Somewhere between the ages of four to eight, a child will turn from listening to decoding the picture books s/he once heard. This process begins at an early age. Toddlers who "read" stories by telling pictures are embarking on pre-literate adventures. So in truth, many children have been reading for years before they actually begin.
Children who are frustrated because they can not read will feel a sense of accomplishment by interpreting a wordless book. The humor of Alexandra Day's Good Dog, Carl (Green Tiger, 1985 ) the spookiness of Molly Bang's The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher (Four Winds, 1980) the fantasy of David Wiesner's Free Fall (Scholastic, 1988 ) and the humor of Peter Catalanotto's Dylan's Day Out (Orchard, 1989) will appeal to an older child. Lynd Ward has even "written" a wordless novel called The Silver Pony (Houghton Mifflin, 1973)
I believe in adopting a playful method of supporting beginning reading. Many parents think reading is aided by flash cards. I think that books and decoding ought never be separated. How dwarfed the pleasure of interpreting a card in comparison to a book! The phonetic, sounding-out tools are important, but I see a parent's major role as supporting the whole endeavor by constantly supporting a love of books.
Begin with playful works. The Ahlberg's book series, Yum Yum (et al- Knopf, 1986) are slotted books with labeled pictures and cut outs that match the pictures. Humor abounds and so does amusement. There is fun too in books that are partially written with pictographs (sometimes called rebus books). There are many rebus books available. Some are retellings of familiar tales. My son wanted a new story that he could discover, particularly enjoying Sigrid Heuck's Who Stole the Apples (Knopf, 1986). Other children will love to see a familiar tale translated in this way.
Stephen Wyllie and Maureen Roffey have gone a step further in rebus books by creating books like There Was An Old Woman (Harper, 1985). They employ a flap technique to give a child both pictograph and word. Rebus books allow a child to take an active role in the process.
Another playful approach to reading comes in the form of the many wonderful cassette/book packages that exist. A child may begin by following the pictures and then later turn to following the words. There are now fabulous narratives by celebrities with rich voices and magical musical accompaniment. Some book/cassette sets you might investigate are: Peter and The Wolf (Knopf, 1986); The Polar Express (reading by William Hurt, Houghton Mifflin, 1989); Beauty and the Beast (narrated by Mia Farrow, music by Ernest Troost, Dial, 1989) Pecos Bill (reading by Robin Williams with music by Ry Cooder- Picture Book Studio, 1988); The Emperor and the Nightingale (reading by Glenn Close and music by Mark Isham, Picture Book Studio, 1988) and How the Camel Got His Hump (reading by Jack Nicholson, music by Bobby McFerrin, Picture Book Studio, 1988) and The Jolly Mon (reading by Jimmy and Savannah Jane Buffett with music by Michael Utley, HBJ, 1990).
A young toddler and a starting-reader sibling is a match made in heaven for some of the best initial texts are baby board books. Hopefully you've kept early pre-school books which have large print, few words per page, and bright colors. Some books you might dig out of your collection are Eric Hill's Where's Spot (Putnam, 1987); simple books by Brian Wildsmith such as All Fall Down (Oxford, 1985). The patterned structure that once made your toddler secure will provide a nice assurance for your uncertain reader.
There are a whole body of books written specifically for young readers called I-Can-Reads. These books are generally forty-eight pages long, have frequent illustrations and though there are more words on the page than the above mentioned books, they are not overwhelming for a child who has become a fairly proficient reader. These books are filled with humor and warmth that are perfect for a four to eight year old. Once again, there are series and authors that are sure fire hits. Arnold Lobel, for example was a master of the I-Can-Read genre. His Frog and Toad series (Harper) are best well-know, but he has other classics such as Mouse Soup (Harper, 1972). One of my favorite series is Cynthia Rylant's Henry and Mudge books (Bradbury) . These follow the relationship and funny, warm, adventures of an only child, his family and his dog, Mudge. Other sure fires authors and series four to eight year olds enjoy are: Dr. Seuss (Random House); Edward Marshall's Fox series (Dial); Peggy Parish's Amelia Bedelia series (Harper and Row) ; Else Minark's Little Bear series (Harper and Row) ; Marjorie Sharmat's Nate the Great series (Putnam, Dell) ; Van Leeuwen's Tales of Oliver Pig series (Dial). Audrey Wood brings contemporary humor to I-Can-Reads with Three Sisters (Harper and Row, 1986) and The Horrible Holidays (Dial, 1988).
Several companies are publishing series devised for kids to move from one level to the next. Random House, for example, has created a "stepping stone" series that begins with books like The Teeny Tiny Woman has intermediary books like Dinosaur Days and Clyde Bulla's The Chalk Box Kid, and more complex books like Pompeii...Buried Alive. Finally, Random House ends the series with their "step-up classic chillers" a high interest, low reading level series for third and fourth graders which features books like Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes; Dracula; and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. All books in the series are high interest and intended to be age appropriate for particular grades.
Random House also publishes a series called Young Indiana Jones. Particularly good for a more reluctant reader, this book combines mystery, history, and adventure with just a dash of commercialism to attract a child not drawn to books. Historical backgrounds such as Stonehenge and the Pyramids provide settings that allow for some information about history and how different people live and believe.
