Early Read-Aloud Chapter Book Suggestions

A few months ago, Forrest picked Stuart Little off our bookshelves and wanted me to read it to him. And after about 4 pages of confusion and questions and struggling to follow the story, he got frustrated, tossed the book across the room, and told me he didn't ever want to read chapter books again.

Heartbreak! (And also: melodramatic!)

But over the last few weeks, he started expressing interest in chapter books again. I wanted to make sure we dipped our toes in a little more successfully this time with books that would grab his attention and be easy to follow, and wouldn't make him frustrated or confused.

I asked for suggestions on Instagram and got lots of great comments recommending plenty of books I hadn't thought of, so I wanted to post them here (both for my own future reference, and in case you, too, are looking for fun and entertaining chapter books to read aloud to a young kid). The first 3 are books Forrest and I have read aloud together, and the rest are suggestions from friends on Instagram.

What we've read together:

Mercy Watson (Kate DiCamillo) Mercy was our first successful chapter book, which may be a tad generous since they are still very heavy on the illustrations--making them perfect for transitioning between short picture books and 'real' chapter books. The illustrations are bright, fun, and eye-catching, and the stories are silly and sweet. We read every book our library had, and Forrest loved them all.

My Father's Dragon (Ruth Stiles Gannett) After speeding through the Mercy Watson books, we checked out My Father's Dragon, since so many people suggested it on instagram. It was quick and cute, and Forrest loved hearing a chapter or two before bed each night. I have to admit, I didn't think it was anything terribly exciting, but Forrest enjoyed it, so I'd call it a success. We started in on the sequel after finishing it, quickly got bored, and moved on to . . .

The Adventures of Captain Underpants (Dav Pilkey) I never thought I'd read Captain Underpants. But Forrest is loving it. It's silly and a little bit gross, so of course it's going over well. And he especially loves that every now and then, a chapter is written in comic book panels, which he thinks is awesome. We're almost finished with the first book, and I'm sure he'll want to continue the series.

Suggestions from Instagram:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl) I loved Roald Dahl when I was a kid (Matilda in my blog name is not a coincidence), and I'd love to read this one with Forrest!

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Roald Dahl) I read this a year or two ago--quick and funny, so I'm sure it would go over well with preschool-aged kids.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (Betty MacDonald) Some of my favorites when I was a kid! I'd love to re-read them.

8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel / 1 Dog = Chaos (Vivian Vande Velde) Suggested by a friend with twin boys the same age as Forrest, so we've got the votes of not one but two young boys backing this selection.

Hi! Fly Guy (Tedd Arnold) More along the line of 'easy reader' books (similar to Forrest's much beloved Elephant & Piggie books), but apparently very well-liked by young kids. I haven't read them yet but they look cute.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle (Beverly Cleary) I can't imagine Forrest not liking this one. And I'm looking forward to reading it again.

Charlotte's Web (E.B. White) Forrest's struggle with Stuart Little makes me a tad hesitant to read this, but I remember loving it so much that I'm happy to give it a try with him.

The Magic Treehouse series (Mary Pope Osborne) Quite a few people suggested these books, which I haven't even heard of before! They're on my library list for this week.

Lulu and the Brontosaurus (Judith Viorst) Lane Smith illustrated this one, which I've never heard of before . . . but he also illustrated quite a few of our favorite picture books, so I'm excited to check this one out.

The Mr. Putter and Tabby books (Cynthia Rylant) Forrest is a major cat lover, so I'm sure he'd be on board for this series about an elderly man who adopts a cat. And there are 23 books in the series, so there's plenty to keep a cat loving preschooler busy.

Bink and Gollie (Kate DiCamillo) By the same author as Mercy Watson, which Forrest loved, so this is definitely worth a shot.

The Twits (Roald Dahl) More Roald Dahl? Well, twist my arm.

Any chapter books you'd add to this list as great read-alouds for preschool kids?

Five Favorites and my Mother's Day gift to you

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was an English major at BYU . . . of all the things I learned and picked up in my classes, I think the most valuable was discovering Billy Collins, a former US poet laureate and, honestly, the only poet I'm really crazy about. I know, you probably hate poetry, right? (Except for maybe Shel Silverstein.) I feel like an English degree should have instilled in me some deep, passionate love for poetry, but it didn't. In general, I really don't love poetry, but I do love Billy Collins, and I hope you'll give him a chance and not just click away to the next item in your blog reading list! His poetry is hilarious and fun to read while still being meaningful and thought-provoking . . . kind of a rare combination, I think.

So here is my Mother's Day gift to you--one of my favorite poems, The Lanyard, by Billy Collins, a very appropriate Mother's Day tribute.

Did you love it?! Show it to your mom tomorrow--she'll think you're amazing (although she probably already does).

On to my favorites for this week! (I'm doing four, and counting Billy Collins as my #1 fave.)

{Before I get to them, I wanted to ask--do you guys like these five favorites posts? I see so many amazing projects each week and want to show them some love, but do you like reading these posts or do you just skip on by? Let me know what you think!}

Here we go!

Anthro Monogram Mug Knockoff @ Midwestern Sewing Girl

You know I love a good knockoff, and this mug is fantastic! Even though the original is only $8, that still seems a bit silly for a mug, don't you think? I love Maggie's version--it's so cheerful and fun.

Skinniest Console Ever @ That's My Letter

Jaime at That's My Letter couldn't find a console skinny enough for her hallway, so she built one herself, including the wire baskets! I love the rough, distressed look, and the baskets are the perfect finishing touch.

Morning Glory Dress @ Made it on Monday

 Are you following the competition at So You Think You're Crafty? Jill from Made it on Monday won last week's round with this beautiful Anthropologie-inspired dress she made using a men's dress shirt, ladies' blouse, and a jumper. It's incredible and that's that. She had my vote that week!

Spring Wreath @ Oak Ridge Revival

 I've seen quite a few spring wreaths here and there in blogland, but this one is definitely my favorite. Andrea created those flowers with scrapbook paper, and I love how it came out!

There you have it, my favorite projects this week! Ladies, grab yourselves a feature button if you'd like: 

 
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I hope you all enjoy your weekend and Mother's Day!