Children who are able to read to themselves still enjoy pictures.

Pictures add to the reading experience and break up text.

It’s a big leap from picture books, to solid pages of text. Books with short chapters and black and white line drawings are great for new readers. The pictures add to the reading experience, reinforcing the images that the words are conveying. Pictures break up the text on the page, making the page less daunting than a solid page of words, building confidence and offering a pause to look at the picture.

Short chapters further break down the book into manageable chunks for new readers who have been used to picture books, where the whole book is usually read at one reading. These early reading books give an excellent transition from short picture books to traditional chapter books while keeping the book at a manageable length.