Books for 1St Grader

Hi,
My daughter loved Amelia Bedelia as well. If you feel
that the mistakes in grammar and spelling are not an issue,
how about the Junie B. Jones series? Louis Sachar, the author of Holes, has written some books for younger readers.

The Junie B. Jones Series are excellent and very funny. They might be a little above first grade level though. I read them with my daughter until she was ready for them on her own and we both enjoyed them!

My first grader (who is also a girl) loves the rainbow fairy series by Daisy Meadows (i.e., the jewel faires, the pet fairies, the weather fairies), the puppy place series by Ellen Miles, Pixie Tricks series by Tracey West, Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo, the A to Z Mystery series by Ron Roy and the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborn. These series are all probably above a 1st grade reading level, but if you have a good reader, she might find these within her range. The Mercy Watson series is probably the most appropriate of the above for her age level.

Other series that are good, that are probably more along a 1st grade level, are books by Cynthia Rylant (similar in level to Amelia Bedelia), the Strega Nona books, and the Skippyjon Jones books.

Good luck! Happy reading!

C.

Don't worry about "normal" just supply her with lots of different types of books.

My favorite series, "The Magic Tree House" by Mary Pope Osborne. My daughter began reading them when she was 6 and at age 12 still enjoys them for a quick read. They contain a lot of interesting facts. You do need to read these in order.

My children enjoyed the "Little Bear" books, but these are on the same level as Dr. Suess.

One daughter loved "The Bailey School Kids". The other didn't care much for it.

"Nate the Great" and "Madeline" are good choices.

I would stay away from "Junie B. Jones". It's meant to be cute, like a 5 year old wrote it, but the grammer is horrible.

She's not quite ready for the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary, but you may want to read them to her.

There are some of the classic stories (not series): "Petunia", "The Giving Tree", "Flat Stanley".

My girls just said "You have to put in "Henry and Mudge". I used to read them alot."

Nate The Great by M Sharmat
Romona/Ralph the Mouse books by B Cleary
Junie B Jones by B Park
Magic Treehouse by M Pope Osborne
Judy Moody/Stink by M Mcdonald
The Bailey School Kids by D Dadey
Flat Stanely by J Brown
My kids loved these series, also there are tons of books at the bookstore that are labeled from pre k thru grades 3 or 4...so you know what level to buy...they have tons of themes from disney, Aurthur and so much more! Have fun!

Hi Leslie-
I am new to Mamasource and have just seen your request. I wanted to let you know that I am a school librarian and have, along with a teaching colleague, started an online book recommendation site. It's bibliotechies.com.
The lists are divided by age/grade level and I think you'll find it helpful.
I haven't gotten in all of the series books yet. One series that's not in yet, but that you might find interesting, is the Flat Stanley series.
If you get a chance to take a look at the site, I'd love to know what you think!
-L.

Hi! I am a first grade teacher... and a new mom of a 5 month old. So it is easier to answer this question than any about the babies! I think any of the series that are made by "An I Can Read Books" are good ones. Amelia Bedelia fits in that category. There are also a number of other series... Frog and Toad, Mr. Putter and Tabby, Poppleton, Henry and Mudge, Fox Books, Nate the Great, Cam Jansen or any "An I Can Read books" about a 1 or 2. Hope this helps! Enjoy!
J.

Hi,

We've found Junie B. Tales of a 1st Grader, Henry and Mudge as well as Cam Jansen series to be excellent choices! We have friends that also love the Clifford books.

Hope these help!

E.

Hi Leslie

you might want to try the Ramona Quimby series of books by Beverly Cleary or anything written by her.

Rainbow Magic- These books are each about a different fairy, which is also a different color of the rainbow. Each book focuses on this one fairy and the world around her, by Daisy Meadows and Georgie Ripper.

Hope this helps

M.

Fancy Nancy books are great!!!

It just so happens that I am a first grade teacher. There are hundreds of books that are great for first graders. If you are looking for books that are appropriate for your daughter to read independently a good rule to follow is the five finger rule. What this means is that if she is reading a book and she gets "stuck" on more than 5 words on one page the book is too hard for her. You also mentioned that the Dr. Seuss books are too easy for her. Even books that may seem too easy are valuable for her to read because it helps her build fluency and expression while she reads. As far as specific books to buy for her, you can go Barnes and Noble and they have leveled books,(They are called "I Can Read" books) Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. It sounds like the level 2 or 3 would be good for her. There is a huge variety of titles that are leveled,so you or she can pick them out depending on her interests. I hope this helps!

Between 1st and 2nd grade, my son read and loved all the Magic Tree House books. Now he's in 2nd grade and he is enjoying Geranimo Stilton.

Hello, I am a teacher and here are some recommendations. First you should find out what book level your daughter is. You can do this by asking her teacher. Amelia Bedelia is a level L (3rd grade). She may be able to decode the words but ask her questions about the book to make sure she is able to understand what she is reading. Some examples of questions, What can you tell me about the character? Where does the story take place? What is the problem/solution? It is important that she understands what she is reading so she is able to develop good reading habits. Look to this website for a list of books by level, grade and author. http://home.comcast.net/~ngiansante/gradeone.html
Hope this helps!
Best,
G. (Riverdale, NY)

if she does well with amelia bedelia, you might want to start easy chapter books. there are some series of "ready to read" type books, or some marked as "early chapter books". one of my daughters loves the "junie b. jones" series.

