Beezus and Ramona

Author: Beverly Cleary
Lexile measure: 780
Bottom line:   A realistic and timeless story about sisters aged 4 and 8.
Language: No swearing, no potty language.
Violence:  None.
Big Kid Mature Topics:   Ramona is often very naughty, but not disobedient so much as mischievous.  Also addresses feelings of ambivalence that siblings often have toward each other--might be more than a small child can really comprehend.
Illustrations: blank and white line drawings every several pages.
Plot: moderately complex.

DD and I liked this book and didn't like this book at the same time.  What we liked was the warm relationship Beezus and Ramona have as sisters.  What we didn't like was that Ramona was always into mischief and often throwing tantrums.  DD felt that she related more with Beezus than Ramona.  I actually think that some gifted readers might feel this book is somewhat patronizing, depending on where they are developmentally.  The good news is, Beverly Cleary is a prolific writer and so if you liked this one, you have many more Ramona (and Henry Huggins) stories available for your reading pleasure.  A word of caution, though.  Beverly Cleary writes for a wide range of juvenile audiences including teens, so not all of her books have material appropriate for the youngest readers.

Homer Price

Author: Robert McCloskey
Lexile measure: 1000
Bottom line:   Collection of short stories set in a small town.  All charming, but not all suitable for very young readers.
Language:  One incident of 1950's swearing "Gol durned", no potty language.
Violence:  In the first story, the main character helps nab some robbers, at one point wielding a gun.  No shooting.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  Robbery, some talk about "politics", one character has a speech impediment, reference to "The Pied Piper of Hamlin" with children following a similar character in the story
Illustrations: blank and white line drawings every several pages.
Plot: collection of moderately complex short stories, easily read separately.

"One Morning in Maine" this is not, though it has all the same charm of the small town setting and the same beautiful illustrations.  Thankfully, most of the problem with this book and small children is in the first two chapters, which you can skip and still understand the rest of the book.  Unfortunately, its not one for unsupervised reading, but you can still read 4 out of 6 short stories, including the famous donut machine story, at bedtime, but then again, if you want short stories, you might be better off with "Blueberries for Sal", "One Morning in Maine", and "Make Way for Ducklings".  This book is best for grade school boys.

Update:  DD intercepted this on the way back to the library and said that she really enjoyed it (especially the donut story) and didn't find it at all scary.

Updated booklist

This is an updated list of books that met with both parent and child stamp of approval for independent reading.  I recommend you read the reviews first, especially if your child is sensitive or has any quirkly likes or dislikes.

2nd-3rd grade level
Babe
Beezus and Ramona
Betsy Tacy and Betsy Tacy and Tib
Duck for a Day
Flat Stanley
Judy Moody and Stink:  The Mad, Mad Pirate Adventure
Many Moons
Meg Mackintosh series
My Father's Dragon
Nate the Great
Roxie and the Hooligans
Winnie the Pooh
The Magic Schoolbus series
Little House series to Plum Creek, excluding Farmer Boy

4th grade-6th grade level
All of a Kind Family
Alvin Ho series
Charlotte's Web
Cricket in Times Square
Dr. Dolittle
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Ruby Lu series

beyond 6th grade
21 Balloons
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Magic Tree House #13: Vacation Under the Volcano

Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Lexile measure: 410
Bottom line:   Formulaic historical fiction, pretty good for the Lexile.  Some may have issues with use of magic.
Language:  No swear words, no potty language.
Violence:  Main characters nearly killed by erupting Mount Vesuvius, the concept of gladiators is introduced, though no actual fighting is included.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  Morgan Le Fay (a sorceress in Arthurian legend) presented as a protagonist.  Magic (see below for details).  Soothsayer is presented as actually being able to predict the future, not as just being believed to predict the future.
Illustrations:  black and white shaded drawings every several pages.
Plot: moderately complex.

This book surprised me.  I was expecting very bad writing, but it is not really that bad at all.  For the audience it is geared toward, Osborne accomplishes a lot with a limited vocabulary and simple sentences.  I was actually impressed.

However, I do have a big issue with the use of magic in these books.  First, this book seems to tout how fun it is to go off and nearly get killed at the behest of a sorceress who is in some legends quite evil.  At the end of the story, Morgan even says that she's so glad they came back, and that they risked their lives, as if she were in doubt that they would have returned.  That's just inappropriate for kids this age.  Second, as a consumer of fiction, it just seems unimaginative that the book they retrieve is magic and saves them from getting killed.

There are a lot of other books in this Lexile range.  I'm just not sure this is a good choice.  I think the Usborne Great History Search would be a more benign and just as rigorous  introduction to ancient cultures.  DD would think this was too short for her anyway, so we'll be skipping it.

The Wizard of Oz

Author: L. Frank Baum
Lexile measure: 840, but many adaptations with lower Lexiles
Bottom line:   Classic fantasy, but not without its drawbacks.
Language:  No swear words, no potty language, some use of dialect.
Violence:  Witches killed by accident.  There is fighting between the flying monkeys and the travelers, but nothing bloody.
Big Kid Mature Topics:   Tornadoes.  Witches/wizards portrayed as good as well as wicked.  Lying/deception.
Illustrations:  depends on the edition, many have color illustrations but most only have them every several pages.
Plot: moderately complex.

We both enjoyed this book, but I think it definitely has drawbacks.  I felt I had to have a long discussion with DD about witches and magic before we started reading.  Also, I distinctly remember being very frightened of the flying monkeys as a child.  One nice aspect of this book is that it comes as a very long series.  Currently DD is obsessed, which makes book choices at the library easy.

The Railway Chidlren

Author:  E. Nesbit
Lexile measure:  940, but many adaptations with lower Lexiles
Bottom line:  Good book, but mature topics may make this unsuitable for independent reading for many young children.
Language:  No swear words, no potty language, some use of dialect.
Violence:  One of the adventures involves a burning barge, another involves a boy who falls and breaks a leg, and another where the boy gets hurt with a rake during a sibling squabble.
Big Kid Mature Topics:   The father in the story (warning: spoiler) is taken away from the home to prison because of a crime he didn't commit.  The mother gets a serious case of influenza.  The children live in poverty and often ask for others to help them or to help others.  In one chapter, the boy pretends to be mining coal, but is really stealing it from the railroad yard.  He is caught but is forgiven.
Plot: moderately complex.

This is a nice book and I can see why it is used frequently as a textbook.  There is definitely a lot of room for discussion surrounding the morality of the actions of the children and the building of suspense.   In these troubled economic times, this book might hit very close to home for some children.  It might be too close for comfort for some.  If your family is under significant financial strain at this time, you might consider reading something else or using this as a read aloud instead of for independent reading.

Sarah Plain and Tall

Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Lexile measure:  570, other books in series range from 290-450
Language:  No swear words, no potty language.
Violence:  a lamb dies and is eaten by vultures, other books in the series may have violence relevant to pioneer life, such as the use of guns.
Big Kid Mature Topics:   The mother of the children in the story has died from complications of childbirth.  The whole story is about the romance of the widowed father and his new wife to be from the perspective of the children.  The title character leaves home because her brother gets married and she really has no other choice but to marry.  Later in the series the new wife and the father have their own daughter.  Also later in the series, we find out that the paternal grandfather of the children in the story abandoned his family when the father of the children was very young.
Plot: moderately complex.

I got this book hoping that I could use it to teach DD something about courage, but I think if we read it together, we may spend a lot of time trying to explain what is going on romantically and emotionally and historically, that we might really miss the whole courage theme.  This book is easy enough to read technically but emotionally seems much more appropriate for an older child.  The good news is, it is the first of a series.

Holiday gifts for the young precocious reader

Everyone has their own personal philosophy about holiday gift giving.  I want something for my child that is going to last for a long time and promote a variety of skills that he or she will use for a long time beyond that.

1)  With a young precocious reader unfortunately books do not last very long unless they get read over and over again.   Building a library of the classics is a good way to do that, for those sick days when you can't get to the public or school library.  If your child doesn't have a dictionary, that also might be helpful.  We go through spurts of using it and not using it.  Starting a series may also work well.  As a child, I remember having to wait for the next book or books every birthday and Christmas, which was lots of fun.

2)  Electronics can be fun and certainly get played with over and over again.  However, I've found that most games and devices get outgrown awfully quickly for the price we pay.  Unless you're talking about the adult versions of things like an iPad, laptop, or tablet computer.  (Unfortunately, in our house, the youngest child is still putting stuff in his mouth and bashing on things like he's going to be a professional percussionist, so no way are we going to give DD anything electronic.)

3)  Memberships to museums, zoos, aquariums, and the like are wonderful, though expensive.  Sometimes you can even get admission to other member institutions through the ASTC passport program, or reciprocal memberships (for zoos and aquariums).  Usually these pay for themselves with young kids who can't really spend a whole day seeing an entire museum, since you usually have to return more than once before you see the whole place once.

