“I Can Read” Book Club Review
Do you want to build your home library to be appealing to your young readers? This was my goal, so I set out to include books that my early readers could read so that they can start building reading confidence and endurance.
Over the past six months, I have been a part of the I Can Read Book club. I have enjoyed being part of the book club because it allows me to get various books to use and recommend to my students. I also enjoy reading them with my nieces and nephews. It’s a win-win :)!
So please grab a cup of coffee and let me share the good, the bad, and the ugly :). But, of course, there isn’t any ugly…haha.
What is it?
Have you heard of “I Can Read!”?
The “I Can Read” books are a line of beginner reader books published by Harper Collins. They have a variety of topics and series. There are levels from “Shared My First Reading” to Level 4. Their stories and sentence structure become more complex with the advanced levels.
Do not mistake these for decodable books. Decodable books focus on targeted phonics sounds. These help young or struggling readers learn to break the code. You can read this blog post about decodable, and learn about the decodable books I have found valuable.
You may wonder when I use decodable compared to leveled books or trade books.
The short answer would be to use decodable with students explicitly going through phonics instruction. So, for example, you would teach a lesson and then use a decodable related to that lesson for practice reading.
In addition to decodables, I would recommend reading the I Can Read books along side your new reader. Or for those working on fluency and endurance in reading.
Who is it for?
I wouldn’t recommend the “I Can Read” book club to everyone if you have an extensive collection of books and can easily access the levels. The “I Can Read” book club isn’t for you.
But
The “I Can Read” book club will be a great set if you are starting the reading journey with your first child. You can build your library and allow the book club to give you various books.
One thing about this is that if I find I like a particular series, I can quickly get additional books if I want from Amazon.
Lastly, I like how it introduces the children to different cultures. It has caused my students and me to want to discover more about the location or traditions. Sometimes it takes work to sift through and find a variety of books. However, I have found that being part of the “I can read” book club takes the burden away from deciding which books to select.
When do you get the books?
Each month you will get five different books. When you sign up to get started, you will fill out the information about your targeted reader. Then, they will send you books based on your child’s age and reading ability. What is fantastic is that you can update the information, so the book selection grows with your child.
Here is a blurb from their website
ABOUT “I CAN READ” Book Club!
Since 2018, I Can Read! Book Club has shipped over 2 million book boxes to early readers across the U.S. But all the fun didn’t start there! I Can Read! Started in 1957 with the goal of inspiring a love of reading in every child. Since the brand’s first book was published, I Can Read! has become a trusted early reader brand in the world of children’s literacy.
Generations of kids have learned to read and fallen in love with reading with classic characters like Frog and Toad, the Berenstain Bears, Little Critter, Amelia Bedelia, Biscuit, Danny and the Dinosaur, and countless others, as well as buzzworthy newcomers, like Pete the Cat, Pinkalicious, Ty’s Travels, Baby Shark, Lyle the Crocodile, and The Bad Seed.
What I like about “I Can Read” Book Club
I like the variety of books I get each month. Furthermore, it is helpful that I can cancel at any time. I love that you can use this subscription to build your collection or gift them. Either have them addressed to someone in your family so that they get the experience of getting their books, or give them to a family that could benefit from the kind gesture.
What I dislike
I have enjoyed being part of the “I Can Read” book club. One thing I wish is that they would allow their members to be more specific in their selections.
I would love to get some non-fiction books and more of the series.
Yet, I am constantly reminded that I can always see if Amazon has the desired book, and sometimes, my local library has the book I want.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I’m not too fond of library books because there is a deadline to worry about.
Have you been a part of any good book clubs to build your child’s library? Let me know! I am always curious to see what other gems are out there.
Happy Reading.
Time to slow down and snuggle up with a good book!