To think this is too challenging for a 4.5 year old?

[BetaMom]

Name changed as DC school could recognise this.
My 4 year old started reception in September.
Barely learning how to write out short words at this point.
School said child was doing well with reading - sent them home with a new book (picture included).
Am I being unreasonable to think this is too hard for a beginner?
DC would struggle to read easier books than this. Maybe they are trying to encourage DC? I fear this is so difficult it will just discourage them. Or maybe DC is very behind for their age?
Help!

This is probably a story you’re supposed to read to your child.

I would assume you're reading the left and your child is reading the right page?

My son is 4.5. His school send home books for him to read and books for me to read and talk about with him. It's to encourage a love of books. Are you sire it isn't that?

It's more of a 'read with your child and see what letters/words they might recognise as you go' sort of thing at this age.

I'm pretty sure you read what is on the left and get them to read what is on the right. That's what how those story books were read to my DC when they were younger.

I don't think they can possibly be expecting a 4.5 year old to read that.

It probably you read the long text and she reads the speech bubbles or you read the whole book to her. Or they sent her to choose a book and she picked one from the wrong section!

Does she have a reading record where the teacher writes notes to you?

Yeah this is what I’d expect, my DC is also in reception and they’d be able to read the right hand page but absolutely not the left.

I’d assume this is a reading for enjoyment book which you are suppose to read with the child perhaps trying the right page. We get picture books that we read to the child. Our household reads a lot to dc already as I’m sure most do but not every child gets read to so I suppose teachers send books home to encourage reading. My dc didn’t have any reading books themselves at this stage inky once they’d mastered more phonics did they get reading books home (simpler than that with repetition on words).

Thank you - I think you’re probably right about me reading the left and DC reading the right.
Nobody explained this and I was panicking a bit 😂

To be fair I think the right is still a bit challenging but doable!

As others have said, this is one of those books where you read the left page/smaller font and they read the right page/bigger font. It will explain at the front of the book

Yes you read the story they have a go at the words on the right hand page.

Hi OP - it's a see saw book. You read the right hand side, your child reads the left hand side in the speech bubble.
Think it should explain this on the inside of the front cover.
Hope your little one is settling into school okay!

Haha...got my left and right mixed up!!

The right hand page will normally be decodable words like the "can" in this instance or high frequency words they learn by sight like the "you".

There are a few possibilities:

1 - they’ve sent home a wildly inappropriate book for your child to read
2 - this is for you to read to him, to enjoy the book together
3 - you read the left-hand page to him, and he reads the right-hand page.

It’s hard to tell from the picture, but I’d guess it’s option 2 or 3. The reading book should match what he’s been taught so far in phonics. Most children I would expect to be on phase 2 phonics at the moment, so learning individual letter sounds and reading cvc words like cat, hen, kick, plus a few ‘tricky’ words that you can’t sound out like I, the, no.

You read the left, dc reads the right.

The speech bubble is decodable with 1 exception word.

You read the story and they 'read' the sentence on the right

Dc should be able to read the right hand side with a bit of help. Obviously not the left!

I think it is you read they read...they read the speech bubble bit?

Thanks for helping me solve it - I think all those who have said it’s a see saw book are right 😊.
It would be quite helpful to have some notes from teacher on this stuff but I can only imagine how busy they are with a full class of 4 year olds 🙈

This looks like the usborne very early reader books. Yes, your child is meant to read the right side but that is quite tricky if they're not way ahead. The only reason I recognise it is because my nephew is 4.5 and also in reception. He is way way ahead in phonics and goes in with the year 1s for phonics. This would probably be about his level. His older siblings would never have been able to read that at his age so I would say it's tricky.

Unless it's a book sent home for you to enjoy with your child, it's not a suitable home reading vook and poor practice. The DfE is very clear that children should have a reading book which exactly matches their phonic ability a d supports the phonics that is being taught in school.

Absolutely.

What other books has he brought home to read?

It’s Storyworlds level 1. The Lion and the Mouse.
you read the text, the child reads the bubble.
I don’t think from memory it’s phonics based.
I would have sent home written instructions for the parent at the start of sending books home as most are not mind readers.😬

I think you are to read the left page and your child reads the right.