We’ve arrived at a new milestone. Our oldest has reached compulsory school age. So, even though I’ve been doing “school time” since she was a baby and using textbooks for over two years, this is the first year we are “officially” homeschooling (in the government’s eyes). We’re ramping up our record keeping, and trying to make a comprehensive plan for the whole year instead of doing our planning in the smaller chunks that we used to. I’ve been trying to brainstorm a good reading list for my daughter and was hoping some of you might have thoughts to share. My daughter is going to be six and is currently reading Little House in the Big Woods. What wholesome, enriching literature of a similar reading level have you and/or your children enjoyed?
August 24th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Well, none of my children were actually reading at age 6. Oh, maybe a few words, but certainly not books! Anyway, I can recommend about any of the books put out by Rod & Staff or Christian Light Publishing. The Miller series is particularly good. Also a good collection of short stories was The Missing Popcorn. I’ve read a good number of their books to my children, even when they were old enough to read on their own. They teach good Biblical principles.
I recently found your blog through a link from somewhere else. I’m enjoying it very much!
August 24th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
May I recommend the Ambleside Online curriculum, which has a wonderful suggested booklist. Also off the top of my head – Wind in the Willows, The Chronicles of Narnia, My Popper’s Penguins, Heidi.
August 25th, 2009 at 12:12 am
Oh, I love LIttle House in the Big Woods! I would say your daughter is about 2 years ahead of grade level, if she is only 6?! You know what I would do? I would go to the local library and tell the librarian what you are looking for. Since you are homeschooled yourself, you have a better reading track record than the rest of us!
There’s an easier version of the Elsie Dinsmore series that is pretty good also: Caddie Woodlawn, The Courage of Sarah Noble, Sarah Plain and Tall, Freckles, (Gene Straton Porter books) Keep the Lights Burning Abby, Black Beauty, (any of the Newberry winners)
I also love the complete tales of Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne (not Disney) and the complete unabridged of Beatrix Potter. The pictures are so charming also! I love the high level humor in the Winnie the Pooh series especially. When Disney dumbs it down (as they always do), they take out the big words and the humor!! bummer.
I would look under third grade reading lists, since that is her level. Aren’t you happy that you have such a bright young lady?
We have had such good experiences with our local libraries. They will often bend around backwards to help homeschoolers. Today, we were able to get a few of our required books for school through our local library! Hurray for the checkbook!
August 25th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Pinocchio came to the top of my mind. And more of the Litte House stories.
My oldest is 3, but I’m putting together everything from the A-Squared curriculum. It is has awesome literature, starting in kindergarten. Kindergarten includes Pinocchio and Dr. Doolitte. It is a K-12 curriculum with most subjects covered for around $100, total. I’m loving reading through the rich literature in the program, literature I didn’t get to read in pubic school.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:23 am
This year, besides more Little House, we’re reading Heidi, Treasures in the Snow, The Phantom Tollbooth, The Jungle Book, the Secret Garden, and a beautiful old old copy of Robin Hood, the original one where Maid Marion is actually Robin hood’s sister. That’s just a start for us. My daughter is 7 but we could have read most of these last year, we just didn’t get to them all. Making my reading is list is my favorite part of school planning.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Good reads have already been mentioned, but don’t exclude picture books just because she can also read chapter books. “The Seven Silly Eaters” by Mary Ann Hoberman has been our absolute favorite
August 25th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Hello. You can also find good, wholesome, christian books on keepersofthefaith.com They sell some of the above mentioned books as well as many more.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:05 am
In addition to the ones recommended above, I liked E.L. Konigsburg’s books, J.R.R. Tolkien’s (Lord of the Rings might be way over her head, while the Hobbit would be more accessibly challenging, if that makes sense), and Roald Dahl’s. Watership Down was also a good read.
August 25th, 2009 at 11:51 am
I was a big fan of the Paddington Bear books when I was about her age or a little older.
August 25th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I have a five year old who’s been reading for a few years now – I’d say she’s at about grade 2 level or so – and I agree it’s harder than you’d think to find solid, wholesome and interesting books. We’ve really enjoyed most of the books mentioned here (other than I have my doubts about Roald Dahl, as his humour is often very mean, and I found Watership Down too dark for that age group). I would further recommend the Boxcar Children series; we’ve only read the first book so far, but my daughter loved it. We use the Sonlight curriculum, and I further supplement our reading list with suggestions from Ambleside Online. Have fun!
August 25th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I second Caddie Woodlawn and The Secret Garden. In addition, I’d recommend A Little Princess, Anne of Green Gables, and the My Father’s Dragon books. One thing–the Little House books are great, but you probably want to avoid giving her the last two or three until she’s older. (The themes get more mature.)
