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Which books might ds1 enjoy over the summer?

13 replies

lunar1 · 28/06/2014 07:56

Can anyone give me some recommendations for reading books for ds1 over the holidays? He is currently reading the green sound start books, I had a look on reading chest but am not sure what level these books are. Our school don't use any ort books so I have no idea of his level.

Ideally I'd like a good series of books that will be a bit of a challenge but have a good story.

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Moralityissue · 28/06/2014 08:05

How old is he? Can you give an example of books he usually enjoys?

Is he on chapter books? Picture books?

OwlCapone · 28/06/2014 08:06

Does your local library run a Book Trail over the summer? Mine used to enjoy doing that and picking out the books from the selection on offer. The rewards wee an incentive too.

lunar1 · 28/06/2014 08:14

He is 5 and in reception, he loves all the school books that come home. We read cat in the hat over the last half term, he didn't struggle with any of the words but did find some if the pages a bit long.

He has good comprehension and can answer

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lunar1 · 28/06/2014 08:17

Posted too soon,

He can answer questions and tell me about the story after.

They are not chapter books that he is on, there is typically between 3-5 sentences per page in his current school books.

Our library do the summer reading challenge but you basically pick any book and you get a sticker every time you return one .

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OwlCapone · 28/06/2014 08:32

Just take him to the library and let him choose books he wants to read. I think it is far more important to instil a love of reading at this age and to learn how to choose books for enjoyment.

catkind · 28/06/2014 08:39

Our library have an "early reader" shelf, you would soon get a feel for which are at the right level for him. Or we get DS things from the toddler picture books, they are often about the right level.

If he liked cat in the hat, maybe try some other Dr Seuss. DS loved "fox in socks", "wocket in my pocket", "I'll teach my dog 100 words"; "Oh say can you say" currently proving surprisingly tricky. Other favourites here are Winnie the Witch, Elmer the Elephant, Charlie and Lola (there are easy reader versions of some that have the text printed straight rather than wobbly if he finds that hard). If he finds things a bit tricky we'll read every other page with him to keep the momentum going.

If you want to get something school-book-like the songbirds ones are good, I'd think you'd want the later levels but have a look inside on Amazon. Or thinking about it sign up to Oxford Owls and you can read a load of ORT books online for free. That would also help you work out an appropriate level if you do want to get books off reading chest or similar.

lunar1 · 28/06/2014 08:45

There is not much in our library to be honest, there are about 20 books on the early reader shelf at most, they will get books brought over from other libraries, but I have to know what to ask for.

I will have a look at some more dr Seuss ones as he really enjoyed that one. He has read the songbirds ones already. Thank you for the suggestions, I'll take a look at some of the online resources you mentioned.

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noramum · 28/06/2014 10:02

Check out charity shops. I found them good to save money as the books are normally £0.50-£1.

DD loved the Usborne First Reader in Reception, still lots of pictures and the text increases bit by bit. Not cheap but I get them on Amazon as used and normally pay half of the normal price.

Annliz9 · 28/06/2014 11:53

Agree charity shops are the best place to find nearly new books. Your local library may have a sale on too. Usborne books are quite poplular for those who have just started school.

Also ask your child's school for a recommended reading list for her year.
I can also recommend rosie and wizzy, a beautifully illustrated book on friendship for preschoolers and early readers.

diamondage · 28/06/2014 16:10

Hi lunar1, you might find the following link useful.

It's been created by a library and categorises books by sentences per page, so G, H and I (pages 20 - 27) match what your DS is currently comfortable with. Hopefully your library will be able to get hold of at least some of these!

mrz · 28/06/2014 16:25

Your library can order in books for you to borrow ... there is much more available than what is on display.

Icapturethecastle1 · 28/06/2014 19:09

The Topsy and Tim books are good for this age. I was able to order them at our library.

nonicknameseemsavailable · 28/06/2014 20:41

try just normal picture story books like 'This is the bear' and 'Mr Pod and Mr Picallilli' (no idea how many ls go in that), try alternate page reading and help him sound out the words he won't have come across before. If they are nice picture books, especially rhyming ones, then it won't matter if they are a bit hard and you share the reading, either alternate pages or literally saying the words at the same time, so you go slowly and sound out words as he does the same but it will give him confidence to read the words he does know.

Also try oxford owl which has lots of free ORT books on it if you want some more leveled books to read.

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