4)  Specialty learning toys are usually outgrown way too quickly, especially if they have an upper age limit (usually means the toy promotes a specific skill that once learned, renders the toy not very fun).   I'll make an exception for the Tag Reader since there are other things it can be used for besides reading.

5)  Building toys are well worth the expense.  Legos, Lincoln Logs, erector sets, and the like grow with the child in some cases.  Organizing systems can be pricey.  We have a small sheet and some tupperware for our set.

6)  Creative supplies rock.  We never grown tired of stickers, paint, crayons, origami paper, and markers around here.  Buttons, pompoms, shaped pasta, and playdoh are also nice so long as you don't have little ones who put stuff in their mouths.

7)  Imagination type toys either get played with a lot or not at all, so choose wisely and consult your child first.  Dollhouse, toy castle, toy kitchen (well, we just have a pot, spoon, and old margarine tubs but it works just the same), cardboard boxes (ok, not for gift, but there are lot of plans for toy cars and kitchen sets if you are tight on money this year!), tool belt, doctor kit, flashlight, and garden tools are just some possibilities.

8)  Other part of the brain toys.  Swimming pool, water table, wheels (trike or bike), large and small balls for catching and throwing.

9)  Lessons.  Swim and gymnastics are great for any age.  Organized sports and music maybe best for older kids, 5 and above.

10)  Board and card games are sometimes fun and sometimes not fun.  We stick with the classics.  Even if your kid outgrows Chutes and Ladders within 6 months (like mine did!), it would be weird growing up never having played it.  Its good for social skills anyway, right?

Be sure to add quality time with you to any of the gifts you give!

So, what are we getting DD?  Money's tight this year, so she's getting a cheap Walmart bicycle and some paper dolls.  DS, who can't read, is getting a Pooh pillow (free from a points program) and playdoh (he loves the stuff).

James and the Giant Peach

Author: Roald Dahl
Lexile measure:  870
Language:  No swear words, no potty language, but a lot of rude language (including "stupid", "fat", "lazy", and "ass" (as in, "don't be an a--").
Violence: James is beaten and treated abusively (physically and verbally) by his two aunts.  My daughter, at age 4, found this very scary and told me she didn't want me to read it to her.    The aunts are crushed by the rolling giant peach--no gory descriptions.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  As with Dahl's other books, the villains are so thoroughly mean that they seem almost inhuman.
Illustrations:   depends on the edition.  Mine (published in the 1970's) had beautiful color lithos in orange and black, but the one we have now is black and white line drawings every several pages--see below.
Plot: moderately complex.

I loved this book in the second grade, and above.  However I was very surprised by the amount of rude language and violence when I revisited this book as an adult with a small child.  DD and I have had many discussions and I think the book will go into hiding for a while after we finish reading it together.   DD probably won't miss it as she told me she wanted me to skip the first 8 or so chapters when I picked it up and suggested we read it together.  On the positive side, the story is incredibly original and the poetry makes it fun.  I think definitely it would be worth revisiting later.

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle

Author: Betty MacDonald
Lexile measure:  1070, other books in the series are in the 800-900 range
Language:  No swear words, no potty language.
Violence: none
Big Kid Mature Topics:  Each of the chapters deals with a child having a particular behavior problem like talking back, eating slowly, not taking a bath etc.,spanking is mentioned.
Illustrations: black and white line drawings every several pages
Plot: mildly complex, you could easily skip all but the first chapter, as the stories stand well on their own

This was recommended by our librarian after I checked out Mrs. Noodlekugel.  It reminded me somewhat of Mary Poppins, though not as fantasy oriented.  The cures proposed by Mrs. Piggle Wiggle generally involve letting the child have their own way until it reaches it logical conclusion. This is terrible parenting advice, but mildly interesting reading.  DD thought it was ok, but preferred Glinda of Oz.

Developing comprehension, part II

This is the part of teaching comprehension that gets technical.  Unfortunately I am not a professional educator.  However, as a parent of a precocious reader and a homeschooler I'm obliged to learn something and so I'll pass on what I learn to you.

Comprehension in small children going from basic picture books to beginning chapter books definitely depends on the breadth of their life experiences.  This is where part I of this article comes in.

However, comprehension in a child who is going from beginning chapter books to novels to complex beasts like The Chronicles of Narnia and the like, or to other types of text like recipes,  labels, instructions, is quite different.  Here I think there are some basic things any parent can do to facilitate the comprehension of text.

1)  Point out things like chapter titles or headings.  Discuss what they are for and what they are saying with relation to the text.
2)  Stop periodically to ask the child to summarize what they have read orally.  You might have to prompt them with questions like:  what happened first? next? last?  what was the basic problem?  how was it solved?
3)  Point out the basic organization of the text if it is anything different from paragraphs.  For example, if you want to know about how long something is going to cook, usually there is a special heading at the beginning of a recipe called "cooking time".

That being said, there's something to be said for letting your child learn at their own pace.  I mean, if they're a precocious reader, they're already ahead of the game, so its not like they'll be behind if you don't push them.  If they read a book from end to beginning and enjoy it, well, isn't that the point?  They can read it again later the "right" way and enjoy it again all new.   The only caveat is that you should make sure your child doesn't learn to coast for so long that they don't actually pick up the comprehension skills when it is appropriate to do so.

Developing comprehension, part I

Being a good reader is much more than "cracking the code".  On the one hand there are children who can decode words in an advanced way, but who cannot make sense of the meaning of those words.  This is referred to as hyperlexia, and is distinct from precocious reading.  A precocious reader has advanced decoding skills as well as commensurate comprehension skills.

Developing good comprehension skills in small children requires exposure to a variety of experiences--not just books.  So, field trips are great thing for developing a strong reader--museums, nature walks, cultural events,  the county fair, the zoo, even trips to the mechanic or the grocery store can be opportunities for developing vocabulary and comprehension.  Also, reading a variety of material (not just books) can be helpful--recipes, the sports page (stats), charts and graphs, assembly instructions, instruction manuals, nutrition labels (yes, the cereal box is ok!).  

This is also where the nonfiction section of the library comes in handy.  We noticed that our DD can really dig into a novel set in the Middle Ages since we spent a while learning about castles when we acquired a toy castle, and about the Renaissance when we read the Mixed up Files of Basil E Frankwiler, whereas something set in the Islamic world is much harder for her to grasp.  So, if a book or toy starts to need history or science that your child has not yet encountered, instead of treating it as a hindrance, treat it as a great opportunity to raid the library's nonfiction section.

Mrs. Noodlekugel

Author: Daniel Pinkwater
Lexile measure:  not known, probably around 400
Language:  No swear words, no potty language.
Violence: none
Big Kid Mature Topics:  The kids in this story disobey their parents openly in favor of the maintenance man and get away with it.
Illustrations: black and white shaded drawings nearly every page
Plot: mildly complex.

I had high hopes for this one since I read the review in Parents Magazine.  One of the really big events of my childhood was when I received a letter from the Pinkwaters after asking them a question about "Superpuppy".  DD thought it was good enough to read to DS (now 2 1/2 and asking for chapter books), but I mostly see her curled up with Wizard of Oz.  Personally, I was disappointed.  The book is a romp, sort of like Pippi Longstocking.  The children disobey their parents and then have a really great time with an older lady, a talking cat and some interesting mice.  Their cookies come alive and dance around.  But there isn't really any point to the plot.  It doesn't really go anywhere, it just presents a fun escapade.  The variety of vocabulary used is limited.  I found myself resisting the urge to count the number of times the word "said" was used.  The dialogue is rather flat.  For a book this length, there should be more.  However, if your kids like this book, you can tell them that the Pinkwaters answer their fan mail.  If they don't, maybe you can make it up to them by fixing a noodlekugel.

Starry River of the Sky

Author: Grace Lin
Lexile measure: 810
Language:  No swear words, no potty language.
Violence:  the main character has a fit of anger in which he injures himself (accidentally) and also damages property (accidentally and intentionally)
Big Kid Mature Topics:  poverty,  running away from home because of not feeling loved by parent/verbally abusive parent, takes place in China so there is some cross cultural stuff, gods/goddesses (not actually named as such, but the characters are presented as mythic and having godlike qualities and are actually worshipped as gods/goddesses in China), "noxious" animals, references to being "cursed" (no curse words or curses actually pronounced), kidnapping, deception
Illustrations: monocolor  papercut like drawings at the beginning of each chapter and sparse full color illustrations
Plot: very complex, kind of like Chronicles of Narnia, not like War and Peace, with interweaving plots.  Also, you will appreciate it much more if you read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon first.

This book is a little more dark than its predecessor.  I chose not to let DD read it by herself, but we read it together so that I could explain the many scary elements.  Please remember that for young children, the loss of a parent or being separated from parents is one of the most scary things they can encounter!  Like Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, it is a high interest story and well written.  It can be appreciated on a few levels.  I don't think you can expect a young child to really follow the interweaving plots, but the different stories found in almost every chapter are also great on their own as a series of folktales (or folktale like stories).  I had to explain a lot to my daughter, so I'm thinking that the combination of the complexity and the dark elements might make this book not the greatest for independent reading, but it was fine for parent guided read aloud time.  This would be worth revisiting in 4th grade or above as an independent reader.

