Below are reading stepping stones and suggestions of great books to purchase for your children to read.
Stage 1: Baby Books – Age 0-3
These books are for infants and toddlers. They usually consist of alphabet sounds, books about color, lullabies and nursery rhymes.
Example: Goodnight Moon
Stage 2: Picture Books – Age 4-8
These are hardcover books filled with tons of color and illustrations. The storyline is usually short and simple.
Example: Pinkalicious
Stage 3: Easy Readers – Age 6-8
These are usually paperback books. They are easy to read and for those that are just starting to read paragraphs.
Example: Junie B series
Stage 4: Chapter Books – Age 7-10
These books are normally found in series with very little to no illustrations. These books look and feel just like a normal book, but often times the chapters are shorter and the print is larger than a YA book.
Example: Little Kids, Big Voices series
Stage 5: Middle Grade – Age 8-12
These books have longer chapters and the storyline is more advanced. The overall length of the book is longer and the vocabulary is more complex.
Example: Percy Jackson and the Olympians series
Stage 6: Young Adult – Age 12+
These books address typical teenage problems with multiple characters and themes. The word count for this stage is 40,000+.
Example: Chronicles of Narnia series