Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Tagged: chapter books, twaddle

This topic has 18 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 9 months ago by psreitmom.

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January 22, 2015 at 5:16 pm
MissusLeata
Participant
My second grader is just really starting to read. He’s mostly reading books like the ones that go with BFIAR. When he gets through these, I plan to have him read the Frog and Toad books and some Amelia Bedelia readers someone gave us. I’m planning next year’s curriculum and I’m hoping to get him started on chapter books. But when I look on ebay for lots of second and third grade chapter books, so much of it is not the kind of literature I’m looking for. What did you all use when your kids started reading simple chapter books?
January 22, 2015 at 5:28 pm
anniepeter
Participant
Stuart Little, Boxcar Children- first three books
January 22, 2015 at 6:23 pm
sheraz
Participant
Try these authors:
Syd Hoff
Arnold Lobel
Robert Lopshire
the Henry series by Robert Quackenbush
the original Little Bear books by Else Holmelund Minarik
Big Max by Kin Platt is beloved by all my children

January 23, 2015 at 12:23 am
Wings2fly
Participant
Many of the Sonlight readers for grades 2 & 3 are good early chapter books.
January 23, 2015 at 7:19 am
Angelina
Participant
Agreeing with Wings2fly. Sonlight has an excellent list for grade 2 and 3.
In addition I would suggest all of the short chapter books by Dick King Smith, and as well, the series called Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and the series Billy and Blaze.
January 23, 2015 at 8:10 am
MissusLeata
Participant
Thanks for the input. I’m putting together a list of books to watch for.
January 23, 2015 at 8:19 am
RobinP
Participant
The Dan Frontier series (older, OOP and worth the search. Graded series of readers)
Cowboy Sam series (ditto)
Jim Forest series (ditto again)
Books by Clyde Robert Bulla – The Sword in the Tree, Viking Adventure and many more. Some have been reprinted but look for the older ones with larger print. Excellent, excellent stories, vocabulary, and story-telling overall. These books have single-handedly turned reluctant reader boys into voracious readers.
The Eddie series by Carolyn Haywood
Garrard Discovery biographies by various authors – an older series of bios superbly written for beginning readers. My favorite bio series for the youngers. Here’s a list of them
http://www.valerieslivinglibrary.com/garrard.htm
January 23, 2015 at 11:13 am
Kalle
Participant
My fathers dragon and the sequels were the first chapter books that my kids read.
January 23, 2015 at 1:29 pm
JenniferM
Participant
My daughter enjoyed Mr Putter and Tabby series by Cynthia Rylant. That was when she transitioned into reading books of her own choice. Our library had most of the books in that series. They are short little stories about an older man and his cat, sometimes sweet, sometimes humorous.
January 23, 2015 at 3:47 pm
vikingkirken
Participant
I second Mrs. Piggle Wiggle! My reluctant reader (8yo) is devouring her collection after a lot of other failed suggestions from me.
February 1, 2015 at 8:18 am
greenebalts
Participant
I second RobinP’s list! Our son loved Dan Frontier. We are also Bulla fans. One addition I’d make is the Childhood of Famous Americans series. These have been a big hit in our home.
Blessings,
Melissa
http://reflectionsfromdrywoodcreek.blogspot.com/
February 1, 2015 at 4:55 pm
Monica
Participant
My Father’s Dragon were the first chapter books either of my boys read.
February 1, 2015 at 5:31 pm
Karen
Participant
What about Dalgliesh? Alice Dalgliesh? I might have her name wrong – but it’s pronounced similar to dog-leash. Bears on Hemlock Mountain is the only one I can think of at the moment. But I think she wrote one about a little girl whose father left her in the care of Indians…..The Courage of Sarah Noble. She’s written more, but I can’t think of them just now.
June 3, 2015 at 7:10 pm
swelb21
Participant
Robin, that link you listed no longer exists-do you know if it is now at another website or do you have a copy of it you can paste? Bummed, because I remember liking that site a lot and wish I had copied that list!!
June 3, 2015 at 8:21 pm
RobinP
Participant
Valerie’s husband is very ill so she’s taken it off for now. A great resource that lists all these wonderful treasures is Who Should We Then Read by Jan Bloom. She has two volumes. Vol. 1 has lists of many of the old series like Landmarks, Signatures, We Were There, etc., as well as the graduated readers like Dan Frontier.
http://booksbloom.com