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The Goldilocks Strategy for Choosing Books
Do you remember Goldilocks' quest in the fairy tale "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" to find the porridge, chair, and bed that were "just right"? Selecting a book can sometimes feel the same way. Just as Goldilocks found that some porridges were too hot or too cold and others were just right, beginning readers often have difficulty finding books that are "just right" and not too hard or too easy. Reading should always be fun for your child. You want them to feel confident about the books they read and not frustrated. Children should read books that are on their level. Here is an easy strategy to help your child pick a book that is just right for him/her!
Too Easy Books
Ask yourself these questions. If you are answering YES, this book is
probably a Too Easy Book for you.
1. Have you read it lots of times before?
2. Do you understand the story very well?
3. Do you know and understand almost every word?
4. Can you read it smoothly?
Just Right Books
Ask yourself these questions. If you are answering YES, this book is
probably a Just Right Book for you.
1. Is this book new to you?
2. Do you understand what you’ve read so far?
3. Are there just a few words per page you don’t know?
4. When you read are some places smooth and some choppy?
5. Can someone help you with this book? Who?
Too Hard Books
Ask yourself these questions. If you are answering YES, this book is
probably a Too Hard Book for you. Give it another try later.
1. Are there more than a few words on a page you don’t know?
2. Are you confused about what is happening in most of this book?
3. When you read, does it sound pretty choppy?
From “Lessons from Goldilocks: Somebody’s Been Choosing My Books But I Can Make My Own Choices Now!” by Marilyn M. Ohlhausen and Mary Jepsen. The New Advocate, Vol. 5,No. 1, Winter 1992, p. 36 Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.Reprinted with permission of the authors.
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