Imagine my excitement to get a package full of level 1 early reader books only to find that there were way too many words on each page and many of which I knew my son wasn’t going to be able to decode yet either. Disappointed, I added them to a growing collection of books that would be perfect for later but not right now! I wanted him to succeed like nothing else, so it became a mission to find the best early reader books I could for him.
BEST BOOKS FOR BEGINNING READERS
FIRST READER BOOKS
We didn’t push reading at all. We let him grow with the idea at his own pace as he was becoming more successful with the lessons provided at school. All of a sudden one day, he sounded out a string of easy words and I knew he was ready to try some small books at home.
One of my son’s favorite pastimes is to be read to and for great lengths of time. Another favorite pastime is flipping through books on his own. I just know how much he will enjoy being able to read anything he wants as he gets older!
ENCOURAGING A RELUCTANT OR EMERGING READER
I would definitely say that my son was a reluctant reader with a high frustration level. So I wanted to find books where he could read all the words on the page along with the sight words he has learned which is somewhere between 75-100. As he grows more and more confident sounding out words, we can add more variety to our basket of early reader books. In fact he already has!
BEST BEGINNING READER BOOKS
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WE STARTED WITH THESE EARLY READERS!
We moved on to these books while still reading the last group. I especially love the Blue Manor Phonics books pictured. Each one has several stories that my son found highly engaging and even better wanted to read over and over again. He even brought one in to school to show his teacher! He’s reading one above!
Once I saw that he also had a good grasp of common word blends and even the silent E, we tried some more!
Of Course The Elephant and Piggie Books are a hit!
There can be a huge difference in one Level 1 reader to the next! He would love to read the Level 1 LEGO, Superhero, or Star Wars books independently but we aren’t quite there yet. Almost! Many of them have so many words on each page!
LEGO MINIFIGURE READING TRACKER
He feels comfortable to sit down and read for at least 20 minutes or more each day to us, so I made a printable minifigure reading log to track his progress.
Every 20 minutes he reads, he colors in a minifigure. We have determined that after each row is complete, he can pick out a new book to celebrate his progress. Why not reward reading with books!
READING TRACKER DOWNLOAD BELOW
His enthusiasm for reading has grown so much, he even talked me into an extra book when the reading time log was complete!
These are the best early reader books for us! I hope a few of them work for you. If you have some great early reader books that your kids love, leave them in comments! I love to find new books and encourage a love of reading! I want to guide him into a lifetime of reading not push him away from it!
MORE FUN ACTIVITIES FOR PRESCHOOLERS
SIMPLE ENGINEERING PROJECTS FOR KIDS
COOL THINGS TO BUILD WITH LEGO
OUR PICKS FOR BEST EARLY READER BOOKS FOR KIDS!
We also enjoy pairing books with sensory play. Click on the link or on the image below for fun book activities to try!
Love that mini fig reading log! If only schools gave out something like that, the 20 minutes of required reading would be easier, I’m pretty sure, lol!
Thanks Emma. My son loves it and we are doing it all year round. I am more than happy to get him a new book for completing a certain amount of time too.