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For those of us raising children who love to read, it can be a struggle to find books that are appropriate and kosher* for our families. This is especially true for those of us blessed with children who are "early and eager" readers and enjoy reading books on a level higher than their grade level.
This became quickly apparent to me when my oldest son taught himself to read as a preschooler and began reading complex chapter books the summer before Kindergarten (let's just say I had to hide our Harry Potter books because he picked one up and started to read it!). Unfortunately, his social and emotional development was not on the same level as his intellectual development which made it hard to find books with content fitting for his age.
Because of our experience, we were challenged to identify resources and books that were appropriate for a wide range of ages.
Before I offer my own suggestions, here are some general resources that have been very helpful:
Excellent Books for Early and Eager Readers
For those of us raising children who love to read, it can be a struggle to find books that are appropriate and kosher* for our families. This is especially true for those of us blessed with children who are "early and eager" readers and enjoy reading books on a level higher than their grade level.
This became quickly apparent to me when my oldest son taught himself to read as a preschooler and began reading complex chapter books the summer before Kindergarten (let's just say I had to hide our Harry Potter books because he picked one up and started to read it!). Unfortunately, his social and emotional development was not on the same level as his intellectual development which made it hard to find books with content fitting for his age.
Because of our experience, we were challenged to identify resources and books that were appropriate for a wide range of ages.
Before I offer my own suggestions, here are some general resources that have been very helpful:
Excellent Books for Early and Eager Readers
We discovered some of our now favorite books in this resource guide by by Kathleen T. Isaacs. Here is the description of the book from Amazon:
For children, reading level and experience level are not always the same. Eager readers are often interested in ideas and topics that seem advanced, but situations and subjects that sixth graders can handle with aplomb may be emotionally confusing for a younger child. Early and eager readers deserve stories they can get into, information that's challenging and up-to-date, and ideas that are new and stimulating, all while remaining age appropriate. Here, children s lit expert Isaacs offers 300 book recommendations for early able readers ages 4 10, honing in on writing that will challenge but not frustrate young readers. Assisting librarians, teachers, and caregivers, this resource provides recommended titles both old and new in a multitude of genres, including short stories, mystery, fantasy, adventure, picture books, poetry, historical fiction, classics, biography, folklore, mythology, fairy tales, animal fantasy, and nonfiction; offers guidance on steering kids towards the best books for their age; points to resources for finding quality books; and
includes an extensive index for locating titles, authors, and themes quickly.
This book gave us a lot of good ideas for books and breaks the suggestions down by complexity of both the topics and text so if you are looking to challenge your child in the latter but want the content to remain age-appropriate, you can. The Read-Aloud Handbook books are also very helpful with book ideas for young readers.
For children, reading level and experience level are not always the same. Eager readers are often interested in ideas and topics that seem advanced, but situations and subjects that sixth graders can handle with aplomb may be emotionally confusing for a younger child. Early and eager readers deserve stories they can get into, information that's challenging and up-to-date, and ideas that are new and stimulating, all while remaining age appropriate. Here, children s lit expert Isaacs offers 300 book recommendations for early able readers ages 4 10, honing in on writing that will challenge but not frustrate young readers. Assisting librarians, teachers, and caregivers, this resource provides recommended titles both old and new in a multitude of genres, including short stories, mystery, fantasy, adventure, picture books, poetry, historical fiction, classics, biography, folklore, mythology, fairy tales, animal fantasy, and nonfiction; offers guidance on steering kids towards the best books for their age; points to resources for finding quality books; and
includes an extensive index for locating titles, authors, and themes quickly.
This book gave us a lot of good ideas for books and breaks the suggestions down by complexity of both the topics and text so if you are looking to challenge your child in the latter but want the content to remain age-appropriate, you can. The Read-Aloud Handbook books are also very helpful with book ideas for young readers.
Kosher Books Website
Kosherbooks.org is a great resource for parents and teachers as they evaluate the content of books to assess how "kosher" they are. A similar (but not Jewish) website is commonsensemedia.org.
Jewish Children's Library
Join your local Jewish library. There are so many more chapter books for early readers now than there used to be and the quality of writing has greatly improved as well. My son enjoys the Burksfield Bike Club and P.J. Pepperjay series.
Kosherbooks.org is a great resource for parents and teachers as they evaluate the content of books to assess how "kosher" they are. A similar (but not Jewish) website is commonsensemedia.org.
Jewish Children's Library
Join your local Jewish library. There are so many more chapter books for early readers now than there used to be and the quality of writing has greatly improved as well. My son enjoys the Burksfield Bike Club and P.J. Pepperjay series.
Some of our favorite books for early readers are below. All of them are well-written books that are part of a series. I am listing them in order of age that they are appropriate for. Of course, the latter is somewhat subjective. I also did not read all of them fully and cannot guarantee that they will be up to everyone's standards so definitely check them out yourself. In the comments, let us know which ones you have read and what you think. Also, add your own suggestions!
Mercy Watson to the Rescue
Leroy Ninker Saddles Up
A Bear Called Paddington
Toys Go Out
The Giant Germ (Magic School Bus)
The Show Must Go On!
Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor
Winnie-the-Pooh
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
Ms. Rapscott's Girls
The Sasquatch Escape
Mary Poppins
If you have made it this far, and want additional suggestions, feel free to join the facebook groupKosher and Eager Readers.
* Of course this is completely subjective, but for me it means that the books have appropriate language, middos and content. I'm sure what is appropriate will vary from family to family!
* Of course this is completely subjective, but for me it means that the books have appropriate language, middos and content. I'm sure what is appropriate will vary from family to family!