Discover the joy of reading with Book Clubs and Book Fairs

Scholastic Parents Staff • March 7, 2023 TopicsBook Clubs Book Fairs books empathy parents picture books reading fluency social-emotional learning teachers

These 4 Books Together Will Improve Your Child’s Reading Skills

When read together, these books will help your child’s literacy grow — all while they learn about feelings and kindness.

Originally published by Scholastic Parents on December 6, 2022
Versioned for Scholastic Canada

Books bring so much joy and adventure to every child. Whether they’re going on quests with their favourite characters in the pages of a fiction book or learning about the world around them through nonfiction, the benefits of reading early and often are immeasurable, especially when searching for books to improve reading comprehension.

When it comes to ways to help a child reading below grade level and improve reading skills, whether it’s reading comprehension, vocabulary, stamina, or anything in between, finding impactful books makes all the difference. Reading is a wonderful opportunity for a child to step into the shoes of a character and to learn perspective. That’s why pairing certain books together can not only improve your child’s reading skills, but also their social-emotional skills. We’ve found that the right books in combination can make a huge impact on how children learn to make connections between themselves and their peers — and how to explore their emotions and express themselves.

Here are four books that, in tandem, not only improve reading, but also help your child develop a healthy self-esteem, learn to respect others, and understand empathy.

Worrysaurus

In this charming book by Rachel Bright, children meet a sweet little dinosaur who is getting ready for a picnic, until the first signs of worry start creeping in. He worries whether or not he packed enough food to eat, he worries about whether or not it will rain, and he worries about getting lost. 

Worrysaurus helps children learn to acknowledge their worries, but also how to let them pass and enjoy being present in the moment. Acknowledging and being at peace with their feelings is a tremendous step in helping kids learn how to effectively meet their worries and find ways to surmount them. Plus, certain words of text are helpfully emphasized throughout the story, which will help your child learn how to read with emotion (a part of reading fluency), and is a must in your collection of books to improve reading.

The Little Butterfly That Could

Packed with humour and fun butterfly migration facts, The Little Butterfly That Could explores themes of persistence and maintaining a growth mindset, especially in the face of fear and worry. The helpful speech bubbles throughout the story help your early reader follow the dialogue and understand each character’s emotions. 

With the inclusion of STEM themes like the science of butterflies, this fun read will capture and hold your child’s attention while they improve reading, teaching them the importance of believing in themselves and working towards what they want to achieve. They will also learn how not to let worries stop them from their accomplishments. 

All Because You Matter

This powerful and poignant book by Tami Charles is a loving ode to Black and brown children everywhere, reminding them that they always have, and always will, matter.  

Comforting messages of perseverance through growing up, hardships, and sometimes even pain will help readers develop a sense of self-worth and courage to meet whatever challenges they may face. This book will encourage children to hold on to their sense of self-worth while also teaching them to acknowledge that the world still needs a lot of work — and what they can do to help make it a better place. 

You Are Enough

Exploring the theme of inclusion, this book by Margaret O’Hair and Sofia Sanchez gently teaches children that their differences are their superpower! Whether it’s because of where they live, their abilities, or the way they look, being different makes the world a more interesting, wonderful place! 

By reading You Are Enough, children will develop a sense of confidence while learning about all kinds of differences in people that they may interact with every day. Tying together what they see in the book and the kinds of differences they see in real life — whether that’s in their neighborhoods or in their classrooms — will boost your child’s empathy, self-esteem, and reading comprehension skills.