9 Easy Reader Series Starring Girls

Series are really popular with beginning readers. Here are some great easy reader series starring girls!

Katie Woo

by Fran Manushkin, illustrated by Tammie Lyon
Book 1: Best Season Ever
Katie Woo guides readers through typical school problems and experiences including moving, celebrating birthdays, losing a tooth and getting new glasses. Watch a book trailer for the series here.

Emma

by Jean Little, illustrated by Jennifer Plecas

Book 1: Emma's Magic Winter
Emma deals with making a new friend, gaining an adoptive brother, and finding a pet that doesn't bother her allergies in this trilogy.

Amelia Bedelia (Level 1 I Can Read Books)

by Herman Parish, illustrated by Lynne Avril
Book 1: Amelia Bedelia Makes a Friend
Herman Parish has written several books about Amelia Bedelia as a sweet but literal-minded child, in which she engages in typical childhood activities, such as going on a hike, having a sleepover, and making a new friend. Click here to see the publisher's webpage for this branch of the Amelia Bedelia series.

Fancy Nancy

by Jane O'Connor, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glassman
Book 1: The 100th Day of School
This series is spun off from the popular picture books. Nancy takes on various problems with school and friends using her exceptional vocabulary. Each volume concludes with a short glossary.

Pinkalicious

by Victoria Kann

Book 1: Pink Around the Rink 
Also spun off from a popular picture book series, these books tell stories of everyday occurences at home and at school with a splash of pink. 

Mia

by Robin Farley, illustrated by Olga Ivanov

Book 1: Mia and the Too Big Tutu
Mia the cat is a ballerina whose adventures all revolve around dancing.

Penny 

by Kevin Henkes
Book 1: Penny and Her Song

Penny is a mouse who lives with her parents and infant siblings. In this trilogy, Penny learns a new song, names her new doll, and makes amends when she makes a terrible mistake. Penny and her Marble, the third book of the series, was a 2014 Geisel Honor book. Kevin Henkes introduces the series in this short video.

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa

by Erica Silverman, illustrated by Betsy Lewin  

Book 1: Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa

Kate and her horse, Cocoa, are best friends who argue, play, and have fun together. The first book of this series was a 2006 Geisel honor book.  There are six books in all. 

Amanda Pig

by Jean Van Leeuwen and Ann Schweninger

Book 1: Amanda Pig and her Big Brother Oliver

Amanda Pig is the younger sister of Oliver pig. She stars in some books of her own, as well as those about her brother. Amanda Pig and the Really Hot Day was also a 2006 Geisel Honor book.

12 Kids' Books Illustrated by Marla Frazee

Clementine Series

Marla Frazee provides the lively pictures of curly-haired, spunky Clementine, the beloved chapter book heroine whose adventures are written by Sara Pennypacker. Throughout the series, Clementine deals with the difficulties of growing up, including sibling rivalry with her unnamed brother, conflicts with her neat and organized friend, Margaret, and learning to behave herself in school. There are six Clementine titles in all, with a seventh and final book, Completely Clementine, due out in March.  

1. Clementine
2. The Talented Clementine 
3. Clementine's Letter
4. Clementine, Friend of the Week
5. Clementine and the Family Meeting
6. Clementine and the Spring Trip 

Picture Books

Though Frazee has written some of her own picture books, there are some she has illustrated that were written by other well-known authors. 

• All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon
  This celebration of the interconnectedness of people and nature is one of my top ten picture books of all time as well as a 2010 Caldecott Honor Book. 
• The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
  Mrs. Peters is the mother of seven very picky eaters. Day in and day out, she caters to their specific preferences until one day the kids decide to give something back. 
• Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild! by Mem Fox
  When Harriet misbehaves, her mom does her best not to get angry, but some days are harder than others in this sweet book about handling strong emotions. 
• Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers
  A rhyming text celebrates the joys of being a baby. Frazee provides a diverse cast of busy little babies in her signature illustration style. 
• Stars by Mary Lyn Ray
  In poetic text, the author marvels at the beauty of the stars, both as scientific entities and as possible wish-granters. This is a great read-aloud for early elementary audiences in particular.

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: The Grocery Store

Trips to the grocery store can seem boring to kids, but sometimes giving them something to do makes the experience more interesting and therefore easier on parents.Here are a few fun ways to practice early literacy skills on your next trip to the supermarket. 

• Have your child cross off your shopping list as you collect items.
  If you have a handwritten shopping list, or even a digital list on your phone, allow your child to read you the items and cross them off as you add them to your shopping cart. This gives them the opportunity to see the words for foods and other household items in print and to see how close you are to being finished at the same time. 
• Point out signs and labels for familiar foods.
  As you shop for the staples of your child's diet, point out the names of these items on the packaging and store signage. Kids will be invested in these words because the foods are well known to them, and they might even recognize the words when you unload the groceries at home. 
• Let child help match coupons to items.
  Have your child help you find the correct coupons to go with some of your items. Show them how the words and pictures on the coupons are clues to which item they belong to.
• Talk about the way the items for sale are categorized on the shelves.
  Help your child learn to categorize his world by discussing the way items are sorted and arranged in the grocery store. Why are milk and cheese often close to one another? Why are sugar, flour, and cake mix all together? Where might you find paper towels? This activity promotes language skills, as well as science and math background knowledge. 

Flannel Friday: There's a Little Wheel a-Turnin' in my Heart (Valentine's Day Extravaganza)

There's a Little Wheel a-Turnin' in my Heart has been a favorite story time song of mine for years, so it's surprising that it never occurred to me to turn it into a flannel board. Inspired by the original verses on Nancy's Stewart's website, I have finally done just that, and added a couple extra verses of my own. It suits the Valentine theme, but I think it's also usable all year round.

There’s a little wheel a turnin’ in my heart

There’s a little wheel a turning’ in my heart

In my heart, in my heart 

There’s a little wheel a turnin’ in my heart

There's a little bee a-buzzing in my heart...

There's a little bird a-singing in my heart...

There's a little bunny hopping in my heart...

There's a little cow a-mooing in my heart...

There's a little frog a-leaping in my heart...

There's a little owl a-hooting in my heart...

Flannel Friday is a weekly round-up of ideas for using flannel boards and other props at story time. This week's host is Lisa.