The first-graders in my school love Junie B. Jones! I usually buy my kindergartners these as part of their end-of-year gift from me. She may also like the Cam Jansen & Young Cam Jansen (a bit easier) series. Good luck & keep reading!

It doesn't matter what is normal or not. You need to supply books that she enjoys. These should be at her level and a bit harder, although it is also fun and relaxing for her to read books below her level. If you are not home-schooling her teacher should be able to give you advice on good books for her. One piece of advice I would give you is that unless you have many other kids younger than her is not to buy a lot of books, get them from the library as early readers can sometimes advance at a surprising speed and what is perfect today may be too easy in a month. Also, something to remember when selecting books is that reading has two components: one is to be able to decode the words, and the other one is to be able to understand what the book is about. Some children can read all the words in a book and not get what it is about. So when she is reading ask her about the story. If she cannot answer or what she says is off the level may be too high even if she can read all the words.
Congratulatons to your daughter, she is ready to enjoy now the wonderful world of books.

Sounds like she is a wonderful reader if she has already mastered Dr. Seuss! Don't worry about sticking to level 1 books if she is already that far ahead...keep encouraging her and share in her joy of reading. Try taking her to the library and having the children's librarian help pick something... There was a cute series by Scholastic about "Dont' let the Pigeon..." but I think it would be too easy for her at this point...but they are all very funny!

My 2nd Grader loved the Magic Tree House books when he was in first grade. He would read one from begining to end in one day if it was raining and there was nothing else to do. I highly recommend them.

Books my daughter loved in First Grade: Magic Treehouse Series is WONDERFUL! Other series: Junie B. Jones, Amber Brown, Cam Jansen, there is an early reader series about fairies -- can't remember the titles though. In second grade she hit the Fudge Series (Judy Blume) with a vengeance as well as the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. There are a ton of wonderful, age appropriate picture books as well as chapter books. If you go to the library the librarians are a wealth of knowledge in this area!

She would probably LOVE Junie B. Jones. There is a whole series.

I would avoid the Harry Potter books just yet. They are very scary and mature. I've read them all and I won't let me son and daughter read them until their 9 or so. But what about Lemony Snickets. I haven't read them but you can look into those. Also talk to a librarian at your local library. They'll be able to point you in the right direction about something age appropriate.

You have lots of good suggestions, my kids liked Junie B Jones, Cam Jansen, Geronimo Stilton and the Magic Tree House series in first and second grade, Nate the Great was good too. Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume are more for 3rd and 4th grade.

Both my daughters loved the "Junie B. Jones," "Magic Treehouse" and "Bailey School Kids" series when they were in 1st grade and up. They may be a little challenging for a child to read alone unless they are a very independent reader but we enjoyed reading them together.

My 1st grader just got in to serial chapter books. He likes Pokemon, Magic Treehouse, Ready Feddy books. Our library has a section of these kinds of books. We also alternate reading each chapter between the two of us.

the magic tree house books by mary pope osbourne are wonderful! also, 1st grade kids love (although the grammar is, let's say, bizarre..) the junie b. jones series.

HI Leslie, I am on leave now but I taught first grade for 12 years. If she is reading and understanding Amelia Bedelia that is great. Sometimes the language in Amelia Bedelia books can be tricky for beginning readers. Try the Henry and Mudge series by Cynthia Rylant, Little Bear, books by Syd Hoff, Morris the Moose, and Frog and Toad books. The fFrog and Toad books were funny. Look for any I CAN READ BOOKS. Nate the Great and Cam Janson are a little more advanced but you can try that too if she breezes though these other ones. I remember my nephew reading The Magic Treehouse (not sure if that is the correct name) series at the end of grade one. I.

My son is also in 1st grade and he is hooked on the
MAGIC TREE HOUSE series of books by Will and Mary Pope Osborne. In school they read one of the books as a class and he has been hooked on them since.

My daughter is in First grade and she has enjoyed Cam Jansen, Henry and Mudge, Nate the Great and Junie B Jones. We read Junie B with her because the grammar is not too great in them but she does enjoy the story line. My daughter has no interest in Magic Tree House books but I know lots of children that enjoy them-you may have to experiment a bit to find the types of stories that she likes.

Hi Leslie,

No one has mentioned any non-fiction books. All of the suggestions are great, but they are all fiction genres. I am a teacher and have a soon to be 5 year old daughter. When children get up to the grade I teach (6th), it's amazing how much trouble they have reading and comprehending non-fiction. My daughter loves books about animals (bugs, sharks, dogs) planets, how the body works (digestion, circulation, the heart), how to draw, recycling, how thigs work, presidents...there's a ton of topics, and kids at this age absorb and eat them up! The library has lots of non-fiction books to choose from. Just choose topics your daughter is interested in that seem age appropriate (words are not too difficult, lots of pictures, child friendly!). Don't worry if some of the information is "over her head". This will give her the opportunity to ask questions each time you re-read the book. Make sure you look at/read all the pictures and diagrams together...these are what make non-fiction books different from fiction books! Also, there is a glossary in the back for unknown words that you should point out. You can ask her at the end what she found most interesting or something she learned when you are finished. Good luck and happy reading!!!!

