First Reading Books

Seven Levels of Books that Inspire First Reading

The books are graded in seven levels. There is a gradual but clear progression in terms of subject, style, narrative length, sentence structure and vocabulary, giving children the satisfaction of mastering real books and making measurable progress.

Children are won over by the fresh, engaging writing and illustration on the popular subjects included in this series of books. The books are beautifully produced, and with lively writing and fabulous illustrations, the books are designed to capture the imagination and build the confidence of firs readers.

Those who find reading difficult might begin with the lower levels. Knowing there are different levels will motivate and inspire you child to continue reading and increase self esteem and confidence.

Teachers can use these books in classrooms, for homework, or in the library to stretch the able and engage those in need of support.

First Reading Book Program

• Level One titles
  Titles are designed to be the first real books a beginner reader will tackle, with very light support from an adult. Each book has a single story with six pages of reading-related puzzles.
• Level Two titles
  Titles stretch the reader a little more, with more advanced storylines, sentences and vocabulary, plus reading-related puzzles.
• Level Three titles
  Titles have longer stories that encourage children to develop reading stamina. Stories have a strong element of repetition to help the reader gain confidence.
• Level Four titles
  Level four build readers’ stamina still further, with 48 pages devoted entirely to the story, more text on each page and more descriptive vocabulary.

Young Reading Series Book Program

• Young Reading Series 1Series One titles are for children just starting to read on their own. They use everyday vocabulary, and contain several short stories or one story divided into chapters.
• Young Reading Series 2Series Two titles are for children who are reading more confidently. Most titles contain a single story divided into chapters, with varied sentence lengths and more challenging vocabulary.
• Young Reading Series 3 Series Three titles are for fully confident readers who still need to gain the stamina for standard length books. They use advanced sentence structure and vocabulary, and have more complex plots.

Superb quality first reading books

Each beautifully designed hardback book has a ribbon marker and combines vivid, engaging writing with captivating full-colour illustration on every page, featuring the work of artists from around the world and superb contemporary or archive photography.

Audio CDs

Young Reading audio CDs contain two readings: a dramatic listen-along version with music, sound effects and superbly characterized readings, and a read-along version, with a page-turn indicator, for the child to listen to while following the story in the book.

Internet links

A number of titles have recommended websites packed with historical details, dramatic reconstructions and puzzles and games. There are links to the recommended sites on the Usborne Quicklinks Website.