How to Choose "Just Right" Books for Your Kids

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We swim in a never-ending sea of books. How do you determine what books to offer to your child to read?

Is this book too easy?

Is this book too hard?

Is he interested in the topic or subject of this book?

Whew! It can make a parent's head spin in confusion.

Jonathan was an early reader. He started reading at 3.5 years old and quickly advanced from there. It has been difficult for me to determine his reading level and feed him a diet of books at an appropriate level. Now, Jacob is 3 years old and showing signs of reading readiness. How do I pick the “just right” books for each of these children?

How to Choose “Just Right” Books

Becky Spence has a new resource to help us. In case you're not familiar with Becky, she's a homeschooling mama and a blogger. Her site This Reading Mama is one of the best resources out there for early learning and literacy. She has tons of free printables that you'll want to check out. Her new ebook is called How to Choose “Just Right” Books. She graciously provided me with a copy so I could tell you more about this resource.

Choosing books for your kids is kind of like Goldilocks in the three bears' house. As Becky explains, Goldilocks find things in the house that are too hard, too soft (or easy), and things that are “just right.” Books for your children can be described in the same way. But what is a “just right” book for your child? Becky describes it this way:

“Just right” books are books that readers can both read AND comprehend.

You can't separate reading from comprehension. Don't forget that. These “just right” books are books that a child needs just a little bit of help with reading and understanding. “Just right” could also be called the instructional level. These books are not so hard that your child is frustrated but not so easy that they can read them completely independent of a parent. It is very important that kids regularly read at this “just right” level. This instructional level helps grow your reader.

Determining Your Child's Reading Level

How do you figure out the “just right” reading level of your child? It sounds complicated, but Becky lays out instructions for how to have your child read aloud for you to test their reading and their comprehension. She gives simple formulas for scoring the test and finding your child's instructional reading level.

I love how Becky has made this simple for the average parent. You don't have to have an M.Ed. in Elementary Reading like Becky to teach your kids to read or support them as they grow in reading. Now that I'm armed with how to find my boys' reading levels and information for determining the reading level of books, finding books that are “just right” for them isn't so scary!