Leslie, helping our kids find books is alwasy feels difficult to me to. Here are a bunch that my daughter read and my son now kindergartedn is looking forward to reading.
Frog and Toad,
Henry and Mudge,
picture books are great for this age as well as they can start to read a real chunk of them.

Give a mouse a cookie, give a moose a muffin.....
Billy and Blaze ( there are a bunch of them)
Curious George (series)
Little Bear (sseies)
Nate the Great(series)
Velveteen Rabbit
Adventures of Ping

If your looking for Longer books w/o all the pictures:
The BoX Car children --- my daughter loves theses , although long for her at first but couldn't get into the Magic Tree house at all the concepts were too hard for her
Courage of Sarah Noble
Hannah
Pioneer Cat
The Canadan Geese Quilt

Hope this helps, if you need authors feel free to email me off line-

L.

I'm sure if you go to your local library they can give you plenty of material for a 1st grader... also try the school library, they often have lists of books that are age appropriate and if the 1s grader list is too easy then have her move up to the 2nd grad list. I know our teachers have been very helpful when it comes to reading and I'm sure any teacher would encourage and help find materials that are on the right reading level for your child....
Have you tried the Junie B Jones books? I know my kids loved them and they are regular chapter books. they are cute stories that the kids can relate to and wants to keep them reading..... hope that helps....

Hi Leslie,

I'd recommend Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy series. The first book finds the girls turning five, and they continue through high school until the girls get married. I got my first Betsy-Tacy in the first grade and my mother added a new one each year until I had them all. They're wonderful- set in the early 1900s- no violence, bad language, etc. Hope you enjoy!

-R.

Hi Leslie,
Ditto on all the mothers' responses. I just wanted to add that your child's teacher a great source as well. He/she knows your child's reading level and can suggest some good books. The librarian is also a good source. If you're home-schooling, let him/her know what your child is reading, and you can get recommendations of books along the same reading levels. Also, challenge your child to read some things outside of her personal interests. I have a daughter in the first grade, and she's above grade level in reading-- but, she limits herself to just reading "girly" books (Barbie, etc). I challenged her to step out of her comfort zone and read books about other things, like animals, cooking, etc. She discovered she liked those too. Good luck!

Hi Leslie,

I bet she'd love Fluffy the Guinea Pig, my son loved those books in first grade. You could try some beginner level chapter books such as the Magic Treehouse series which both of my kids loved and started reading at that age.

I teach second grade. Some great fun series for children at this age would be: Junie B. Jones, Henry and Mudge, Cam Jansen, Horrible Harry, and Arthur. You could also try Magic Tree House (bit harder). You may want to also consult your local childrens librarian for some suggestions.

I began reading Junie B. Jones to my daughter just before Kindergarten started. She loves it! The series goes into first grade as well,so that might be fun for her.

A note of caution though, Barbara Park, the author, writes from Junie's point of view and the grammar and diction are not always proper. Since I read these aloud I never read verbatim because I do not want my daughter to learn improper grammar and such. I always substitute the proper pronunciation, word, grammar, etc.

We also started reading The Magic School Bus series. My daughter is a very good listener and she is the cerebral type who loves these kinds of books. They are science related and very informative, but some kids may be turned off by them. So read one book before you go out and buy the series.

Also, does her teacher belong to a book club in which allows you to buy books each month such as Scholastic or Troll? These book clubs are age-specific and so whatever is offered is usually age appropriate.

HTH!
A.

I love this age.....here are some of the series my daughter loved......
BERENSTEIN BEARS-they have a book on just about every emotion and occurrence in the life of kids from going to the doctor to having another baby.
RAMONA THE GREAT-there are several books in this series and it was one of my daughters most favorite.
JUDY MOODY
CURIOUS GEORGE
CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG
THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS.
If she does well with Amelia, she will do great with The Berenstein Bears and Curius George.

My first grade daughter loves the Junie B. Jones series.

Try the Dr. Doolittle books. My son loves them.

My son is 5 and I read him The Boxcar Children. They're chapter books and there's lots of them. They're like little mysteries...that is if you want to read to her.

My son adored Junie B/Junie B Jones books at that age, as well as Magic Tree House and Cam Jansen. He began reading them at the beginning of last summer. His reading improved so much, that's he's moved on to bigger chapter books. He also loves to read now. It's no longer a chore. In addition, you can go to the store and pick out non-fiction books for her/his age group. My son loved reading about Martin Luther King, Coretta Scott King, and the Titanic.

My daughter, who is 6 and in 1st grade, loves Junie B. Jones, and Henry and Mudge. You could alos go to Amamzon.com, type in her age, and they will give you recommendations as well. AND, the library is an awesome place, they usually have the books in the childrens section labeled for different reader levels.