Finding an interesting selection of books to bridge the gap from when a child first begins to read until they are able to read with sufficient fluency can be difficult, especially if that time period is prolonged. I’ll be posting books that worked well for us at this stage, dividing them into different categories. Most of them work well for around the ages of 4 to 8 years. I read these aloud (many times over) to my non-readers but my children loved to read them on their own when they first started reading for themselves. The ‘Science I CAN READ’ books are well-illustrated and interesting, narrative non-fiction and there is a wide range available secondhand. These are some we used & liked:
Elephant Seal Island by Evelyn Shaw
A Nest of Wood Ducks by Evelyn Shaw
Red Tag Comes Back by Fred Phleger
Ants Are Fun by Mildred Myrick
Caterpillar Green by Marla Martin
This book is published by Rod & Staff Publishers and is unusual in that it is a chapter book of 139 pages of good sized print with words broken down into syllables. The story is about a classroom of children who follow the journey of a green caterpillar as it becomes a beautiful butterfly. The story is told in both prose and poetry and is helpful in developing reading fluency with words of multiple syllables in the context of an interesting aspect of the natural world.
The Microscope by Maxine Kumin
An illustrated poem about the Dutch scientist, Anton van Leeuwenhoek, who was more interested in looking through his handmade microscopes than in keeping his shop. He saw things with the microscope that no one had ever seen before.
Germs Make Me Sick by Melvin Berger
‘Germs all all around you, but they are too small for you to see. Many germs are harmless, but two kinds, viruses and bacteria, can make you sick. Read and find out about germs, how they make you sick, and how your body works to fight them off and keep you healthy.’
journey & destination 
I have read Germs Make Me sick many, many times. It always seems to be a favorite of my littles. I was pretty happy when two of mine could take over some of the rereadings. =) Our family has enjoyed the Millicent Selsam science I Can Read books, so I will have to check into some of the others you suggested.
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Thanks for all the great suggestions, Carol! We have many of the older hardback I can read books but none of the Science I can reads. My twins are in this stage as we speak!
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I only used Germs Make me Sick with my youngest but certainly got my money's worth by the amount of times I read it to her & then she read it herself later.
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You're welcome, Amanda. My littles also loved 'Little Chick' which wasn't an actual Science read but close enough to it. I haven't come across one I haven't liked yet.
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Carol, this is fantastic! I was just in a used book store the other day looking at the \”early\” readers and was discouraged about which/what to get and how to find a non-twaddlish one. THANK YOU! 😀
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Well, never one to do things halfway, I went to ebay yesterday after reading your post and bought a 29 book lot of the I can read books. It was a good price for that many, and I'm looking forward to reading them with my kiddos.
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Ah, and the books are…Benny's Animals and How He Put Them in OrderOctopusAlbert the AlbatrossPlenty of Fish – heavy edge wearMore Potatoes!Baltimore OriolesAlligatorWhen an Animal GrowsSeeds and More SeedsThe Strange Disappearance of Arthur CluckThe Several Tricks of Edgar DolphinEmmett's PigFish Out of School – heavy edge wearEgg to ChickThe Toad HuntProve It!A Nest of Wood DucksTerry and the CaterpillarsRed Tag Comes BackFirefliesAnts Are FunDolphinTony's BirdsThe Bug That Laid the Golden EggsLet's Get TurtlesElephant Seal IslandWoodchuckCatch a Whale by the TailHidden Animals
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(in case anyone is looking for more of them than the ones you posted)
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Ah, a woman after my own heart! I never do things by halves either! Thanks for sharing your stash.
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So pleased it's helpful to you, Amy. I'll be posting some good little titles on history also when I get some time to go through our pile.
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Carol you have the gift for finding lovely books. I have to restrain myself now my children are older those books look so very tempting!Arnold Lobel is always a great illustrator his name on the cover caught my eye.M
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Future grandchildren 🙂
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Thank you for the listing!
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I LOVE these types of books – I have the Ants, Woodchuck, Plenty of Fish etc.. but now I will keep an eye out for some of those other lovely titles. :o)
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I forgot to mention that I read Woodchuck every February when I want to do Groundhog day. ha ha ha :o) That's my go to book for that holiday.
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I love this list of books! Finding interesting science books for young readers can be difficult. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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Thanks for the recommendations! This is exactly the level my daughter is at right now.
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Love the I Can Read Science series, don;t have many but always searching.
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