RAR #24: From Picture Books to Chapter Books and Novels
I’m trying something new for this episode of the Read-Aloud Revival Podcast. Instead of interviewing a guest, I’m chatting with you one-on-one.
Something I hear about a lot is the struggle it can be to make the transition from picture books to chapter books and novels during read-aloud time. It’s something I’ve struggled with in the past, as well, and I’ve got a few ideas about how to make this as seamless and simple as possible.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- some quick tips for making the transition from picture books to chapter books
- my very favorite first novels and chapter books
- and tell you my #1 tippy-top recommendation of them all
Nope–not gonna tell ya. You have to listen to find out. ;)
Click the play button below:
Books from this episode:
(All links are affiliate links.)
![The Ramona Collection, Vol. 1: Beezus and Ramona / Ramona the Pest / Ramona the Brave / Ramona and Her Father [4 Book Box set]](https://readaloudrevival.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/51zBRfvop3L.jpg)
Links from this episode:
- Sarah mentioned The Baldwin Project, where you can access free Thornton Burgess books.
- BooksShouldBeFree.com (now known as LoyalBooks) is a great site for accessing Thornton Burgess books along with other classics in the public domain. The Thornton Burgess Animal Book audio is here.
- One of Sarah’s favorite spots for locating booklists is Center for Lit.
- In RAR Podcast #2, Sarah interviews Adam Andrews of the Center for Lit about how to engage your children in books.
- In RAR Podcast #14, Sarah interviews Mystie Winckler about utilizing audiobooks in the home.
I got this web site from my pal who informed me concerning this website and at the
moment this time I am browsing this web page and reading very informative articles at this
place.
Hello! Thank you so much for your podcast. I’m the mother of 3 who are almost 6, 4, and 1. We LOVE picture books in our home. We are the family that practically needs a wheel barrel to get out picks out of the library and back to the car. I’m wondering at what age or time to add short children’s novels? We read quite a bit in our home and have begun books like Mercy Watson and Frog and Toad in the car. The older two really enjoy this. I so want a love of literature for them but also do not want to “push” the novel too early. Thank you for your input.
Oh my goodness loved this podcast. The music so sweet and uplifting, your tips were great and informative and encouraging. You reviewed and reviewed the steps so it is firmly planted in this Mama’s mind! Saw you headline at FPEA conference 2017 we almost wet our pants you were too funny! God bless
Hi Sarah, I know this is an old episode, but I just listened to it for the first time. One question that I had that wasn’t answered was how do you know when your child is old enough to transition to novels? Or what age is typical? My oldest is 3.5 and sits really well through most picture books. I’m thinking I should just try it out and see how he does?!
Yep, you can try it out! Go slow and just plan on reading a little at each sitting. But there’s no need to abandon picture books. The rich language and beautiful illustrations pay rich dividends. You might even try text heavy picture books like Thundercake by Patricia Polacco.
After I oгіginally left a comment I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when neew comments
are added- checҝbox and from now on every time a comment iis added I recieve 4 emails
with the exact same comment. There has to bbe a way ʏou can remove mee frߋm that service?
Thanks a lot!
We LOVE Paddington!
The breathtaking beauty, coconut trees, water side as well as
the casuarinas add to the whole holiday state of mind for all.
He has just recently tried a natural home remedy: applying milk of magnesia to his face
at night prior to bed.
Thumbs up for a Very nice
It alleviated a little but i bented in an amusing way coming down the staircases and that
was it, couldn’t relocate with discomfort and had to get rescue to medical facility!
LOVE the tips, tricks, and recommendations! Thank you for this podcast!
Hi, Sarah & Friends!
This episode was so helpful in identifying where I need to grow in the read aloud process. I had no clue that there was such a learning curve in choosing/conducting read-alouds. I just thought that my read aloud times were complete failures. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and advice. Every tidbits counts! I would appreciate you sprinkling podcasts where you are featured alone to share these tidbits. Podcasts are more convenient for me because I can listen to them while I am cooking dinner or washing dishes.
I make certain I would desire at least a couple dimensions
to build up, however I have no suggestion just how the
workouts make use of the dumbbells, so I have no suggestion what dimensions are needed.
I loved this episode and love to hear your experiences and tips!
Mariana
These are my favorite!
I’m a new listener and I enjoy both just you speaking and interviews. Interspersing is a great idea! I am in the transition point between chapter books and picture books. I do a balance of both with my 4 and 6 year old. We loved Boxcar Children. We happened upon My Father’s Dragon and wish there were more than just 3. Beverly Cleary’s Ralph Mouse books have been so fun. I’m reading mostly what appeals to boys so I would like some ideas for girls too. My husband is reading Little House books to my son, and I plan to read them to my daughter in a few years when she’s 5 or 6. We just finished E.B. White’s books and I had never read Trumpet of the Swan. I wish I had been more “educated” about read alouds when I was teaching Kindergarten for 12 years. I am finding so many great books that I wished I had read, but glad that I get to share them with my own kids. Keep up the good work. I am a book lover and so glad I found you!
