Comments on: Jitters and Shakes http://american-family.org/2008/07/29/jitters-and-shakes/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:08:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: jenney http://american-family.org/2008/07/29/jitters-and-shakes/comment-page-1/#comment-90851 jenney Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:50:23 +0000 http://american-family.org/2008/07/29/jitters-and-shakes/#comment-90851 My son loves the laurence yep gold mountain series. He has written so many books of various reading levels from picture books to YA books. Great books with chinese characters. My son loves the laurence yep gold mountain series. He has written so many books of various reading levels from picture books to YA books. Great books with chinese characters.

]]> By: June Yeow http://american-family.org/2008/07/29/jitters-and-shakes/comment-page-1/#comment-90105 June Yeow Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:06:19 +0000 http://american-family.org/2008/07/29/jitters-and-shakes/#comment-90105 The boxcar children is great, and so are any Enid Blyton books. Maybe not so much the mysteries like secret seven or famous five (may be too old), but those book of short stories or Amelia Jane books or the any of the 'school' series like 'the naughtiest girl' series, Malory Towers series or St Clares series. The boxcar children is great, and so are any Enid Blyton books. Maybe not so much the mysteries like secret seven or famous five (may be too old), but those book of short stories or Amelia Jane books or the any of the ’school’ series like ‘the naughtiest girl’ series, Malory Towers series or St Clares series.

]]> By: Andrea http://american-family.org/2008/07/29/jitters-and-shakes/comment-page-1/#comment-90043 Andrea Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:24:32 +0000 http://american-family.org/2008/07/29/jitters-and-shakes/#comment-90043 I lost myself just reading the comments-- I forgot how many books I gobbled up when I was little! Yes, yes YES to the Cam Jansen series (the early ones anyway; I don't know if they are still writing them or not, but if they are I can't speak to the newer ones), Encyclopedia Brown, the Littles . . . has she read the Borrowers books? Those are all series books that never really fell into the "formula" trap the way so many of them have. On those same lines, Pippi Longstocking is another great suggestion; the Boxcar Children books have gotten fairly formulaic but I doubt a younger child would notice as much, and there are certainly a lot of them. EB White . . . Roald Dahl's <i>Matilda</i> is a real charmer . . . ooh, and I love, love, LOVE Jane Langton's Hall Family Chronicles, though they might fall into the Mum-reads-aloud category, I'm not sure. I loved them when I was little and I still read them today. There are eight out now, as The Dragon Tree was just released in May. They're about a deliciously odd family living in Massachusetts, very fun, magical and just a little silly. I lost myself just reading the comments– I forgot how many books I gobbled up when I was little! Yes, yes YES to the Cam Jansen series (the early ones anyway; I don’t know if they are still writing them or not, but if they are I can’t speak to the newer ones), Encyclopedia Brown, the Littles . . . has she read the Borrowers books? Those are all series books that never really fell into the “formula” trap the way so many of them have. On those same lines, Pippi Longstocking is another great suggestion; the Boxcar Children books have gotten fairly formulaic but I doubt a younger child would notice as much, and there are certainly a lot of them. EB White . . . Roald Dahl’s Matilda is a real charmer . . . ooh, and I love, love, LOVE Jane Langton’s Hall Family Chronicles, though they might fall into the Mum-reads-aloud category, I’m not sure. I loved them when I was little and I still read them today. There are eight out now, as The Dragon Tree was just released in May. They’re about a deliciously odd family living in Massachusetts, very fun, magical and just a little silly.

]]> By: Hsien Lei http://american-family.org/2008/07/29/jitters-and-shakes/comment-page-1/#comment-90022 Hsien Lei Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:15:27 +0000 http://american-family.org/2008/07/29/jitters-and-shakes/#comment-90022 My 5-yr-old is newly addicted to Geronimo Stilton. My 5-yr-old is newly addicted to Geronimo Stilton.

]]> By: Jody http://american-family.org/2008/07/29/jitters-and-shakes/comment-page-1/#comment-90015 Jody Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:09:07 +0000 http://american-family.org/2008/07/29/jitters-and-shakes/#comment-90015 There are the books you want to read to M, and the books she'll devour herself. The books my kids were devouring at the time when Junie B grabbed their attention included: Secrets of Droon Flat Stanley The Littles Judy Moody Magic Tree House Magic School Bus Chapter Books Cam Jansen These are all series, and most of them are poorly written. But they're great for building fluency, because they're right in the sweet spot of accessible reading for readers who want to speed through books with familiar characters (and the speed is linked to the fluency). I took to looking at the number of words on a page. The bigger the print, the more I expected the book to be read independently. The smaller the print, the more I saved that book for read-aloud time. I believe, 100%, that both kinds of reading need to happen for as long as kids will listen to their parents read. Hearing books above your reading level prepares you to meet all the harder words and more complex sentences in your own reading. (This is all straight out of Jim Trelease, whose New Read-Aloud Handbook will have, in its latest edition, plenty of good recommendations -- it's kept on the reference shelf at our library.) If you want to challenge M's vocabulary during her independent reading, I recommend comics and graphic novels. All three of our kids spend hours transfixed by Calvin & Hobbes. There's a new Illustrated Classics Wind in the Willows that is FANTASTIC. The Asterix series was completely over their heads but they loved it anyway. Oh, and Captain Underpants is a hoot. They get re-read again and again. There are the books you want to read to M, and the books she’ll devour herself. The books my kids were devouring at the time when Junie B grabbed their attention included:

Secrets of Droon
Flat Stanley
The Littles
Judy Moody
Magic Tree House
Magic School Bus Chapter Books
Cam Jansen

These are all series, and most of them are poorly written. But they’re great for building fluency, because they’re right in the sweet spot of accessible reading for readers who want to speed through books with familiar characters (and the speed is linked to the fluency).

I took to looking at the number of words on a page. The bigger the print, the more I expected the book to be read independently. The smaller the print, the more I saved that book for read-aloud time.

I believe, 100%, that both kinds of reading need to happen for as long as kids will listen to their parents read. Hearing books above your reading level prepares you to meet all the harder words and more complex sentences in your own reading. (This is all straight out of Jim Trelease, whose New Read-Aloud Handbook will have, in its latest edition, plenty of good recommendations — it’s kept on the reference shelf at our library.)

If you want to challenge M’s vocabulary during her independent reading, I recommend comics and graphic novels. All three of our kids spend hours transfixed by Calvin & Hobbes. There’s a new Illustrated Classics Wind in the Willows that is FANTASTIC. The Asterix series was completely over their heads but they loved it anyway.

Oh, and Captain Underpants is a hoot. They get re-read again and again.

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