9 Easy Reader Series Starring Boys

Here is the boyish companion to my recent list of 9 Easy Reader Series Starring Girls.

Bones 

by David A. Adler, illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman
Book 1: Bones and the Big Yellow Mystery
Jeffrey Bones is a young detective who solves mysteries in his everyday life, often involving his friend, Sally and/or his grandfather.

Nate the Great 

by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, illustrated by Marc Simont 

Book 1: Nate the Great
Young detective Nate the Great solves cases for his neighborhood friends and narrates them in his distinct, wry voice. 

Lionel

by Stephen Krensky, illustrated by Susanna Natti

Book 1: Lionel at Large
In books divided into short episodes, this series tells of a young boy's daily adventures. Kids will see themselves in Lionel, who is very much like a real boy.

Life of Max

by Adria F. Klein, illustrated by Mernie Gallagher-Cole

Book 1: Max and the Adoption Day Party
A boy named Max introduces the reader to a variety of childhood experiences, including visiting the doctor, going to the grocery store, attending an adoption day party, taking the dog to the vet and celebrating Chinese New Year. Some titles in the series are available as bilingual (English/Spanish) books.

Best in Second Grade

by Katherine Kenah

Book 1: The Best Seat in Second Grade
Sam, Luna, and Ollie are students in Mr. Hopper's second grade class. These three books tell their individual experiences trying to be the best at something in second grade.

Andy Shane

by Jennifer Richard Jacobson, illustrated by Abby Carter

Book 1: Andy Shane and the Very Bossy Dolores Starbuckle
Shy Andy Shane must find a way to cope in school where bossy Dolores Starbuckle is constantly monitoring his activities and telling on him.

Little Bear

by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak

Book 1: Little Bear
An imaginative little bear spends lots of time with his mother and other animal friends while his father is away at sea. Adventures include making birthday soup, pretending to visit space, and befriending a human girl named Emily.

Oliver Pig

by Jean van Leeuwen, illustrated by Arnold Lobel (and Ann Schweninger)

Book 1: Tales of Oliver Pig
Oliver is a big brother who loves to play outside, listen to stories, work in the garden, show off his tricks, and spend time with his grandmother. Books in this series focus on the little moments in the day-to-day life of a realistic, loving family. Early titles are illustrated by Arnold Lobel; Ann Schweninger took over beginning with book 3, Amanda Pig and Her Big Brother Oliver.

Gus

by Frank Remkiewicz
Book 1: Gus Gets Scared
This series about a small rhino is very easy to read. Stories relate humorous episodes from Gus's life, including his attempt to sleep outside all night, his disagreements with other kids in the playground sandbox, and building a snowman on a snow day. 

Reading with Little Miss Muffet: January 2015

In this new monthly feature I'll be recording my experiences reading with my toddler daughter. These will include my observations of her behavior with books, a current list of favorite titles, and tips from my experience that may help other parents.

New Book Behaviors

Since she turned one, Little Miss Muffet's interest in books has increased exponentially. Because she is completely mobile and working on becoming verbal, she can interact much more freely with the books she owns and borrows from the library. I see her doing all kinds of interesting things with books every day. Here are some of the highlights:  

• Morning reading. On many mornings, Miss Muffet wakes up, grabs a book, and "reads" to herself for a little while before we even know she is awake. I have started leaving a few sturdy board books in her sleeping space so she can get to them easily when she wakes up. It's a much better start to the day than fussing or crying!
• Paperbacks. Miss Muffet loves paperback books. I gave her two review copies I was finished with and she has explored them fully, including folding and ripping many of the pages. It's nice to be able to hand her some books that she is allowed to destroy in order to keep from destroying every book she encounters.
• Preferences. As she becomes less of a baby and more of a toddler, Miss Muffet is also starting to make her preferences known. When she wants a particular book to be read, she will throw it or bang it against something until a grown-up takes notice. If the story ends, and she wants to hear it again, she immediately starts to cry until she is either distracted by something else or someone begins the book over again. I think she could easily listen to the same book 25 times in a row.
• Labeling. Though Miss Muffet does like to listen to a story, she has started interrupting frequently to point out pieces of the illustrations and ask me to label them, Often, she will say "Whassat?" or "Da?" and if she likes a particular word, she will point to that item several more times so I will repeat it for her. I see this paying off greatly in her vocabulary development; there are now dozens of animals and objects she can recognize by name, even if she can't yet say the words.

