Yesterday, I read The Boxcar Children to Tommy. The whole thing. In just two sittings! Inspired by a conversation with friends over dinner last night, I wondered how much of a real chapter book Tommy could handle. (While he enjoys the Little Bear series, those aren’t exactly what comes to mind when one thinks of “chapter books.”)
I thought that the first in the Boxcar Children series would be a good candidate because it has a substantial number of pictures throughout, even if they’re small ones on a page. That was enough, though, to hold his attention. He had some trouble focusing when there wasn’t a picture on the page, but he did remarkably well. (My voice, however, did not fare so well after reading 150+ pages aloud in a single day.)
Em and I started contemplating what books we could try next. Charlotte’s Web, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Winnie the Pooh are all promising. Farmer Boy just doesn’t have enough illustrations. I think we’re looking for books where at least half the pages have some kind of illustration. Any thoughts?
Charlotte’s Web is definitely a good one. I have read this one many times to children who are toddler/preschool age. I think it is also a good one because the chapters are short.