ana0pera Posted September 16, 2013 Posted September 16, 2013 My younger cousin is turning 7 this weekend and I want to buy her some books for her birthday. She is very smart and loves school (when she started last year she'd cry because there wasn't school on Saturday, but got excited when she learned she had Catechism classes on Sunday). I am not exactly sure where her reading level is and I don't want to discourage her by giving her books that are too hard, as I am not sure her mom/dad and siblings will sit down and read with her (see below). Over the summer when I went home to visit, I lent her some of my childhood books to read. I had some simple childrens books (the kind with like two sentences on a page) and she said they were baby books, and then i gave her a chapter book (Winnie the Pooh) and while she enjoyed reading it she also told me it was hard and I could tell she would get a little stressed out about not knowing certain words. I was also thinking about getting some books with mathematical and reading practice problems in them for her to go through since she likes school...she can make her own school on saturday lol. Anyone have some book recommendations that their children love? Also if it helps, she is kind of girly but loves being outside, especially swimming. she is an exercise freak. She does push-ups casually while watching TV and she is constantly climbing the walls. literally. Some background info: She loves to read and learn but her parents, particularly her mother, don't do much to encourage this behavior. Her dad works a lot but does try really hard to give her everything she needs and wants her to succeed. Her mom (my aunt) is very intelligent but prioritizes other things over taking her to the library, reading to/with her each night, etc. My cousin reminds me a lot of myself when I was her age and I want to make sure this zeal for learning never goes away. My other relatives feel the same way, but her mom is the one with all the control and we can't change my aunt without causing problems in our family so we figured I would just try to rub off on her, which isn't *too* hard since our family is extremely close and we see them all the time (well I don't, because I live across the country, but the rest of my family does). She has two older brothers, one of whom hates reading but the other one might read with her, I can ask him.
turnera Posted September 16, 2013 Posted September 16, 2013 Make Way For Ducklings Madeleine I Spy series Magic Schoolbus Science Chapter Books How Things Work 1
CC12 Posted September 17, 2013 Posted September 17, 2013 If you want to get her something more advanced than her age range, try something with beautiful and interesting illustrations. If she gets discouraged reading, she can still enjoy the books. I still remember this book from when I was a kid. It was called The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery. The reader is supposed to solve the mystery by picking up on the clues placed within the illustrations and text. I was never smart enough to figure it out (finally had to cheat and break the seal on the pages that revealed the answers) but it was still fun to stare at the pages for hours looking for clues. Also maybe you can get her a children's dictionary to encourage her to look up the words she doesn't know. They have digital ones that look like a little calculator, almost. A quick google search found a Merriam-Webster dictionary with thesaurus for about 30 bucks. 1
mea_M Posted September 17, 2013 Posted September 17, 2013 The magic schoolbus series is excellent. Junie B Jones & anything by Eric Carle is always fun. Scholastic books has a great selection of age appropriate reading material. All my kids love to read and I'm greatful for that. Have fun. Mea 1
Author ana0pera Posted September 22, 2013 Author Posted September 22, 2013 Thanks for the tips, everyone! She opened her books today and I got to watch her do it because my family made her open them in front of skype, she really liked them! I ended up getting one Magic School Bus book (about the ocean, since she loves the beach) and she said she's going to read it over and over again every single day! I also got Madeleine and The Eleventh Hour, and her 13-year-old brother thought The Eleventh Hour looks really cool and I can see them reading that one together Thanks again! 2
turnera Posted September 23, 2013 Posted September 23, 2013 ana, people call me the book lady because I never give kids (age 0-21) anything BUT books. I know I'm usually the only who DOES give books and it's a tragedy. I'm really happy that you did this, and I hope you continue the tradition. 1
Eclypse Posted September 23, 2013 Posted September 23, 2013 Maybe try the Goosebumps books? I tore through those like mad and started reading them around her age. I had more than a hundred by the time I turned 9. Even now I look back on them fondly. Edit: never mind, just saw I was late.
turnera Posted September 23, 2013 Posted September 23, 2013 Maybe try the Goosebumps books? I tore through those like mad and started reading them around her age. I had more than a hundred by the time I turned 9. Even now I look back on them fondly. Edit: never mind, just saw I was late.Not late! I'm sure she will continue to look for great books for her cousin! Christmas is just around the corner...
Recommended Posts