Do you ever feel overwhelmed when you walk into the library? I love going to the library, but I have often found myself not knowing which books are right for my needs or where to find them. I have spent many hours (over the years) sitting on the library floor searching though children's books looking for just the right ones.
My biggest problem was finding beginning readers when my son was just learning the sounds that each letter made and how to put them together. I wanted to find him books that he could confidently read and not get discouraged by. I would look in the 'reader' section, but most of the books I would find were based off of sight words. I am a huge proponent of learning to read using phonics, so those books were not what I was looking for. I could have spent countless hours looking through each book and I'm sure that I would found a few books that fit the bill, but honestly, I just gave up.
About a month ago I learned about My Book Boost. It is a list of 150 books, broken down into 15 levels that increase in difficulty. I have spent the last month looking up these books at my library and bringing them home for my children. I look them up online at home and write down where to find them. Once I get to the library, it's as easy as pulling them off of the shelf! If you are luck enough to have a library that pulls books for you, all you would have to do is place them on hold and pick them up =)
I really enjoyed the books on the My Book Boost list. I was introduced to many new books that I had not known before. My 4 year old son thoroughly enjoyed each book that I brought home. Best of all, my 2 year old daughter was able to read her first book ever! The very first book on level one of My Book Boost is Hug by Jez Alborough (You can see a few of the books on the list in this sample.) I had never heard of this book before, but it is so sweet and my daughter loves it. The book has a total of three words in it (repeated) and she is learning the sounds of letters, so she was able to confidently read the book! She read it to everyone who would listen =)
My Book Boost was created for young children who are just learning to read. This could be a preschooler, or an elementary student who needs some practice. These books are prefect for children looking to master kindergarten and first grade reading levels.
You, as the parent, simply start at level one and slowly work your way through the list as your child masters each level. If your child is already reading a bit, you may choose to start at a higher level. This is why you can conveniently choose to purchase the whole 15 level list, or just levels 4-15 (you can also just purchase levels 1-3 if you want to get a taste of what this list is about). I love that there are suggestions and tips along the way so that you can help your child as they are learning to read.
Level one - These books are almost at a pre-reader level. While some books have words that are very simple to sound out, others have words that can be recognized based on pictures (dog, cat, etc.) These books get very young children comfortable with the idea of reading.
Level two - These books have lots of simple cvc words for you child to sound out. Some still have words that need to be deciphered by the picture (ex. an animal). I found some of these books in the young readers section at my library, and some in the picture book section.
Levels four and five - These books have nice short sentences so your child can confindently read each page. The words are not crowded and will not overwhelm him. Most of these books are from the young readers section.
Level six - These books are full of great simple sentences. Many use repetition so that your child can anticipate and read with confidence.
Level seven and up - As the levels increase from here, the sentences grow and there are more than a few words on the page. Duologue is introduced, challenging your young reader with following simple conversation.
Do you have a youngster who is learning to read? Check out My Book Boost for much more information and enter to win a copy for yourself! Please enter the giveaway below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
My biggest problem was finding beginning readers when my son was just learning the sounds that each letter made and how to put them together. I wanted to find him books that he could confidently read and not get discouraged by. I would look in the 'reader' section, but most of the books I would find were based off of sight words. I am a huge proponent of learning to read using phonics, so those books were not what I was looking for. I could have spent countless hours looking through each book and I'm sure that I would found a few books that fit the bill, but honestly, I just gave up.
The Answer That Would Have Solved My Problems
About a month ago I learned about My Book Boost. It is a list of 150 books, broken down into 15 levels that increase in difficulty. I have spent the last month looking up these books at my library and bringing them home for my children. I look them up online at home and write down where to find them. Once I get to the library, it's as easy as pulling them off of the shelf! If you are luck enough to have a library that pulls books for you, all you would have to do is place them on hold and pick them up =)
I really enjoyed the books on the My Book Boost list. I was introduced to many new books that I had not known before. My 4 year old son thoroughly enjoyed each book that I brought home. Best of all, my 2 year old daughter was able to read her first book ever! The very first book on level one of My Book Boost is Hug by Jez Alborough (You can see a few of the books on the list in this sample.) I had never heard of this book before, but it is so sweet and my daughter loves it. The book has a total of three words in it (repeated) and she is learning the sounds of letters, so she was able to confidently read the book! She read it to everyone who would listen =)
About My Book Boost
My Book Boost was created for young children who are just learning to read. This could be a preschooler, or an elementary student who needs some practice. These books are prefect for children looking to master kindergarten and first grade reading levels.
You, as the parent, simply start at level one and slowly work your way through the list as your child masters each level. If your child is already reading a bit, you may choose to start at a higher level. This is why you can conveniently choose to purchase the whole 15 level list, or just levels 4-15 (you can also just purchase levels 1-3 if you want to get a taste of what this list is about). I love that there are suggestions and tips along the way so that you can help your child as they are learning to read.
My thoughts about how the levels progress:
Level one - These books are almost at a pre-reader level. While some books have words that are very simple to sound out, others have words that can be recognized based on pictures (dog, cat, etc.) These books get very young children comfortable with the idea of reading.
Level two - These books have lots of simple cvc words for you child to sound out. Some still have words that need to be deciphered by the picture (ex. an animal). I found some of these books in the young readers section at my library, and some in the picture book section.
Levels four and five - These books have nice short sentences so your child can confindently read each page. The words are not crowded and will not overwhelm him. Most of these books are from the young readers section.
Level six - These books are full of great simple sentences. Many use repetition so that your child can anticipate and read with confidence.
Level seven and up - As the levels increase from here, the sentences grow and there are more than a few words on the page. Duologue is introduced, challenging your young reader with following simple conversation.
Do you have a youngster who is learning to read? Check out My Book Boost for much more information and enter to win a copy for yourself! Please enter the giveaway below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
