With the Summer Reading Program in full swing and young people working hard to complete their reading logs, I have had a number of mothers inquire about books that would be suitable for children just beginning to read. We have a great collection in the Youth Room that deals specifically with this beginning reading level. It is called “ABC for Beginning Readers.”

“ABC for Beginning Readers” is a wonderful collection of books that are very short and simple for those children just learning to read. This collection consists of a number of great series like Rookie Readers, Light Reader, Mile 1,2,3, and Bank Street Ready to Read. The books within these series have a very simple vocabulary and basic sentence structure.

These books are also an asset to beginning readers because a list of vocabulary words is found within each book. Allowing parents the chance to enhance their children’s vocabulary by introducing new words to their children as they read. In addition to vocabulary development, these books also teach children basic grammar skills, especially sentence structure. This is very important to beginning readers because it enables them to develop a foundation of language structure that can be added upon as the child continues to read. Also, these books are written for different levels of readers, so a child can continue to use the same series he/she has enjoyed but also be accelerating as a reader.

The books in the collection are also fun and entertaining to kids, so no one has to force them to read; they want to!! A large part of this inspiration to read comes from the illustrations within the text. The drawings are bright and lively and captures the child’s interest from the start. The topics covered in these books are also fascinating to kids and covers topics such as spending time with friends, to learning about different cultures.

A number of great titles like Messy Bessy by Fredrick McKissack, I can do it by Mary Pearson, Catch that cat by Carl Meister, Sam’s Pet by Charnan Simon, Wait, Skates! by Mildred Johnson, Money trouble by Larry Brimner, All kinds of kids by Christina Gardeski, Digger Pig and the Turnip by Caron Cohen, and many more are available for children and parents to check out.

So, the next time you have a little one who is learning to read, come and check out the “ABC for Beginning Readers” collection at Columbus Public Library. And remember keep reading!!! If you have any questions regarding the “ABC for beginning readers” or any other reading questions, please contact me at (402) 564-7116.