By far my most favorite time of the day is when I sit in our recliner with a chapter book in my hand. And my older boys sit on their "reading blankets" (thank you for making these, Grandma Maryann!) and listen. (Yes, Weston joins in ocassionally...though he has gotten a bit disruptive as of late.)
The rule is that your body stays on your own blanket. You may look at books as you listen (this really helps my more active child - it is remarkable how much BETTER he hears me when he is distracted just a little).
We just finished reading James and the Giant Peach. Oh what fun! To get Jackson (just turned 5) to enjoy chapter books, I started this routine out by reading Junie B Jones books. Oh, they are so funny! From there it did not take him long to become a lover of chapter books. (He is not naturally drawn toward books anyway, so long books without pictures was not exactly interesting to him at first! Now he just loves the time we spend and he is frequently heard saying, "one more chapter!" which is a huge accomplishment in our family!!
One thing that also has helped keep him engaged is that before we start reading each day, we talk about where we left off. Then while we are reading, I stop here and there and ask one boy or the other a question about the story (multiple choice for my 5-year-old, and tricky trivia questions for my 7 yo avid reader/listener. They both LOVE answering questions about the book. (Isn't that funny?)
I have been frequenting thrift stores lately, trying to get a "chapter book library" built up now that I have a reader in the family (Davis). I don't think it will be long before he is ready to read some of them. In the mean time, we are reading from the nice selection of books collected so far.
Our collection includes:
Narnia books (of course)
Tales of a Forth Grade Nothing
Junie B. Jones series
How to Eat Fried Worms
The Trumpet of the Swan
Henry and the Clubhouse
Pollyanna
The Borrowers
What chapter books have you read to your kids, or do you remember reading as a kid? I am always looking for suggestions!
