Finding Leveled Books for Your Child
Finding books on the correct reading level for your child can be tricky. There are many different leveling systems out there including Book Adventure, DRA, and lexiles. Each system levels books differently, and no system levels all books. When trying to choose a book that will challenge your child without frustrating her, use the five fingers rule. Open the book to a random page and have her start reading. Each time she comes across a word she doesn’t know, have her put up a finger. If all five fingers are up before she finishes reading the page, the book is too hard.
Resources at the Daniel Boone Regional Library:
Beginning to Read Stickers
Publishers frequently level their beginning to read books. We mark these books with a “Beginning to Read” sticker on the spine. They are also cataloged as beginning to read. You can browse the beginning to read shelves or search the online catalog. To locate a beginning to read book in the catalog, select “Advanced Search,” and then select “Beginning to Read” from the “collection” pull down menu. Once you have found a leveled beginning to read book that matches your child’s ability, you can find more books on the same level by conducting a series search.
Books for Parents on Teaching Reading
Find books on teaching reading by searching the computer catalog under the subject “reading parent participation.”
Use EbscoHost databases to find magazine, newspaper, encyclopedia, and reference articles that are leveled by lexile. Leveled databases we subscribe to include Searchasaurus, Kid’s Search, and Student Resource Center.
If you are using a leveled book program and are unable to find specific books in our library system, we can help you request these books from another library. For a fifty cent fee, Interlibrary Loan will search for copies of requested materials across the state and farther.
- Scholastic Parents Guide to Understanding Leveled Reading
- This article explains many frequently asked questions about reading levels.
- Goldilocks Rules
- Simple rules of thumb for finding a book that’s “just right.”
- Harcourt Reading Levels Chart
- This chart compares the levels of several popular systems.
- Lexile Framework for Reading ™
- This database lists books according to lexiles, one of the popular methods of leveling books.
- This popular online book store frequently lists reading level under product details.