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| Laura Ingalls Wilder for the youngest readers |
I’ve been a
bookworm since I was young. To this day, children's chapter books hold a special place among my memories, and I’m excited to share some of those same books with my daughters as they grow. Here are some of my favorites:
1. The
Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I’ve already introduced my
4-and-a-half-year-old to Laura. We started with the MyFirst Little House series from our library, featuring gorgeous
illustrations and text adapted for the preschool and younger elementary crowd.
I’ve now begun reading the first book in the original series, Little House in
the Big Woods, out loud to my daughter. I’ve always romanticized life in the
1800s, and these books are a big reason why. Once our daughters have gotten
acquainted with Laura, our family will visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum
a few hours away, near Springfield, Misssouri.
2. The
Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. If I had a book in my hands as a kid,
chances were good it was from the Ramona series. I owned a plush Ramona doll
(and still do) and wore my hair in a bob style with bangs just like my favorite heroine.
Ramona is plucky and funny and never afraid to be herself, and I like that. I’ll
start reading some of these books aloud to my oldest daughter after we finish
Little House in the Big Woods.
3. The
Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery. These books are for slightly older kids and not read-aloud material right now, but Anne is classic. I loved her well through
my college days, when my friends and I would gather in someone’s dorm room for
Anne nights and watch the movies. While my oldest daughter is not ready for
Anne yet, I have a little set of Anne paper dolls I sometimes let her look at.
She knows the basics. Gilbert calls Anne “Carrots” and Anne breaks a school
slate over his head. It’s a good start.
How about
you? What books do you look forward to sharing with your children?
You can
contact Rachael by emailing her at Rachael@mumblingmommy.com.
4 comments:
I used to love The Babysitters Club series!
Me, too, Kelli! I even had a Baby-Sitters Club board game. Those girls were so fun!
My parents started me on chapter books at a very young age, but I was (well, am) an only child. I would like to hear more feedback about books that help transition from picture books to chapter books; I tend to read to both boys at the same time, and the little one is too young for chapter books. So far the Frog and Toad series seem like a good start, but any other suggestions to move my nearly-5-year old to chapter books without leaving out his little brother (2 and a half?)
We're in the midst of that transition to "older" books, too, Beth. I follow the blog moneysavingmom.com, and that mom has three kids ranging from about ages 2 to 6. She reads chapter books aloud to all of them, but she says it's easier if their hands have something to do while they listen.
I've been trying this with my daughter when we read Little House in the Big Woods. I give her play dough or let her color. You could also try Legos or building blocks. This might be a way to include your youngest one, too. Good luck, and happy reading!
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