Two, who is speeding towards 7 (gasp!) has really improved his reading skills since he started first grade, contributing to my thought that he learned absolutely nothing last year in Kindergarten. He reads out loud with me every night; not only does he have a big reading vocabulary, he is great at sounding out unfamiliar words as well. His favorite read-to-me books right now are the Magic Tree House series, of course. When he can speed through these a little faster, he has the first Boxcar Children book to start on.
For read-alouds, this summer we read The Wonderful O, The Wind on the Moon, and The House of Arden. All three were very well-loved, although I have a particular fondness for Arden (I would read Edith Nesbit's vintage shopping lists, I think). This fall we have gone through Mary Poppins and The Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff, and are now part of the way though the latest Hiccup Horrendous book, A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons. He and his brother absolutely love Mary Poppins, and sneer at the musical version as the worst book-to-screen adaptation ever. Two is not the history animal that One is, but he loved Odysseus, as well as anything to do with Greek gods and their adventures (like this). On deck for reading aloud we have Black Ships before Troy (the companion to Odysseus), The Railway Children, and both Alice stories. He loves magic and fantasy, so the Alice book should be a huge hit.
Speaking of reading first graders, my niece – just 7 this fall – is an excellent reader, so we have sent her the first three Betsy-Tacy books for Christmas, as well as All of a Kind Family. One was at this reading level at her age, but Two is not there yet. I was so glad when her mom asked us for books for her for Christmas! Choosing books for girls is a treat I’m not accustomed to, but enjoy very much when I get the chance.
One has been eating books like chocolate this fall; I’ll post an update on his literary exploits soon.
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2 comments:
I LOVED the Betsy-Tacy-Tib books!
That's a good recommendation! Thanks!
I read Melissa Wiley's blog, Here in the Bonny Glen, and she loves them too, as do her girls. I might have to read them myself; they were missing from my childhood. My MIL remembers them fondly, too. I love books that several generations can read (or have read)and then can talk about.
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