Mama Needs Sweet Tea

For the Love of Reading

Hey, Y'all! We like reading around here. Right now, we read a lot of picture books. I really want our kids to grow in their love of reading and become lifelong readers. You are never too old for picture books, so we will never give those up. But I've been thinking that maybe I'd like to introduce A to chapter books. Well, I've taught 4th and 5th grades for the last 21 years, so I didn't really know where to begin with chapter books for a 4 year old. So I did what any teacher would do...turn to Pinterest!

I read lots of lists, such as this one and that one. Then I started gathering books. I started with what I already had from my classroom library, which of course, along with all of my other classroom supplies, has taken over our garage. So out into the Texas heat I went on a scavenger hunt for books.

Next I turned to our public library. I bookmarked the books I was interested in. I have to say that taking advantage of the public library is awesome! I place books on reserve for the kids and just go pick them up and check them out when they're ready. This is such a great service since actually searching for books with 2 little people and a baby is almost impossible without losing your mind. If we really love a book and want to read it over and over or if I like a book for a particular lesson I'll do again, I'll often buy the book. I wish I would have realized the value of the public library earlier in my teaching career. I have bought so many books over the years because they have been recommended for teaching inference or main idea or some other skill or strategy, and then I've been disappointed because I just didn't "see it." The library gives me an opportunity to try before I buy if a book is new to me.

We read a mixture of books that I pick and the kids pick. I want them to choose some of the books we read but also expose them to books that I enjoy too. I gathered a few of the chapter books that I thought would be a good start and let A choose. Here is where we started... Getting to use a bookmark is the most exciting part for A I think!

We think Frog and Toad are fun, and I think Molly has sparked an interest in horses. Even L wanted to go back and look at the pictures after finishing the book.

A enjoyed My Father's Dragon, which I have had in my classroom library for YEARS and have never read. It's part of a trilogy.

A has fallen in love with Little Bear! We read 4 books in the series in a couple of weeks, and now she wants to reread them. My fave was A Kiss for Little Bear. Such a cute story!