Reading by Nightlight

When she was about 3 1/2, DD started to turn on the light in her bedroom so she could read past her bedtime.  This went on for a couple of nights (I think!) until I started "checking in" on her to "make sure she was alright" about 5 minutes after I put her down for the night (when they're 3, they don't always realize that you can see the light under the door, nor the impulse control to wait until you are far gone from the bedroom area!)

I recently discovered DD trying to read by nightlight (Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, if you must know).  (I wonder if that's why she suddenly started complaining that one nightlight wasn't bright enough?)  So now we've decided to remove all interesting books from the bedroom at bedtime so she can get some sleep.   The nightlight stays to ward off the dinosaur shadows. (Yes, I realize the shadows are created by the nightlight.  Terrified 4 year olds don't always listen to reason.)

Any other ideas?  Share a comment!

Question of the Week

I realize that this is probably more like question of the month.  Sometimes it just takes awhile to find a good question.   

What do you think happens next?

This is a good one to check general comprehension, and also to point out plot devices used to build suspense.  Obviously, it can only be used if you control the reading material, and not if your child has already devoured the book.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Author: Grace Lin
Lexile measure: 810
Language:  No swear words, no potty language.
Violence: one character threatens to destroy a village but it gets saved before anything happens, a girl talks about how she has a scar because she was stabbed as a child (no gory description).
Big Kid Mature Topics:  poverty, "fortune", running away from home, takes place in China so there is some cross cultural stuff, but nothing scary, gods/goddesses.
Illustrations: monocolor  papercut like drawings at the beginning of each chapter and sparse full color illustrations
Plot: very complex, kind of like Chronicles of Narnia, not like War and Peace, with interweaving plots.

There is a good reason this book got the Newberry Honor.  Wow.  Like eating dim sum in Chinatown (if you are a foodie), it was so yummy!  Neither my daughter, nor I could put this down. Amazingly, its an adventure without being very scary or at all violent.  The theme is thankfulness.  We're so psyched that there is another companion novel available at our library!  Grace Lin has also written the "Year of the ..." series, which I thought was equally well done, but has some stuff about crushes and school that I thought would be better for older kids.  This one would be fine for a 4 year old and up, maybe sooner, because its more of a fantasy.

Girls books, boys books--does it matter?

When my DD was born, I learned that our society is in some ways becoming very gender segregated.  Castles come in pink versions and blue versions.  Leap frog toys come in purple and green.  Clothes are not gender neutral, even for babies.  For example, if  I want to buy a red coat for my daughter,  I have to shop in the boys section.  I don't consider myself much of a feminist.  However, there are many wonderful books out there that don't deserve to be gender segregated.  So, I challenge you to buck the trend!

Here are some ways this works for the younger set:
1)  Young children may like a book for quirky reasons.  My boy likes Cinderella because of the dogs in the last picture of our particular version.  There isn't anything about those dogs in the book.  They're just in the picture.  Same thing for his manners book.  There's a part of a truck on one page.  He loves that.  Nothing about trucks in the actual text at all!

2)  A child may like one of the supporting characters more than the main character.  My daughter has a serious fascination with the dragon of St. George and the Dragon.   It is currently chalked (in hot pink) on our driveway.

3)  Some books are just so well written that they speak to everyone!

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Author: Richard and Florence Atwater
Lexile measure: 910
Language:  No swear words, no potty language.
Violence:  None.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  being responsible for pets, smoking (mentions that Mr. Popper smokes a pipe), poverty.  Some rudimentary geography helpful (North Pole, South Pole, Antarctica).
Illustrations: monocolor drawings every several pages
Plot: moderately complex.

Though some reviewers call this "humor", I would not.  Its not really funny, so much as lighthearted and a little silly.  But in any case, its a fun story (how could any fiction involving penguins be anything but fun?).   Though the Lexile is high, the reader does not have to possess tremendous emotional maturity to understand this book.  This is a terrific one for the  very advanced, but sensitive reader.   DD and I both give it a "thumbs up".

Should we censor what our kids read?

At some point in every parent's life, you begin to realize that your little kid is starting to get very independent.  Maybe they can reach the top shelf of the bookcase. ( Mine do it by climbing while I have my back turned making sure dinner doesn't catch fire.)  Or maybe they devour books faster than you can vet them for appropriateness.  So why bother censoring what they read when you can't possibly shelter them from everything?  Besides censorship reeks of dictatorships and all things unAmerican and anti free speech.

Except that a family is not a democracy.  We teach our kids how to choose what to eat, what to wear, and maybe even what friends to have.   Most of us have no problem regulating what our kids watch on TV or online, and what movies they watch.  If your child goes to public school, you also may find that some books have been banned from the curriculum.  So, don't feel like you are the bad guy for censoring what your child reads.

Young precocious readers especially need some kind of shielding as they are able to explore things that most of their age peers are unable to do.  We are talking about things that are not only inappropriate from a socially correct standpoint (like rude language and sexual themes, which some parents really don't care about), but also things that may be very scary to younger children (like death, separation from parents, violence, sickness,  bullying/namecalling) which they still do not have the resources to cope with or process.   You may choose to censor books with "mature" content, or you may choose to read them with your child and teach them gently, if its appropriate.   Even if you get to a book after your child has read it, exploring certain themes with your child after the fact can mitigate the negative effects.

When your child is ready, they will be able to make wise choices on their own about what is good reading and what is not.  They will learn that it is ok to put a book down when its not appropriate.  And when they are able to make those decisions for themselves, you will not need to be a censor anymore.

Duck for a Day

Author: Meg McKinlay
Lexile measure: not known, probably around 500?
Language:  No swear words, no potty language.  Mild, infrequent name calling "weirdo".
Violence:  Near drowning (accidental, with prompt rescue).  I think most kids who have been in swimming lessons can relate.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  being responsible for a pet, school.
Illustrations:  black and white shaded drawings most pages.
Plot: moderately complex, several multipaged chapters.

DD liked this and so did I.  It deals with the conflict between a girl who wants a pet, and her parents, who think a pet would be messy.  Its gentle, but not slow and not predictable.  I do think it is more edgy than say, Mr. Putter and Tabby or Frog and Toad, but less than Ruby Lu/Alvin Ho/Ivy+Bean and most others at this reading level.  The main character is a girl, but the second main character is a boy--without any romantic overtones.  The grown ups are a little eccentric, but still respectable.  I think this one would be ok for sensitive little ones if they don't have issues with swimming and water.

The Wizard of Oz

Author: L. Frank Baum
Lexile measure: 1000
Language:  Acceptable, no swear words, no potty language.
Violence: Two witches are killed (one by a falling house, another by melting in water).  Also, animals who attack Dorothy and her band are killed and the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman are badly roughed up by the Winged Monkeys.
Big Kid Mature Topics: cyclones, magic/witches (portrays magic as value neutral, depending on the user), lying.
Illustrations:  Depends on your edition--often you can find color illustrations every several pages.
Plot: moderately complex.

Well, we're still waiting for Mr. Popper's Penguins, so it was this or Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.  I really didn't want to explain what NIMH was, so this won.  I found the movie really scary when I was a kid, so I told DD she was not allowed to read this one by herself and that I would read it to her, so she wouldn't be scared (especially since she is very afraid of storms since we live in the Midwest).  This book is a great book and is definitely kid friendly.  However, it is not appropriate for the very sensitive reader.

Houndsley and Catina

Author: James Howe
Lexile measure: 580
Language:  Acceptable, no swear words, no potty language.
Violence: none
Big Kid Mature Topics:  fame, participating in/losing a contest
Illustrations: Full color paintings, every page.
Plot: mildly complex.  The book has 40 pages, 3 chapters.

Like Frog and Toad, but a little more complicated.  Unfortunately, one of the great things about Frog and Toad is what is done with such simple language.  DD kind of thought it was ok, but not great.  It has a decent plot, but it sometimes seems stiff.  Someone at the National Endowment for the Humanities thought this was a classic, though.  And I guess it is better than Rainbow Magic Fairies, Junie B Jones, and some of the other stuff I've seen in the Easy Reader section.  If your child likes it, the bonus is, it is a series.  But for us, we're waiting for Mr. Popper's Penguins.

Question of the week

One of the other things we are working on parenting-wise is problem solving skills.

Question of the week:  What is another way (character name) could have solved the problem differently?

Ha, ha--another opportunity to emphasize--USING YOUR WORDS and ASK FOR IT NICELY (sigh).  Or whatever it is that you are working on behaviorally lately.

Of course, DD had to point out--"Then the story would have been a lot shorter, Mom."  "Yes dear, you're right."

