Chapter Books is Not a Genre

There are two things kids say that make me crazy.  When discussing who will be racing whom on the playground, “I’ll verse you at recess;” and when asked what kind of books they like to read, “Chapter books.”  I have been waging a long and futile war to convince elementary students that verse is a preposition, not a verb, and chapter books is not a genre.  When kids tell me chapter books are their favorites, it’s usually a sign of limited reading experiences.  Sophisticated readers answer with actual genres, authors or series.  I’ve learned that a kid who asks for chapter books, feels like the books she is reading are either too easy or look too easy.  They want to look like a more sophisticated reader, and we have books to help them.

I have friend whose five year old daughter is a strong reader, but she’s still little.  She’s obviously not ready for novels, but she wants to read books like the big kids.  There are a couple of publishers that specialize in this level.  Look for I Can Read, Kids Can Read, and Ready to Read.  The classic choices for these kids are Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel and Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant.  They’re everyone’s first chapter books.  The lessons about friendship are simple, but relevant for young kids.  Then there’s Fox and His Friends by Edward Marshall.  Fox is a goofy troublemaker, but some of the language is old fashioned and unfamiliar to kids.  Several more difficult series have junior versions, like the Young Cam Jansen and A is for Amber, the easy Amber Browns.  These are nice, because they look harder on the outside, but are easy on the inside.  The books retain the humor and plot of the originals, just at an easier reading level.  Also some of our favorite characters from picture books have graduated to chapter books.  Look for the series about Arthur, the aardvark, and Amelia Bedelia.  For mystery lovers, there’s Nate the Great, another great boy detective.  I’m a fan of Fancy Nancy, a glamorous, young protagonist, and Robert books, but then I always did like the naughty ones. 

 

For older kids who struggle in reading, easy chapter books like this can be a saving grace.  They look respectable on the outside, but they have strong picture clues and the reading level is accessible.  Kids who are reading on this level are usually just starting to become independent readers.  When these kids get stuck on a difficult word, we need to prompt them to think about the story first.  We want them thinking about what would make sense in the sentence.  Suggest they try rereading the sentence; it’s the most powerful strategy a reader can use when she gets stuck.  If that doesn’t work, we want them looking for familiar chunks of words.  We want them to see the “and” in “grand” or the “ing” and “ed” at the end of a verb.  These kids are moving beyond “sounding it out.”  Instead we ask them to “chunk it,” “take the word apart,” or “look for the little word inside the big word.”  But most importantly, we want them to enjoy the “chapter books!”

 

Easy Chapter Books

Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel

Fox and His Friends by Edward Marshall

The Young Cam Jansen by David A. Adler

Second Grade Rules, Amber Brown by Paula Danzinger

Arthur Chapter Books by Marc Brown

Amelia Bedelia Chapter Books by Herman Parish

Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant

Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

Clifford Big Red Chapter Books by Gail Herman

Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel

Robert and the Sneaker Snobs by Barbara Seuling

Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth by Jane O’Connor

Just Grace by Charise Mericle Harper