Choosing Books for Your Child in 3rd through 5th Grade
Select titles that key in to your child’s interests.
Hooray! Your child is reading independently now. In school, she is reading poetry, plays, and fiction, starting to complete book reports, and reading to learn. She may also be making trips to the library with her class and selecting her own books. To foster a love for reading, fill your home library with a wide variety of nonfiction and fiction books that she can enjoy.
Parent's Checklist
Developmental Edge
Extending the Fun
How does the book look?
Introduce your child to chapter books with stories about kids like themselves. Good choices include Beverly Cleary's Ramona books and Lois Lowry's Anastasia Krupnik series. Chapter books for this age group often have pictures within them to make the transition between picture and chapter books easier. These texts should be under 200 pages, so as not to seem overwhelming. Text should be printed slightly bigger than adult books, so your child's eyes follow the lines easily. Nonfiction books should be filled with illustrations and pictures, which will aid his comprehension of new information. It's an added plus if there is a glossary in the back of the book for easy reference.
Is it the right reading level?
Check with your child's teacher to find out your child's reading level. Many chapter books for elementary-schoolers have information on the book indicating what grades or ages it is appropriate for. While the books she reads should introduce new vocabulary, it is important to make sure your child isn't reading books that are frustratingly hard and may discourage her from reading. Use these guidelines to check if the vocabulary in a book is at the right level. If your child is interested in a book that is above her level, consider using it as a read-aloud choice, so you can explain and pronounce new words and answer questions as the story unfolds.
Will my child enjoy it?
Your child is developing his own preferences for reading materials — finding favorite authors, genres, and styles — and you should allow and encourage him to tell you what books he wants to read. Encourage him to explore favorite subjects through literature and nonfiction. If he is reluctant to start reading chapter books, select books with humor, such as Roald Dahl's The BFG, Louis Sachar's Dogs Don't Tell Jokes, James Howe's Bunnicula, and Judy Blume's Freckle Juice, that will keep him laughing, smiling, and wanting to read more.
Award-winners, especially Newbery Honor and Medal winners, are another trustworthy and engaging option. The subjects are varied, the vocabulary rich, and the adolescent-focused storylines will engage your child's imagination and widen her view of the world around her.
Developmental Edge
Students' reading levels in upper elementary school vary widely, but by third grade, you'll see your child starting to read in phrases instead of word by word. This is an important step in being able to read fluently and independently, and allows the books she reads to be longer and more complex. Around fourth grade, many children become less interested in reading, so it is important to find books and other reading material such as magazines, comic books, and trading cards, that match your child's interests and are fun to read. As your child becomes a fluent reader, help him foster important comprehension skills while keeping the fun in reading. Try these grade-by-grade ideas for selecting books:
3rd Grade
Collecting and telling jokes is many a third grader's pastime. Encourage your young comedian by giving her joke books and watch her memorization skills improve as she commits a routine to memory. She may also enjoy reading the daily comics or collections of "Peanuts," "Garfield," "Archie," or other strips. Comic books will interest many elementary-school readers, though check to make sure the comic isn't too complex or dark. A choice somewhere between a comic and a novel comes from Dav Pilkey in the form of the immensely funny Captain Underpants series.
4th Grade
To show the delight and fun that words can be, introduce your child to poetry. The poems of Jack Prelutsky and especially Shel Silverstein are both humorous and inventive in their use of language. Poetry collections for young readers will introduce concepts of meter, rhyme, metaphor, and simile, which are important comprehension skills. If your child is reluctant to read poems, Sharon Creech's Love That Dog, a funny novel written in free verse that follows a boy who claims not to like poetry, is a perfect choice.
5th Grade
Your upper elementary-school child is becoming interested in the science of the world around him and about the way things work. Foster an interest in nonfiction with books about dinosaurs, bugs, outer space, volcanoes, and whatever else tickles his mind. Find books with colorful pictures and illustrations matched with simple text. For a more story-based approach to learning, The Magic School Bus explores most science subjects in a mission-based format that will appeal to your school-bus-riding child. Build basic research skills as your child practices "reading to learn."
- Create illustrations and faux movie posters for favorite books together. Or stage a scene from a book for the whole family.
- Keep your read-aloud tradition alive by taking turns reading a longer chapter book. Have your child read you a chapter one night, then read the following chapter to him the next.
- To jumpstart creative writing, have your child write a letter in the voice of a favorite character, or write a short sequel to a cherished story.