Question of the Week

I've been trying to keep the questions I ask as open ended as possible.  I use the reading response questions as a way of assessing what my student got out of reading, but also as a way of getting to know my daughter as a person.  Open ended questions tend to encourage more than a grunt for an answer from my 4 going on 16 year old.

Question of the week:  What was your favorite chapter (character, quote) in the book and why?

Overdrive

Ok, ok, I'm one of those people who is slightly technophobic.  I don't even have a Facebook account.  BUT, today, I just discovered something really cool.  You can get ebooks from the library on your smartphone.  Its called Overdrive.  Our library has some great titles available for kids.  So if you're ever stuck without a book--HORRORS--now you can get one on your phone--breathe a deep sigh of relief.  Never be without a book again.
 
1)  You do need a library card/account.
2)  You can download the app directly from the Google Play store.
3)  OR you can access it through your library's app  (YES, you can renew books and put books on hold from your smartphone!)--even our little city library is connected.

Tales of the Full Moon

Author: Sue Hart
Lexile measure:  estimated about 700?
Language:  Acceptable, no swear words, no potty language.
Violence:  with reference to predator prey relationships, one of the narrator's friends is eaten.  I would not say that the violence is particularly graphic--no blood and guts.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  see above.
Illustrations: Full color paintings, every several pages.
Plot:  simple.  Each chapter can be read as separate and distinct from the others.

This reads a little like the "Just So" stories, but more naturalistic and scientifically accurate--with the exception of the whole scenario of the talking animals all getting together to listen to stories by the light of the full moon. The illustrations, while beautiful and in full color, add little to the story in many cases. DD and I feel about the same -- that the book is worth reading but not the most exciting way to learn about natural history.

Question of the week

Sometimes its easy to forget, in the pursuit of encouraging better reading, that kids books are   replete with illustrations, sometimes really good ones, that are worth discussing in their own right.  You can call it art appreciation, or an exercise in descriptive language, or just letting a kid be a kid.

Question of the week:  Which picture/illustration did you like best, and why?

The Magic Schoolbus Chapter Book #10: Expedition Down Under

Author: Joanna Cole
Lexile measure: 630
Language:  Acceptable, no swear words, no potty language.  There are some puns, which some kids may "get" and some may not.  Liberal use of Aussie dialect, but with definitions readily at hand.
Violence:  reference to predatorial/scavenging behavior of the Tasmanian devil, the children get chased by dingoes (may be scary for children who are afraid of dogs, but otherwise this scene really doesn't seem very scary--no growling or teeth baring or even barking).
Big Kid Mature Topics:   endangered animal species, oblique references to evolution/speciation (the reason why there are so many unique species is because Australia separated from Asia millions of years ago), transcontinental immigration's effect on the ecology of Australia.
Illustrations:  Black and white drawings every several pages.
Plot:  mildly complex

This is a fun one to read aloud if you like to do accents.  Its mostly about the animals of Australia, not so much about the social or cultural aspects of the country, which is great for younger kids who usually develop a sense of "history" after a sense of diversity in nature.  DD still really loves these books, even though I personally find them formulaic and only middling in terms of writing (not bad, just not very good).  I think the science concepts presented are not very simple, but it would still be an interesting book for younger kids.

Question of the Week

So, what do you think of that?

Really.  What do you think about what that character did?  What do you think about what happened just now?

This is a way of soliciting an opinion.  But you probably want to have a child who is fairly verbally expressive.  Mine just said, "That's silly!"  Some questions are better than others!

Roxie and the Hooligans

Author: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Lexile measure: 960 (but I think this is more of a middle reader for 2nd grade level and up, not for middle school)
Language:  mild name calling specifically relating to big ears
Violence:  playground bullying, two thieves with knives who threaten to use them on people if they catch them (no actual knife usage on people)
Big Kid Mature Topics:  bullying, stealing food and water when thirsty/hungry vs. stealing money from a bank.
Illustrations:very cute black and white shaded paintings, every several pages
Plot: moderately complex


This was a fun book.  The heroine is remarkably resourceful and courageous, and she likes to read, which would be a lot like your kid(s) and mine.  I think my daughter will like this one, except I'm not sure about the thieves with knives part.  That might be too scary.  This would be a great one for Kindergarten and up, especially if your kid is ok with things like pirates.  But it wouldn't be ok for a 3 year old sensitive early reader.  If your child is too young for this book, "My Father's Dragon" would be a great alternative in the survivalist genre.
Update:  My daughter loved it and did not find it scary at all.  She wanted me to read it again until I showed her the Magic Schoolbus book I had checked out...

Alvin Ho: Allergic to School, Girls, and other Scary Things

Author: Lenore Look
Lexile measure: 600
Language:  "Shakespearean cursing" , and "stupid" used but noted as not ok.
Violence:  the main character joins a "gang" which is probably more like a clique of boys than a real gang
Big Kid Mature Topics:  main character gets left outside stranded in a tree by his siblings, also he can't make friends at school and has selective mutism for which he sees a therapist.
Illustrations: comic book like black and white line drawings every several pages--really effective for the boy set.
Plot: moderately complex

I liked this book.  It has an appealing main character and the parents are portrayed sympathetically (unlike so many books these days that mock parents).  These parents are really awesome.  I wished they were mine!  That being said, I'm not sure how appealing this would be to the younger set, especially since a lot of the action takes place at school.   I'm especially not sure how well it would work with girls.  But I'm looking forward to introducing it to my boy and seeing how he likes it (once he learns to read).

Neversink

Author: Barry Wolverton
Lexile measure: 870
Language:  No major issues.  There are references to characters using language "not appropriate for polite society", but they don't actually spell out what the character says.  Characters also poke fun at each other with jokes.  Some of the jokes are "fat" jokes or "stupid" jokes.
Violence:  this book has a despotic paranoid ruler who uses violence to achieve his ends.  There are several graphic death scenes (animals, but some are characters in the book), including one of a murder/poisoning and several including animals being torn up to threaten other animals.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  power hungry despots and standing up for oneself and ones' people when oppressed, hunger/starvation, violence as above, appeasement of an Inuit goddess
Illustrations: shaded drawings every several pages including one of an unclothed Inuit goddess with certain body parts covered with long head hair.
Plot: moderately complex


Our library had this out on the shelf as a "recommended read" but the librarian couldn't tell me if it would be appropriate for younger readers.  While this is well written and has a fairly original plot, with some very interesting and complex themes, the graphic violence in my mind makes it inappropriate for small children and may even push this one out to the "teen" realm.  This would be a great one for a teen to read in tandem with studying the American (or any other) Revolution.

Question of the week

Which character do you think you are most like?  And why?

My daughter thought for a few seconds and said "Tigger" ( we're re-reading Winnie the Pooh with little brother).  She didn't need to tell me why.  She just counted up to 100 by herself today and jumped probably 2 times for each number she counted and then was so proud she did it again.  No joke.  My sedentary self would probably pass out if I jumped that many times continuously.

Heidi

Author: Johanna Spyri
Lexile measure: 960
Language:  there are some references to Heidi being "wrong in the head" and "stupid", though the implication is that she is not, also, there is also a lot of German vocabulary
Violence:  reference to the Alm Uncle having killed someone in the distant past, never actually confirmed
Big Kid Mature Topics:  multiculturalism, bitterness/forgiveness, Heidi is an orphan and also separated from her family to live as a companion to a rich girl, rich/poor, the rich girl is paralyzed
Illustrations: depends on the publisher--ours has both line drawings every few pages and occassional color pictures
Plot:  very complex (there are several major subplots)

My daughter says she has never read this all the way through even though it has been in our library for a long time.  I think it is because it is a little too complex for her to hold it all in her head all at once.  This is a really good book, but its just too complicated (with all the characters, subplots, and German vocabulary) for very small children.  I would probably not read it below a mature age 4 or 5 and then only as a read aloud.

(There are also many abridged versions of this book, including one from Chik-Fil-A.  This is in reference to the original English translation of the unabridged book.)

Question of the week

Since we haven't been doing a lot of heavy reading this week, I asked this question after we saw a kid's musical.

Question of the week:  What did you like best about the show and how would you change it?

Fairy tales

My daughter has recently had a renewed interest in picture books.  We've revisited Peter Rabbit, Hans Christian Andersen, Little Bear, and even Corduroy this past week.   Its good to remember that a precocious reader can still be interested in age appropriate literature.  One thing I wanted to bring up, though, was that fairy tales can be terribly scary with witches and wolves and people being gobbled up by giants and ogres and such.  If your child doesn't like them, don't stress about them missing out on some of the classics.  Wait a bit, maybe try something with less graphic illustrations (we have Michael Hague's HCA and they aren't gory, but the witches and bad people are twisted and gnarled looking and pretty scary in my opinion!)  and they'll probably be fine!

