Chapter books for parents to read to 1st grader

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes to Kate DiCamillo

Girl or boy? For girl try
Clementine
Ivy and Bean
Ada Lace

Any gender:
A to Z mysteries
Flat Stanley

Love Ada lace

[Anonymous]

DS loved the Little House series at this age.

We also did Cricket in Times Square.

[Anonymous]

DS loves the Chicken Squad books by Doreen Cronin- I think they're pretty funny too!

[Anonymous]

In 1st-2nd grade, my daughter enjoyed:
Ivy and Bean
Ramona
Henry Huggins
Cam Jansen
Amelia Bedelia (newer series where she's a kid)
Mercy Watson
Princess in Black
Hilo

Not chapter books but still recommending:
Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls
Ordinary People Change the World "I Am..." series
Where the Sidewalk Ends

[Anonymous]

Lots of wonderful suggestions here. Check out the website Brightly. It's filled with recommendations of both classics and newer literature at all age levels from picture books up through YA.

[Anonymous]

The first several books of the Betsy Tacy series are also great for an early elementary kiddo.

[Anonymous]

I enjoyed reading the Fairy Realm series. They are really well written

[Anonymous]

I like some of the earlier choices,,,,more that haven't been mentioned

Katie Kazoo Switcheroo
Franny K Stein
Judy Moody/Stink



We read Harry Potter (just book 1 at the end of 1st) and also a lot of non fiction books i.e. "Eyewitness" / "You wouldn't want to be" books Tried the biography series "Who was" but DC wasn't into it.

[Anonymous]

Harry Potter
A is for Alibi

[Anonymous]

Mom of slightly older kids here. The above suggestions are good, but many are really designed for young readers to read to themselves. I think it’s wonderful to read to children this age, no matter their reading ability, but I would personally save some of the series (A to Z, etc.) for them to read on their own when ready. I actually think shorter books/stories work really well as read alouds for this age. Or even stuff like Shel Silverstein, etc. It doesn’t have to be some classic long chapter book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The first several books of the Betsy Tacy series are also great for an early elementary kiddo.

Off topic, but THANK YOU for posting this recommendation. I have been trying, and failing, to remember the names of these books! I loved them as a child and have been wanting to find them for my DD! DCUM for the win!

[Anonymous]

Elementary teacher here. I recommend biographies written for children, because that way you get character education, you can talk about values you embrace as a family, and they provide ground knowledge as kids move through school.

I would not read Harry Potter this young. They can’t really appreciate it, and it’s got some scary themes. Kids don’t need that now.

Also, read poetry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The first several books of the Betsy Tacy series are also great for an early elementary kiddo.

Off topic, but THANK YOU for posting this recommendation. I have been trying, and failing, to remember the names of these books! I loved them as a child and have been wanting to find them for my DD! DCUM for the win!

Oh, I'm so glad to hear that. Betsy, Tacy, and Tib were basically like friends to my kids when we read those books. The Moffats is another series that fits in a similar spot in my brain, if you're looking for more, similar titles.

And to the point of the person who noted that some of the suggested books are better suited to kids reading themselves - I agree! I've found that it's a good rule of thumb to read aloud books that are 2-3 grade levels higher than my kids' reading level (but with suitable content, of course). This keeps the kids engaged in the story and exposes them to higher-order vocabulary and more complex plots than they might find in a Magic Treehouse or Junie B Jones book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The first several books of the Betsy Tacy series are also great for an early elementary kiddo.

Off topic, but THANK YOU for posting this recommendation. I have been trying, and failing, to remember the names of these books! I loved them as a child and have been wanting to find them for my DD! DCUM for the win!

Oh, I'm so glad to hear that. Betsy, Tacy, and Tib were basically like friends to my kids when we read those books. The Moffats is another series that fits in a similar spot in my brain, if you're looking for more, similar titles.

And to the point of the person who noted that some of the suggested books are better suited to kids reading themselves - I agree! I've found that it's a good rule of thumb to read aloud books that are 2-3 grade levels higher than my kids' reading level (but with suitable content, of course). This keeps the kids engaged in the story and exposes them to higher-order vocabulary and more complex plots than they might find in a Magic Treehouse or Junie B Jones book.

+1 agree totally

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The first several books of the Betsy Tacy series are also great for an early elementary kiddo.

Off topic, but THANK YOU for posting this recommendation. I have been trying, and failing, to remember the names of these books! I loved them as a child and have been wanting to find them for my DD! DCUM for the win!

Oh, I'm so glad to hear that. Betsy, Tacy, and Tib were basically like friends to my kids when we read those books. The Moffats is another series that fits in a similar spot in my brain, if you're looking for more, similar titles.

And to the point of the person who noted that some of the suggested books are better suited to kids reading themselves - I agree! I've found that it's a good rule of thumb to read aloud books that are 2-3 grade levels higher than my kids' reading level (but with suitable content, of course). This keeps the kids engaged in the story and exposes them to higher-order vocabulary and more complex plots than they might find in a Magic Treehouse or Junie B Jones book.

+1 to the last part. I have read a few of the illustrated classics to my K daughter. I thought they might go above her head, given the older style of writing for some of them, but she loves them, especially Alice and Wonderland.