The school year is slowly creeping to an end. They have enjoyed months and months of letter recognition,phonics, and sight words, and now Kindergartners and First Graders are taking those next steps towards being independent readers. Here at the library, we start to get a lot of questions from parents looking for suggestions for their new readers. Helping your children learn to read is so exciting, but can also be frustrating (You just read that word on the last page, what do you mean you don’t remember it?!?).

As adults, many of us can’t remember a time when we couldn’t read. After decades of reading the print around us it comes as naturally as swallowing, and we forget what an eccentric and irrational language written English can be. It isn’t until we begin to watch our own children wrestle with reading that we are reminded that this challenging skill does not come naturally, but rather, has to be taught, practiced, coached, and nurtured. Reading together at home is a time to nurture your child’s confidence, and sense of security and pleasure around books. Snuggle up together with some of these Easy Reader titles: not too long, spot on with skills learned in school, and perfectly engaging!