Tag: transitional readers

Bear and Bird: A Favorite New Series for Transitional Readers

I’ve always been interested in finding the best books for transitional readers—readers who have learned to read and who are becoming more sophisticated readers. They often are new to chapter books, so finding books that support them as readers is important as they build skills and agency as readers.

I discovered the Bear and Bird series by Jarvis this summer. I love so much about this series and one thing I especially like is that the humor in the books appeal to a wide age-range of readers (maybe 3rd graders who are just starting chapter books). 

The first Bear and Bird book I read with a child was “The Stick and Other Stories”. We both laughed aloud on the first page and we were both hooked. The first page made us laugh out loud and fall in love with one of the main characters at the same time.

Since that first book, I’ve enjoyed all of the Bear and Bird books and they have become one of my favorite new series for transitional readers. (I think there are 6 total books in the series now.) The latest book in the series is Bear and Bird: The Secret and Other Stories. 

I love so much about this series. Most of all, while reading these books, I have the same feeling I had when I read Frog and Toad and Henry and Mudge books. Great stories about two friends -stories filled with humor and lessons in friendship. 

These books are part of Candlewick’s “Sparks for New Readers” collection and as I have read these with children, I see the way that these books support transitional readers.

  • Each book has several stories within. The stories may be connected but they stand alone. This is important for readers new to chapter books as they learn to hold onto a story over time.
  • The characters are lovable and predictable. The more you read, the more you come to know the characters and the more you have expectations as readers. Getting to know characters with depth is important for transitional readers and each story allows us to get to know these characters through their relationship with each other.
  • The text and visuals are balanced. The illustrations match the text which I think is an important feature for this stage of reading. The illustrations also include some unique visuals (lists, signs, etc.)
  • The text is accessible to readers while also having features such as dialogue, parentheses and ellipsis that might be new to readers. 
  • The themes in each story are very accessible to young readers and are common themes in friendship stories.

This is a great series for readers who are new to chapter books and who like great characters and a little humor! They make great read alouds for younger readers, too! Try one and if you love it, read the whole series!

Franki’s Weekly Text Set: New Series for Transitional and Middle Grade Readers

Texts for this Text Set have been posted daily on Instagram. 

Follow @TextSets there to get daily updates!

There is nothing like the day when a new book is released that is part of your favorite series. When I was in elementary school it was the Betsy books. Series books are so important for so many readers. And, being in-the-know about a new book by a favorite author or one that features a favorite character is such fun. This week, we’ll take a look at series books that are newish–series that have a few books at most–series that have us already looking forward to the next book. These books are perfect for transitional and middle grade readers.

If you have not read Stuntboy: In the Meantime by Jason Reynolds and Raul the Third, you must read it asap! This is a great new book in a hopefully long series. This is going to be perfect for our Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Captain. Underpants readers to expand a bit in their reading. This book has everything-great story, incredible illustrations, real issues to discuss, strong characters and humor. There is so much to this book and series–I am excited for our middle grade readers!

These three new series (Sona Sharma, JoJo Makoons, and Definitely Dominguita) feature strong girls who bring fun and humor to their stories. I love each of these characters. I also love that the books are all heavily illustrated and are perfect for transitional readers in grades 2-3 especially. I often find it hard, as an adult to fall in love with books for this age but I fell in love with the writing and with these 3 characters. Although perfect for grades 2-3, they are really great stories for all ages. Sona Sharma and JoJo Makoons have 2nd books coming soon and Definitely Dominguita has 3-4 titles available now.

I loved the Ryan Hart series from the start and was so happy to see Renée Watson writing for a younger audience! Ryan Hart is a great character and these books are perfect for 3-5th graders. This series will have wide appeal. I think there are 2 out in the series (Ways to Make Sunshine and Ways to Grow Love) with another coming soon!

Dragons in a Bag is another series I’ve loved from the start. Fantasy is not an easy genre when it comes to transitional series books but this one is perfect. I love the length of these books as well as the characters and the stories. It is a perfect series for readers ready to start some more sophisticated books and who love fantasy. It is brilliantly done for this age. I think there are 3 available now with hopefully lots more to come!

Skunk and Badger and J.D. the Kid Barber are two series full of humor. For our readers who love humor, these are great picks. The humor is different in each but perfect for the age. (I am always amazed at authors who get humor for this age so right!) Just like a few of the others I’ve mentioned, even though they are written for transitional readers, older readers will also enjoy these. I love the characters in both of these series. The J.D. series has 3 books available now and Skunk and Badger has 2.

This week’s books were linked at Bookelicious. If you don’t know Bookelicious, check it out today. It is an online independent children’s bookstore with an incredible selection of children’s books and many supports for young readers. Lots of great free events for teachers coming up that you can check out and register here. 

Follow @TextSets on Instagram for daily books/weekly text sets!