August 25th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Some of the nicest books I ever enjoyed with my kids are published by an Amish company and are called Pathway Readers. They’re actually old fashioned readers and the stories are delightful. Hope this helps.
August 25th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
The books by Rod and Staff hands down!!
August 25th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
All of these suggestions are wonderful! We especially love the Elsie Dinsmore series…we find them on Library and Educational resource for about $3 a piece (paperback). I’ve also gotten many ideas off of the Vision Forum website and the books they sell (which is where I found out about Elsie). What a fun time for you!
August 26th, 2009 at 12:47 am
In addition to what others have suggested, I’d recommend Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne books, and anything by E.B. White. In a year or two, she might be ready for Lois Lowry’s books, which I remember adoring around that age (7 or 8). Ah, this makes me excited to homeschool in another couple of years!
August 26th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
I love the Grandma’s Attic series by Arleta Richardson is great for young girls who can read “big books” but aren’t ready for anything too deep. Each story is very light-hearted but also has a moral, so it’s a great way to start conversations about how your daughter might feels in a similar situation to the one the main character found herself in (a friend who turns out to not really be a good friend, wanting to be beautiful/get rid of freckles and trying out a beauty product that ended in disaster, etc.). All of Louisa May Alcott’s work is wonderful, too. And I heartily agree with those who recommend L.M. Montgomery’s books–still my favorite books at age 25. Enjoy reading with your daughter!
August 26th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
I’m VERY particular about what I’ll allow my children to read and there are many popular children’s books that I wont allow my children to read, either because of a slanted view on God or because of negative attitudes/actions of the characters that are never adequately dealt with. I love books obtained through Lamplighter publishing I blogged about one of my favorites a while back http://intostillwaters.com/2009/04/26/april-27-2009/) and I also like many of Louisa May Alcott’s books. I love many books by George MacDonald as well, he interlaces his books with lots of lessons on morality. One book that I’ll require all of my children to read (but might be a little too much for a six year old) is Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. Hope this helps, and I’ll send more as I think of them!
August 26th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
My daughter was an early reader, too, and she continues to love sitting down and devouring different ones (must come from her father).
She loved the Rod and Staff series that has already been mentioned – these are good because they can be chosen by age appropriate levels. Someone also mentioned the Anne of Green Gables series – these are loved in my house and read over and over! Very girly and the early ones have a good christian value base.
The latest interest in my now 9 yo are missionary stories. The series we have been collecting is called ‘Christian Heroes: Then and Now’ by Janet & Geoff Benge. They have been great because the story of the missionary’s life is told in a ‘novel’ type way. These started out as read-aloud family books and now my daughter reads them on her own.
That would be the extent of my advice for this time of night! If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know!
August 27th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
I’m reading Five Little Peppers and How They Grew to my 6yo daughter. I love the sibling relationships, how the children cherish their widow mother, and references to the Lord. We picked it up from the library 5 or so years ago and I was inwardly delighted when my dog chewed the corner and I had to buy it!
August 28th, 2009 at 3:57 am
Pathway readers plus sonlight recommended readers. My 9 yr has a 13 yr reading age but he just didn’t like reading the recommended books by ambleside.,Robinson Crusoe is better for grade 7.We love their free reading lists though.Raymond Moore has some really good ideas for teaching phonics and Montessorri methods are similar.Apparently Ruth Beechick’s books are great. My daughter loved pathways because they had sight words and phonics.We use Rodstaff maths.
August 28th, 2009 at 11:18 am
I hope it will be all right to post this the way I am going to post it. This link has been a great help to me in making up reading lists for my children who range from a 10th grader on down. It is hard to find good books the older the kids get believe me! I have had to turn to buying these books in used book stores because alot are out of print and we live in a small town with a tiny library and they just cannot possibly get everything in nor order things as I need them. My kids are required to always be reading a book and to read 30 minutes at least a day. I love it when they get really interested and read longer. http://classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000.html
August 30th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Little Women, 8 Cousins, all the Louisa May Alcott books are wonderful and wholesome.
August 31st, 2009 at 2:43 pm
What a bunch of helpful replies! Consider keeping one foot in the lower-level lists to build confidence, enjoy all the great stuff at the levels before what’s mentioned here and build vocabulary. There’s nothing so helpful as a 6-year-old who will read the 4-year-old’s favorite book to him! It helps diction and inflexion for beautiful reading, as well as building patience and other qualities that will help that relationship.
January 5th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
At that age, my daughter loved Carolyn Haywood’s series on Betsy and Billy (“B” is for Betsy is the first book) and Maud Hart Lovelace’s series on a different Betsy- the first four in the Betsy-Tacy series. These books are so sweet, and on about the same level as the Little House books. I wish I’d have been able to read them when I was small.