seagull with a can of bright orange paint “dropped the can right over Mr. Plumbean’s house”

Early or Easy Readers

When a seagull with a can of bright orange paint “dropped the can right over Mr. Plumbean’s house”, the neighbors who all live in identical brown houses are in an uproar over the resulting big orange splot! Mr. Plumbean is asked to paint over the splot, but instead adds more color, splots, and personality. But one by one, his neighbors also begin to express themselves by painting their own homes. He had an unhappy time at school - at Llandaff Cathedral School, at St Peter’s prep school in Weston-super-Mare and then at Repton in Derbyshire. Pinpoint the problem a struggling reader is having and discover ways to help.

Books & Fiction

Read only at night, when the day is coming to an end. Climb in bed with him, and tell him we are going to listen to an audio book together. Next have him hold the book and follow along with the audio. Maybe start with picture books and gradually find books that interest him. It is a process and success doesn't happen over night.

A beautiful story of a stuffed toy rabbit who so badly wants to be real. Filled with powerful lessons about love, life, and the passage of time. It is important for children to see reading as something fun and pleasurable to do rather than a difficult task. What better way to teach this than to show them the ropes yourself! If your children see you reading Blog often, it is more likely to encourage them.

Inspired by the work of the world's number 1 storyteller, this picture book is a guide to growing up the Roald Dahl way, with gloriumptious illustrations by Quentin Blake. Children may struggle with reading for a variety of reasons, including limited experience with books, speech and hearing problems, and poor phonemic awareness. Some busy toddlers like to stand up while you read to them. Others like to look at a page or two before moving on to something else. Keep the book out — kids might want to return to it later, which you should encourage.