Books That Won’t Bore Children Learning to Read

For years, there was a set of books that I didn’t know existed independently of one another. The 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury, compiled by Janet Schulman, contained classics such as Where the Wild Things Are, Swimmy, and Petunia and enchanted me for many an hour. This treasury was so well-read in our home that whole sections are now missing, and it was with great eagerness that I snagged my own copy at a local bookstore a few years ago. While many of the titles contained in the book are picture books, some are in the “easy reader” genre, that section of the library you enter with great awe and anticipation around second grade.

Schulman’s Treasury was a good introduction, but there’s a whole world of easy readers out there, just waiting to be snatched up. My mom did her research well, learning which of these books were suitable both for our reading ability and our formation, and quite a few still stand out in my mind as well-told stories with excellent artwork. Picture books may be too babyish for you at this stage, but you do still need something colorful on the page to hold your attention.