When your child is ready to learn to read, it can be an overwhelming process for any parent. If you are unsure of where to start, the library and its staff are a great resource! Today we will highlight a beginner reader series that is great for new readers.
Early Bird Stories, published by Lerner, is great for children learning to read! For new readers, look for the pink star on the cover. As your child becomes a more confident reader, they can move up through the levels (from easiest to hardest: pink, red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple).
In a pink reader, you will find two short stories. At the beginning of the story, there is a section to help the reader prepare for the story. The letter that is prevalent in the story is showcased. For example, in the story “Bad Dog,” it’s D. The book instructs the reader to trace the lowercase and uppercase letter with a finger and to sound out the letter. This is a great way to help children practice the sound of the letter and also for them to learn to recognize its shape.
On the next page, there is a “some words to familiarize” section. These words are harder and have illustrations to aid the child as they practice them. In the story “Bad Dog,” the words are car, flower and chair. There are also high frequency words below for the child to practice. In this story, those words are the, on and dad, and they appear multiple times in the story.
There are also tips for reading the book. These tips will not only help the child prepare to read the story but will also give parents ideas on how to support their child as they read together. For example, it’s suggested that parents encourage their child to sound out the words they don’t know and help them read the words if they are still struggling. This is a great tip for parents who are unsure how to help their child when reading together.
The final tip is a fun activity that will help the reader decode and understand what’s happening in the story. In “Bad Dog,” the activity is to discuss how everyone could teach the dog to be better behaved. This will help to make sure the child understands what they are reading.
The stories themselves are short and easy to follow with predictable text. There is lots of repetition and the bright, clear illustrations make it easy to decode what’s happening. Here at the library, we highly recommend Early Bird Stories if you have a little one who is starting to take the steps to learn how to read.
If you’re looking for additional resources, check out our Learning to Read booklist or visit Information Desk at the library for a staff recommendation.
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