Early chapter books

I haven't posted on early readers because many of these books are very short and can be easily perused by a responsible adult while at the library.  However, this is a short list that we found to be fun and enjoyable.  None of them contain objectionable language like swearing or potty language.  All have color pictures on nearly every page.  Some may contain content that may be upsetting for very sensitive readers but if your child can watch Sesame Street without a problem they shouldn't be an issue.  I am talking about things like a character getting mildly sick and having to stay home for the day, or something getting lost, only to get found again, or a character telling a lie but getting found out and it being dealt with gently but appropriately, or a thunderstorm that doesn't do any real damage.

Poppleton series, Cynthia Rylant
Mr. Putter and Tabby series, Cynthia Rylant
Annie and Snowball series, Cynthia Rylant--may be more appropriate for girls, but there is plenty of Henry and Mudge in them too, for the boys.
Henry and Mudge series, Cynthia Rylant
Frog and Toad, Arnold Lobel
Houndsley and Catina series, James Howe

Fly Guy series, Tedd Arnold  --just keep in mind that some people don't like flies and swat at them, or they can get swallowed by old ladies.
Danny and the Dinosaur series, Syd Hoff  --does contain reference to millions of years (for those old Earth Creationists out there), main character is a boy (actually I'm not sure if these are chapter books per se, but they are about the same length as the other books in this list)

Golly Sisters series, Betsy Byars -- Golly is just a name, not a cuss word in this book;  best for girls
Cowgirl Kate series, Erica Silverman--I thought my son would think these were boring, but he relates most to the horse!
Boris and Morris series, Bernard Wiseman--DD thought these were funny, but not every small kid is going to understand some of the puns.
Amelia Bedelia series, Peggy Parrish--DD thought these were funny too, but I'm not sure she really understood the figures of speech.   These are definitely girl books.

Question of the week

Here is another tried and true question for your precocious reader.  Remember, these questions are not comprehension questions so much as appreciation questions and thinking questions.  You can ask them orally to a younger reader, or if your reader is able to write well, you may pose it as an essay question or a reading journal question.  Many teachers will have students write them a letter about their book, and then write letters back.  Your kid may get a  real kick out of getting a letter from you!

The question of the week:  What do you think would have happened differently if ... ?

Ivy + Bean

Author:Annie Barrows
Lexile measure: 510
Language:  frequent name calling--"stupid", "boring"
Violence:  none
Big Kid Mature Topics: one of the main characters spends a long time pretending to be a witch, one main character acts a lie (pretends she is sick) to get another character out of trouble
Illustrations: frequent shaded drawings
Plot:    moderately complex.


This book is about being open minded about friendships and not judging a person based on superficialities.  I like that.  However, I couldn't get around all the name calling and the pretending to be a witch (not even a nice one, a witch who has blood on her face) stuff.   With Annie and Snowball, Mr. Putter and Tabby, Ruby Lu, and Judy Moody in this reading range, there are plenty of entertaining alternatives that don't share the edginess of this selection.  My daughter didn't see this one.

How to challenge an advanced reader

Challenging books are only the first part of challenging your precocious reader.  The technical aspect of decoding words is only the beginning of appreciating great books and learning content.  How do we get our kids to read more deeply?  By asking the right questions.

Sometimes advanced readers can get the right questions asked by participating in gifted classes or pull out groups in which the teacher asks more complex questions.  Its important to ascertain whether that is occurring in your child's classroom.  Your child might also participate in a book club through a local public library, or possibly a church or bookseller.   However, if you have a very young child, none of those may be accessible for your child at the moment.

So, I'm going to start a series on questions.  You can either ask these orally with a younger child, or have an older child write/draw responses in a response journal.  To start off with, I would go with a book that is at grade level or maybe just above grade level, because you want your child to focus on their response, not so much on decoding.

The question of the week was:  what did you like best about this book?

Seems simple, but for us, it lead to a conversation about bullfighting, the history of bullfighting, Roman gladiators, and why we should be kind to animals....  So, you never can tell...

Precocious Reader Booklist

Since I publish both negative and postive reviews, I thought I'd post a list of the ones we recommend, in case you just want something to start with.  You should still read the reviews because kids under age 5 can be so different in what they like and don't like, and in what kinds of life experiences they can understand.

2nd-3rd grade level
Babe
Betsy Tacy and Betsy Tacy and Tib
Charlotte's Web
Duck for a Day
Flat Stanley
Judy Moody and Stink:  The Mad, Mad Pirate Adventure
Many Moons
My Father's Dragon
Nate the Great
Roxie and the Hooligans
Winnie the Pooh
The Magic Schoolbus series
Little House series to Plum Creek, excluding Farmer Boy

4th grade-6th grade level
All of a Kind Family
Alvin Ho series
Cricket in Times Square
Dr. Dolittle
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Ruby Lu series

beyond 6th grade
21 Balloons
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Many Moons

Author: James Thurber
Lexile measure: 790
Language:  Acceptable
Violence:  none
Big Kid Mature Topics: fantasy vs. reality
Illustrations: monocolor shaded drawings
Plot:    complex.


This classic is actually perfectly suited to the young precocious reader, because although it is a picture book, the vocabulary is quite challenging.  It is a princess story, so some boys may be turned off (although my son LOVES Cinderella), but its not really that fluffy and I thought it was just right for snuggling up to go to bed.  A great read for Dads and daughters.

D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths

Author: Ingri D'Aulaire
Lexile measure: probably over 1000
Language:  Acceptable
Violence:  Warfare, murder, medieval weapons.
Big Kid Mature Topics: ancient Scandanavian mythology, preface contains commentary regarding the Bible and other mythology from a comparative mythology standpoint.  There is also lying, males dressing as females (for the purposes of deception, not for personal identification), practical joking, gods with multiple wives, multiple gods.
Illustrations: color lithographs, nearly every page
Plot:   very complex.


My daughter got to this one before I could stop her.  She liked the pictures, but the story line was sometimes very bothersome to her, especially the males dressing as females.  This is a very fascinating intro to Norse mythology and probably the best out there for kids, but it is violent just by nature of the topic (but not gory--it might say that someone was killed but not go into how things looked when they died) and definitely not for the sensitive child or for the younger child just starting to sort out right from wrong.  My daughter specifically requested that we get this one back from the library, though.

The D'Aulaires have also done Greek Mythology and Trolls.

Mystery of the Roman Ransom

Author: Henry Winterfeld
Lexile measure: 660
Language:  Mild name calling (like "stupid"), no swearing or profanity
Violence: This is about someone attempting to murder one of the kid's fathers (a Roman Senator), but no actual killing takes place in the story.  A character gets locked in the catacombs and is sent to be eaten by a lion (the lion ends up being a tame one).  Grave robbing.
Big Kid Mature Topics: ancient Roman society (gods, drunkeness, beating for poor performance in school).  Mild and subtle romantic elements, not essential to the story.
Illustrations: frequent black and white drawings
Plot:   moderately complex.


The text is not technically difficult, but this book assumes quite a lot of prior knowledge of Roman mythology and background culture.  However, it is an entertaining read, and lacks the graphic violence and language common in a lot of reading these days.  This book is a good one for teaching or reinforcing ancient Roman history.  The one thing that makes this book pretty scary for the younger set is the whole idea of losing a parent.  I decided not to let my daughter read it yet.  

My Father's Dragon

Author: Ruth Gannett
Lexile measure: 990
Language:  Acceptable
Violence: The protagonist is "whipped" by his mother for disobedience
Big Kid Mature Topics: after he's whipped, he runs away.
Illustrations: frequent shaded paintings
Plot:   moderately complex, but somewhat repetitive.

This is a very short book.  My daughter read it on the way home from the library, but she liked it.  The characters aren't very deep, the plot doesn't go into great detail, but its actually perfect for preschoolers and kids beginning to read.  I would not recommend this for older children because it is so very simplistic (how did he know to bring all this stuff to pacify all the different animals he meets?)  Another plus, it has short chapters so its a nice easy read-aloud for adults  :)

Judy Moody & Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt

Author: Megan McDonald
Lexile measure: 560
Language:  Acceptable, no potty language or overt swearing, but there is some pirate language
Violence:  Pirate language, but no actual violence, guns, or use of swords.  They kind of mention stuff like walking the plank and skull and crossbones, but its mostly in the context of characters showing off their ability to talk like a pirate.
Big Kid Mature Topics: competition/winning/losing, money, glorification of pirates
Illustrations: Frequent color pictures--rare in this length of book.
Plot:   complex, but interesting because of the puzzles.


This was a fun book.  This is also a good book for gifted kids because its about a treasure hunt with hints they have to figure out.  Some are riddles, some are puzzles, but nothing requiring calculations.  Its like an activity book and story rolled all into one.   This isn't one I would read as great literature--the book isn't about the characters or the plot or any great moral struggle, but about the puzzles--but its still fun reading and mind stretching in a way.  This is a good one to read on vacation, just for the enjoyment of it.

