Finding “Just Right” Books

A “Just Right” book is a book your kid can read on their own. They like it, and it also challenges them, such as offering new words or ideas to learn.

This Spiderman picture made me laugh. I suppose Spiderman deserves to find his Just Right book too ;)

These guidelines have helped me teaching students in public, private, and homeschool settings. I think about reading in terms of interest, tough words, and reading level.

Interest —

As much as possible, kids should enjoy their books. I believe a “Just Right” book is chosen by your child and keeps them turning the pages. Having several options during independent reading keeps things fresh. For example, each of my students had a book box they filled with five books they picked out from the classroom library. At least 1-2 books needed to be non-fiction (most students gravitated towards fiction) on any topic they liked. Graphic novels are also big these days, and more accessible for kids who don’t generally enjoy reading or struggle with it.

To find new, interesting books for your child, you might check out your local library, Scholastic’s website, or the Book Club for Kids podcast where kids talk about books.

Five Finger Rule for tricky words —

Thanks Lyndsey, for the helpful poster!

As a teacher, I noticed the “5 Finger Rule” worked for some students with some books. Counting words wasn’t too hard with chapter books like Magic Tree House or novels like Harry Potter. But sometimes picture books have many difficult words, but the pictures help with understanding. Some of my students were also motivated to put in the extra work with a dictionary in hand.

The question I’d come back to, is… can your child read through the book on their own, while making some mistakes, but still understand it?

So consider the “5 Finger Rule” as the “5 Finger Guidelines.” They don’t always help you find the right reading level but they’re a good starting point.

Reading level —

This is a traditional and helpful way to discover “Just Right” books. If you know your child’s reading level, you can direct them to books in that range (whether it’s a letter or number system, or simply by “grade level”). I believe every child should mostly be reading books in their reading level — books that can help them learn new words and ideas, while still being enjoyable and understandable. But that doesn’t mean taking the favorite worn-down books or challenging books off the shelves. What you want to avoid is a child always reading outside their level. It won’t help them become better life-long readers.

When you read together, take advantage of reading more challenging books with your child. Through you, they’ll encounter exciting stories they couldn’t on their own, and they’ll be ready more quickly for these kinds of books.

What are your child’s favorite “just right” books? Would love to hear!

On another note, chapter 2 of Blue is available to read now! You can read it for free here on Global Comix.

Chapter two of Blue, a mini-graphic fantasy adventure