Five Current Favorites 

We read a lot of books, but some always rise to the top of the pile. These are Miss Muffet's current favorites:

• Baby Pig Pig Talks by David McPhail
  We borrowed this board book from the library because of how much Miss Muffet enjoyed another from the same series, Baby Pig Pig Walks. This is a very short and simple story where Mama tries to get Pig Pig to talk, but instead of repeating her words, he assigns his own baby talk names to things. Then, in the end, when he is scared by a dog, he says Mama. Miss Muffet refuses to say my name unless she is angry, so the fact that I am asked to read it 20 times a day is a bit torturous, but it goes back  to the library very soon... 
• Can You Say It Too? Growl! Growl! by Sebastien Braun
  This is a short lift-the-flap book, also from the library. It focuses on animal sounds. For some reason, Miss Muffet got the idea that every time she opens a flap, she should scream at the top of her lungs. Even now that I know to expect it, I still laugh hysterically every single time it happens, which probably does nothing whatsoever to discourage her. There are others in this series, and I plan to seek them out on our next library trip.
• Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
  I consider this a picture book for preschoolers, so having a 14-month-old sit still and listen to it repeatedly amazes me. Surprisingly, it is not the monkeys who catch her attention, but the peddler himself, and his colorful caps. I am trying to teach her to point her finger, shake her fist, and stomp her feet like the peddler does when he begs the monkeys for his caps back. So far, she just seems to like watching me do those motions, but I know one of these days she will surprise me by joining in.
• DK My First Word Board Book This was one of her favorite books of 2014, but now that she is so into labeling, it has taken on a new significance for Miss Muffet. I get tired of reading the same labels over and over again, so I try to incorporate songs with as many pages as possible. On the food page, we sing "Going on a Picnic" and on the Farm page, we sing "Old MacDonald" and on the transportation page, we sing about every vehicle to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus." And occasionally, when I can't take it anymore, I hide this book.
• Highlights Hello Magazine
  We have subscriptions to both Babybug and Highlights Hello. The first issue of Hello that we received has a story in it about sitting in a big, soft chair, and Little Miss Muffet absolutely loves it. We usually read the whole magazine at least once a day (it's short), but sometimes we do an encore (or five) of just that one story because she can't get enough of it.  

Three Tips from Mom 

When I worked in the library, people would always tell me how much trouble they had getting their toddlers to sit and listen to them read. Here is what is working for me right now:

• Read when the mood strikes. Sometimes we start a book, and it becomes clear immediately that Miss Muffet is much more interested in something else. In that case, we set the book aside and try again later when she is more receptive. 
• Always read when asked. If Miss Muffet brings me a book, I almost always read it unless I am in the middle of something that can't be interrupted. I don't always indulge every demand for repeat readings, but I will usually do at least two encores before trying to move her attention to something else. 
• Talk about the pictures. Sometimes instead of reading a book straight through, we choose a page or two and just spend some time with the illustrations. I name objects for her to find, or ask her to label items I know she has the words for. This kind of interactivity often keeps her engaged better than reading what is written. 

Learning Activities for Favorite Children's Books: May I Bring a Friend?

May I Bring a Friend? was written by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers and illustrated by Beni Montresor. It was published in 1964 and received the Caldecott Medal in 1965. In the story, the king and queen invite a young boy to their castle each day for a different meal or celebration. The boy inquires whether he may bring a friend to each of these visits, then shows up every time with a different zoo animal. The following are extension activities to share after reading the book.

I’m Looking for a Friend

Create flannel board pieces of the animals which appear in the story - giraffe, rhinoceros, monkey, elephant, lion, and seal - and line them up on the flannel board. Tell your child you are looking for a specific friend,then give a description of one of the animals. (For example, “I am looking for a friend with a long neck.” ) Have your child locate and remove the correct animal from the flannel board. Then allow your child to take a turn giving the clues and allow you to guess. This game can also be played on a tabletop.

Clipart images of the animals can be found on kizclub.com in the following documents:

• Seal 
• Lion 
• Rhino 
• Monkey 
• Giraffe 
• Elephant

Feed the Animals

Use the animals you created for the game above along with the linked images of food below to play a matching game. Decide which animal would be most likely to eat each food and “feed” the animal by placing the food next to it on the flannel board or table top.

• Fish (Seal) 
• Meat (Lion) 
• Peanuts (Elephant) 
• Banana (Monkey) 
• Grass (Rhinoceros) 
• Leaves (Giraffe)

King and Queen Match-Up

The kings and queens in the printable document below each bear the name of a day of the week. Mix them up and have your child match King Monday with Queen Monday, King Tuesday with Queen Tuesday, etc.

Click here to download the King and Queen Matching Game.

Cut & Paste Calendar

Using the printable calendar below, have your child retell the story by cutting and pasting the appropriate animals and foods into the space for each day of the week. (Lunch is represented by a sandwich, and Halloween by a jack o’lantern.)

Click here to download Retelling Activity.

For more learning activities for favorite children's books, click here.

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.