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Just wondering how and how long you would structure reading with my oldest son (4 1/2). A few weeks ago he gave all of his early readers and picture books to his younger brothers (2 and 8 months) and deemed them "baby books". He has always had a huge love for books and so this new trend is somewhat sad for me, and I am secretly hoping he will change his mind. This all came about when he discovered the Magic Tree House books and fell in love with Jack and Annie (and being able to read "big kid" books by himself).

IMHO only!
- If he enjoys reading them, he understands enough. (And if he doesn't, so what?)
- If both of you enjoy him reading aloud to you, go for it. If not, why make an otherwise-enjoyable experience a chore?
- If both of you enjoy you reading aloud to him, go for it. If not, why make an otherwise-enjoyable experience a chore?

I personally hate reading aloud, and don't enjoy being read to, so I was glad when my DD preferred reading her own books to her own self.

MTH roughly increase in difficulty and length as you go, so that's a consideration if the lower-numbered books are at the edge of his comfort zone. IME, there is not a significant difference in difficulty between books within half a grade level of each other.

The older ones tend to come in sets (so 3-4 books go together to make up one extended adventure), but it's more "Book 2 recaps some of the plot of Book 1," and not at all "Book 2 is unenjoyable for those who haven't read Book 1."

"My kid wants to read them in order," IMHO, is an excellent reason to read them in order.

Put me down in the "Let your child be your guide" camp, too. I'd say that if he has already demonstrated his ability to read and understand the material, then there's no need to make him keep demonstrating it every day. Even if they're a bit above his reading level, he'll end up learning over time, because he'll begin to grasp the meaning of words through context. And more importantly, this is reading for pleasure, so it's not like he has to pass a comprehension quiz at the end.

So, as long as he's enjoying himself, have at it.

DD6 asked to explore the adult section at the public library, and so we took a trip this weekend. First she wanted to pick out a book about space, so after I showed her how to look things up in the computer and find the right section, she picked out a book that was WAY over her head. I intervened at that point, picked out another whose cover promised to explain the universe in plain terms, and had her read the first couple of paragraphs to me. She mangled a few words, but did reasonably well, and the only thing I said was, "How do you feel about that?" She felt good about it, so we checked it out.

I'm not sure how it's going to go, but I figure it'll go one of two ways, because few things are ever middle ground with this kid. She'll come to us crying and/or calling herself stupid for not being able to understand it, at which point we'll give her a big hug, remind her she's only 6, how far ahead of her peers she is, and that there are adults who wouldn't be able to understand that book, either, and she'll get there in time, so be patient. Or, she'll race through it, and we'll have a hard time slowing her down at the next trip to the library.

Either way, it'll be good for her.

Despite her feelings of readiness for adult-level books, I still read to her every night, for no other reason than because she loves it. I enjoy it, too, but I'm pretty good with the voices. I'm particularly proud of my Professor McGonagall these days.

oh I wish we had met MTH when DD was only 4.5...she didn't meet them until later, in kinder. By the end of the school year, she could read one in 40 minutes! I refused to buy anymore, but allowed her to get all she wanted at the library.

Personally, I say, let them read...and that's about it. As long as you know he is actually reading, I don't think it matters too much whether it's out loud or not. Many times, I feel the school wants that to slow the "skimmers" and encourage them to really comprehend, but you can save that for later, when school will "make" your child do it.

My girls choose a non fiction (but still juvinille) book along with the fun reading and picture books. DD4.5 doesn't read independently yet, so I read that aloud to her, DD8 reads her own then gives me an oral report...you could expand whatever time period of MTH he is reading with a low level nonfiction book (DK has some great ones for time periods) that you read together, exploring the historical facts behind that wonderful MTH fiction

I think the important thing is that she arrived at this on her own initiative. So if you're thinking maybe one of yours might be ready to make this leap, I'd be sneaky about it... maybe just have them follow you to the adult section so you can pick something out for yourself, just so they notice that there's this whole other world of books over here, and then let them go from there.

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed telling it.

There are also the MTH "Research Guides" that are non-fiction companions to the stories.

I read all the books to DS before he was independently reading and we loved them. Such a great way to introduce different historical and other non-fiction topics that we could explore further. I remember we read the one where they meet Louis Armstrong in New Orleans and I went online and found some recordings of his music to listen to.

Even now that he has graduated to higher level books, we still look forward to the new books coming out.

One thing you might want to encourage at this point is to have your older DS read to your younger DSs occasionally. That way he can be the "big kid" yet you can still spot check his reading fluency. This is what worked for our family.

I think the occasional check of fluency is important. With my DD 13 when she entered school I think she got docked in reading level because she could not read out loud well. She also has some dyslexic like tendencies so she replaces words. She always had great comprehension. I wish I had made her read out loud to me sooner than I did, even if it had only been one page a day.