Do you have a young child in your life that is just starting to ‘get’ reading? Emergent readers are those that have developed an understanding of the alphabet, phonological awareness, and early phonics. They have command of a significant number of high-frequency words, reads in a left-to-right and top-to-bottom progression, may tell the story from memory, may invent text, and are developing a firmer grasp of comprehension strategies and decoding skills. They can recognize fiction and nonfiction, and understand that there are many reasons to read.
Books for these readers should have increasingly more lines of text per page, a more complex sentence structure, less reliance on repetitive pattern and images, as well as more detailed looks at familiar topics. These books are typically Fountas & Pinnell Levels D-J or DRA Levels 6-16.Our library has labeled and cataloged a number of paperback books in levels A through G. However, our hardcover easy readers and higher level books are not leveled in the same way, and it sometimes takes a little extra time to find books that are interesting to 
1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and more by Bill Martin Jr.
3. Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka
4. Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins
5. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
6. Frog and Toad Are Friends (and the entire Frog and Toad series) by Arnold Lobel
7. Look by Ted Lewin (I Like to Read series)
8. See Me Dig by Paul Meisel (I Like to Read series)
9. Bronzeville Boys and Girls by Gwendolyn Brooks
10. Let’s Go for a Drive! (and the entire Elephant and Piggie series) by Mo Willems
Did you think I could stop there? There are more and more worth while books for readers of all skill levels and ages out there every day. While many recommended books on my list are classics, there are new offerings as well. If the books already suggested have already been devoured, there are plenty more to add to your reading list. Do not forget to comment with any of your favorites that I might have missed! You might also want to check out:
Car Goes Far by Michael Garland, Perros! Perros!/Dogs! Dogs!: A Story in English and Spanish by Ginger Foglesong Gibson, Please Say Please! Penguin’s Guide to Manners by Margery Cuyler, Eight Animals Play Ball by Susan Middleton Elya, Froggy’s Best Babysitter (or any Froggy books) by Jonathan London, SuperHero ABC by Bob McLeod, Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas, No, David! by David Shannon, Mr. Putter And Tabby Bake The Cake (or any Mr. Putter books) by Cynthia Rylant, or Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All (or any Henry and Mudge books) by Cynthia Rylant.
The Cheshire Library Blog 