URGENT: Illiterate Kindergartener! Where to get free storybooks for kids (0-5)?!

[SnappyCat26]

Hi all,

My DD (Bella - aged 5) has started Reception this year, and the teacher has asked to speak to me about why she can't read or write... at all...

Granted, I've had Bella quite young and am currently living on UC - would be grateful if anyone could recommend storybooks suitable for infants & primary school-aged children, as well as places to get physical books (and book packs) for free.

Do you recommend Bookstart (as a friend told me to try it out)?

Bella is neurodivergent (diagnosed with autism and ADHD) - it has been a struggle sometimes, but I've gotten used to it & learned how to cope. She is also illiterate (my fault entirely), but I want to help teach her how to read.

Also, would be grateful if you could recommend free bookpacks with diverse characters in (racial diversity as she is Mixed-race, neurodivergent, ADHD, autistic characters, same-sex parents etc.).

Trying to obtain all the bookpacks from infancy to Reception to catch up on my mistakes... 😬

have a trip to your local library- free to join, lots of choice.

I would start with your local library

Kindergartener in reception? Illiterate?

My local salvation army charity shop are giving out free books to children. Buying children's books from charity shops is normally very cheap anyway

I have to ask what the gif is about?

Surely the school should be teaching her how to read and write?

Surely you’ve heard of libraries, op??

Or do you mean she's not been read to and doesn't understand what books are for? Either way, I think you need to get more specific advice from the teacher.

What? Are children supposed to be able to read and write when they start school now? at potentially just gone 4 years old? Doesnt the school teach the foundations for this and send you home with staged books from the curriculum and from their library? Which you then practice with them at home?

I’ve bought lots of children’s books on Vinted BTW, but for reading to the child not for them to read to me.

Where are you?

Did you ask Chat GpT to write that?

Also - the point of school is to teach literacy.

HTH

Join your local library this week. Take out a pile of books and enjoy reading them to her each day. Maybe at bedtime. Show her how to hold a book, look at the front cover, talk about what it might be about. You honestly don't need to focus on just diverse characters etc, kids love to see kids, animals, grown ups, anyone in books. It's not too late to turn this around but it takes work from you. Sing songs and nursery rhymes together as rhythms and rhymes help with reading. Have a look on an early reading website - just Google how to read toy child. Put on the silly voices, dance around, have fun! Just because you are young doesn't mean you can't learn to support your child even better. If she has a birthday, ask for books. Kids rarely need more toys.

Library would be the best place to go and it’s free

I'm sure there are libraries you can join in America.

Read to her, look at picture books with her, read her bedtime stories etc. If she has no concept of reading at all, then introduce picture books or books with just a few words on a page and talk to her about them. Even books along the lines of ‘Baby’s First Book’ with pictures of everyday objects/animals/toys etc. with their names beside them would be a start. Make going to the Library a fun outing. Above all read stories to her! If you’re reading to her, they don’t have to be particularly ‘easy’, as long as they capture her imagination!

Firstly, I I do mean this kindly, calm down.

She's 5! It's entirely normal to start reception not able to read, because they go to school to learn. If you have never read to her, and she is now struggling, then by all means put that right, but try not to panic, it's entirely normal to be illiterate at 5.

Been read to for pleasure is as important as trying to read, so I'd just take her to the local library or charity shop book section and let her pick whatever she liked. Then fit a story into her bedtime routine. The works also do selections of 10 for £10, which can be good to bulk up her bookshelf or even ask on your local pass it on Facebook group, there's alway people giving away kids books on ours.

School should be sending reading books home for her to practise. If she's pre-reading they might be just picture books to look through, just talk about what she can see or what story she can imaginefrom the picture. In time shell progress to have a few letters or basic words on a page, and increase from there.

Soz, I was just (unreasonably!) panicking about having an illiterate 5-year-old

Yh you're right, but I was getting berated by teacher for having zero books (with words) prior to her starting Reception - "not supporting her reading journey" enough

What they likely mean is that a child will benefit from their carer reading books with them, story books, picture books, interactive books. All of which you can borrow for free from the local library.

Its the teachers job to teach them to read a write. Thats what we pay them for

You don’t have any children’s books in the house?

I would think most parents start the teaching of reading, writing and counting before they start school

How has she gotten to the age of 5 with no books? Had she seriously never held a book or been read to?

It's an odd choice of word for a child who hasn't started school yet.

Lol I'm acc from Manchester. I js said kindergartner bcos Receptionist has another meaning😅

Get thee to the library and start borrowing books from there.

Some favourites for me would be the tiger who came to tea, burglar bill, and You Choose, but it's hard to know if they'll still interest her because she's a little old. But there will be loads in the library and she'll even be able to choose her own.