Why not to read early chapter books aloud

Here's a rant I've repeated a few times now, so I thought I should post it someplace where I can link to it.

This is my response to parents who ask me questions like, "Do you have #43 in the Magic Tree House series?  My kindergartener can't wait for me to read it to her."

Books like Frog and Toad and Mr. Putter and Tabby are written especially for children who are learning to read on their own.  They don't have any significant concept challenges, so readers can focus on decoding and fluency.*  (I call those books junior fiction; most people call them "easy readers" which I think is demeaning to beginning readers who don't find them easy!)  This category also includes abridged versions of classics, Magic Tree House, Nate the Great, Geronimo Stilton, Captain Underpants, Junie B. Jones and nearly all television or movie tie-ins.

As a media specialist, I suggest you save junior fiction for beginning readers to enjoy on their own.  This has a few significant advantages. One is that these books sell themselves, so there's no need to read them aloud to get kids interested in them.  Once they are hooked on a series, young readers will never lack books about familiar, comfortable characters, which encourages them to read more.  Another is that you as the parent will never be stuck reading the forty thousandth Magic Tree House or Rainbow Fairy book aloud.  Let your readers know they will be able to read them alone soon and this may be motivation for them.  Third and most important, when you read aloud more complex chapter books, you have the opportunity to share some great literature (read: fun and interesting, not just "good for them") that your children otherwise would not discover on their own until many years later, if ever.

I enthusiastically recommend Toys Go Out and its sequel as great read-alouds for preschool and up.  I love the Mercy Watson books too, but they qualify as junior fiction to me, so I prefer to recommend them as read-alones instead.  In general, but not always, animal adventure stories are somewhat gentler than those about humans.  Here, in no particular order, are some of my other favorites:

Jenny and the Cat Club by Esther Averill (many books in this series about a cat and her cat friends)
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett (3 books - gentle adventure)
All About Sam by Lois Lowry (4 books)
The Magician's Boy by Susan Cooper (for those who love fairy tales)
The Puppy Sister by S.E. Hinton (a dog who wants to be a girl)
Stuart Little and Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White (lesser known adventures by author of Charlotte's Web)
Mary on Horseback (historical fiction with some intense moments - less racist than Little House on the Prairie)
The Littles by John Peterson (several in this series, tiny people aka Borrowers except with tails)
Mary Poppins by P.L Travers (nothing like the movie, trust me - much weirder!)
Catwings by Ursula K. Leguin (cats with wings!)
Cricket in Times Square by George Selden (many books in series, some out of print)
Bunnicula (many in the series about the thoughtful dog and the vampire rabbit)
anything by Dick King-Smith - mostly animal stories

For those who want something a little sillier, try these -- very little children, however, may not get the jokes.
The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle (about poo!)
Stuart's Cape by Sara Pennypacker (2 books)
The Legend of Spud Murphy by Eoin Colfer
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (and its scary sequel, and really anything by him for kids)
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar (3 books)

Finally, please don't stop reading picture books.  Many are written for younger children, but others are much more complex and can bring incredible richness to your children's reading lives well into their middle school years.  If you're looking for something longer than the average picture book, I suggest you try picture book biographies.  Ask your librarian for recommendations.

For more on reading aloud, Jim Trelease is so amazing!!  He just retired from doing workshops on read-alouds, and I think it's a darn shame.  You can hear him here:http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/video_2.html and here: http://www.vimeo.com/2273440



* One caveat is that older books, such as Frog and Toad, may have concepts or words six or seven year old children may not be familiar with.

Sea-Cat and Dragon King by Angela Carter

This one fell off the shelf while I was leveling our junior fiction section.  I thought, "Huh.  Looks interesting.  I should read this one aloud."  I tucked it in my bag and brought it home.  Ivy found it immediately and began looking through it.  I offered to read it to her and she said, "Just a minute."  When she'd finished turning every page, she smiled and said, "Read!"

