Books, resources, and literacy support for reading levels that grow with your child
 
February 2026
 
    Last month we discussed how singing can be used to bolster your little’s early literacy learning and this month we turn the focus to talking! Most vocabulary and background knowledge your kiddo learns will come from conversations in everyday life. These are valuable ways to build a solid foundation of reading success. Try talking to your littles about things you see around the town, or on tv and pepper in some interesting words like “delectable!” When reading together, ask questions or comment on the story - maybe even connect it to moments in your own life to develop a sense of their personal and cultural identity.
 
    Looking for more resources to engage with your little on their early literacy journey? Check out the library’s database, Day by Day VA, for new books, crafts, and early literacy support daily! Now let’s take a look at some books about friendship at each of our Beginning Reader levels.
 
 
Books about Friendship
 
Phonics Readers
For brand-new readers making connections between letter sounds.
Dog Can Hide by Laura Gehl
Dog Can Hide
by Laura Gehl

Dog and Frog and Cat play hide and seek. What antics will these friends get up to during their game?
 
Check out more from author Laura Gehl here.
Play Day: The Sound of Long a by Alice K. Flanagan
Play Day: The Sound of Long a
by Alice K. Flanagan

Simple text about playing and repetition of the letter 'a' help readers learn how to use the 'long a' sound. Large type, vivid full-page color photos, and a word list all aid in developing reading skills.
 
Check out more from The Sound of... series next!
Frank and the Prank: Book 5 by Taryn Painter
Frank and the Prank
by Taryn Painter

Frank loves a good prank. But do his friends love them too? This book focuses on l and r blends such as bl, cl, dr, fr, and tr.
 
Check out more of the Phonics Fun Decodables series next!
Emergent Readers
For readers working on recognizing and blending words to make simple sentences.
Sparkly New Friends: An Acorn Book (Unicorn and Yeti #1): Volume 1 by Heather Ayris Burnell
Sparkly New Friends
by Heather Ayris Burnell

Meet magical best friends Unicorn and Yeti, in this series perfect for beginning readers! Unicorn has a horn and can do magic. Yeti is big and furry and cannot do magic. Yeti likes snowball fights. Unicorn does not like snowball fights. But Unicorn and Yeti both love sparkly things, magic rainbows, and -- most of all -- being best friends!
 
Find the rest of the Unicorn and Yeti series here.
Spidey and His Amazing Friends: The Hangout Headache (Marvel) by Random House Disney
Spidey and His Amazing Friends: The Hangout Headache
by Random House Disney

Spidey invites Hulk to hangout in WEB-Quarters for the day, like any good friend would do. But it quickly turns into disaster. Big, strong Hulk is like a bull in a china shop, wrecking everything he comes in contact with.
 
Fin more Marvel friends adventures here.
Biscuit's Big Friend by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Biscuit's Big Friend
by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Sam is a big dog and Biscuit's newest friend. Biscuit wants to do everything that Sam does -- like running fast and fetching sticks. But it sure is hard for a puppy like Biscuit to keep up with such a big dog. In this encouraging story of friendship, Biscuit shows that small puppies can do big things!
 
Find more of Biscuit's adventures here.
Early Readers
For readers starting to read on their own with longer sentences and more advanced storylines.
I Am a Good Friend!: An Acorn Book (Princess Truly #4): Volume 4 by Kelly Greenawalt
I Am a Good Friend!
by Kelly Greenawalt

Princess Truly strives to use her magic powers to be a good friend whether it is in the park with her pug Noodles (who needs a little help making new friends), in the rainbow clubhouse which she and her best friend are building, or at her very first sleepover.
 
Read more about Princess Truly's adventures here.

Tiny Tales: A Feast for Friends by Steph Waldo
Tiny Tales: A Feast for Friends
by Steph Waldo

What's better than a snack with friends? A snack surprise for friends, of course! When Snail spots a shiny crab apple high up in a tree, she can't wait to share it with her pals ... she just has to get it down first!
 
See more in the Tiny Tales series here.
DK Readers L0: Star Wars: Even Droids Need Friends! by Simon Beecroft
Star Wars: Even Droids Need Friends!
by Simon Beecroft

Identifies many of the friends in the Star Wars universe, including Luke Skywalker and his robot friends C-3PO and R2-D2.
 
See more Star Wars adventures here.
Transitional Readers
For newly independent readers with basic chapters and genres as they build reading confidence.
Yasmin the Friend by Saadia Faruqi
Yasmin the Friend
by Saadia Faruqi

After carefully planning a visit with Aly and Emma, Yasmin is disappointed to see that they want to play on their own, but a creative compromise may make everyone happy.
 
Check out more of Yasmin's adventures here.
 
Prefer an e-reader? Check out the read along e-book Yasmin the Librarian on Libby.
Frog and Toad Are Friends: A Caldecott Honor Award Winner from the Classic Animal Friendship and Adventure Series, Great for Growing Reading Skills an by Arnold Lobel
Frog and Toad Are Friends
by Arnold Lobel

The adventures of best friends Frog and Toad, including Frog's suffering a bad cold and Toad's embarrassment over his unflattering bathing suit.
 
This title is also available as an ebook and an audiobook through Hoopla!
Bulldozer's Big Rescue by Elise Broach
Bulldozer's Big Rescue
by Elise Broach

Bulldozer overcomes his anxiety and befriends two human siblings across the street.
 
Check out more bulldozer books here.
Just for Caregivers
Books to help with at-home learning to read support.
Strive-For-Five Conversations: A Framework That Gets Kids Talking to Accelerate Their Language Comprehension and Literacy by Tricia Zucker
Strive-For-Five Conversations: A Framework That Gets Kids Talking to Accelerate Their Language Comprehension and Literacy
by Tricia Zucker

PreK-1 teachers can use this power tool to accelerate kids' language development: a conversation framework based on the science of reading.
 
 Try The Knowledge Deficit next for more information on the knowledge of language.
The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers by Jennifer Serravallo
The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers
by Jennifer Serravallo

With hit books that support strategic reading through conferring, small groups, and assessment, Jen Serravallo gets emails almost daily asking, Isn't there a book of the strategies themselves? Now there is. Strategies make the often invisible work of reading actionable and visible. In The Reading Strategies Book, she collects 300 strategies to share with readers in support of thirteen goals-everything from fluency to literary analysis. With The Reading Strategies Book, you'll have ways to help your readers make progress every day.
 
 Want more information on HOW children learn to read? Check out The Secret of Natural Readers next.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Handley Regional Library System
100 W Piccadilly St
Winchester, VA 22601
(540) 662-9041

https://www.handleyregional.org/
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