Helping Your Child Choose a Book | Comment choisir un livre

To become a better reader, a child needs to read every day. Asking your child questions will determine if a book is easy, just right or too hard.

Easy

Reading easy books is fun and builds your child’s confidence as a reader. If your child answers yes to these questions, the book is probably easy.

  • Have you read it many times before?
  • Does the story make sense to you?
  • Do you know and understand almost every word?
  • Does your reading sound smooth (like talking)?

Just Right

Reading just right books gives your child the opportunity to practise using different reading strategies.

If your child answers yes to these questions, the book is probably just right.

  • Is this book new to you?
  • Do you understand what you have read so far?
  • Are there just 2 or 3 words on each page you don’t know?
  • Are some places in your reading smooth and other parts a bit choppy?
  • Do you know what is happening in the story or what you are learning?

Too Hard

Reading a book that is too hard can be frustrating and makes it difficult for your child to understand what
he/she is reading.

If your child answers yes to these questions, encourage your child to try this book later or read this book
to your child.

  • Are there 4 or 5 words on a page you don’t know?
  • Are you confused about what is happening in most of the book?
  • Does your reading sound choppy?

The Five Finger Rule | Règle des 5 doigts

When your child is able to read books with several sentences on a page, encourage him/her to use the Five Finger Rule.

  • Choose a page in the middle of the book. | Choisis une page au milieu du livre.
  • Begin reading. | Commences à lire.
  • Put up one finger each time you stumble over a word or come to a word you do not know. | Lèves un doigt à chaque fois que tu ne peux pas lire un mot.
  • Stop reading at the end of the page. | Arrètes de lire à la fin de la page.

If you have 0 to 3 fingers up, go ahead and read the book.
If you have 4 to 5 fingers up, the book is too hard.