Now I'm Reading!: Let's Play! - Volume 2

We've used the Bob books, Diego phonics, Curious George phonics and by far this is the best "set" of books for my 4 year old boy. Each book focuses on a different phrase, so the repetition of certain words builds confidence. The stickers have been a great reward system, for us. Generally I am selective about when using rewards - I'd prefer my son learn to read simply for the enjoyment of reading, and not for the sticker - but I have to say that stickers work! I volunteer for 1st & 2nd graders who are "behind" their classmates (something I really don't agree with in our public schools) and stickers motivate them to read, even at that age. It also becomes a quick way for them to see how many books they've read. I commend the teacher who started this set, and hope more educators are able to put their real-life expertise out for parents like me!

We tried the BOB books in addition to tons of other early reading books and we were always disappointed! They were too hard or easy and not progressive. The stories were boring. We started this series of Books while my daughter was in Kindergarten. She loved them!!! Earning a sticker every time she correctly read a story was a HUGE incentive because after 3 stickers she moved on to the next story! The repetition was incredibly helpful with word recognition and the comprehension questions are a great tool that we now do with every story we read! We read this series all summer long and now my daughter is in an advanced reading group in first grade! I recommend them to anyone who has a child with a basic sight word list.

I recommend this book to anyone with a child ready to read. It is a step by step phonics based system. Other books I've looked at have black and white pictures or boring stories. The colorful pictures add to the story and I often hear my son laughing while he reads even the simplest books. I have both sets that are in Level One, and both sets for Level two. I'm sure I will be purchasing Level Three.

I love these book sets from the Now I'm Reading series. There is a parent guide included and a set of stickers so that when your child finishes a book she can put a sticker in it. There are several stickers for each book so it encourages reading and re-reading the books which is an important key to learning. My daughter loves the whimsical and colorful illustrations and she is very motivated to read from her experiences with these books. This set says it is "pre-reader" but I'm not sure what that means. It is very appropriate for a beginning reader and is challenging enough for kindergarten or grade 1 level reading.

Nora Gaydos produces great tools for making learning fun and enticing. She's done it again with these child-sized science books (about 5"x5"). The ten paperback books come in a slipcover (not the CD storage-like book that her "Now I'm Reading" series comes in) and offer the following topics (quoted from the parent's guide):Blast Off!: Covers the heavenly bodies that make up space, including the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars; Bones: Discusses your skeleton and why bones are important to you; Lots of Rocks: Talks about the variety of rocks around us and how we use them; All Wet: Tells how water comes in different forms and discusses water conservation; Week of Wild Weather: Covers the different types of weather conditions; Our Planet: Discusses the topography of our planet Earth; The Changing Caterpillar: Shows the life cycle of a butterfly; Watch It Grow: Shows parts of a plant and how plants grow; and What Are You? Covers the basic classification of animals. There is also a Parent Guide which gives an overview of the materials and discusses how to use the books, and includes 40 reading incentive stickers.At the back of each book there is a science experiment to do together with your child to illustrate the lesson. Instructions are very easy & they utilize items commonly found in most households. There are also small sections at the back which highlight some basic facts of the lesson, and some questions which focus on reading comprehension.The books were written as independent readers, but are completely appropriate for curious toddlers who like to be read to as well. The recommended ages printed on the box says 4-7. I like the books because they are short (11 pages of story) yet they convey concepts in an interesting and not too simplistic way (a tough feat for 11 pages with 1-3 short sentences per page). These are great tools for home and school. My 3.5 year old thinks they are great fun and asks to do the experiments again & again. The books definitely provide entertaining learning and are well worth the price. They can also be a great way of spending quality time together with your child.