When I was a child, my parents started reading me the Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner. They were a great introduction to reading, and I loved the tradition of reading a chapter before bedtime. When your kids get old enough to listen to a story but aren’t quite old enough to read alone, start a bedtime or special reading time tradition. Try one of these five books to get started:
Boxcar Children: A close-knit family of siblings survives on their own. Think Party of Five without any of the sex or substance abuse. They’re old-fashioned, but perfect for little kids.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Start at the beginning with the most kid-friendly of the Harry Potter series and your child can slowly grow with the books. If you’ve never read, read through them first to make sure nothing is too scary for your child.
Beezus and Ramona: This 1955 classic will introduce your child to Beverly Cleary’s vivid world and fictional favorite Ramona Quimby.
The Hobbit: Fantasy fans and little adventurers will adore Tolkien’s 1937 adventure that introduced us to Bilbo Baggins.
The Dread Crew: Pirates of the Backwoods: Blogger Kate Inglis’s children’s book has vivid, poetic language and plenty of exciting and disgusting events to thrill little pirate lovers.
