BOOKS FOR KIDS

Recently, my kids had a half-day of school.  Actually, it was literally a 2-hour school day, but I am not going to discuss that today.  :)

Honestly, it was great having both of my kids home for lunch and the afternoon.  We had a relaxing lunch, while I read aloud to them from a book we started reading during meals when we have time.  Then, we spent some time at the library and came home and watched Beauty and the Beast for the first time.  It was a rainy, chilly day, so this turned into a perfect afternoon.

When we were at the library, we bumped into some friends we had not seen since preschool days, and that lovely mother is so sweet.  She is from Korea and struggles a tiny bit with her English, but is so friendly and it was nice to see her.  She has a daughter who is in second grade, a year younger than my daughter, and she asked me what books my daughter is reading.  She mentioned that it is hard for her to help her daughter select books because, as she grew up in Korea, she is not familiar with many of the children's books or series books that are considered classics here.  

I never thought of that struggle for parents who did not grow up here.  Often, for my children, I suggest books that I remember reading during my own childhood.  Most recently, I encouraged my daughter to start the Little House on the Prairie books.  

The funny thing is, though, that just before I bumped into this mom, I was perusing the shelves of chapter books, thinking to myself that I should do a better job recommending books for my children and being aware of what they are reading.  Sometimes, they choose books from the school library and get hooked on series with which I am not very familiar.  Should I read this books at night while they are sleeping to get an idea of what they are reading?

Should I research books for them and lovingly push them toward certain books?  At some point, I am certain that they will want to pick out all of their own books, and I guess I will just trust that they choose wisely.  For now, though, I think they will still pay attention to my suggestions and will still enjoy it when I select a book to read aloud to them over several months.  

Summer is coming and while I do print out the summer reading lists suggested by our schools, I most definitely preview those books, and do not find that I think they are all appropriate for my kids.  We usually end up making our own book lists, and they have a great time working through the lists all summer.  

Does anyone have any suggestions for books for a third-grade girl and a first-grade boy?  I would love to hear your ideas!