It’s that time of year again when summer reading challenges abound! I’m taking a different approach this year, and the picture above sums up why. On vacation a few weeks ago, my son grabbed one of his favorite books (Encyclopedia Brown, of course), plopped down on the beach, and sat there reading for close to an hour. (What can I say, he’s a child after my own heart.)
Our challenge last year focused on reading a certain amount of books, and I think it worked great for us during that season. Reading was very new and practice reading lots of words was key. But now we’ve transitioned into this really neat place of reading for enjoyment. My favorite school times this last year were without a doubt when we read aloud together and slowly digested a book without worrying about “getting it done” so we could check it off a list. (Holes by Louis Sachar was hands down our top pick!)
So this year we’re just picking a few books and reading them at our pace, planning to talk about them, maybe reread them, maybe watch the movie about them. Zero pressure, because I want reading to be a fun, together kind of experience.
I had so many people reach out about our reading challenge last year, and so I’ve put together a similar free printable download to share with you! You can click the image below to get it sent directly to your inbox.
Here’s a shortlist of some of the books we’ve enjoyed so far together. What would you add to this list? Happy reading!
- The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- Stuart Little by E.B. White
- The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- Bunny’s Book Club by Annie Silvestro
- Encyclopedia Brown by Donald Sobol
Mary Holloman 