“It is not enough to simply teach children to read;
we have to give them something worth reading.”
- Katherine Patterson
Ah, the new year! Presents have been opened, Santa (and our store owners) finally get some time to relax, and we all tell ourselves that this is the year we will actually stick to our resolutions. While committing to a liquid diet or recording your expenditures in an ultra-lame budget spreadsheet may quickly become a thing of the past, resolving to read regularly with your children is one resolution that can really endure for the long term—especially if you find the right series of books to get stuck into.
Back in the day, my younger sister and I were completely obsessed with Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little
House on the Prairie books. The series boasted an impressive nine full-length novels, all of which constituted our bedtime reading for a good three or four years. Despite knowing every plotline (and many of the actual lines) by heart, we steadfastly refused any other bedtime stories—and even forced our mother to fire the beastly babysitter who insisted on skipping the “boring bits”. So rude…and hello there was NEVER a dull moment on the prairie.
Desperate to wean us off the series, Dad brought us home his own very favorite childhood book: Lassie Come Home. The story of one collie’s trek over many miles to be reunited with the boy she loves proved nowhere near as interesting as the adventures of the Ingalls girls—and the book was quickly discarded to the back of the book shelf to gather dust. However, he was not a man to be thwarted by a couple of seven year olds.
Come bedtime, Danny B. took to including his favorite dog Lassie in the Little House books. “Mary and Laura clung tight to their rag dolls and did not say anything,” he would read, before adding, “And then LASSIE jumped into the covered wagon and stole their rag dolls and ran off into the woods with them!” We screamed and cried in protest, but night after night Dad would incorporate Lassie in all of the Ingalls’ family exploits. He was there when poor Mary went blind, there on Laura’s first day of school, there when the family’s crops were attacked by a swarm of killer grasshoppers….as you can imagine, storytime became utterly infuriating. Eventually, we became so sick of Lassie that we agreed to choose another series entirely as long as Lassie never EVER showed up again during our bedtime reading sessions. Dad kept mostly to his word, though the vile creature did make an occasional appearance in Mary’s secret garden and at Anne’s beloved Green Gables.
I share this story with you today because I think it highlights the way in which a truly great series can instill and nurture a love of reading in your children. Maya Angelou once wrote, “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” I think a series, often more than a book that stands alone, makes reading one of those enduring needs. Characters grow and develop over a prolonged period, and children have the chance to return again and again to the fictional place they’ve come to love. Today I’ve compiled ten great series (for a variety of ages) that I believe are very much worth sharing and reading with your children.
Series We Love
Llama Llama by Anna Dewdney
Ages 3 and Up
This infectiously fun rhyming read-aloud series follows Baby Llama through the trials and tribulations of bedtime, grocery shopping, and the first day of school. “Llama, Llama red pajama waiting, waiting for his mama. Mama isn’t coming yet. Baby Llama starts to fret!”
The Berenstain Bears by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Ages 4 and Up
A classic essential for any child’s bookshelf –Brother Bear and Sister Bear have lots of lessons to teach little ones!
The Brown Bear Series by Bill Martin Jr.
Ages 4 and Up
Beautiful, colorful collages set off this delightful series featuring Brown Bear, Polar Bear and Panda Bear and everything they see and hear.
Junie B Jones by Barbara Park
Ages 6 and Up
Super sassy Junie B. Jones is one hilarious five-year-old. Her adventures in kindergarten will have you and your little ones in stitches and are sure to make young kids crave their daily dose of reading.
Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Ages 7 and Up
This beloved series tells the story of four orphaned children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden—who create a home for themselves in an abandoned boxcar in the forest. A real treat!
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Ages 8 and Up
Need I say more? Every child should get to know the Ingalls family! The prairie is rife with adventure and the series is sure to become a bedtime favorite.
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Ages 9 and Up
First published in 1908, this series tells of the orphaned Anne Shirley and her adventures on Prince Edward Island. Anne’s spunk, imagination, and talent for troublemaking will quickly endear her to young readers.
Harry Potter
Ages 9 and Up
An obvious choice for literary-loving muggles of all ages—how could Harry Potter NOT make this list? We absolutely adore this wizarding series.
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Ages 10 and Up
“In our imaginations we can go anywhere. Travel with me to Redwall in Mossflower country.” In this enduringly popular series, author Brian Jacques creates a world where animals can speak and adventure is always on the horizon.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Ages 12 and Up
At the moment, The Hunger Games is just about the hottest series around. The trilogy chronicles Panem nation’s annual Hunger Games, in which twenty four children are selected to fight to the death in a brutal televised battle; all but one will perish. Readers will root for Katniss Everdeen as she fights, against all odds, for her life.
I very much hope you and your family will try out a few of these series—and should you ever find yourself able to recite entire chapters of Little House in the Big Woods in your sleep, just remember there’s always the “Last Resort Lassie” trick at your disposal. It works like a charm, and I’m sure the Ingalls girls would be delighted to be reunited with that horrible, horrible hound.
Be sure to look out for our next Spotlight on Reading post, where we'll be taking a look at the book-oriented events that our stores hold throughout the year!
Talk to you again soon!