Little House in the Big Woods

Author:  Laura Ingalls Wilder
Lexile measure: 930, but generally an easier read than Little House on the Prairie
Bottom line:  Classic for a reason, this series may bother some children who are sensitive about animals being killed for food or other realities of pioneer life.
Language:  Acceptable, no potty language or swearing
Violence:  Food preparation, including butchering of baby animals--not gory, but matter of fact.  Pa regularly carries a gun for hunting and in case of attack by wild animal.  In one story, Pa is chased by a panther and the horse is scratched up.  Laura also gets whipped when she hits her sister--the context is not a whipping out of anger, but of discipline by a loving parent. Another child is also whipped for lying, and that same child is stung all over by wasps.
Big Kid Mature Topics:   smoking, one uncle has returned "wild" after running away to join the army during the Civil War.  He doesn't really do anything very wild other than dancing and playing the bugle.  Also, many comments about how golden hair is prettier than brown hair, with a section dealing with why this isn't so.
Illustrations:  Black and white drawings with shading, every few pages.
Plot:  moderately complex


This book may not be for the sensitive young reader, but mine had no problem with it, even though she won't even let me kill a bug in the house.  Actually, she ran around the house using a stick as a gun for a while, which was a little disturbing (but she stopped after a couple of weeks).  And later, she told me that she wished she had "golden" hair even after persistent reassurances that we love her hair the way it is.  I think the writing is excellent children's literature and appropriate for all ages, but I know some kids just can't take some of the story, so "parental guidance is advised"  :)

Update:  I think my little girl may be obsessed.  When talking about the local Indian restaurant (as in, food from South Asia), she comment on how it has a lot of "buffalo meat"!

Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #12: Sabertooths and the Ice Age

Author:  Mary Pope Osborne
Lexile measure: unknown, companion book is 590
Bottom line:  Fluffy nonfiction with black and white drawings.
Language:  Acceptable.
Violence:  sickness, extinction, hunting
Big Kid Mature Topics:   evolution is taken as a stated fact, many ice ages taken as fact, see violence above, burial rituals
Illustrations:  Black and white shaded drawings, most pages
Plot:  nonfiction.

I had heard things about the Magic Treehouse series and pretty much decided they were not worth my time, but my daughter pulled this off of the shelf at the library, so I read it.  This book was pretty much as I expected it to be--not terrible, but not really anything very special.   It is factual, but not terribly over the head of most kids obsessed with extinct animals.  There are incomplete sentences, but I wouldn't say it is any worse than some of the classics.  There is a picture of two kids riding a sabertooth tiger, while the book states that one would never want to encounter one of these beasts because of its ferocity.  All in all, kind of fluffy, but probably a little more sophisticated than Rainbow Magic Fairies.  Of note, unlike the fiction series, the Fact Trackers do not contain any "magic".

Dr. Dolittle

Author:  Hugh Lofting
Lexile measure: 920 (but it could be less depending on which book you pick)
Bottom line:  These are fun, timeless stories, but the Lexile is an accurate reflection of the skill needed to understand these books.
Language:  Acceptable.
Violence:   Sick animals and sick people (he's a doctor!).  A brief mention of poisoning, rejected out of hand. One of the later books involves a murder trial.
Big Kid Mature Topics:   Poverty/irresponsible spending is a key plot device. Casual smoking is present but not a big part of the story.  He talks about "the land of the White Men" .
Illustrations:  Black and white line drawings/lithographs, every few pages.
Plot:  complex.

I'm not entirely sure, but I think these come as separate books and we may have picked up a collection.  Initially my daughter did not like this book, so I picked it up, thinking she wouldn't take this one from me before I could read it.  WRONG.  (Hopefully she won't go for Gilgamesh next week.)  Anyways, she likes it now.  So, I'm thinking, maybe its difficult for younger kids who have less life experience and smaller vocabularies.  This is a good one for bedtime reading aloud.  It has short chapters, for those summer nights when you let your kid stay up just a little later than usual...

Twenty One Balloons

Author:  William Pene Dubois
Lexile measure: 1070
Bottom line:  We loved it.  Despite the high Lexile, it was an engaging read.
Language:  Acceptable.
Violence:  Volcanic eruption.  There is mention of shooting and murder, but not a big part of the story at all.  You could easily gloss over this, especially if reading aloud.
Big Kid Mature Topics:   Greed, money, jewels.  Multiculturalism.
Illustrations:  Black and white shaded drawings, every few pages.
Plot:  moderately complex.

Wow.  What a great book!  Balloons, a mysterious tropical island filled with diamonds, a volcanic explosion, cool inventions--this is a really fun adventure book, but without the violence of most of the adventure genre.  I took this out of the library for myself to read, but my daughter (again!) got it before me and she devoured it and loved it!

Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case

Author:  Daniel Sobol
Lexile measure: 750
Bottom line:  These books are about a crime solver, which might bother your child.
Language:  Mild name calling.
Violence:  There is no violent crime in this book, but there is bullying consisting of locking people up, calling names, and initimidation.
Big Kid Mature Topics:   Crime, such as stealing, cheating, faking/forgery.  Almost every case involves lying/deception.  Bullying/gangs.  Big kids picking on little kids.
Illustrations:  Black and white shaded drawings, every few pages.
Plot:  complex.  Each chapter stands alone.

I found this mildly entertaining, but my daughter said that the lying bothered her a lot.  I got this because I thought it would engage her sense of deductive reasoning, but I'm not really sure that these short stories really do that.  Most of the cases hinge on an obscure fact that you either know, or don't know.  But, if you've run out of Nate the Great stories, these are ok, and the vocabulary is definitely more advanced.

Nonfiction, the other part of the library, part 4

Books on manners and social skills are a very mixed bag.  On the one hand, many gifted children struggle with social skills and it helps to spell social rules out to them.  On the other hand many of the books we found in our public library on this subject were dry and uninteresting.  Its probably easier to address manners and social skills with role playing (come one, let's put those stuffed animals or (gasp!) Barbie or (gasp!)  Disney Princesses to good use here)  or while reading story books.  We actually like Ni Hao Ki-lan (I know, its not even close to classic literature) and Mo Willems picture books for addressing age appropriate social skills.

Reading about technology can be fun.  Transportation and construction are great favorites in our house, as well as very easy to apply to real life. My kids could sit for hours watching the houses hit by last year's hailstorm be fixed, and now they know all about it, too.  Grown up books on home repair might seem pretty benign but watch out for the magazines (like Handy Magazine)--they are targeted toward macho men and sometimes have advertisements for um... man stuff (hey, this is a G-rated blog, ok?)

Nonfiction, the other part of the library, part 3

Today we are tackling history and biography.

Reading history with a young child is plus/minus.  On the one hand, we've read many books about people in historic settings.  On the other hand, well, there's probably lots of things that very young children just won't understand or won't be interested in.  This isn't the place I go to first, but if it relates to something else we're reading it can be really great.  Also, books with lots of pictures and lots of text boxes (rather than paragraph after paragraph of text), like the DK eyewitness books, can let your reader expand his/her knowledge at his or her own pace.  A word of warning--if you do go for the Renaissance, remember they were very into the study of the human body (i.e. naked people).   My youngest is still in diapers, so naked people is sort of an everyday occurrence here, but it might not in your house, so just be aware!

Biography is very tricky. At this age, I would probably shy away from most biography, simply because most people who become important enough for a biography are grown ups by the time they are that important and grown ups deal with a lot of grown up issues that are not appropriate for young kids to be exposed to.  This is especially true of biographies that are "thick" enough to be challenging.  Even picture books can contain material that may not be suitable for very young children, especially if they are going to read unsupervised. I am not saying biography is a bad genre, even for this age group, its just not the kind of thing you can pull of the shelf and say its fine.  You've got to really read it through and some of us don't have time to do that before the book is read (i.e. on the way home from the library!).

Nate the Great and the Boring Beach Bag

Author:  Marjorie Sharmat
Lexile measure: 360
Language:  Acceptable.  One page of text in cursive.
Violence:  None.
Big Kid Mature Topics:   One of the characters is sort of witch-like--she dresses in dark clothes, is strange, and has black cats named different variations of "Hex".  I don't think the series as a whole really glamorizes witchcraft, though.
Illustrations:  Black and white shaded drawings, every few pages.
Plot:  complex.

DD left this one alone.  Not sure if she read and finished it on the way home from the library, or if she saw it was a "boy's book" and left it alone.  This series is a nice one even if you have an advanced reader because the mystery part forces them to think and deduce, not just read.  Its not great literature, but among books in its reading level, it stands out as being able to tell some pretty original stories with limited vocabulary.  These aren't books I'd get to keep, but we definitely look for them in the library on a regular basis.

The Tale of Despereaux

Author:  Kate DiCamillo
Lexile measure: 670
Language:  Mild swearing.  One of the bad mice repeatedly says "Cripes".
Violence:  Both mice and men are sent to the dungeon to rot/die.  A child is sold into slavery and physically abused.   She is then duped into kidnapping, which she accomplishes with the help of a knife.   She also uses a knife to cut the tail off of a mouse.  The main character uses a needle like a sword.  The rats kill the jailer by cutting the rope that helps him find his way out of the dungeon.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  Revenge.
Illustrations:  Black and white shaded drawings, every few pages.
Plot:  moderately complex.

