Classic Children’s Books
It was just an offhand remark.
About classic children’s books.
Someone heard it and repeated it.
And now several people have thanked me.
What happened was that I mentioned to some friends that I had encouraged one of my adult ESL students to read children’s books.
This student was insulted.
He was polite about it, but he felt that, as physician, children’s literature was beneath him.
At our next class session, however, he told me that he had picked up A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (AKA Daniel Handler).
And he loved it!
Many language students try to read books at the same level as their native language.
The problem is that if you have to keep stopping to look at a dictionary, you are disrupting the flow of your reading.
My suggestion is to read at a level where you don’t have to stop.
Read at a level where the context can help you understand all the words.
If your book is at a 5th grade level, keep reading more 5th grade books until it becomes easy.
Then move on to a 6th grade reading list.
And so on.
I have many friends from all over the world.
Several of them told me that, after hearing my story, they picked up some children’s books.
And their reading skills have improved.
See? It works!
My Favorite Children’s Books
Here’s a list of some of my favorite classic children’s books that you will enjoy whether you are an ESL student or not:
- A Series of Unfortunate Events
- The Lightening Thief Collection
- Black Beauty
- Island of the Blue Dolphins
- Charlotte’s Web
If you are struggling with reading comprehension, pick up some children’s books.
Read at a level where you don’t have to stop to look at a dictionary.
There is no shame in reading classic children’s books.
No matter your age, they are always a pleasure to read.
Liz Brenner
Everyone has a story to tell.
Even you.
Especially you.
Click to SUBSCRIBE so you’ll never miss an update! As an added bonus, you’ll receive a FREE GUIDE – Four Easy Steps To Editing Your Perfect Social Media Post. It’s a great resource to review before any post goes live.
