Buy it: Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa – Horse in the House
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa – Horse in the House (By Erica Silverman) – Cowgirl Kate wakes up to find her horse Cocoa in her bedroom. The young girl needs to get the horse back to the barn before her parents find out. But before they leave, Cocoa wants to explore the house. Cocoa makes a mess in the living room, finds the bathroom too small but loves the refrigerator. When they get back to the barn, Kate explains all the good things about the barn and why her horse should stay there, instead of in the house. But Cocoa explains that the house has two things he loves – Kate and the refrigerator. The whole series of Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa books offer sweet stories of friendship and would be perfect for young girls who love horses. Recommended for ages 6 to 9, they are great young reader books and beginning chapter books.
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 6, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: Hippo and Rabbit in Three Short Tales
Hippo and Rabbit in Three Short Tales (By Jeff Mack) – This early reader book comes highly recommended because my daughter, Ally, age 6, has read it dozens of times and never gets tired of it. Even better, she laughs every time she reads it. The book includes three short stories of two friends, Hippo and Rabbit. Rabbit tries to make Hippo choose vegetables over his cheeseburger; they push each other on a swing to hilarious results; and they comfort each other when they get scared at bedtime. I love the sweet and humorous stories of friendship and the simple words are perfect for beginning readers. It’s an entertaining read that will build confidence in early readers.
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 6, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: Nate the Great
Nate the Great (By Marjorie Weinman Sharmat) - This is the first book in the “Nate the Great” series of detective stories, of which we have now read several. Nate is a young boy who loves eating pancakes and solving mysteries. “Nate the Great” is a wonderful first chapter book for beginning readers, because the text and stories are simple and often funny; there are fun illustrations on every page and the chapters are short. In this first book, Nate is helping his friend Annie find her missing picture. Nate and Annie search Annie’s room, dig up the backyard and have a snack of pancakes, before Nate finally solves the mystery. My daughter Ally, age 6, loves reading the “Nate the Great” books and trying to solves the mysteries before Nate does. But even after we know the ending, she still loves to read them again and again.
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 6, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: Princess Posey and the Perfect Present
Princess Posey and the Perfect Present (By Stephanie Greene) – “Princess Posey and the Perfect Present” is a great chapter book for beginning readers. The story is simple and relatable for first-graders; the chapters are short; and there are cute illustrations throughout. My daughter Ally, a first-grader who is 6, and I enjoy reading these books together. In this story, Posey is excited to be bringing a present to school for her teacher’s birthday. She decides to bring roses that she picked from the garden. But when she gets to school, one of her friends has also brought flowers for the teacher and the bouquet is bigger and prettier than Posey’s. Posey hides her flowers and gets angry at her friend. But after school, Posey’s mom explains that the size of the bouquet is not important and that her friend didn’t know that Posey was also bringing flowers. Posey goes out to the garden and picks just one rose to give to her teacher the next day. Her teacher is excited to have her first “after birthday present.” And Posey apologizes to her friend. This story offers simple lessons about friendship and jealousy.
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 6, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: Look! I Can Read!
Look! I Can Read! (By Susan Hood) – “Look! I Can Read!” is a perfect early reader book. It’s the story of a little girl named Emily discovering all the things she can read from street signs and food labels to her name. The book has great beginning words and sight words. The story also rhymes, which makes it easy for young readers to figure out a word if they get stuck. On one page, Emily asks to reader to find things in her bedroom that start with each letter of the alphabet. The book ends with Emily announcing that she read a whole book, while holding up the book “Look! I Can Read!”
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 6, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: We Are in a Book!
We Are in a Book! (By Mo Willems) – Hands down, the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems are the best early reader books I’ve seen. The entire collection is so funny and clever that my daughter Ally, now 6, reads them over and over and still laughs every time. All of the Elephant and Piggie books offer sweet lessons about friendship and simple words to build early reader confidence. I also love that Elephant and Piggie’s conversations are color-coded, so readers always know who is saying what. We have several of these books, but one of our favorites is “We Are in a Book!” In this story, Elephant (Gerald) and Piggie discover that someone is watching them – a reader! Then they find out they can make the reader say funny words, until they find out (oh no!) the book ends! The story ends with them asking the reader to read their book again. A wonderful set of books for readers, ages 4-8, but Ally has found out that her parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles all find them pretty entertaining as well. A great collection to get your young child reading!
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 6, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl
Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl! (By Tedd Arnold) – My daughter Ally asked to go to the store to buy a Fly Guy book because they are so popular with her kindergarten class. I’d never read them before but I was happy to discover that the Fly Guy books are cute, funny and feature simple words for early readers. The books are about a boy name Buzz who has a pet fly named Fly Guy, who can say his name. In each Fly Guy book, the Buzz and Fly Guy have fun adventures together like playing hide and seek, going on vacation or the time Buzz’s grandma swallowed Fly Guy. In Fly Guys Meets Fly Girl Fly Guy and Buzz meet a little girl named Lizz and her pet, Fly Girl. Fly Girl is great at tricks and eating gross things. My daughter always laughs at the pages where Fly Guy eats a rotten tomato and Fly Girl eats a dead worm. This book proves that kids love books that are simple, fun and yes, maybe a little disgusting.
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 5, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