Well, this was one of those books that showed up on a gifted kid book list and my daughter got it before I could read it.  I was deeply sorry because this book has a lot in it that I really did not want her to experience yet.  She really loved the story.

I can see how this book would be good for older gifted children.  A precocious reader will find a lot to identify with in this story.  The main character teaches himself to read, just like that, and people think he's strange because he reads and loves books.

I've hidden this one away for later.

The Cricket in Times Square

Author: George Selden
Lexile measure: 780
Language:  Acceptable, no swear words, no potty language.
Violence:  The cricket envisions a mouse friend getting caught by a cat, but the cat ends up being the mouse's best friend and doesn't do anything to him.  The friends get caught in a fire very briefly, but without getting hurt.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  Immigration and culture.  There is an entire 2 chapters devoted to a character who speaks in broken English.  Worries about money. Smoking.
Illustrations:  Black and white line drawings, every few pages.
Plot:  moderately complex.

My daughter really likes this book and I do too.  Its sweet, but not saccharin.  Not too deep for a kid to understand, but not superficial.  It would be a good read for all but the most sensitive of readers.  The writing is clean and the story is good.  There is some interesting specialized vocabulary about music that might need explaining for the very young child.  You could always make another trip to the library and get out some CD's!  Apparently this is one of a series, as well.

Companion media:  CDs on Italian opera--card catalog search "Aida" and "Torna a Surriento"

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Author:  Roald Dahl
Lexile measure: 600
Language:  No swear words, but some of the villains do get awfully close with name calling.
Violence:  The villains carry guns to shoot Mr. Fox and his friends if they see him but they never actually kill anyone.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  drunkeness in some of the villains.  Stealing on the part of animals.  The text of the book justifies stealing by animals--they do it to be able to eat.  The villains are caricatured almost to the point of not counting as sentient beings, though this is not stated overtly.
Illustrations:  Varies according to the edition.
Plot:  moderately complex.

As with many of Dahl's books, this book is somewhat dark in nature.  While I think the writing in this book justifies its status as a classic, there is a lot of moral content that is much more suited to an older, grade school reader.  My daughter read this a couple of times, but it wasn't a favorite--but she's the kind who loves to protect living things (even weeds and bugs!) whether or not they are destructive.

Does early reading cause eye damage?

My daughter had her opthalmologist appointment today.  We posed the question, "Could reading at such an early age cause eye damage?"  The answer was, "There is no need to fear any permanent damage to the eyes caused by reading small print at an early age."

Younger children do tend to be somewhat far sighted, meaning they have to use their eye muscles more to focus on print near to their face, but not all young children are far sighted and even those who are are usually mildly so.  So, reasonable amounts of novel reading should not cause a problem.  Excessive reading may cause temporary eye strain.  I remember this well as a child.  However, the headache always went away after I put the book down for a while.  I am very myopic, but the eye doctor assured me, it is not from reading.

Should I buy a Tag Reader for my precocious reader?

We got a Tag Reader a while ago as a present.  By that time, my daughter was already reading novels independently, so we were skeptical and even contemplated returning it.  But as it turns out, it is one of her favorite toys.  She probably plays 3 or 4 times a week.

Now, we did skip the phonics books entirely.    I don't hear my daughter using the reading function very often, but the games in the game books are less stimulating than video games and still encourage interaction with books, and the maps are really fun.   The pen is nice for encouraging proper pencil grasp.  My child already  knew the states and the planets pretty well, but the Tag maps make for fun review.  She doesn't think its boring at all.  I usually have to forcibly pry the pen from her hand when her 30 minutes are up. 

Be aware, they do eat up batteries (buy replacements with your reader) and if you do happen to buy the maps, they don't come with the reader unless you specifically buy a bundle package.  The Tag reader does work with Tag Junior books, but I've heard the reverse is not true.

Nonfiction, the other part of the library, part 2

For sensitive readers, science topics can be great ways to build vocabulary in a nonthreatening way.    

Books about plants are usually very safe--no violence there, unless you get books about carnivorous plants.  Books about animals are also very appealing to children, but you do have be aware of sections on ...ahem... reproduction--you might look for "mating" in the index as a quick screen.  Even if its not all that disturbing to you to have your child know about mating in corals (they never touch, they just release their gametes into the water), you might not want them talking ad nauseum in public about mating, finding a mate, and related topics.   Also, some animals are carnivores and sometimes photos of killing can be gory and disturbing to some kids.  Also, be aware that books about baby animals may have pictures of messy births, not just cute fuzzy animals.  

Physics and earth science can be interesting and fun. Topics like electricity, rocks/minerals, fossils, water/hydrology, weather, and space can be very appealing to young children.  Also, many books have experiments you can do at home, which may also get your little bookworm off the couch and doing something besides reading.

Ruby Lu: Empress of Everything

Author:  Lenore Look
Lexile measure: 600-650
Language:  Acceptable, no swear words, no potty language.  Mild name calling regarding a person's immigration status( "alien").
Violence:  One of the main character's is said to have fallen off a roof and burst her head (or eardrums, depending on which character's account you want to believe) whereby she has become deaf.  After the name calling, the main character "jumps" on the name caller and gets sent to the principal's office.  She confesses she was wrong.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  Immigration and culture (several characters are newly immigrated Cantonese).  At one point the narrator mentions that Chinese squat on the potty--if your kid likes to try emulate characters in books, this might not be safe on a Western potty.  School performance/summer school.  At one point, the main character hides a note from school, but she gets caught and faces the consequences.
Illustrations:  Black and white line drawings, every few pages.
Plot:  moderately complex.

My daughter is in the middle of this one.  She says she likes Magic Schoolbus better, but I think this has far superior fiction writing.  The topics might not be of interest since a lot revolves around friendships, school status, and stuff the grade school kids do, though I don't think its out of reach for a 4 or 5 year old.  Maybe it would be pretty boring for a 2 or 3 year old.  I still thought it was on the level with Judy Moody and Ramona, and funny, too.  I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

101 Dalmations

Author:  Dodie Smith
Lexile measure: 830
Language:  Acceptable, no swear words, no potty language.
Violence: Cruella wants to make the puppies into a fur coat.  She has the puppies kidnapped.   One dog bites a human (a bad guy).  The dogs destroy the de Vil's collection of furs.  There is no actual gore except for the dog bite.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  Cruella is devilish and creepy/scary.  There is a lot of talk of revenge.  Also, the dogs question the humanity of evil humans.  The two female dogs nurse the puppies.
Illustrations:  Black and white shaded drawings, every few pages.  Some are mildly creepy.
Plot:  moderately complex.

I didn't like this book.  Its definitely a book just for kids.  I found that the characters in general were oversimplified and just not that interesting.  DeVil?  Come on.   A small child wouldn't notice, but a sensitive adult might possibly choke.  Then again, I'm not sure this is small child material because of the part about making dogs into fur coats.  I got this out for our 100th day of school, but I don't think I'll be using it this year.

Nonfiction--the other part of the library part 1

One part of the library that is easily underutilized is the nonfiction section.  Some of the best books for your young reader may be "hidden" there. 

Fairy tales are classic children's favorites to which no young reader should lack exposure.  Some fairy tales can be very gory (e.g. Red Riding Hood), but many children don't really seem to mind so long as the illustrations are not gory and the author doesn't dwell on the gore.  Many fairy tales also contain things like witches, goblins, even demons, but they are almost always the scary bad guy/gir, which is different from some literature where such creatures are cast as protagonists.  And of course, there are fairies and magic involved.  The tales themselves are not usually long, but they often come in sizable collections and the vocabulary is usually fairly advanced, which makes them a nice challenge.  And don't forget Mother Goose--an excellent introduction to archaic vocabulary.  Do you know what a tuffet is?  (Look it up on dictionary.com!)

There are countless folktales from other cultures which are fun, usually beautifully illustrated, and usually off the beaten path.   Sometimes you do have to be aware of conflicting worldviews or religious perspectives, especially with folktales from parts of the world where your worldview/religion is not prevalent.    You should be aware that like fairy tales, these can be quite gory at times, so skim beforehand if your child is sensitive or you just don't want to introduce that yet.   In our house, these kinds of stories often provoke interesting discussions and are usually read and re-read, despite being "thin" picture books!

Anne of Green Gables

Author:  L.M. Montgomery
Lexile measure: not given, probably about 900-1050
Language: Appropriate
Violence: Anne hits Gilbert over the head with a slate when he calls her "carrots" (red hair) at school.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  Anne leads the life of a not so well treated servant girl after being orphaned as a baby.  Some small ones might find her story upsetting.  Also, she gets her best friend drunk (by accident).  There is some hinting at romance between Anne and a boy, Gilbert, but I think a young reader might easily mistake this for friendship.  Gossip.  Anne also nearly drowns.
Plot:  complex.
Illustrations:  none, though I have seen some editions with things elaborate as the occassional color picture.

