The First Book You Read On Your Own

Alvah

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What was the first book you read by yourself, without help from your parents?
For me, it was Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders, a story about an abused dog who finally finds a good home.
 

Beanie5

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Can't remember myself my eldest daughter went to an unusual school where you weren't suppose to start reading till you were seven, gave her the narnia chronicles on her seventh birthday and she read them all within a month
 
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Jan74

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Ramona the pest
 

GeneBWell

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A short chapter book based on Disney's Oliver and Company.
 

Marlys

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What was the first book you read by yourself, without help from your parents?
For me, it was Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders, a story about an abused dog who finally finds a good home.

I read that book as a child, too (although I think it was far from my first independent read). I just re-read it a few months ago and was surprised at how well it still holds up.

I think I might have read one of the "Freddy the Pig" or "Bobbsey Twins" books first.
 

technoglobe

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I don't remember the title, but in first grade I read a book (I think one of those early reader chapter books) about a girl who had a time traveling dress up box and went back to the middle ages. I made my parents go to Borders to try to find a copy, but we couldn't.
 

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I'm sure it wasn't the first (I honestly don't remember ever not being able to read) but my earliest memory of solo reading was an incident where my mom's friends saw me reading "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and refused to believe I was actually reading it. I was little enough they assumed I was just looking at the pictures. So I started reading aloud and apparently freaked everyone out. I don't remember how old I was, but I guess I must have been pretty young.
 

Debbie V

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I have no idea. I remember getting the Beatrix Potter books from the public library, but they seem hard as first reads. I have no memory of ever being read to at home. I went from Beatrix Potter to Carolyn Haywood and then Beverly Cleary. I read the Bobsey Twins books in school only. My guess would be Haywood's books if not some picture book. I feel like I must have read Seuss and others. We had a school library too.
 

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I think it was Five Go to Kirrin Island - may have got the title wrong, but it was by Enid Blyton. I had had trouble in learning to read, so reading an actual novel and finishing it was a huge deal for me. Came to the end and I needed a nap
 

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Picture book: Go Dog Go
Novel: I don't remember my first, but my favorites were the Little House on the Prairie series
 

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Probably those See Dick Run books. For some reason, I was mesmerized by that Corduroy book and The Little Red Hen.
 

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A book from the old town library, you know the old library that's dark and has squeaky wood floors and smelled of old books, that I found myself when I was a kid. It was an old kid's book set in the caveman days. The family was running out of food and the two kids overheard their parents telling their grandparents that the parents would leave in the night so to free up food for the rest of the family. The two kids followed their parents in secret until they met again. I wish I knew the title. I'd track down that book and keep it as a personal treasure.
 

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Although I'm sure that I read others first, the book that I remember most because it made me believe that reading could be done for fun was, "The Enormous Egg" by Oliver Butterworth.
 

Debbie V

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I suddenly have vague memories of someone reading the Swiss Family Robinson books and/or Robinson Crusoe to my brother and I. He was older. I think there may even have been movies of the Family books.

I love Corduroy.
 

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I'm sure it wasn't the first (I honestly don't remember ever not being able to read)
I'm in the same boat. My first book may well have been the Encyclopedia Britannica. The way my mom learned that I could read was that I was sitting on the floor at 3 years old with an open encyclopedia telling her "Mommy, did you know that T. Rex had six-inch incisors?"

However, I remember picking up "James and the Giant Peach" during a snow storm. The power was out all around the city, and my mom's best friend had a fireplace. So, we trekked across the empty lot between our houses to warm up by her fire, and I saw this book with bugs and a boy and what looked like a hot air balloon on the front, and picked it up. I didn't put it down until it got too dark to read.
 
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cpatten

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Cat in the Hat. I remember because my Dad yelled at me for not reading it correctly. :(
 

Raen

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I don't remember. I started reading at 3, and I remember reading basic picture books (none of which stands out in my memory), and then...honestly nothing until I was obsessed with the Baby Sitters Club series in about the first or second grade. I'm sure there must have been a lot in between those, but nothing is really coming to mind.
 

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The Hungry Caterpillar I think, still love it ha
 

writbeyondmeasure

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Harry Potter. I was 5 when the first movie came out. I saw it and fell in love and started the book as soon as I got home from the cinema. It took me a whole year to read but massively accelerated my reading ability. I'm glad I saw the movie first so I could pronounce all the names.
 

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Like many others on this thread I can't remember specifically - it was nearly fifty years ago! I was an avid reader of Enid Blyton's adventure books, the Borrowers, Littlenose of the Bignoses, and Michael Bond's Paddington Bear books, so could have been any of those, or could have been Noddy or a Ladybird book - something like the Elves and the Shoemakers

I do remember that my favourite book as a toddler was called "It's a bussy, bussy world". I know now, of course, that it was "busy", but, you know, it had a big picture of a bus on front, so...
 

mongoose29

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Don't remember.
What I do remember is my dad giving me Nancy Drew, The Secret of the Old Clock and I got pissy because I thought it was too long and difficult. At some point I read it, though, and thought it was fabulous.

Boxcar Children and Babysitters Club books are more likely first time read-a-book-(with-chapters!)-on-my-own candidates.
 

LLTisdel

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Fun post! In terms of novels, I can remember reading Little House on the Prairie at a young age. My real name is Laura, so I was pretty stoked to have a fantastic "Laura" character to follow on pioneering adventures! I also remember being inspired by the Ramona Quimby series and Boxcar Children. It appears others have similar book memories!