Books, resources, and literacy support for reading levels that grow with your child
What Do the Colors Mean? - Green! 
 
Now that we've tackled Phonics, and Emergent Readers it's time to talk about the green stickers - Early Readers. Genres will be introduced in these books. Stories start to include longer words, more complex sentences, and past and future tenses. Fear not, there are still plenty of pictures to aid understanding and engagement at this stage!
 
Speaking of engagement, it's important to select books that relate to your child's life, favorite characters, or interests to foster intrinsic reading motivation as texts get more challenging. This intrinsic motivation is what creates lifelong readers! According to Scholastic's Raising Students Who Want to Read, intrinsic motivation is when "students are motivated to read because they enjoy reading and think reading is valuable."
 
What better way to enjoy reading than by learning about your favorite animals, at any Beginning Reader reading level!
 
 
Books about Animals!
 
Phonics Readers
For brand-new readers making connections between letter sounds.
Vets : the sound of v by Peg Ballard
Vets: The Sound of V
by Peg Ballard

Simple text and repetition of the letter "v" help readers learn how to use this sound.
 
Practice more with the letter "V" in My "V" Sound Box.
Dee the seal by Taryn Painter
Dee the Seal
by Taryn Painter

What will Dee the seal do when she meets a beast in the sea? This book focuses on the vowel teams ee and ea.
 
Check out more vowel team practice in these books.
Quack! : the sound of Q by Cynthia Amoroso
Quack!: The Sound of Q
by Cynthia Amoroso

Simple text about a duck and repetition of the letter "q" help readers learn how to use this sound.
 
Practice more with the letter "Q" in My "Q" Sound Box.
Emergent Readers
For readers working on recognizing and blending words to make simple sentences.
Pedro's family by Ruthie Van Oosbree
Pedro's Family
by Ruthie Van Oosbree

Pedro cares for his egg, and keeps it safe and warm until it is ready to hatch.
 
Check out another Emergent Reader about penguins: Owl and Penguin.
The best stick by Jenny Jinks
The Best Stick
by Jenny Jinks

Will is a dog who always wants to have the best stick, but when he takes a stick from the beaver's dam, it causes a big problem, and has to help fix it.
 
Check in with your favorite dog, Scooby, in Scoob! A Dog's Best Friend.
Norman's deep dive by Ruthie Van Oosbree
Norman's Deep Dive
by Ruthie Van Oosbree

Norman, a narwhal, goes on a deep dive to see all his friends.
 
Check out more polar animal books here.
Early Readers
For readers starting to read on their own with longer sentences and more advanced storylines.

Makeda makes a home for Subway by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Makeda Makes a Home for Subway
by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Bringing Subway, the class guinea pig, home for the weekend, exuberant 7-year-old problem-solver Makeda makes him a fun new cage to cheer him up, but she soon discovers that what is fun for her might NOT be fun for Subway.
 
Check out more Makeda Makes here.
Dk Super Readers, Pre-level Farm Animals by Inc. Dorling Kindersley
Farm Animals
by Inc. Dorling Kindersley
 
Come and visit the animals on the farm! Look for cute calves, little lambs, and more.
 
Check out more silly farm animal books here.
Kittens! Kittens! Kittens! / :  Kittens! Kittens! Kittens! by Victoria Kann
Kittens! Kittens! Kittens!
by Victoria Kann

When their foster cat has kittens, Pinkalicious and Peter are up to the challenge of caring for six mischievous furballs as a way to convince their Mommy and Daddy to let them keep them.
 
Check out the rest of the Pinkalicious series next.
Transitional Readers
For newly independent readers with basic chapters and genres as they build reading confidence.
Fairytale puppy picnic by Mitali Banerjee Ruths
Fairytale Puppy Picnic
by Mitali Banerjee Ruths

When the weather threatens the puppy picnic she's planning for her friend Dola and her adorable puppy Prince, Priya comes up with a creative solution to make the party pup-tastic!
 
Catch up with the rest of The Party Diaries series!
The cave and other stories by Jarvis
The Cave and Other Stories
by Jarvis

Bear and Bird may not always understand each other, but they want nothing more than for their best friend to be happy. So when they each find today's date circled in red, they obviously assume it's the other one's birthday (so sorry, Snail!).
 
Read more Bear and Bird stories here!
Blizzard rescue by Rekha S. Rajan
Blizzard Rescue
by Rekha S. Rajan

The Jackson family rush to Minnesota where a blizzard is putting both people and animals in danger from freezing temperatures, and blinding snow.
 
Check out the rest of the series here.
Just for Caregivers
Books to help with at-home learning to read support.
Storymaking : the maker movement approach to literacy for early learners by Michelle Kay Compton
Storymaking: The Maker Movement Approach to Literacy for Early Learners
by Michelle Kay Compton

After studying the current research on literacy learning for young children, delving into the beliefs and schools of Reggio Emilia, and discovering the Maker Movement, the authors created StoryMaking. This book lays out the processes, first steps, next steps, material uses, and lessons learned for teachers to use StoryMaking in their own classrooms. With practical suggestions, student samples, photographs, anchor charts, and other documentation for reference.
 
Need phonics help? Check out the Learn to Read Phoincs Storybook.
Bringing Up Bookmonsters: The Joyful Way to Turn Your Child Into a Fearless, Ravenous Reader by Amber Ankowski
Bringing Up Bookmonsters: The Joyful Way to Turn Your Child Into a Fearless, Ravenous Reader
by Amber Ankowski

The no-stress, ferociously fun way to raise a kid who loves to read--complete with reading recommendations and activities to inspire! A playful guide for parents on how to nurture distracted, plugged-in children into voracious readers and fill educational gaps at home, all rooted in developmental psychology.
 
Prefer an e-reader? Check out the ebook on Libby.
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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