Looking for books that will turn my kids unto reading

[A home for their hearts]

My two oldest dc hate reading. They don't mind being read to as long as it's a picture book. I really want to get them into chapter books as read alouds. Is there any that your dc just couldn't turn away from and really caught their attention?

[Renee in FL]

The Dragons books...My Father's Dragon and the others.

[whitestavern]

My daughter always enjoyed chapter books, but my son really needed pictures in order to hold his attention. So the first book that he really enjoyed and listened well to was The Minpins by Roald Dahl. It has great pictures, but it's a good story as well. I kept reading them quality chapter books that had pictures and now he's at the stage where he doesn't need to see pictures anymore. You don't say how old your dc are. Mine are now 5 & 7. I think I read The Minpins when my son was 3/4.

[one l michele]

My two oldest dc hate reading. They don't mind being read to as long as it's a picture book. I really want to get them into chapter books as read alouds. Is there any that your dc just couldn't turn away from and really caught their attention?

I used Calvert the past two years, this year we switched to Sonlight. My boys absolutely love the read alouds and always are begging "Please, just one more chapter!" They also often re-read the books we've read together. My oldest especially, just devours boooks.

[Lorna]

I second the Sonlight books for this age. They are really well chosen.
Keep on reading aloud to them. Don't worry if they just like picture books. There are plenty of good picture books out there and if they enjoy them then stick with them. The Bill Peet books are fun; Orlando the Marmalade Cat; the Little Tim books; Madeline. Fun chapter books for you to read aloud are Nurse Matilda; Roald Dahl; Paddington Bear. All of these are lots of fun. There are so many picture books that are still quite a challenging read and fun at this age. Don't rush their childhood away.

[sleepy]

My kids loved the Little House on the Prairie books at that age.

[Surfside Academy]

I'm in the same boat. My boys are reluctant readers but they've really enjoyed the Dragon Slayer's Academy series by Kate McMullan. They're really entertaining and funny. My oldest still "freaks out" some when I try to get him to read chapter books. It's not that they're too difficult, he just frets over the number of words on the page. I hope he gets over it soon!

[Sophia]

Amelia Bedelia books made my dc laugh and want to read more.
I thin I also introduced the Bullseye classics to them at around 8.
The Step into reading series was also a hit-I would let them pick out a few at the bookstore which made it more appealing to them, although the library may have some.
Betsy-Tacy, the Little House readers, Stories From Grandma's Attic all appealed to my dd's.
Magic Tree House books appealed to my son, but thankfully he tired of them pretty quickly and moved on.
Also, try joke books, knock-knock books, and magazines at their level.

[Amy in NH]

At that age, my oldest were reading Magic Tree House aloud to me daily.
But they started by reading easier chapter books, such as Frog & Toad, Little Bear, and Amelia Bedelia.

We would read more advanced chapter books to them, such as:
Indian in the Cupboard
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
James & the Giant Peach
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
The Little House series

[Myrtle]

I would hooked my oldest son by reading aloud to him. I used to also get unabridged books on tape and we'd listen to a chapter while eating lunch.

There was one book that I was reading to him that he especially looked forward to listening. When I got to the last chapter I put the book down with the page marked and said, "You know, I don't have time to read this today." And the next day I said the same thing, and the third day he picked up on the book and finished it off himself because he didn't want to wait any longer. That was exactly what I was hoping would happen. He was nine or ten at the time. Later I'd read the first chapter or two of a book and he'd slowly finish it on his own. Recently, he just finished the Golden Compass entirely on his own.

[Janie]

Whenever children (adults, too) say they hate something, it is nearly always because they don't do it well. Reading, piano, handwriting, memorization, you name it. So, I'd say that the reason half your flock "hates" reading is because it is more difficult.

I would suggest this as a bridge to few-picture-chapter books. Select a good book that is lavishly illustrated. You will be reading a big book but still a picture book to the children. We regularly gave these types of books to our children for birthdays and Christmas and would read them a bedtime. An easy transition like this might be what they need.

Some titles we read and enjoyed at those ages were The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, (the original Collodi) Pinnochio, TheWind in the Willows, Charlotte's Web, The Hobbit, and The Princess and the Goblin. A favorite illustrator was Michael Hague.

