Chapter Books For Children That Parents Will Want To Read, Too!

If you're an involved parent and you've established a good bedtime routine with your child, chances are you've incorporated reading time as part of that routine. For many parents, their fondest memories of raising their children is putting them to bed at night and snuggling in for a little bedtime story before the lights go out. Sweet little stories like Good Night, Moon , If You Give A Mouse A Cookie , Mama, Do You Love Me?, and other bedtime classics stay on the shelves long after the rest of the books have been given away or handed down to someone else. Many parents read them so many times, they committed them to memory "...in the great, green room, there was a telephone and a red balloon..."

But what happens when your bouncing bundle of joy becomes too old for those precious stories and wants to start reading "chapter books?" Suddenly, reading at bedtime becomes a chore or falls by the wayside, simply because many of the chapter book series for the young reader are not too interesting for parents to read with their children. And what happens when your child reaches the "tween" years and you feel like you're starting to lose that connection that you had when they were younger when bedtime stories were the norm?

The first rule is, no matter how tired you are, no matter how torturous it may seem to you, don't stop reading with your child. Some parents get particularly frustrated at bedtime when their child wants to read to them, because that plodding word after word tedium is enough to bring a patient person to their knees! As horrible as it may seem if you're a little lacking in the patience department, don't discourage your child from reading to you. If you find yourself losing patience, let them read a paragraph and then you read a paragraph. And believe it or not, there are some young reader chapter books that will have you laughing along with your child. The Junie B. Jones series, about a little girl that's not exactly the picture of sweetness and light, begins when Junie is in kindergarten and then moves "speedy quick" through her year in first grade. The catch phrases are hilarious and parents will find themselves including them unwittingly in daily conversation with co-workers and probably getting some strange looks in return!

Nate The Great is a series that packs alot of fun for young readers and their parents. Nate is an amateur detective who along with his dog, Sludge, solves a series of goofy mysteries including finding a missing pillowcase, his mother's Monster Cookie recipe, and other harmlessly silly and non-scary adventures. He also has his own section on the Random House website with lots of activities to extend your child's fun with Nate.

The Flat Stanley series is another easy to read collection and if you've never done the Flat Stanley exchange program as a school project, you've missed out on some serious fun. There is a template for Flat Stanley that parents can download for their child. Kids can then decorate Flat Stanley anyway they want, add hair, facial features, clothing, etc. Then the real fun begins! Flat Stanley needs to go traveling! Mail Flat Stanley to a willing family member or friend and have them document in journal and pictures his adventures in his new location. Stanley then gets returned to your child with the journal and pictures. The creativity of people you wouldn't necessarily think of as "kid people" is awesome and can be educational for you and your child depending on where Stanley ends up! Flat Stanley now has advanced to the computer age and even has his own Facebook page and downloadable app.

* Magic Tree House - Mary Pope Osborne

* Little House- Laura Ingalls Wilder

* Captain Underpants- Dav Pilkey

* Amelia Bedelia - Peggy & Herman Parish'Nate The Great- Marjorie Sharmat

* Goosebumps - R. L. Stine

* Junie B. Jones- Barbara Park

* Fudge- Judy Blume

* Harry Potter- J.K. Rowling

* The 39 Clues- Rick Riordan

* The Spiderwick Chronlcles- Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

What happens when your child has learned to read well independently and really doesn't need you to read with them anymore? Well, after you finish scratching your head in bewilderment over where the time went, don't give up that precious time together. Sharing books can still be a great experience for you and your child, you'll just have to change your strategies. Choosing a book series the two of you can read independently and then discuss at bed time is one way to let your child know that you are interested in what they're doing and truth be told, some of those series are downright addictive. The Harry Potter and Twilight series come to mind as ones that many parents and their children can't put down and can spark all kinds of discussion about good vs. evil, fantasy vs. reality, and yes, even the dreaded romantic relationships. A note to those who find the two series less than palatable and not appropriate from what you've heard...give them a read first before you pass judgement if you have any reservations. You may be surprised at the moral lessons that are clearly apparent in both of these series.

Lots of parents ask when it's no longer appropriate to read with your child. Try never. That's right, never! Sharing a good piece of literature can turn into a family affair as your children get older. You can branch out to Shakespeare, Animal Farm, To Kill A Mockingbird, and all the other classics. Try having older ones read to the younger ones. Turn it into a sort of bedtime book club. Make it a bedtime routine that everyone piles in the bed to read a familiar story and tells one high point of their day before they go off to their respective beds. You'll be making memories..I promise...and not just for yourself.