Friday, February 29, 2008

Reading Like a Pro

Ok, this is one of those brag-on-my-kids post. If you get annoyed with those, you should just stop reading right now.

The topic of this post is Megan reading. Some time in the fall I checked out a book called Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo, who also wrote Because of Winn Dixie and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane which is absolutely wonderful. Mercy Watson is a pig, for the unenlightened. Well, the kids liked it so much that two weeks ago I checked out Mercy Watson Fights Crime. The kids usually plunk down on the living room carpet and browse through our books when we get home, but Megan didn't just browse Mercy Watson - she started reading it. She read the whole thing. It's a chapter book! She's not even 6! Now, by Singaporean standards she should have been doing this by age 4 at the absolute latest, but I'd say that's pretty good.

So we returned that one and got Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride and Mercy Watson to the Rescue. She read both of them in an afternoon. I'm a little baffled as to where to go from here with her. If anyone has some suggestions for books around that level, I'm sure she'd be happy to read them.

Ethan (just to balance out my bragging) is immersed in Magic Tree House research guides and Magic School Bus chapter books. He's evolving into a walking encyclopedia as a result. It's so fun to see my kids take off in reading and love it!

3 comments:

Nonna said...

What a blessing that they enjoy reading! I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Mercy Watson is listed as a 2.7 reading level, so here are some authors/books at that same level.
Patricia Giff-Lazy Lions, Lucky Lambs, December Secrets, Fish Face
Barbara Park- Junie B. Jones & the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake, JBJ has a Monster under her Bed, JBJ is (Almost)a Flower Girl, JBJ Loves Handsome Warren
Mercy Watson, Princess in Disguise
Mummies in the Morning
Paula Danziger - Second Grade Rules, Amber Brown

Gina Marie said...

I saw on amazon that there are a few other Mercy Watson books, but they don't carry them all at our library. I'll have to check out the bookstores.

Steph said...

That is AWESOME!!!

If I might brag on David a bit, he is in an accelerated reading program at school.

He is not reading at a 2.7 reading level like Megan (which is AWESOME!!!). When he was last tested at the beginning of the year, he was reading at a 1.8 reading level.

David enjoys reading too. I think that like Nonna said it is because they have seen it modeled in your family.