Give them the 'big book' confidence

When your kid wants to read longer books but is not yet ready for them, it is the perfect time to introduce them to the world of chapter books.

Mini's Questions

There’s a category of books that children love, but many grownups don’t know about them. Chapter books.“Chapter books” is a somewhat misleading term. You would think that any book with chapters is a chapter book.

However, the term is used to describe books for newly independent readers, typically in the 5-9 age range. These books have longer, slightly more complex plots than picture books, but are still simple enough to hold the attention of the youngest readers. They also have a lot of illustrations — most often black-and-white sketches. Chapter books are a bridge between picture books and bigger books.

Children thrive on chapter books. The main reason is that sense of pride and achievement they get when reading them — that they’re reading a “big book”! It gives them the confidence that they can read a book with actual chapters all by themselves.

Chapter books are different enough from picture books to feel new and exciting. Yet, it has all those elements that they find comforting. Large fonts, lots of illustrations, easy vocabulary, simple stories, and populated with children as old as they are.

The best time to introduce these books to children is when they’re raring to read longer books; when they can sit for longer periods with a book.

After all, chapter books demand their attention for a longer time. Unlike smaller books, which can be completed in a short time, they’ll not be able to finish reading chapter books in one day. So the child needs to be able to remember what happened and come back to the story the next day.

Also, there will always be kids who are ready for longer stories, but not ready to read them on their own yet. Chapter books are perfect for these situations — the grownup can read aloud to the child.

Though there are several standalone chapter books, chapter books often come in series. For example, the Magic Tree House series, Owl Diaries, Ivy + Bean, Zoey and Sassafras, Dragon Masters, Junie B Jones, and several others.

Closer home, there are a number of Indian chapter book series. The Duckbill hOle book series is very popular with kids. Written by different authors on various topics, they feature Indian children in highly relatable Indian situations. I’m fortunate to have written two hOle books. The latest one is Malhar in the Middle about a little tabla player who wants to sit in the centre of the stage.

There are other chapter book series by beloved Indian authors — the Super Zero series by Jane de Suza, the Lucky series by Nalini Sorensen, the Mini series by Nandini Nayar, the Mooli series by Asha Nehemiah, the Nimmi series by Shabnam Minwalla, Butterfingers by Khyrunnisa A, and many others, guaranteed to keep the child reading on and on.

The chapter books phase usually ends quickly. Children move on to bigger books, but not before they turn into lifelong readers thanks to the magical appeal of chapter books.

The author has written 14 books for children and can be reached at www.shruthi-rao.com

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