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First Grader and Reader & Writer

By the time children are in first grade, they are reading more complex stories. They can read books on their own, but they also enjoy when parents read to them. Whether children snuggle up next to a parent to hear a story or read under the covers with a flashlight, they always benefit from talking about the books they read and love.

Read these stories to find out about the books that children read and love. You'll also get to see how children have been inspired by their favorite books.

Jackie's Story: Relating to the Characters
Six-year-old Jackie likes to read books from the Arthur and Franklin series. Based on real-life events, Arthur's and Franklin's experiences are easy for kids to relate to. At the same time, the messages are reassuring. That is, while things do happen that are upsetting or confusing, it's okay. It's also normal to have feelings about these things. Jackie says, "Things that happen in books happen to me. Like Arthur thought he wouldn't lose his first tooth, and then he finally did. And bad things that happen, like getting chicken pox or being scared in the dark, don't seem that bad."

See a picture of Jackie going to a bookstore with her mom.

Joe's Story: Penguin Pops
Six-year-old Joe likes books about things that actually happened. One of his favorites is a book about the Trojan horse. Joe says, "I like this book because one group of soldiers was able to win the battle by building a wooden horse and hiding in it. I like that they tricked the other side." Joe says, "I think boys would probably like this book because it's about a battle."

Joe also likes to read book about animals, like Antarctic Antics. "They're actually poems about baby penguins. I learned that baby penguins stand on their dad's feet to keep themselves off the ice. Sometimes I play that with my pop. I stand up on top of his feet and he holds my arms and we walk around the kitchen like we're penguins." Joe comments, "It's really fun but I'm getting kind of big and too heavy for my pop's feet." Joe than points out: "Did you know that baby penguins spend more time with their daddies than their mommies?"

Hannah's Story: What Makes a Good Book
Seven-year-old Hannah is really reading on her own now. She likes books in a series, such as Junie B. Jones, Judy Moody, Captain Underpants, The Boxcar Children, and the American Girl books. She says, "It's important to read the series in order because then you know what happened in the books before." She also likes looking at "big picture books full of facts, especially if they have real pictures" and she likes poetry books such as Love That Dog, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Laugh-eteria, and The Butterfly Jar.

Though Hannah reads to herself, she still likes to listen to her mom tead aloud to her before bed--books like Harry Potter, Olivia Kidney, The Wanderer, and the Ramona books.

What makes a book a good one? According to Hannah, "A good book is written by an experienced writer who really likes kids." She thinks Dr. Seuss is a "really good writer even though I don't read much of his books anymore, but you can tell he really likes kids by the funny words he uses and all the funny creatures and machines he makes up." Hannah adds, "Good books can be about something serious or something funny, but the author should DEFINITELY know about kids."

See Hannah's drawing of Judy Moody and a picture inspired by Love that Dog.