Your podcasts are such a treasure. I’ve been telling everyone I know about them, and I’ll be so sad when I’ve caught on up on the archives. Then I’ll have to actually wait for them to come out! I feel I can glean the tips and tricks from a conversation better than from a list of them. I think you are such a strong interviewer (great questions, very personable and approachable yet still very professional, great guest picks) that those are definitely my favorite!
I really liked your post today. It was packed full of great information and some great tips on reading aloud to children. I like that you did this one yourself and think you should continue to intersperse them with the interviews.
Love your Podcasts – keep on making them!
Thank you, Kathy- that’s such an encouragement to me! :)
I love listening to your podcasts and I really enjoyed this one with just you talking as well. You are a great encouragement to me and I appreciate the time you put into sharing advice and encouraging words.
Oh I apologize for troubling you, you are probably right… I will take a look if that is the problem- thanks Sarah :-)
Hi Sarah,
Will the snow notes from Episode 21-25 also include the books that were mentioned in the podcasts… I love this section of your show notes :-)
Yep… they’re there already! :) Perhaps you have an ad blocker enabled? For some reason, ad blockers don’t like the Amazon images we use for the show notes!
You asked if this format was helpful (you doing the show solo and giving tips), and the answer is YES! You may have written about this before, but I rarely get a chance to read blog posts. On the other hand, I listen to podcasts all the time (while I cook, clean, walk, drive – you name it). Please, please keep them coming!
I really enjoyed this and the Q and A you did a while ago. I am a mom to 8 and 7 year old boys and 4 and 1 year old girls. They are in public school and we are starting our read aloud tradition just now. I just had the Little House experience with my 4 year old. I thought she would love it but we didn’t get past the first two chapters. Now I know why. We are reading the Boxcar Children now with all the kids and they love it. I really appreciate the new suggestions and booklist suggestions.
This was great! My eldest is 4 years old, and our novel-reading has been really hit and miss so far (we had the same experience with Little House in the Big Woods as you, Sarah). I would love to hear more of your tips and tricks. Thanks!
I really enjoy the tips and tricks episodes for two reasons. 1. They are shorter than your interviews (although I love the interviews) so I can usually listen to an entire episode during my commute. The second reason is I am always inspired to go do something after listening to a tips and tricks podcast.
Either way I LOVE LOVE LOVE this podcast. I’m a librarian but I’m also a mom to two young girls and this podcast is really helping me create our family culture around books!
Do as many of these as you want! I’ll listen every week!
Sarah, I loved this episode! Although we’ve been reading chapter books aloud for a few years now, I find that my youngest doesn’t love to join in. I think it’s just too long for him! I need to remember to find shorter books for him and not to leave out picture books.
And my middle child always interrupts with questions about the story which annoys me and makes me feel like she’s not paying attention well enough to follow what is going on. But it occurred to me during this podcast that she just can’t make the pictures in her head like my oldest can.
I hope this realization will cause me to be more patient with her – and even choose more appropriate books. I tend to choose books that are more suited for my oldest. I’d love to hear more episodes from just you!
This was a fantastic podcast, Sarah. Loved it. So helpful winsome, and clear. To answer your question from the pod, I absolutely think that, as good as the interviews are, this is better. I would vote for more from Sarah, whenever possible.
This was one of the best episodes so far. Way to go!
The House at Pooh Corner was a transition favorite around here!
I loved reading this to myself, but I find this one hard to read aloud!
I really liked this format and will listen happily everytime, with or without an interview. It feels like a friend putting into words my deep love for children’s literature.
Sarah, I thought that was great! Tips and tricks are greatly appreciated, especially as you’ve gone through one round already with the little ones and have so much experience to share!
Very helpful!
Sarah
I’d love to hear more episodes with just you! My husband says that a random homeschool mom with experience is just as, if not more, qualified to talk on schooling (or in your case, reading aloud) issues as a professional would be. Don’t discredit yourself!
This was awesome! Yes, please! -I would love more tips and tricks! I feel very encouraged today, by this delightful podcast. I learned a lot. Thank you so much. :-)
I’m off to start my Read-Aloud Revival Membership!!
Loved this episode and thank you for the tips. I would love to hear more tips.
