The homework that my Kindergartner has each night is to read or be read to for 15 minutes. Does anyone have any ideas for chapter books for a 5 year old? I would rather read one book versus 5 to 10 short books, but I don't know what would be good for a kindergartner. I read the first three chapters of a Junie B. Jones book to her last night, but I think it might be too advanced for her. Any ideas are appreciated!
Thanks
Actually a variety of books is a good idea. Reading the toddler books with one sentence on a page is a great way to get her to start learning to read.
The 3 that come to mind for a 15 minute read are "Little Bear", "Nate the Great", and "Amelia Bedelia".
"The Magic Tree House" is a great series. However, if memory serves correctly these will take over 30 minutes to read.
Take her to the library and have her pick out books that interest her.
Is your daughter, able to read or are you reading to her????
My son is in Kindergarten now.
And they too have to read for 15 minutes, or the parent to read to them.
Per my son's Teacher, just read something that your child will enjoy. It is not about the length of the book.
But something that will be enjoyed.
And per their attention spans.
And books with pictures.
And with words, that are short and bigger print (so that the child can follow along with you, as you use your finger to point to each word as you read it).
This is per my Son's, Teacher.
Per my Daughter, when she was in Kindergarten, she was not interested in "chapter books." No way.
She was reading, Junie B. Jones, much later. In 1st and 2nd grade.
"Little Bear" by Maurice Sendak... is also very good.
Or books by Eric Carle. His books comes in various lengths. Long or shorter. For very young children or older. And it has pictures.
The thing is: do you want to read TO your child... OR, have the child be able to look at the words AS you read, and follow along with you as you point to the words... and sounding it out, with her????
I do that with my son... so he can SEE the words being read, AND "read" with me too.
Not just being read, to.
My son follows along as I read, sounding out, each word. Too.
Ask her teacher, you'll get the best recommendations based on your daughter's reading level and interest :)
At that age I was reading mine lots of Little Bear and Frog and Toad, they are not exactly chapter books, but a collection of short stories.
these are the first three chapter books I read to my son (age 5), very short chapters, short books good starters:
• My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
• Two Times the Fun by Beverly Cleary
• Chibi: A True Story from Japan by Barbara Brenner & J. Takaya
He LOVED, loved them. then we started Magic Tree House
Not a fan of Junie...we need no encouragement in the attitude dept. here. ;)
I have been reading this to my DD (5.5): http://www.amazon.com/Tumtum-Nutmeg-Adventures-Beyond-Nut...
Sometimes I think it is over her head, but she is following the story just fine.
We also read read this and she enjoyed it:
http://www.amazon.com/Three-Tales-My-Fathers-Dragon/dp/06...
I think it is really great for them to follow a story that does not have too many pictures. That is why we chose these fun books.
I also LOVE Kate Dicamillo. DD gave me grief when I started reading "Because of Winn Dixie" to her...but like I said, DD has an attitude problem.
They are not really chapter books but my daughter and I have been reading the books called "I read to you, you read to me"...
The author is Mary Ann Hoberman...
magic tree house (my 6 yo loved these and now we're reading them to our 4 yo)
little house on the prairie
hardy boys
nancy drew
a to z mysteries
capital a to z mysteries
also here is a website that gives a list of chapter books and what ages they are appropriate for. good luck!
http://www.kidsreads.com/series/index.asp
Yes, as others note, Magic Tree House series is good (if she has the attention span), so is anything by Cynthia Rylant. Also, books by Rosemary Wells may look to "preschoolerish" to you because of all the lovely illustrations but your daugher will love them (and so will you). The "Hilltop School" series by Wells has lots of books both in paperback and hardback and any library will have them; they're charming and have a lot of good stories about coping with other kids in school, too. Anything by Jane Hissey (Little Bear books) is wonderful; again, they are picture books but the art is amazing and the stories beautifully told. You should be introducing her to chapter books but don't stop using high-quality "picture books" too because many of those are also beautifully written!
Think about what your daughter likes. Does she love sea creatures, or dogs or cats, or other types of animals? Get kids' nonfiction about animals. Does she take dance lessons or play soccer or have some special activity? Get kids' nonfiction books about dance or soccer or whatever, or fiction books based on those activities (there are lots about girls and ballet, as I know from my daughter's younger days). Did you take a trip somewhere that she loved? Find a story based in that place.
Most important of all -- go to the library and ask a children's librarian to help you! That is what they're there for and they are usually delighted to be asked for advice!
I am not a fan of Junie B. Jones at all -- I (and other parents I know) find the character too mouthy and some of the words not really ones I wanted my kid to be hearing from a character at this age -- example is calling things "stupid."
variety is the key. The reason you read to her is for her to learn to read. You should also take your finger across the words so she recognizes the words each time. repetitive is important at this age.
A friend of mine who is a teacher says to read or have them read books that are exciting to them, said that's the main point is you want them to enjoy and keep an interest in reading so it will become a life-long pursuit..
Here's a list of chapter books for K up, my fave are "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "James and the Giant Peach" : )
http://www.daddyread.com/earlyElem.html
We loved the work of Cynthia Rylant. Specifically the Cobble Street Cousins series. These are out of print but we found them at the local library and on Amazon. Great kids, sweet story, picture breaks and easy to enjoy for both of us. I also love Winter Shadow from Barefoot Books (www.enjoybarefootbooks.com) is the best source.
If you have never read the Frog and Toad books, then I recommend them. They are geared towards kids that age or younger, but are enjoyable by much older kids (even grandparents!) because they are so funny, in an off-beat sort of way. They are not chapter books, but small compilations of short stories in each book. The words used are simple, but not "see Jane run". Often there are character issues at work in the stories. We love them. Our oldest is 13 now, and he still gets a kick out of them b/c we enjoyed them so much when the kids were younger.
I also would suggest perhaps the Geronimo Stilton books. It is a detective mouse I believe. My daughter read them like crazy (got too expensive to keep buying them VERY quickly, b/c she would read them in 3 hours). And there is none of the "attitude" like in the Junie B series. I read PART of ONE of those and thankfully my daughter wasn't very interested...b/c I thought it was a poor example of what to model for young girls as far as attitude.
Oh and another really fun book is Stories from Wayside School. :)
You may want to try 'The Magic Tree House' series.
We read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Ramona And Beezus to our kindergartner last year.
We love the Magic Tree House books. Very short chapters like Junie B Jones. Not sure if you meant the story line was too advanced or the "sass" :) but my four year old really likes these.
