Recommended Reading

Hi Friends,

We are counting down the days until summer break begins! We are going through all the emotions the end of school year brings.  We are tired of standardized tests.  We are excited to spend the last few weeks of class with the friends we have made this year. We are ready for summer break! 

It’s time to get into a summer reading program.  The Brookings Institute article by David Quinn states that, “on average, students’ achievement scores declined over summer vacation by one month’s worth of school-year learning.” This so called summer slide can be avoided by supporting your child in a summer reading program.   These programs are typically offered by the local library and may have incentives for reading goals accomplished. 

Some reading programs can be ridged in the book selections. My approach to summer reading with my children is volume.  I like to encourage my children to read what they enjoy, and a lot of it, rather than pushing a lot of classics or challenging books.  My goal is to raise readers. I want my children to love reading and spend time reading.  As readers get older they have a better understanding about the type of books they like to read.  Young readers need more volume and more options to find their reading preferences. 

This summer series reading blog focuses on early and emergent readers.  Readers that are just beginning to be able to read on their own.  The suggestions in this blog are book series with repetitive characters and themes that make it easy for early readers to read successfully.  You may want to read the book to your child first so your child has a good idea of the character names and general story theme.  Then they can work on reading to you, or reading on their own.  I am looking forward to beating the heat with a summer full of good books!  

This post shares with you some great reading resources to start reading with your early reader.   Book images in this post include amazon affiliate links and ads.  I may receive commission from clicks or purchases from the site links.  Clicking on the book image will open a new tab for shopping books from this list.  The book images also provide a reference for library or independent bookstore browsing. 

Here are 10 recommended early reading summer series books to fill your summer. 

• Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (29 books)

Biscuit is a great series to start your summer off right.  There are several books in the series and these books are great for children just learning to read.  Our local library has a great selection from this series which makes it easy for kids to find their favorite.  Woof! Woof!

• Mittens by Lola M. Schaefer (6 books)

The Mittens series by Lola M. Schaefer doesn’t have as many books as some of the other series but it does have a great main character, easy to follow stories and lots of good high frequency words to practice.  The Mittens series is great for children just learning to read. 

• Little Critters by Mercer Mayer (24 books in first reader series) (147 books in series)

The Little Critters series is a favorite in our family Fall Festival is our favorite but there are a lot of great easy reading books in the first readers series.  With character names like mom, dad, and little sister, this book series is a great place to start for early readers.  Don’t forget to look for the spider and mouse on each page. 

• Danny the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff (13 books)

Danny the Dinosaur is a great series for children just learning to read.  Children use their imagination and spend the day having fun with Danny the Dinosaur.  This series is great for boys and girls alike. The series includes 13 books.  Hopefully your local library will have a copy of one of these books in the series.

• Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton (28 books)

Another great cat series is Splat the Cat.  These books are for early to emergent readers. They tend to be a little more challenging than some of the series mentioned above in the blog.  Splat the Cat has 28 books in the series.  Enjoy the adventures of Splat and Seymore and their friends. 

• Pete the Cat by James Dean (74 books in series)

Pete the Cat is one groovy dude.  The Pete the Cat series is another great cat series.  (I am sensing a theme). Pete the Cat is great for readers ready to move on from basics but need to build reading stamina for chapter books.  With 74 books in the series there are plenty of summer adventures to share with Pete the Cat and his friends. 

• Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant (32 books)

The Henry and Mudge series might be my all-time favorite early reader books and Cynthia Rylant is my all-time favorite early reader children’s book author.  Our library is stocked with several Henry and Mudge books.  The series grows from early reader to emergent reader with some of the books in the series including early chapter books.  If you have an early reader try the Puppy Mudge series. If you have an emergent reader Henry and Mudge: The First Book is a great place to start.

• Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown (6 books in the original series) (10 Books in early reader series) (15 books in the Worldwide Adventure Series)

Flat Stanly is another great growing reader series with several reading level options.  The early reader books are great for beginning readers while the Worldwide Adventure Series and the original series are best for emergent readers.  If you have a reluctant reader the original series is an early chapter book that can be tackled a chapter a day to complete the book in one week.  This series is great for building reading stamina.

• Mr. Putter and Tabby by Cynthia Rylant  (25 books)

What another Cynthia Rylant series? Yes! You can never have too many.  There are several series not mentioned here just to provide a broader list.  The Mr. Putter and Tabby series is great for emerging readers.  This early chapter book helps emerging readers feel accomplished.  If your child can recall specific details they read, provide you a summary of the beginning, middle and end of the story they might be ready for larger chapter books.