I wasn't going to include this but dear daughter broke into my bookshelf and got the whole series out!!!  She insists she likes the pictures on the cover, but I have overheard her reading and know better.  This is what happens when you don't get enough books out at the library, right?   Although she can read it, I honestly think this series will be better appreciated when she gets older.  Also, if you do buy the entire set, be aware that Anne quickly grows up and most of the books have a romantic story line somewhere.

Flat Stanley

Author:  Jeff Brown
Lexile measure: 640
Language: Mild swearing--"darndest" and "gosh"; and mild rude language (Leave it to Beaver style) which is labeled as such.
Violence:  A blackboard falls on Stanley to make him flat.  A central part of several of the chapters is stopping the theft of a piece of art.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  Stanley gets dressed as a girl for part of a disguise.  He doesn't like it.  Sibling rivalry.
Illustrations:   Frequent black and white shaded drawings
Plot:  simple.

I don't know what it was, but my girl just wasn't very entertained by this.  She read it maybe 2 or 3 times and then didn't touch it again.  Not sure if it was part of the "I only read books about girls" phase or what, but now I think its "not thick enough", as she is wont to phrase it.    DS likes it a lot, at age 2 1/2.  Its an interesting plot for a piece at this reading level, with fairly few objectionable elements.  It does come as a series, which we have not read, but which is a benefit if your child likes this and is a voracious reader.  My understanding is that the series is also not one of those where the main character becomes significantly more mature over time, so I don't think you'll end up with a lot of "mature" reader issues that you have to do a lot of censorship/explaining over.

Pippi Longstocking

Author:  Astrid Lindgren
Lexile measure: 870
Language:  No swear words, no potty language.  Pippi uses language disrespectful to adults (teachers, police) regularly throughout the book.
Violence:  None, except for the implication that Pippi's father is lost at sea
Big Kid Mature Topics:  See above.
Plot:   complex.  I think most chapters could be read independently of each other (not all), but I do not think doing so will help you avoid most of the issues above.

This book is rolickingly fun.  All the stuff that you wish you could do as a kid--eat candy, skip school, live by yourself without any adults to tell you what to do.  My daughter really liked this book, but in all good conscience, I could not finish reading it to her.  I really felt like my daughter did not need to read something that glorified the mocking of authority so blatantly. Some children may find the idea that she is an orphan very scary.

Babe

Author:  Dick King-Smith
Lexile measure: 1040
Language:  No swear words, no potty language.  The words "dumb" and "stupid" are used to describe some animals, but its made plentifully clear that these words should not have been used.
Violence:  The fact that pigs are turned into food is central to the plot.  This might be scary to some sensitive kids.  The sheep get "worried" by dogs  used by a sheep rustler and the dogs actually kill a sheep that Babe is particularly close to.   There is blood involved in that particular scene.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  Some of the animals have prejudicial ideas about other animals.  I'm not sure many kids would make the leap to apply this to humans, though.  Its not really that kind of a story.
Plot:  moderately complex

Despite the Lexile measure, this book is a much simpler read (and certainly shorter) than Charlotte's Web.  It may be one of the first real chapter books we read to our daughter.  We don't read it much any more, which  I suspect is because its "too short", which is a shame because it is a fun book to read aloud, especially if you like to do accents!

All of a Kind Family

Author:  Sydney Taylor
Lexile measure: 750
Language:  no swear words, no potty language.  There are some ethnically derogatory words used (describing Italians and Poles). In my opinion these are not used in a derogatory way, but they are used to reinforce some ethnic stereotypes that were common in the time when the book was written but are not common anymore.  I think for most really young children, the frequency is such that they probably would not be likely to notice or use these words later.
Violence:  None
Big Kid Mature Topics:  Almost all the children get the measles, but no one gets close to dying.  Ethnic and religious (Jew/Gentile) stereotypes.  A lot of discussion of Jewish religious customs, but not in a proselytizing kind of a way.  There are a couple of romantic story elements.
Illustrations:  black and white line drawings, every few pages
Plot:  moderately complex

My daughter cried when we had to return this to the library.  This is a nice wholesome girl book and also a nice introduction to some of the Jewish holidays, as well as to turn of the century city life.  This is a series, but you probably won't find most of the rest of it in the library, as the rest of the series is mostly out of print.  We were disappointed by that, but we loved this book.

Winnie the Pooh

Author:  A.A. Milne
Lexile measure: 790
Language:  Acceptable, no swear words, no potty language.  I think the worst that it gets is when Pooh  is referred to as being of "little brain" and when Eeyore  says that some animals have "nothing but fluff" in the their heads (which is true, but I'm not sure I'd want my kids saying that to another kid, KWIM?)
Violence: Christopher Robbin carries a toy gun and shoots it at Pooh in the first chapter.  Some kids might find the idea of a "Heffalump" or a "Woozle" overly frightening, since Piglet is frightened of them.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  Milne does kind of make light of Christopher Robbin's spelling.  If your child can't spell, they won't get it, but its not essential for most of the book.
Illustrations:  black and white line drawings, every few pages
Plot:  mildly complex.   This book is meant to be read in sequence, but it would not be badly harmed if you read some chapters and skipped others.

My kids love Pooh.  I think it's all the songs.  I have to sing them, too!  Seriously, though, these books are better written than their Disney counterparts (though my daughter feels that the illustrations would be better if they were in color) and in some ways are best read in early childhood.

Little House on the Prairie

Author:  Laura Ingalls Wilder
Lexile measure: 760
Language:  Acceptable, no potty language or swearing
Violence:  This story is best understood in the context of the conflict between white settlers and Native Americans.  There is a mention of "massacre", though younger readers do not need to understand exactly what that means to understand that the white settlers were afraid of the Indians.  Also, Pa regularly carries a gun.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  Jack, the dog, nearly drowns.  Ma is injured by a falling log.   Racism is also addressed in a fairly simple manner.
Illustrations:  Black and white drawings, every few pages
Plot:  moderately complex

Just be prepared that your child may play like a nice ladylike pioneer girl, or may run around screaming and playing "gun" after reading this book.   We had some serious discussions about some of the big kid topics in this book.  I'm not sure how much sank in.  But anyway, ours copy is falling apart--actually in complete disrepair-- and the others in the series are not much farther behind.  The writing is really superb and the topics that might be of issue are not gratuitous, they are part of the real threats people faced settling the West, and are covered in a way that elementary school kids (but maybe not 3 year olds) can appreciate without being overwhelmed by them.

Once you get to Silver Lake, there are also passages about some pretty heavy adult topics. also the reading level advances to an adult level.  So, if you get the complete set, you might consider locking up some of the later books until your child is at least a teen.

The Magic Schoolbus Wild Whale Watch

Author: Joanna Cole
Lexile measure: 590
Language:  Acceptable, no swear words, no potty language.  There are some puns, which some children may understand and some may not.
Violence:  None.
Big Kid Mature Topics:   Some of the characters get temporarily "lost" without radio contact, which may be mildly scary to some young children.
Illustrations:  Black and white drawings every several pages
Plot:  mildly complex

My DD flew through this one, but seemed to enjoy it.  She says that MS is her favorite.  Magic Schoolbus books come in several flavors.  We find the chapter books and the original series the most interesting.  They are packed with scientific facts and usually I learn something new when I read them, too.  The science readers really may only have one or two basic concepts and the plot lines are very basic.

Note:  The Magic Schoolbus books on dinosaurs have evolutionary content.  They also contain dated information.  For example, one of the books discusses the "brontosaurus".

What's a Lexile measure?

A Lexile measure is a number that captures how technically difficult a text is to read, based on word frequency and sentence length.  It is not a measure of grade level proficiency, nor of ease of comprehension.   I use it to estimate how difficult a text may be to read.
200-300 a very easy first step reader
400-500  more complex with a real story or maybe early chapters
700-800 real chapter books with complex plots, generally for the proficient elementary school reader
>1000 an adult level book

That being said, there are a LOT of outliers.   I mostly use Lexiles to rule out books that will be too easy, than to rule out books that may or may not be too hard.   This is because a lot of perfectly good early chapter books have complex sentence structure or vocabulary while at the same time having juvenile content and complexity of plot.

See www.lexile.com for more information.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Author:  Beverly Cleary
Lexile measure: 860
Language:  No swear words, some use of name calling ("dumb", "stupid")
Violence:  The fact that humans use various measures against mice is central to the plot.  Poisoning, traps, etc. are mentioned as threats.  The main character is nearly vacuumed.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  A child gets moderately ill but nowhere near dying.  Ralph's father is already dead from poisoning.  There is some commentary about growing up and how it feels to not be grown up yet and wish you were, including how parents may not understand.
Illustrations:  black and white line drawings, every few pages
Plot:  moderately complex

My 4 year old daughter liked this book enough to ask for the rest of the series, but I wasn't  pleased with some of the language nor with the attitude toward parents.  The second book in the series also talks about divorce as a side theme.