Early Reader Series
Supporting our new reader in her search for engaging books suitable for her reading level has been been a challenge. Like all our children Jelly Bean loves to find series or authors and then binges:) When I asked her to share her five favourite series the following were her choices in preferential order. Â Of course our previously shared Mercy Watson still comes in as top choice!
Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad series was a huge hit!  Simple, humorous stories about two friends, humour is always a winner with Jelly Bean.  Print is large, pictures too, non-intimidating.  Four books; Frog and Toad Together, Frog & Toad Are Friends, Frog and Toad All Year, Days with Frog & Toad comprise the series. JB also loved Owl At Home by the same author.
A new find, the Kid Cowboy series by Catherine Coe also receives a high five from JB. Thus far she has enjoyed Rocky Rodeo and School Scare and eagerly awaits more from our town library. Large print with bright pictures, lessons to learn.
Whilst the following two series are aimed more at the girl market, Sally Rippin has also written a series to capture boy’s interest too, Hey Jack!
Jelly Bean has devoured nearly all of Sally Rippin’s Billie B Brown books. Initially The Soccer Star caught her interest, being a player herself, then she went on to read all of them! (there are a lot) Large print with smaller pictures, aimed at the 7 year old age group, whilst these books are dubbed by our teens as complete twaddle, they do fill a need.
Ella & Olivia – Yvette Poshoglian
A new series recently discovered, JB really enjoyed these. Â Whilst not great literature (dubbed twaddle again) they have helped in encouraging our new reader to continue enjoying the world of print. Â Large print but a ‘step up’ with more lines on each page compared to the above books.
By JB’s favourite author Kate De Camillo of the Mercy Watson fame, Bink & Gollie and it’s sequel Bink & Gollie: Two for One were humorous and entertaining.  Whilst the print wasn’t large, there were only a few lines on each page accompanied by bright pictures.
HT: When discerning whether the print will intimidate an early reader or not, I find it useful to use Amazon’s ‘Look Inside’ feature.
7 Comments
Theresa
looking forward to checking out the Kid Cowboy series! Thanks, as always, for your great book lists!
Erin
Thought those would snag your interest:) Remember Frog and Toad was on your early reader list. You might also find the Hey Jack helpful.
Christine
Thank you, Erin. My youngest daughter just started reading. I'll have to check out some of the unfamiliar titles. 🙂
Christine
I forgot to mention that my children thoroughly enjoyed the Mercy Watson books that you recommended previously.
Renee Wilson
They look like a great selection. How old is Jelly Bean? I think these might still be a bit old for my four year old. She's not quite there yet. I'll keep them in mind for the future 🙂
Malinda Brown
My eldest is 5 and starting to show interest in reading. She is starting prep next year so I might have to get organised and start looking at reading books for her. This is a great list to start with!
Erin
Christine
So pleased to hear that! Really appreciate you telling me:)
Renee
They are too old for your little one yet, though she may be ready to enjoy the humour of Frog and Toad. These books are aimed at the 7 and under set.
Malinda
Thank you:) It's actually taken some work to find books that engage JB but that's partly because as a late reader, it makes it more challenging to find something that interests her as well as capable of reading.