For years, I have loved buying books for my kids. I wanted to create a personal library of learning and imagination and frankly I hated going to the public library! (Although we use the public digital library on a regular basis) We have collected books of all levels and authors. And every Christmas we add a few more to the bulging shelves. When a kid finishes a book, I help them go to the shelves and find another grade appropriate book. All of our kids have been great readers at a young age, but Briggs might top them all. He’s long read our early reader books like Frog and Toad. He’s read all the Dog Man series. He’s in kindergarten and I’m having trouble keeping up with him!
At Christmas time I was very deliberate in seeking out some new books for him to read. I have a friend who gives the best recommendations on her instagram account so I scoured through all of her old posts and pulled the trigger on several new books we had never heard of. (Our school library hadn’t heard of any of them either.) He loved them all and had them all read in no time.
I’m at the stage of raising kids that I don’t want to keep buying books that only one kid is going to read, especially when he’s cruising through them so fast – it’s far easier to make that investment when I know several kids will get to enjoy them.
So when Briggs wanted more books, I made a trip to the library. A place I haven’t been to in 11 years! (I know that because that was the last time my card was used!) By some miracle, they had all these books my friend recommended, which have all been released within the last year. They were all such quick and easy reads for him, I’m so glad I didn’t buy them! And he’s asking me when I’m going to grab some new books.
Cranky Chicken – This was a really easy graphic novel/comic style book. It uses a lot of humor, I’m sure Briggs’ missed a lot of the fun, but a parent reading it to their kids would appreciate it. The age on the back says 6-9.
Baloney and Friends – This was a graphic novel similar to Dog Man, but at a much lower level. There are currently two books in the series. My older kids didn’t get into graphic/comic style books, but my younger ones have loved them. I think they have their place in literature and I’m a fan of anything that keeps a kid reading. But like the Dog Man series, I don’t need to own very many of them!
Sidney and Taylor – This is more at the level of Frog and Toad books, maybe a little more advanced. (Frog and toad are about 4-8 and Sidney is 6-9) There are currently three books in the series. The graphic novels are for entertainment, but this book has a bigger message and the illustrations are fun.
(Unfortunately at our school library, in an effort to maintain order, kindergarteners are only allowed to check out books from a certain section regardless of their reading level. So we’re going to be visiting the public library for a while until he grows into the next level of books that we own!)
