If your child has started reading independently but isn't quite ready for full chapter books, I have one easy suggestion:
Mo Willems.
The author/illustrator has singlehandedly revived the "easy reader" or "early reader" category of books - not full picture books, not full chapter books, but a lovely amalgam of the two just perfect for the "in-between" readers who are testing out their phonics knowledge while working on becoming fluent readers.
Why is Mo so perfect?
- Talk bubbles rule. Particularly in his "Elephant & Piggie" books, Mo uses talk bubbles, which help young readers literally see who is talking and figure out the story.
- Humor! You can't get any funnier (at least to 7 year olds) than a pigeon trying to drive a bus, or a bird landing on one's head and not moving.
- There are so MANY books by him. Mo Willems is prolific. VERY prolific. Which means you can usually find at least one, it not ten, of his books on the shelf at any of our libraries. Research shows that the more kids read, the more they want to read, so this is key to keeping the reading going.
- Laura Raphael, Children's Services Coordinator