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I remember when we set out to home educate, I was fixated on how I would get the children reading – it seemed like a really difficult job! In reality, I needn’t have worried. The oldest two are readers and readers who read for pleasure. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are constantly reading, curled up on their beds or on the sofa, reading away. I can feel proud that I’ve facilitated this for them, and I find real joy in their love of books.
It’s hard to keep up with what they’re reading, but I’ve managed to gather up some of the books I find to share here. I always find it interesting to see what other children are reading, so hopefully, you might find some ideas for your own children here.
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Animal themed books
There’s a bit of an animal theme running through the books I find at the moment. Holly Webb is a firm favourite here and The Rescued Puppy and Other Tales has proven a hit with Daniel. This is a collection of three stories and is aimed at 6-8-year-old readers. It features puppies that need rescuing from all manner of situations and they’re just really lovely stories. It’s a book Daniel has gone back to a couple of times since the summer so it’s obviously a hit!
Jasper & Scruff is another series of books that Daniel and Emma both enjoy. The one we have, Hunt for the Golden Bone, has had both D & E giggling away. Jasper (the cat) is super cool and Scruff is a rather enthusiastic puppy. This is a good first chapter book as it’s got lots of illustrations throughout, so helps to break up the text for newer readers who are making that first foray into longer books.
Another good book for newer readers is Little Bird Lost. This is published in the new year and it’s a great book that bridges from picture books to chapter books brilliantly well. This story is all about overcoming obstacles and difficulties. It follows Deer who hears Little Bird calling for help. They take a journey together through the forest. It’s a lovely story with beautiful illustrations.
And finally, on animal-themed books we have Little Penguin Rescue and The Loneliest Kitten. Both are lovely books and ones that have been regular features in Daniel’s reading pile by the side of his bed.
Adventure Themed Books
Big hits here at the moment are the How to Train Your Dragon Series. I picked up some books from the charity shop and one of them was from this series. Daniel is really enjoying them and has asked me to look out for more of them!
The ‘Living Ted’ series of books has proven popular this year too – Daniel is currently reading Invasion of the Living Ted. He tells me it’s a really funny book – I think the general themes is an evil teddy bear takes over and there are various battles along the way! He certainly enjoys reading them.
For slightly older readings is The International Yeti Collective which follows Ella as she tracks through the Himalayas, looking for Yeti. I like this book as it leads into a topic we are doing in the new year about Myths and Legends and this draws on the idea of yeti and Bigfoot. It is a lovely adventure story and from the bits I’ve read there’s also messages of conservation and habitat loss.
Other Fun Reads
Finally, some other books that have made Daniel’s reading list….
A postcard to Ollis is a Norwegian book and is a story about finding your inner courage. It’s lovely and Daniel has read this a couple of times, and I plan to use it as a read aloud in the new year with the three children.
The Horrible Histories books are proving very popular with Daniel and there is always one of these out and on the go at the moment. We have managed to get most of the series from charity shops and he’s very much enjoyed reading them.
Finally, Twelve Minutes to Midnight and Rose Campion’s Christmas Mystery have been picked up this week – these are aimed at slightly older children (9+) but he’s been working his way through them and has been enjoying them.
