Level 1
For children who are ready to take their first steps in reading.
Special features
- Thorough practice of high-frequency words vital for reading
- Short, easy sentences
- Careful match between the story and the pictures
Ideas
- Read the story to your child, talking about the pictures
- Talk together about what you think will happen next. It’s even more fun when your child knows what is coming
- Read the story together, like a song
- Enjoy your child telling you the story. She can try to read the sentences to you when she feels ready. Help her with any words she does not know by sounding parts of them out (especially the first letter).
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Make up little quizzes about the story, and she can ask you questions, too!
Example questions
- How many bears were there?
- What did Goldilocks think of the three chairs?
- Whose bed did Goldilocks choose?
- What did Baby Bear say about his porridge?
- What did Baby Bear say about his chair?
- What did Goldilocks say when the bears found her?
Level 2
For beginner readers who can read short, simple sentences with help.
Special features
- Simple vocabulary
- Regular repetition of main words and phrases to encourage fluency
- Simple-to-read sentences
- A careful match between the story and the picture
Ideas
- It’s great to look through the book and talk about the pictures to begin with. Has your child heard this story before? What can he remember?
- Show your child that you enjoy him reading to you
- Help him with any words he does not know by helping him to sound them out
- Continue to make up quizzes, (just like Level 1), and encourage your child to ask you questions, too. This could be a great whole family activity!
Play how sharp eyed are you?
- What colour was the gingerbread man’s nose?
- What food does Country Mouse eat?
Level 3
For more confident readers who can read simple stories with help.
Special features
- Wider vocabulary, thoroughly repeated
- Stories simply told
- Longer sentences, with straightforward construction to encourage confidence and fluency
- Vibrant pictures with details to extend context and meaning
Ideas
- How would your child like to approach reading at this stage? Would he prefer to hear you reading the story first, or would he like to read the story to you and see how he gets on?
- Show your child that you enjoy him reading to you
- Enjoy talking about the pictures and looking at the details together
- Help him to sound out words he does not know
- Talk together about things you have learned from the stories – how shoes are made, what beans grow into...
Level 4
Longer stories for more independent, fluent readers or children who are starting to read alone.
Special features
- Rich language, thoroughly repeated to boost fluency and confidence
- Full stories, told in an exciting, straightforward way
- Detailed illustrations to capture the imagination
- Ideal stories to develop further reading stamina - and for bedtime stories
Ideas
- Respect your child’s preference for reading aloud to you, or for progressing to silent, independent reading. She may still enjoy reading the story with you, and talking about the pictures
- Encourage her to work out new words by sounding them out, and to come to you for help whenever she likes
