Reception class WWYB

[SusannahD]

DS started rec class couple of weeks ago, first week came home with a book he chose with words then one of the Chip, Biff & Kipper without words. He has books at home that I read to him but they are ones which have quite a lot of words. I am thinking of buying some which will help with learning to read can anyone recommend any?
Was thinking of theses ones:
Songbirds Phonics Collection - 36 Books (Collection)
Julia Donaldson - www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?productId=218821&storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&topCatId=10003&categoryId=10005
Or
Read with Biff, Chip & Kipper (Levels 1-3) Collection - 25 Books (Collection

[hollie84]

I wouldn't buy reading scheme books as he will bring those home from school, buy nice story books to read together.

[ChoudeBruxelles]

Just continue to read to him at home. He will get harder books as he goes along. It's not a race

[catkind]

We have the songbirds ones, they are lovely. Not sure about the BC&K, are they the phonics based reading books or the older ones? From the titles I suspect may be the older ones so have more non-decodable words. Songbirds are pretty good at sticking to things they can decode with the odd "tricky" word.

Best bet might be to look up a few books from both series on Oxford Owls to see what they're like and if you like them. It's free to sign up and you can read a wide selection of Oxford's books as ebooks.

Also you might want to hang on a bit and see what school are going to send home. Our school use Songbirds as well as ORT (Floppy Phonics) and other things. I probably wouldn't have got them if I'd known; but actually has been useful to fill in gaps where school weren't sending appropriate books and will be useful for DD too as she looks likely to want to read before school.

[SusannahD]

I think your right as he brings home those reading books from school like you say. Think I'm going to get this nice set by Julia Donaldson Story Collection
The Gruffalo's Child
Wake Up Do, Lydia Lou!
Charlie Cook's Favourite Book
Freddie and the Fairy
Monkey Puzzle
Wriggle and Roar!
The Snail and the Whale
Room on the Broom
Goat Goes To Playgroup
Toddle Waddle

[catkind]

Book people? Such a bargain those collections. We love the Julia Donaldson ones too.

[SusannahD]

Yes from the book people has some great box sets from there such as Mr men and thomas the tank engine.

[MMmomKK]

You can also sign up for the Reading Chest. They have a large range of reading books from different reading schemes. I know people who used it and it was great - you can make sure you get more reading books at the right level.

[erin99]

3 years ago I'd have been the first to say buy anything except reading scheme books!

However we did end up with the songbirds by Julia Donaldson and a lot of them are really nice books. I would rather read them than mr men any day. Especially The Odd Pet and the Wrong Knight. And they are quite a bit easier than school reading books at the same level. Our experience with them was very positive. DS has loads of different books in his bedroom but we quite often find him reading the songbirds ones in the morning.

[TrisisFour]

On the Book People, they have this set. They are for Book Bands Blue (I think that's level 4) through to White (level 10) which will be slightly advanced at this stage but they have some lovely stories. Some traditional ones (Snow White, The Pied Piper, Wizard of Oz etc) but also some newer ones (Charlie and Lola, Peppa Pig). You can start be reading them to your DS and then as he progresses, he can try some himself.

www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&productId=484168&cm_mmc=Google%20Adwords--AdCore%20Product--LRIY%20-%20Ladybird%20Read%20It%20Yourself%20Collection%20-%2050%20Books--ladybird%20read%20it%20yourself%20collection&--=Ladybird%20Read%20It%20Yourself%20Collection%20-%2050%20Books&gclid=CjwKEAjwkf-gBRCd-b2m2aOo0EQSJABMeQDkCVJPuTddhDXI9yA31udn9yid4LczG8LjP8OMGEyGURoC-Kjw_wcB

It's a fab set and a bargain!

[StillSquirrelling]

Usborne do some nice phonics based books and early readers, as well as lots of lovely story books (we must have HUNDREDS of Usborne books in our house!). Their 'See Inside' series is excellent (although non-fiction).

Popular books with DD2 (who is Y1 but a summer baby) are, Charlie and Lola, Richard Scarry books (these are fab for reading together and looking at all the detailed pics) and Meg and Mog.

I can also highly recommend the Little Red Train books. They have fantastically detailed illustrations and we always find something we've not spotted before. I can't remember the author's name - it's Blythe or Braithwaite or something

[StillSquirrelling]

It's Benedict Blathwayt and I've just discovered that there's another lot of books about a DIGGER! My almost 3 year old is going to be in heaven!!!

[SusannahD]

I like the look of that set trisis. I ordered the songbirds by Julia Donaldson for now and we're going on a bear hunt.