Several companies are conceiving series for readers who are between first and longer novels. Little Brown and Company is publishing the "Springboard series" some of which feature Jenny Archer, a character penned by well-loved novelist Ellen Conford. Even Beverly Cleary, the most admired middle-grade writer has published a young novel. Muggie Maggie is the story of a young girl who is having a difficult time learning cursive. (Morrow, 1990) Knopf's Angel Park All-Star series by Dean Hughes brings together developmental issues with a baseball theme. Viking introduces history in their "Once Upon America" series which features books such as A Long Way to Go by Zibby O'Neal. Books are usually sixty four to one hundred pages in length, have larger print, occasional illustrations and are written on subjects that interest seven to ten year olds such as mystery, sports, humor and friendship. Many of these books are written by authors that are known and loved by slightly older audiences.
Two reminders for parents who have children of this age. Don't forget picture books! It is a special experience for children to be able to master books they once heard. There are picture story books whose complexity, more mature issues and longer lengths are perfect for six to eight year olds.
Lastly, don't neglect sharing books as a family. Studies have shown that many children end their relationship with books at age twelve, so this is an important time to reinforce the importance of reading. Choose family novels that are longer in length, more complex in language and theme; i.e. books that are too overwhelming to read alone. In this way, you will make unapproachable books accessible to your child, provide grist for the reading mill, model the continuing importance of family time given to this activity and have a great deal of fun and adventure in the doing!
One of my most exciting periods of parenting came when my children began to crack the mysterious, symbolic structure of reading. A word of caution to parents. Don't worry about when this will occur, remember that most children read (and are potty trained) before they go to college. Enjoy watching their interests develop and help your children play their way to reading.
Children come to reading in different ways. One of my children painstakingly sounded out each letter and worked diligently to blend them into words. During a shopping excursion, I asked my daughter if she could read any of the words on a sign. Instead of reading "dog" or "cat", she read "food", astounding me with her magical leap into reading.
As soon as I got home from the store, I pulled out my collection of "now and later" books. That's a term coined by a colleague of mine who believes books that toddlers enjoy later serve as great first reading material. The few, simple, predictable words in board books which once supported language learning can do the same for emergent readers. Two recently released board books make for perfect reading primers. Eric Hill's lift-the-flap book, Where's Spot? (Putnam, $7.99) which has several, bold-printed, often repeated words and illustrations that give a lot of contextual support. Sandra Boyton's Hippos Go Berserk (Simon and Schuster, $5.99 ), like most of her board books, has been constructed with rhythm, rhyme, patterning, and humor to enhance reading pleasure.
Emergent readers with toddler siblings who love to hear stories have a reading match made in heaven. If you have the right age set up for this kind of sharing, check out Chris Rashka's Thingy Thing series. It consists of small books like Sluggy Slug (Hyperion, $3.99) and was a series that didn't appeal to me until my toddler nephew taught me to love how the few pages combine simple words and repetitions with a delightful silliness for splendid reading aloud.
Last year Scholastic re-released the Bob books. This series of boxed readers contains twelve books that build sequentially. The stories are predictable in plot and words. They begin with only a handful of sight words, slowly adding a few others. While the illustrations and text are not stunning, these books by Bobby Lynn Maslen are a great way to build a sight reading vocabulary and a sense of accomplishment. Begin with the first box, Bob Books First! (Scholastic, $16.95) and keep going until your child is ready for more diversity.
One difficulty for new readers can be boredom. Candlewick Press has a solution. They offer short books with adventures about two characters and next fall will publish new adventures involving two more. Scott Nash writes Monkey Business and Monkey Trouble and Katharine McEwen writes Hey, Tabby Cat and Here Comes Tabby Cat. Each set consists of an envelope which contains four small books with easy words and lots of repetition.(all sets from Candlewick Press, $4.99 each).
Once children reach reading security, they'll begin to search for more challenging I- Can-Read books. This raises two parenting problems. The first is economic, for you'll want a lot of books to keep children stimulated. The good news is that, generally, these books come in inexpensive paperbacks. A good friend with a child at this stage recommends that parents seek them out in libraries, swap with friends, borrow them from teachers, and visit the yard sales of parents who are on the other side of this problem.
The other dilemma is choice. How do you choose a book that's appropriate for your child? Many are now published with a suggested reading level and while this was probably a smart marketing move, levels depend on lots of factors. Open a book, check out the print size, the words per page, the word lengths, and the number of pages. If you think your child can read the book... bingo, you've found your child's reading level!
But what which titles to select when there are so many I Can Reads? DK Publishing, Scholastic, Random House and HarperCollins are only some of the companies publishing this genre. I recommend a book date with your child. Visit a library, bookstore, or yard sale and choose books together. If you have to shop alone, pick up books that match your child's interests. Here are some titles that have caught my attention lately. For non-fiction lovers: Deborah Chancellor's Tiger Tales and Big Cat Stories is filled with photos (DK Eyewitness Readers, $3.95; ages 5-8) Humor? Tad Hill's Knock, Knock! Who's There: My First Book of Knock-Knock Jokes (Little Simon, $6.99; ages 4-6) has a fun flip-the-page format and the support of pattern. . Sports? S.A. Kramer's The Great Gretzky (Grosset, $3.99; ages 6-9) has lots of action photographs. Mystery? David Adler's series Young Cam Jansen and the Pizza Shop Mystery (Viking, $13.99; ages 5-8) Animals? Read the newest adventure about an eccentric guinea pig in Kate McMullan's Fluffy's Silly Summer (Scholastic, $ 3.99; ages 6-8)or meet a giant dog in Cari Meister's Tiny Goes to the Library (Viking, $13.89; ages 4-6)