My children transitioned with The Boxcar Children series, Marguerite Henry's books, Mother West Wind books, Winnie the Pooh books. While the still beg for picture books, be sure not to miss the Bill Peet books and Patricia Pollaco books.

I guess a question I would have is why the children would like a picture book and not a chapter book when they are all read aloud. That's assuming you are reading to them and not having them read it aloud.

[lynn]

Well, I had one child fly through the magic tree housebooks, then onto Chronicles and Narnia, anything Jules Verne, all the classics, and any books having to do with boys, sign of the beaver, My side of the Mt, Banner in the sky

My second son pretty much read anything handed to him then read through Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter

My baby boy, now 7, is reading through classics and my side of the mt and every other library visit he chooses what he wants and it's usually goosebumps or captain underpants:::::cringe::::: Oh he also likes Laura Ingles Wilder.

My boys have also enjoyed Patrica Polloco stories. Sometimes, I found that if my boys didn'tw ant to read, if I started reading a book aloud and oops something comes up, go on and continue reading while I (insert household chore here), they would continue reading themselves.

[Amy in MD]

will peak my children's interest and then they will enjoy hearing the sequels read aloud to them.

We're animal lovers here so the books by Dick King-Smith were short enough chapter books and silly enough to keep the children's interest.

Keep trying!
Amy

[Barb F. PA in AZ]

My two oldest dc hate reading. They don't mind being read to as long as it's a picture book. I really want to get them into chapter books as read alouds. Is there any that your dc just couldn't turn away from and really caught their attention?

When they read aloud, are they fluent? Do they skip or substitute words or pause in the wrong places? Their eyes may not be strong enough for the smaller print. At that age, I like to find picture books written at a high level. Since these are meant to be read by the parents, the text is often more challenging than chapter books are. But a picture book can be read in a sitting, which gives the child a sense of accomplishment.

Also, check for eye issues. One of my kids was a good reader at that age, but hated to read chapter books. Turned out she needed glasses, but we didn't catch it until she was ten.

Barb

[Eliana]

My two oldest dc hate reading. They don't mind being read to as long as it's a picture book. I really want to get them into chapter books as read alouds. Is there any that your dc just couldn't turn away from and really caught their attention?

Little Pear and sequels
The Milly Molly Mandy Storybook and More Milly Molly Mandy
Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner
Charlotte's Web
Swallows and Amazons and sequels
Little House in the Big Woods and sequels (we edit out the more graphic animal slaughter in this book - much too intense for our little ones.)
The Wizard of Oz and sequels
Jenny and the Cat Club and some of the other Jenny books
The Moffats and sequels
The Courage of Sarah Noble
The Princess and the Goblin (the sequel tends not be a success at these ages, at least for our kids.)
The Mollyday Holiday
All of a Kind Family
Mary Poppins and sequels


for some of the kids:
Narnia series
E Nesbit's books
Edward Eager's books
Elizabeth Enright's books
Noel Streatfield's books
The Search for Delicious
Beyond the PawPaw Trees
Paddington books
The Secret garden
The Borrowers
Caddie Woodlawn
The Good Master
Heidi
E. cameron's Mushroom planet books
the Spaceship under the Apple Tree books
Homer Price
Alexander's Prydain chronicles

Some of my kids (my middle two in particular) loved fantasy; my eldest abhorred it until she was older (now she loves it) and devoured more realistic stories (Anne of Green Gables, the Five Little Peppers, etc).

Eliana

[Mrs. Readsalot]

My ds loves cars. I got him the book The Beetle and Me and I can't even tell you how many time he has read it. He also likes to invent things so books like Henry Reed Inc. were a big hit. Gone Away Lake is also a favorite because it is about the joys of summer vacation.

[Anna]

My youngest hated story books for the longest time. Even after she learned to read at age 6-7 she hated reading stories. I decided back then that I would give her some leeway. We always had a variety of books in the house so when we would have free reading time I allowed her to pick and choose.

Her favorites for the longest time? Encyclopedias and dictionaries. What's wrong with that? Eventually she did get tired of them and finally began sticking her toe in the novel waters.

Ten years later at age 17, she is an avid reader and writer. She writes stories, speeches, poems, songs.... you name it. She just had to develop the habit on her own time frame.