Small Pig, Mouse Tales, and Mouse Soup (all by Arnold Lobel)

 

Big Max, Big Max and the Mystery of the Missing Moose, Big Max and the Mystery of the Missing Giraffe

Nate the Great

 

A little harder: the Dragon Masters and Kingdom of Wrenly series were both big hits with my kids. My 8-year-olds have moved on to more difficult books, but they still ask me if there are any new books in these series and zip through them when they arrive.

 

 

 

[ElizabethB]

No book ideas, but i would work him through my syallbles program so he can read even harder books. Once they get to the "4th grade level words," 5th, 8th, etc, it gets very motivational. They are clearly labeled this way in the Webster's excerpts document. There is a link to a YouTube playlist, I have the first few on YouTube and the rest will come out in the next few months. The kessons are complete in written format.

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/syllablesspellsu.html

 

After he completes the syllables program, he might be ready for things like A to Z mysteries and magic school bus.

Edited August 10, 2017 by ElizabethB

[TheAttachedMama]

We read every book written by Arnold Lobel.   Then we moved on to the branches books by Scholastic.   (Lots of different genres for kids.   Those seem to be a good "next step".)   

[ElizaG]

At that stage, my boys have liked the books in Zoo Keeper's list above, as well as the Amelia Bedelia series, the Snip, Snap, Snurr series, and the large-format Richard Scarry books (which they don't consider babyish, maybe because of all the details and humor).

 

They've also enjoyed some non-fiction leveled readers, such as the I Can Read books (e.g. First Flight, Dinosaur Time), and others in a similar format from DK and National Geographic.