For Your 1st or 2nd or 3rd Grader Who Doesn't Love Reading

When Gabe didn't take off in reading in first grade like his brothers, I was really worried about him. I was reading Harry Potter furiously to him and hoping he'd take over reading it like M and S did. But what I wasn't taking into consideration is, that for a struggling reader, Harry Potter is way too hard.  It's a GREAT read aloud, but NOT great for a struggling reader.

At some point I realized that while a great plot can take you really far, PICTURES are what really appeal to struggling readers. I mean, it should be obvious--babies and kids love pictures books. Kids learn to read with picture books. So for a struggling reader, a graphic novel or comic book, which incorporates pictures, will help them keep reading even if some of the words are tough.

I remember a loooooooong time ago reading a book called "The Read Aloud Handbook" --required reading for most English majors. I remember it said something to the effect of "Even if your kid is reading something you deem to be crap --like a comic book, at least they are reading." (That was poorly paraphrased, but you get the idea.)

Luckily, while I was reading Harry Potter to Gabe, we were also finding books for him at the library.

Because all our boys love Star Wars, the first time we came across the "Star Wars Jedi Academy" book by Jeffrey Brown, we snatched it up and took it home. 

While some of the pages are incredibly simple and comic book-y,

other pages are tightly packed with mostly text.

Since the reader is sucked into the comic book pages, they want to continue following the story even when they get to the rare page with no picture.

For the first time ever, I witnessed Gabe voluntarily pick up a book and not want to put it down. Only problem, there weren't very many of them. (4 or 5 at last check.)

That's where Diary of a Wimpy Kid comes in. There are lots of these books. They are funny. (Even if they have potty humor) and they are packed with silly illustrations. Once we caught on to the fact that Gabe liked books with more frequent illustrations, we gave him some of the Wimpy kid books and he was off.

Now, I haven't read these books. Maybe I would be horrified if I did. But they get kids reading--and I can guarantee--they don't read these forever. They will move on!

Also, I don't know if they appeal equally to girls or if there is a more female-centric equivalent. But I do know, there are a lot of these types of books out there. If you're looking for something to encourage a struggling reader, start with PICTURES and HUMOR! Your local librarian is a great place to start for specific titles.

One last thing. I read the first FIVE Harry Potter books out loud to Gabe over a few years. He tried to read the first one on his own while we were reading #5 but couldn't get far.
Then we gave him the Illustrated Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for Christmas. It had just come out and is an amazing and beautiful book illustrated by Jim Kay. He cruised right though it, and kept right on reading the non-illustrated versions and finished the whole series. Highly, highly recommend these beautiful books. Sadly, only the first two in the series have been released so we just have to wait patiently for one to be released each year. Check Costco around Christmas time for a great deal. (Although I did notice that the first one is a pretty good deal on Amazon right now.)

Hope you've found something helpful in this post. If you like it, please share it!
And let me know if you have any recommendations of these types of books.

Happy Reading!!

"Allow children to choose the books they wish to read to themselves, even if they don’t meet your high standards.” --Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook 

"Children’s books, even good picture books, are much richer than ordinary home or classroom conversation.” --Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook

"Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him." --Maya Angelou 



 P.S. The links attached to book titles used above are mostly "Amazon Affiliate Links". They give me a tiny percentage of the purchase price if you use my link to buy a book. However, if you go to Amazon on your own, it won't hurt my feelings! ;) We usually like to check things out at the library before we decide to buy.