Boys’ Education

Reading books are graded by difficulty into reading levels known as Book Bands. Each Band has its own colour. Children tend to read in fits and starts – periods of growth followed by periods of consolidation when their progress seems to halt for a while. The periods where you do not see rapid progress may be worrying, especially after a period of development, but they are important as your child develops confidence in using and applying their newly acquired skills. Below are some reading suggestions based on Book Band levels. Please select some of the titles from the appropriate level for your son. The following list is intended as a guide to a variety of titles and suitable authors and the different levels. Please encourage your children to read independently as well as with you, discussing the story, plot and possible endings. PINK LEVEL – first level with words. Cat on the mat books (Oxford University Press):

The cat sat on the mat All fall down Toot toot Island Gregory’s dog The arrow How many? Can you do this?

RED LEVEL- increased number of words, increase from 8 pages to 12 pages. Jessica Spanyol Carlo likes reading Jessica Spanyol Carlo likes colours Paul Dowling Beans on toast Jean Willis & Tony Ross Susan laughs Ernst Jandl Next please Steve Webb Tanka, tanka, skunk Leslie Wood A dog called mischief Jeff Mack Frog and fly Leslie Wood Bump, bump, bump Lucy Cousins Maisy goes camping and other titles Patricia Casey Quack, quack Barney Saltzberg Cornelius P Mud Series

HAWKESDOWN HOUSE SCHOOL

Reading lists

YELLOW LEVEL – stories moving away from familiar experiences, stories require some inferencing skills from the reader, e.g. humour. Dorling Kindersley readers Pre-level 1 John Butler Can you cuddle like a koala orchard Susan Rollings Best friends special friends Julia Donaldson & Anna Currey Rosie’s hat Bernard Lodge How scary Jessica Souhami In the dark, dark wood Clare Beaton There’s a cow in the cabbage patch barefoot Stella Blackstone & Debbie Harter Bear at home BLUE LEVEL – less dependent on picture clues, variation in sentence beginnings. Leslie Wood Tom and his tractor Brian Moses Beetle in the bathroom Pamela Allen The Bears’ lunch Peter Curry Nosy rosy Jez Alborough Fix it duck Helen Palmer & P.D. Eastman A fish out of water Jane Simmonds Come on daisy Harriet Zeifert & Richard Brown Nicky visits the fire station (puffins) Eric Carle Little cloud Helen Nicoll & Jan Pienkowski Meg, mog and og and other titles Penny Dolan & Nick Sharratt Mr pod and Mr piccalilli Stella Blackstone How loud is a lion Jessica Souhami The Famous adventure of a bird brained hen GREEN / ORANGE LEVEL– stories have a wider variety of characters and events that develop over a number of pages. Dorling Kindersley Readers Level 1 Jane Simmons Ebb and Flo and the Greedy Gulls and other titles Miriam Moss Wibble Wobble Pat Hutchins We’re going on a picnic John Burningham The Magic Bed Brian Paterson Zigby and the monster and other titles Peta Coplans Funny Fred Elisabeth Bell The Little Red Hen and the Ear of Wheat Sally Chambers Wilbie & Harry Martin Waddell Farmer Duck Sarah Mc Menemy Jack’s New Boat

TURQUOISE/ PURPLE LEVEL – increasing range of vocabulary / increased amount of print. Tony Ross The happy rag Tony Ross Big bad Barney Bear Ken Brown The scarecrow’s hat David Melling The kiss that missed Mick Inkpen Kipper’s monster Hilda Otton Scared of a bear Rose Impey & Sue Porter Our Class Miriam Moss & Delphine Durand Scritch scratch Alan Brown & Rimantas Rolia Hoot and holler Nick Ward Squash the spider Jan Fearnley Watch out Wilf GOLD/WHITE LEVEL – more sophisticated and challenging vocabulary. Children reading at this level are confident and independent readers who can tackle complex language, story structures and text layout. Dorling Kindersley Readers Level 2 Jan Fearnley Mr Wolf and the enormous turnip Hiawyn Oram & John Shelley King Smelly Feet Michael Foreman Norman’s Ark Stephanie Baudet & Debi Gliori The Incredible Shrinking Hippo Gervase Phinn Bad Becky Penny Ives Nina the Gobbledegoat Catherine Sefton and John Rogan The Day the Smells Went Wrong Jeremy Strong and Nick Sharratt Dumpling Dick King-Smith The Monster Muggs Wendy Smith Bubblegum Bother Margaret Stuart Barry and Paula Lawford Diz and the Big Fat Burglar Jenny Koralek and Doffy Weir Dad, Me and the Dinosaurs Dick King-Smith The Guard Dog Dick King-Smith The Queen's Nose Dick King-Smith The Fox Busters Dick King-Smith Dinosaur Trouble Dick King-Smith George Speaks LIME LEVEL AND CHAPTER BOOKS – larger chapters for sustained reading. Enid Blyton The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, Just George Jeff Brown Flat Stanley Jeff Brown Stanley & the Magic Lamp Jeff Brown Invisible Stanley etc. Michael Bond Paddington Bear Roald Dahl Matilda, BFG, Fantastic Mr Fox, The Twits Lemony Snicket A Series of Unfortunate Events

Garry Kilworth Welkin Weasels Garry Kilworth Vampire Voles Garry Kilworth Gaslight Geezers Caroline Lawrence The Pirates of Pompei Caroline Lawrence The Secrets of Vesuvius etc. A.A. Milne Winnie the Pooh U Moray Williams The Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse Phyllis Arkle The Railway Cat Lucy Daniels Animal Ark Tom Bradman Dilly series Humphrey Carpenter Mr Majeika Jon Scieszka The true Story of the Three Little Pigs Dick King Smith The Hodgeheg, The Invisible Dog etc. Allan Ahlberg Woof Jacqueline Wilson The Dustbin Baby Jacqueline Wilson Double Act Jacqueline Wilson Mym Minder Jacqueline Wilson Cat Mummy Cressida Cowell How to Train Your Dragon Cressida Cowell How to be the Perfect Pirate E.B. White Stuart Little Henrietta Branford Baby Ann Jungman There’s a troll at the bottom of my garden Catherine Sefton Bertie Bogin and the Ghost again Gyles Brandreth The Slippers that Answered Back Gyles Brandreth The Slippers that Talked Martine Waddell Class Three and the Beanstalk Jeremy Strong The Indoor Pirates on Treasure Island Jeremy Strong Dinosaur Pox David Harmer My Step Dad is an Alien (Poetry)