Top Ten Chapter Books to Read Aloud in 2013
1. The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton (also the 2 sequels if kids like it)
2. Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin (also other 3 sequels if kids like it)
3. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (abridged)
4. The Borrowers by Mary Norton
5. The Voyages of Doctor Doolittle by Huge Lofting
6. The Wishing Chair Again by Enid Blyton
7. The Gorilla Who Wanted to Grow Up by Jill Tomlinson
8. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
9. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
10. Stuart Little by E. B. White
L and E will be 3.5 years old at the end of this month and have been enjoying read-aloud books since they were 2.5. At first, I had to find books that had pictures on almost every page or they would lose interest, but lately we've been talking about imagination and seeing the pictures in their heads, and they've enjoyed chapter books with fewer illustrations.
Here are the chapter books we read in 2012 (Note that I only included chapter books that typically take more than one reading to complete. We read a lot of 'chapter books' for early readers that I didn't include because they could be read in 30 minutes or less..)
1. Two Times the Fun by Beverly Cleary
2. My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
3. Elmer and the Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
4. The Dragons of Blueland by Ruth Stiles Gannett
5. Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
6. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (abridged)
7. The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting (abridged)
8. The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson
9. The Cat Who Wanted to Go Home by Jill Tomlinson
10. The Adventures of the Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton
We also tried a couple books like Gulliver's Travels and the stories of Raggedy Ann and Andy which we didn't finish because the girls lost interest. This year we'll play it by ear as well.
Cuddling with my girls in my large bed and going on adventures with them through the books I read aloud is one of my very favorite parts of the day. I love it!
I'm so glad you posted this! I am always on the lookout for good read alouds that will hold my boys' interest. How wonderful that your girls have been listening to chapter books since they were 2! Gives me hope that my fidgety boys will enjoy them as well. I will definitely look into these, thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this...I have been wondering what read-aloud chapter books might be good to try with the boys. It is hard to think back to when I was a kid. Now I remember reading all these! :-) I am not sure my 3 year old would sit for too long, but I probably am not giving him enough credit. :-)
ReplyDeleteThese are great lists. We have read many of the book. Right now my 5, 9 and 11 year olds are enjoying the Wizard of Oz books. Did you know there are about 10 in the series and most are available on Librivox and The Baldwin Project. They Love Them!
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I agree - the cuddling and going on adventures with your kiddos through books is amazing!
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