It's a beautifully descriptive book, with lots of creative use of language and unusual phrases, I imagine because it was translated from another language.  It flowed effortlessly -- no need for chapters in this "chapter" book.  Ivy was captivated for the entire story.

What didn't work for me was the illustrations.  The story focused on the beauty of the sea-cat's suit, and how the dragon king wanted a beautiful suit like that for himself.  But the illustrations were so quirky, with no color, that I just couldn't believe the story.  I kept thinking how much more successful it would be if it had been published as a picture book, with lavish illustrations and rich hues -- Brandon Dorman, anyone?   I hope some publisher picks this one up and reillustrates it, because it could be a  real winner.  

Awesomeness: 6 - sweet and creative, but packaged too strangely to stand out

Wordsmithing: 8 - lyrical 

Personages: 6 - reasonably three-dimensional but not super surprising, this being an early chapter book

Mesmerizitude: 5 - eh

Illustrations: 3 - I actually liked them for what they were, but they didn't go with the story, and I really wanted to see some color to go with the lavish descriptions

The Pig's Picnic by Keiko Kasza

Is it just me, or does Keiko Kasza have a real mean streak?  She's very hard on her poor little animal characters.  They're always yelling at each other or calling one another names.  Maybe I'm just sensitive to such talk, but it seems a little excessive.  

This book is a perfect example.  Mr. Pig goes on his predictable, repetitive journey on his way to see his ladylove, and his friends all give them their best attributes (mane, stripes and tail) in which to dress up.  When he gets there, does she snort with delicate piggy laughter and encourage him to "just be himself?"  No!  She screams, attempts to shut the door in his face and calls him a monster.  I don't know about you, but if someone criticized my fashion sense like that, poor though it may be, I wouldn't be going on any picnics with them.

Well, it's Keiko Kasza, and it's still going to circulate effortlessly in my K-1 crowd.  I just wonder if it's exactly the message I want to send?  I'll guide them toward Grandfather Toad's Secrets instead.

Awesomeness: 4/10

Wordsmithing: 4/10

Personages: 3/10

Illustrations: 6/10

Ivy's Pick: Who Needs Donuts? by Mark Alan Stamaty

This is a weird book.  

Now that I have that judgmental statement over with... it's a nice little story about materialism and greed. A boy wants all the donuts in the world, so he leaves his family, goes to the city and finds a kindred spirit donut seeker.  Boy eventually loses his friend to love and decides having all the donuts is not as important as having people who love you.  I'd never heard of it, but I decided I needed to read it when it turned up as #81 on Fuse #8's 100 Best Picture Books thingie.  

The illustrations are crammed full of black-and-white detail from one edge to another, with a preponderance of wide-mouthed caricatures and little signs with lots of words.  A little scary, a little bizzare, a little intriguing.  In the end, not really my cup of tea.

Ivy likes the elephant birds, of course -- she likes anything with elephants.  She also likes hunting for the little talk bubbles ("What does that say?").  

Awesomeness: 3/10

Wordsmithing: 5/10

Personages: 4/10

Illustrations: 6/10

The Christmas Dolls (Girls of the Good Day Orphanage series) by Carol Beach York

This came off of someone's Top Ten Books list, and as I am also a fan of the young girl orphan genre, I thought I'd give it a look.  These girls are considerably better treated than Sara Crewe of Miss Minchin's was.  The girls are not the focus of the book -- the dolls, and their uncertain fate, are -- but there is still plenty of attention paid to details of interest to little girls, such as the contents of their Christmas stockings.

Now, I thought the book was very sweet, succinctly written with characters as interesting as any doll characters in children's chapter books may be.  But I couldn't stop thinking I'd seen these characters before.  I even recognize the illustration style, though not the illustrations themselves.  Tatty... Little Anne... what book had they appeared in originally?  It's just on the tip of my tongue.  I wish I had an answer.  Perhaps I will dream it tonight.

Awesomeness: 3/10

Wordsmithing: 5/10

Personages: 6/10