Well, despite the fact that I *almost* unsubscribe every time you say you didn’t like Little House in the Big Woods, I’m still listening ;)
Our family are kind of read-aloud pros, I guess, so this episode was a bit basic for me. However, I always find your podcast encouraging even if I can’t point to a concrete takeaway so I don’t mind if you take a break from interviews once in awhile to address FAQs from the community.
Also, we must have different editions of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle because those are the longest chapters I’ve ever seen and I always avoid it for that reason (or try to avoid it, I should say, since my kids love it).
I love this episode, Sarah. So so helpful. Filled up my library basket!
This podcast is PERFECT. TIMING. for us. An answer to a little uttered prayer! Lol
To give you feedback…I enjoyed listening to the podcast. How could I not, I love listening to you talk about reading aloud in any context? However, to be honest (and I may be in the minority on this one), I think I do prefer interview formats. Have you thought about doing more Q & A podcasts with Allison Burr? I really liked that one, and it would still be a bit of a break from a more “formal” interview with a new guest. I think this is just a bit of a personal preference for me — I generally prefer podcasts with folks in conversation instead of one speaker. However, with that said….record what you want to record, and I will happily listen any day :).
I would second this, actually. The interview format is easier listening for me. I tend to do podcasts while doing housework and audiobooks in the car or on walks for this reason. Just having someone (like Allison) interview you when you have an episode like this you want to do would be great.
I really enjoyed this episode of the RAR podcast. Great tips! I’m new to this community, and I am so loving feeling surround by like-minded folks who love books and reading as much as I do. I’ve already got a couple friends listening too. Thank you for all you do!
I enjoyed this tips & tricks podcast! Sarah, you are always so full of joy and energy that I would gladly listen to “just you” any day. Keep up the great work!
I most enjoy reading chapter books to my little kids at bedtime. If we read picture books, I find myself with a bottomless stack (“Please! Just one more? Just this last one before bed?”), but with chapter books it is easier to draw the line– just one chapter, generally. There is a certain appeal…
The tip I have given others who have asked me about transitioning to chapter books is to try out some longer picture books first, ones with multiple paragraphs on each page, like Robert McCloskey’s Time of Wonder or Patricia Polacco’s Thundercakes. Episodic chapter books like Winnie-the-Pooh can also be good for kids who aren’t ready for a continuous narrative yet.
I’d love to hear more podcasts with tips and tricks. I have a three-year-old right now, and I’ve been wondering how to transition from picture books to chapter books, so this episode was perfect for me. I think my son might be a bit young for the transition right now, but I’ll definitely be looking into some of these books over the next year or so in preparation. More please, just like this!
Sarah, you always make me smile. Just listening to you. That said, I like the interviews AND You! :)
I really enjoyed this tips and tricks episode! I’d love to hear more episodes of your advice, Sarah!
It’s funny how different books work well for different people. Among the first read aloud novels I did with my daughter (at age 4-5) was the whole Little House series! I hadn’t enjoyed them as a child, but we both loved them together (and the snuggle time while her brother was napping). She is now an insatiable reader! I feel like I need to read them aloud again now that my third is five (and I still have a little that naps!). :)
I have to disagree about Mrs. Piggle Wiggle! It’s a super fun book and we loved it, but the chapters were extra long!!! The chapters were too long for us to read in one sitting so I had to break them up (sometimes awkwardly). It wasn’t a good choice for my younger son who has had a harder time transitioning to chapter books/novels. Our favorites for transitioning were Charlotte’s Web and the My Father’s Dragon trilogy. I do like your tips & tricks, Sarah – keep ’em coming!
I second this opinion of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. My kids loved it! BUT… the chapters are agonizingly long if you are reading before bed, as I was. My kids are kind of a pain if I stop in the middle of a chapter, so I generally pressed on. Some of the chapters are up to 30 pages long, no kidding.
You asked if we liked this format, these extra podcasts with just you. ABSOLUTELY!! You could post a new podcast each day and I would listen! Its like hearing a friend talk about a beloved subject, reading aloud. I like these extra but specific podcasts that help with a certain challenge or topic. Thanks!!!
I loved this episode, and I’d love to see this type of episode sprinkled in among the interviews. I listen for the interviews, but I also listen because you’re a well-spoken, thoughtful host, and I love to hear your experiences and tips!
I loved hearing you talk about tips and tricks. You have such a pleasant demeanor and the music is so cheerful. I would listen to more episodes like this. As a matter of fact I have a suggestion. I would like more info and resources on some non-fiction reading. I recently read a book about Bach to my kids as we studied his music. We did something similar with the artist Joseph Turner. Its a great way to use those short bursts of time or still get some reading aloud in during the days or weeks that you might be in between chapter books or novels.