Friday's Finds - Chapter Books

Today's edition of Friday's Finds is a bonus round. In the past few years, there has been a big push to get children reading "chapter books" independently earlier and earlier. The books the child is capable of reading a junk with no meaningful plot, lousy language and flat characters. There is no reason for this. Finally sense is returning and parents are slowly moving away from this trend.

That does not mean that children cannot or should not be exposed to longer stories or books during preschool and early elementary. Parents can and should read these books with the children. So what books I hear you ask? Well...

First there is All-of-A-Kind Family. This is one of the very few books I remember reading and enjoying over and over again when I was in early elementary. We are reading it with Froggy now. The chapters are short enough and captivating enough that we can make it through a chapter in one or two sittings. Yet the language is rich and the story sparks conversation.

Second is Swallows and Amazons. This is the first in a series. One of the best books about regular children doing regular things I have ever read. My only regret with these books is that I did not discover them until I was an adult. The story is fun and the adventures are inspiring.

Our final find is Arthur of Albion. This book is a new release from Barefoot Books. It is more an anthology than a chapter book but since it is all the same characters I decided to include it. It is a beautiful book inside and out, a true gift book. It has a cloth binding, illustrations that take you back in time and engaging stories.

So those are my Friday's Finds. What are yours? Please encourage your readers to share their reviews as well by linking back to this site.