Do Beyonds read alouds or ???

[amysue277]

Hi,
Last year I read the Burgess books to my then 5.5 and 4 year old boys. They both liked them and comprehended quite well, even the 4 year old. I had planned on doing the Beyond read alouds over 2 years, but now that I look at them, I'm just not sure they are at an appropriate level for my just turned 5 year old.

My question is, do you feel the content is appropriate for a 5 year old, or will I run into problems? I don't mind helping with the comprehension if that gives him trouble, but want to make sure the writing is okay for a younger child.

I have entertained the idea of reading more Burgess books, but I feel like we all are ready for a change of pace.

Thanks!
Amy

[luv2homeschool]

I think some of the suggestions are more appropriate for younger kids than others. I looked in the guide quick, and these are my ideas:
Bio: Helen Keller would be great for that age. The D'Aulaires books would work, too.
Adventure, I don't don't know if any of the ones in the guide would work for a 5 year old. Maybe My Father's Dragon or LIttle Tim and the Brave Sea Captain instead. Stuart LIttle, too.
Historical Fiction: LIttle House in the Big Woods, definitely. I read it to my son at age 4 and he adored it.
Fantasy: Charlotte's Web would be my first choice
Mystery: I'm not sure here, either. I liked Ginger Pye, but some people did not.
Nonfiction: any non-fiction book would work here. A lot of people love Pagoo.
Humor: We read Paddington and my kids LOVED it. The House at Pooh Corner is also excellent. Mr. Popper's Penguins is very funny, but a 5 year old might miss out on the humor.
Realistic Fiction: The only one I've read is All-of-a-Kind Family, and it's one of my all time favorite books. I think it would be appropriate for a 5 year old, but it's a family of all girls. Maybe a Ramona or Henry Huggins book instead.
Folk Tale: I'm not familiar with The Apple and the Arrow, but I think any of the rest would be fine.

[MelInKansas]

As the PP mentioned, you could pick out ones that would be "easier" comprehension and those would work. My children have enjoyed and gotten into the books as young as 4-5, especially if you choose shorter ones you are reading a smaller amount each day. Or as you said, if you make them last 2 years instead of 1, you will really be doing short sections (though sometimes I just wanted to do a chapter a day because the flow of it is better that way, regardless of what took 20 days to complete).

I used most of the ones the PP mentioned, we definitely did My Father's Dragon instead of any of the adventure choices in the guide. The Folk Tale I did was on the list in the guide. I did these when my oldest 2 were 5.5 and 3.5, my 2nd born may be a bit ahead when it comes to comprehension, she loves being read to, and she definitely could not answer the questions in the guide, but she understood and followed along with the stories just fine. Maybe if you think the questions in the guide are too much for your younger one you could adapt something like what was done in LHFHG. Ask a couple of questions, one day have that one do a picture with a sentence about one of the characters, that sort of thing. Pre-narration.

[amysue277]

Thank you! Those suggestions will definitely help me choose what to read this year.

[my3sons]

I'd probably take a year and read the 'younger sounding' Beyond Storytime books - which in general, would be the Girl Set or the Boy Set. But, because I'd not want my newly turned 5 yo to miss out on the SKILLS being learned along with the Burgess books , the following year, I'd separate that child out and reread the Burgess books with him/her, and read the other Beyond set with my older child. The reason I'd do this is your younger child, then 6, would be solely responsible for the Burgess Storytime skills, and when that child was only 4 yo, the older sibling would have gleaned the most from the Storytime, with the younger sibling more just enjoying listening in. Here are the skills I am trying to describe...

*Day 1: basic comprehension discussion questions
*Day 2: retelling the story in a variety of ways
*Day 3: critical thinking questions including some vocabulary discussion
*Day 4: early writing practice emphasizing names and simple words
*Day 5: moral connection questions with personal application

With a year in-between, I bet your little one will not even remember the books all that well, and you can enjoy giving that child his/her chance to shine! HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[MelInKansas]

My 2nd born had a year gap between us doing LHFHG the first time and she is now going through it the 2nd time. She definitely did not remember the Burgess books that well, and is definitely taking ownership and doing the narration for herself this time around. It has been good for her to have her own program at her own level.

[mrsrandolph]

I was in a good position because I bought all of the books and could pick and choose. I thought "Follow My Leader" was WAY too advanced, for example. But previous posters have pointed out some good examples. Paddington, A Cricket In Times Square, Baby Island, A Mouse Called Wolf, Little House In The Big Woods, The Sarah Witcher Story, A Lion To Guard Us...all good choices.