Our daughter learned to read at 5 and by 5.5 was reading at a second grade level. Now at 8, she reads on a fifth to sixth grade level. While this is great for two bibliophiles, there are some downsides. One of our biggest problems, early on was emotional level vs comprehension. Sure she could read Captain Underpants, one of her all time favorite series but did I want her to. If we gave her age appropriate books she was bored and with level appropriate books, she was confused, scared and sometimes still bored. One thing we did was to take turns reading chapters with her and explaining when needed. Our local children’s librarian introduced us to The Magic Treehouse Series and Amelia Bedelia. But our best find was a former school librarian turned bookseller. She helped us with great suggestions of old and new favorites, like Captain Underpants, Ramona, The Indian in the Cupboard and The Girls to the Rescue series. Little by little we have introduced new titles and genres with more success than failure. Because of Winn Dixie, was boring but Ann McCaffrey’s If Wishes Were Horses and Charlotte’s Web were great.

In today’s society kids are much more worldly than a generation ago but they still posses an innocence that shapes their thinking. Some of the hardest choices are when to introduce books with topics like death, poverty, racism and the like. Even though we discuss these topics, books have a way of making it real. I ask myself and my daughter the critical questions (Critical Questions) in order to help us understand what she is reading. Knowing what the author’s perspective and their agenda might be, is important. What underling themes and messages is she being exposed to? Who is the intended audience for this book? One great thing about the Web is that you can look up the author’s website and check them out.

We will continue to struggle with a balance but some of my greatest memories were of reading books that I wasn’t suppose to. I also have to encourage her exploration of various topics and remember that this is a kid who loves reading Calvin and Hobbes.

Link to tips for picking books Books