early readers and picture books...

[bethany]

This isn't about writing, it's about my Christmas list. Though I've spent my entire adult life getting kids to read (I have 90 hooked on The Hunger Games at this very moment) but my almost 7 year old does not like reading. He likes informational stuff and we have 4 sets of books on animals, and the body and insects and you get the picture.

What I'm looking for are books to help him love story. I don't care if the books are picture books or early readers (he reads very well, but he isn't interested in what happens next).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Khanada]

I'm afraid I don't really have a lot for you. Magic School Bus mixes fact with its fiction. Or perhaps you could work somewhat backwards with Magic Tree House - lots of kids like to start out with the stories and then try the Research Guides. Perhaps your son might like to first try the Research Guides and then may be willing to try the related Magic Tree House books.

But hang in there! My 7-year old daughter is much the same way - prefers nonfiction far more than anything else. But just recently, I've been seeing some signs that she may be expanding. She's trying a lot more fiction now - not finishing all of them, but at least she's trying them.

Also - is he more receptive to story books if you or another adult is reading to him? Up until now, my daughter was like that. She is just starting to read more on her own.

Hopefully others will have better ideas for you. Good luck, and enjoy your holiday!

Amy

[lonestarlibrarian]

I've never tried ordering personal stuff from them, but you can talk to your local librarian about some of the books Capstone Press puts out, like their DC Readers. They really work hard to put out high-interest books for reluctant readers, and everything that I order from them circulates really well. Their primary market is school and public libraries, but you might be able to order from their catalogue as an individual.

http://www.capstonepress.com/

[SheilaJG]

I had the same problem with my youngest, who is now 7. He had a preference for non-fiction and he enjoyed early reader books about ocean animals - whales, sharks, etc. But if I gave him any fiction, he would lose interest quickly.

I decided to let him pick what he wants to read, but I kept reading to him at night. We enjoyed reading Roald Dahl together, and My Father's Dragon (that one never fails, in my opinion, even tho it was written more than half a century ago). I discovered he loved silly humor, so we read The Giggler Treatment, You're A Bad Man Mr. Gum.

In first grade my older son enjoyed the Melvin Beedermen, Superhero series and the Franny K. Stein series. Oh, and Horrible Harry.

I think, at this age, that you should let him pick what he wants to read himself, and then keep reading great stories to him. There's something magical about sharing a story together, and I think it's the best way to raise a reader. Sometimes I'll start a book with him and then find him reading by himself.

Good luck

[MsJudy]

It's often a guy thing. My older son was exactly the same way at that age. In fact, he didn't finish a novel on his own until he was in fourth grade. By the time he hit fifth grade and discovered fantasy, though, he became a real reader. Now he reads a lot, all of it novels. So you may just have to give it some time.

I find that the boys who don't much like fiction do respond to humorous books. Captain Underpants, Super Fly Guy, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, that sort of thing.

Nate the Great is a good series, a little old-fashioned but not terribly. Nate is an amateur detective, so each book solves a mystery. Kids who enjoy logic and puzzles tend to like Nate the Great.

But really, it's very much a developmental thing. (I teach first grade, and I see it every year.) At 6 and 7, kids are just discovering the world outside their immediate family, and they become knowledge junkies. Boys especially want to Learn About Things. They want to Become Experts. I feed that craving as much as I can, because all that knowledge will make the rest of their schooling so much easier. And by third grade or so, they really do transition into novels, especially as their reading skills improve enough for them to take on a Skulduggery Pleasant or Harry Potter.

[Kitty Pryde]

Captain Underpants, Ricky Ricotta, Geronimo Stilton, Bad Kitty, Stink!, and Junie B. Jones are all good ones.

[bethany]

We have had some success. He's spent part of every day since Christmas reading a Ben Ten (cartoon character) series. Right now he's reading the original Bad Kitty book (we had the others from book fair at school). He just read Leonardo the Terrible monster to his sister, and he got a set of Encyclopedia Brown books that we haven't opened yet (we have some Nate the Great left over from my teenage brother whose name is Nathan). I also bought Timothy and the Strong Pajamas because I thought it was cute, so a mix of picture books he can read to his sister and longer books.

He's curled up in a chair with the Bad Kitty book right now.

[MsJudy]

Yahoo! Bad Kitty rules!!!

[MsJudy]

Try the DRAGON-SLAYERS' ACADEMY series by Kate McMullan, too. Very silly mix of humor and bloodless fantasy.