Books for Ages and Stages
By Julia A. Keirns
- Preschool and Kindergarten: Ages 3, 4, and 5
For this age group I would like to recommend the “That’s not my…” book series by Fiona Watt. These wonderful Usborne touchy-feely books have been around for over 20 years and have stood the test of time. I personally own many of these books myself and have enjoyed many hours of lap time reading them to my grandchildren. It is hard to choose just one, but if I have to, my favorite would be “That’s not my penguin!” I like penguins. His tummy is too fuzzy, and his baby is so fluffy. The 3, 4, and 5-year-old age group enjoys the colorful pictures and touching the textured patches on each page. Children learn new unusual words like shiny and fuzzy and rough and bumpy. The swatches of texture are large enough that little hands can easily feel each one. These books help develop sensory skills and language awareness. My personal experience with these books is that the kids love them. My grandchildren are constantly asking me to read these books to them. As soon as they walk in the door they head right to the bookcase. This series is an absolutely must-have set of books for the baby and toddler age group.
- Early Primary: Ages 6 & 7
For this age group I highly recommend Dr. Seuss books – especially One Fish, Two Fish, The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and Hop on Pop. Children at this level seem to really enjoy these books because they are a step up with more words and lots of rhyme, but the words are simple enough that they can recognize them on their own. These books are perfect for the beginning reader. As children this age become knowledgeable enough to recognize words, the rhyming words are an easy way to start. My kindergarten granddaughter has gravitated toward the Dr. Seuss collection now because she is recognizing a lot of the words. She is learning to sound out the words, and is extremely proud of herself when she reads the word “ham” and then can read the next word that rhymes with it just by replacing the beginning sound, like “Sam.” Simple books like this with easy to read words highly encourage this age group in reading. If I had to choose just one, my favorite would be “Green Eggs and Ham.”
- Middle Elementary: Ages 8 & 9
The Magic Tree House Book Series by Mary Pope Osborne are listed as a reading level of 6 to 10, but I would like to choose them for this age group of 8 and 9. They are definitely a step up from the Dr. Seuss books. They have a much more detailed plot line and the kids really learn to care about characters Jack and Annie and can’t wait to find out where they go and what they do next. I especially enjoyed “Dolphins at Daybreak” when the magic tree house took them to the middle of the ocean. My current 12-year-old grandson has read all of my collection and of course has already moved up to more difficult books. I was so glad he enjoyed this series. He learned a lot of facts from these books. The Magic Tree House teaches children about so many things and times and places in history. They are truly a valuable resource.
- Later Elementary: Ages 10 & 11
I am a lover of classic literature and believe that at this age kids need to begin reading some simple classics. E. B. White has three books that are wonderful for this age group. Charlotte’s Web, The Trumpet of the Swan and Stuart Little will challenge kids as they reach this age with a much longer length, more words, and more detailed storyline. Charlotte’s Web teaches children about love, friendship and sacrifice. Loyalty and friendship are the main themes of all three of these books. Moving up to this level of reading is a natural step for children. A sad fact is that most children skip this stage of reading and jump up into more detailed books. But this type of book is an important level that they really should be encouraged to read a lot more of.
- Middle School: Ages 12, 13 and 14
I am going to go ahead and choose the Harry Potter Series for this age group. Definitely another step up from the E. B. White books. Each Harry Potter book is much longer, more detailed, and full of fantasy and imagination. Beginning with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone the readers develop a caring attitude toward characters Harry, Hermione and Ron. Reading this level of book moves them up into a much harder length of book. The writing is full of rich, new words and strange names that improve a child’s vocabulary. There is much coming of age, suspense and adventure that helps children of this age group cope with many of their own feelings. I feel these are a great set of books that all children should enjoy reading.