So, everyone rants and raves about the Bob Books, by Bobby Lynn Maslen , but the girls and I are not taking too well to them.

So, through trail and error…here’s what we came up with as our recommended starting points for Beginning Readers.

Please share your opinions and recommendations in the comments section below…we’re open to trying everything and anything.

Please keep in mind, our girls are now 2, 4 and 5 years old, they each have different attention spans, interests and learning styles…so, since we just logged in our 30th hour of reading today at the library (and we just started July 5th) we’re avid readers at this house.

1. Dora the Explorer Phonics: 12 Book Reading Program They’re all into Dora…the familiar pictures, colors and themes keep our attention and we’re picking up words very easily.

2. A recommendation for Mem Fox, such as ‘Time for Bed’, A children’s author and literacy author….we got 3 of her books…and they are Gggggreatttt! I ordered a half-dozen more at the library. She’s called the”read-aloud lady”….promoting repetitive words and reading aloud from birth.

One warning: I read her books first, becuase a couple of them have some pages that I wouldn’t want my girls to read or even “joke” about.

For example, in her Boo to a Goose there’s a page where she says, I would run around with my pants down, but I wouldn’t say “boo” to a goose. Now, I wouldn’t want my girls to do that…not even to be “cute”.

We love Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild! becuase this is the kind of relationship I have with our preschooler.

3. I just came across Cathryn Falwell , by our youngest pulling off “P.J. & Puppy” about potty training by herself. I immediately ordered over a dozen of her books at the library lat night. We got “Nicky Loves Daddy”….she illustrates for her own books, and all 3 girls are really proud of themselves as they relate to her writing style, repetitive words and phrases, and her illustrations are so lovely.

I read she resides in my home state capitol of Hartford, CT, with her husband, 2 sons and their dog who inspired her to write “P.J. & Puppy”.

Ohhh….do I miss home. Being a native to my beloved Hartford (my home during grad school and when I was the City’s Deputy Health Director)…hits my heart passionately.

Geez…I’m such a “girl”!

4. Last but not least…the imfamous Dick and Jane books. The library doesn’t carry the little book series (like the Bob Books), only the hard cover older book editions…so I guess I’ll have to ultimately buy the 2 12-book series for $9.99 (with 20% educator’s discount)…but it’ll be well-worth the investment.

Our eldest and I read Books 1-3 at Barnes & Noble today…and she actually READ Book 4…all by herself. I pointed to the earlier books, showing her the pictures and themes to remember the previous words she just learned…but, honestly she READ Book 4 by herself!

Well, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

So, these series and authors are what we’re sticking with for awhile.

Oopps. (5) I’m reading American Girls (TM) books to them…just as FTI (For Their Information).

[Disclosure: we read anything and everything that crosses our path (such as newspapers, magazines, junk mail, etc. Therefore, these recommendations are for phonics, vocabulary building, and our reading lessons. I wholeheartedly agree with Mem Fox when she promotes reading aloud to children (babies) as much as possible.]

Happy Reading!

Recommendations for Beginning Readers is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog