The best books to encourage beginner readers

22 Jun 2017

Learning to read is really hard work but it can be made easier – and even fun – with a really engaging book. Here are my best suggestions for simple stories that will entertain, delight and inspire beginner readers.

SIMPLE READS FOR TRUE BEGINNERS – 15 WORDS PER PAGE OR LESS

For a funny and manageable read, you can’t go past the Elephant & Piggie series by Mo Willems. These books use energetic cartoons and a handful of words in speech bubbles to tell stories about two friends who regularly whip themselves into a hysterical frenzy over a variety of situations. Visual reading of the cartoon characters in conjunction with word repetition makes the reader’s job easier. They’re all great, but my personal favourites are There is a Bird on Your Head and My Friend is Sad.

Similarly simple and funny, What This Story Needs is a Pig in a Wig and What This Story Needs is a Bang and a Clang have single clause, rhyming sentences, colourful cartoon illustrations and a good sense of absurdity. Each story starts with a fabulous pig in a fabulous beehive wig, then piles on rhyming additions until everyone can’t take it.

The Grug books series is another nostalgic read that’s found a new generation of readers after being re-released in 2009. I still love Grug the tree-top grass man and his gentle adventures in the Australian landscape. These pocket-sized books have one or two simple sentences per page, always with a facing illustration that creates context. They also include some less basic word choices and written dialogue to provide a gentle challenge.

MEDIUM READS FOR DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE – 3 to 5 SENTENCES PER PAGE

Aaron Blabey’s The Bad Guys series is a bestseller for a reason – kids just can’t get enough of the witty dialogue, the strong characters and the comic book format. In this series, traditional ‘bad guys’ Misters Shark, Wolf, Snake and Piranha are trying to turn their image around and do good deeds but, of course, the path is never smooth. Each story is delivered solely in dialogue, sound effects and cartoons, creating sophisticated humour and a manageable read.

How good is The Princess in Black series? For young readers who want familiar fairytale elements PLUS a princess who is a secret monster-hunting superhero, look no further. LeUyen Pham’s cute illustrations bring the action to life and while sentences remain structurally simple, you’ll definitely come across a range of adjectives, verbs and adverbs to extend the reader.

The Ballet Cat books by Bob Shea are psychedelic, effervescent and suit readers who like humorous friendship stories that explore things like compromise, competition and insecurity. Each colourful page is clearly laid out with cartoons of dance-mad Ballet Cat and friends and bold speech bubbles. While the format is simple and easy, this series again includes some great words for extending vocabulary.

I consumed a steady diet of Dr Seuss in my first few years of reading (belated apologies to my parents who endured many read-out-loud sittings). Jaunty rhymes, liberal dashes of silliness, helpful rhythmic repetition and wacky illustrations all ease the way. You’ll all have your favourite Dr Seuss and mine was Green Eggs and Ham. The Seuss titles range from basic to suitable for independent readers, so your young reader can grow with them.

Some other recommended titles at this level include…

The Weirdo series by Anh Do
The Ginger Green Play Date Queen series by Kim Kane
The Hey Jack series by Sally Rippin
Stories from Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton’s anthology, The Cat on the Mat is Flat, are also published as junior readers that are short and unintimidating. These include Ed and Ted and Ted’s Dog Fred, The Cat, the Rat and the Baseball Bat and Andy G, Terry D, the Brave Tea-Lady and the Evil Bee.

CHAPTER BOOKS FOR NEWLY INDEPENDENT READERS – SHORT CHAPTERS OF 4 to 6 PAGES

The Chook Doolan books by James Roy are relatable and easy to read, combining funny with lots of feelings. Chook is a delightful character – caring and naturally timid, but always willing to face his fears. (And they are legion: walking to school alone, crowds, snakes, public speaking, soccer!) These books have very short sentences in a spaced-out layout alongside cute black and white illustrations, but the chapters are of a longer length to help move readers closer to independence.

We love the Dory Fantasmagory books with a passion! Dory is the youngest of three kids, has been known to throw a tantrum or two, and truly marches to the beat of her own drum. These books are highly illustrated, and the text needs to be read in conjunction with speech bubbles and visual information. This is one to read together initially and for building confidence in a newly independent reader, but the payoffs are so huge. We know you’ll love the hilarious and heartwarming Dory too.

Meanwhile, fans of whimsical and sweet stories featuring human-animal friendships should seek out the Mango & Bambang books. Each book contains four manageable short stories about a little girl, Mango Allsorts, and her best friend, Malaysian tapir Bambang. Packed with illustrations and designed with a large font, these gentle adventure stories are expressed in short sentences that feature creative and interesting vocabulary. Reading one of these definitely feels like an ‘almost-there’ experience on the road to reading a full-length novel.