A BEGINNER READER story is an easy-to-read, picture book for the child learning to read.

Many children’s book publishers  produce these easy-to-read stories under different names: First Start, Step into Reading, Bright and Early Stories, I Can Read Books etc.

The goal is to present the new readers with an interesting narrative and visually attractive book with deliberately limited vocabulary. Ideally, the words should be repeated throughout the story, so that the child will recgonize the words easily. 

Most of these published stories are written on one of three or four levels; level 1 being the easiest. I have added one level , easier than level 1 which I call " LET'S GET GOING."

As the child progresses in his or her reading skills, he or she will advance to a higher level. The child advances at his/her own pace. The goal is for the child to feel success early, thereby developing a love of reading without frustration.

WHWHAT DOES "BELONGING" MEAN?

When a child has sight recognition of a word, the word has become part of his or her brain’s word memory bank.  The child feels secure, when he or she sees the word in a written text.  That is why the vocabulary in the story is deliberately limited and ideally repeated so that the child can quickly and capably master this pool of words. The child can get a sense that the word now is part of him or herself, and belongs to to him/her. The child will recognize that the word belongs to others as well, but will have a feeling of possession. Usually, the child will not consciously think of this concept.

"Word count" refers to the total number of words in the story, even those that have been repeated.

"Words used” refers to the individual words used in the story.

The individual “words used” might be repeated many times throughout the story. 

When counting “words used,” each individual word is counted only once.

When referring to the “word count,” each individual word is counted each time it is used. 

Thus a story may have a word count of 450, but only have 65 words used throughout the text.

Here is an example--

In the sentence:

I went to the store to buy some bananas.

The word count is 9.

I went to the store to buy some bananas.

The number of words used is 8, because the word "to" is used
twice.

I went to the store to buy some bananas.

When taking a word count, each "to" is counted as a separate word.
When analyzing the words used, the word "to" is counted only once.

 

Rhyming stories emphasize the rhyme of words ENDING sentences and the rhythm of each line.

In order to accomplish the goal of writing a meaningful story in rhyme, many different words might have to be used.

The goal of a Beginner Reader Story is to CONTROL the vocabulary, and use as limited a number of words as possible, depending upon the level of the story.

Therefore, it is best NOT to write this type of story in rhyme, at least until level 3 or 4 when the number of "words used," is greater.

The intention is to repeat words throughout the text, and this might not be possible when the story is written in rhyme format.  However, using  individual rhyming words  within the text develops phonetic skills.

Aside from the development of a sight word vocabulary, it is advantageous to develop a child’s understanding and appreciation of phonics and English structure. 

Using rhyming words within the text, compound words, contractions, words with similar initial consonants , vowel sounds etc., help children “break the reading code,” enabling them to sound out unfamiliar words when presented . 

Beginner Reader stories should incorporate "Word Exercises" wherever possible.

The story content should be relevant to the child’s experiences, his or her imagination, and/or curriculum content.  The story should be of interest to the child in order to hold his or her attention. Reading words is only half of the process. Comprehension is vital. Reading without comprehension, is only  slightly better, than  useless.

Traditionally, stories were used, and still are used, to teach important moral values, and other social skills, as well as factual information.

 Ideally, the plot of a first start story should be as entertaining and age –appropriate as any other literary work.

HOWEVER--there might be a problem here. Level 1 stories should have from 26 to 39 words repeated throughout the text. "Let's Get Going" stories have even fewer words used. It might be difficult to create an engaging story with such a limited number of words available for use.

IT IS GOOD TO REMEMBER THAT A CHILD WILL FEEL FULLFILLMENT JUST READING AND COMPREHENDING THE STORY . In other words, the story might not be as humorous, as intriguing, or as interesting as other picture books, yet, in the end, it will not matter as much as one might think.

You might ask:

 There are so many of these stories available, why bother to write my own?

 Good question!

 There are certainly many wonderful stories available for your children to use.  If you write one of your own ,however, it is “custom-made.”

 We can buy lovely clothing in a store, but having one “custom-made” is really special.

 The same is true of the stories your children will be reading.

 They are exclusive stories, made to order! 

They relate directly to the particular interests and experiences of your children, and  of you, yourself. 

 The children will appreciate a story written JUST FOR THEM!

 You might design a story which the children illustrate themselves.

 Indeed, they might participate in composing the story itself, or supplying ideas for the text plot.

 The most impressive sense of “belonging” will come from this type of creative experience.

Another reason is that it enables you to express your own creativity. If you want to do it--DO IT!

WHY BOTHER TO READ THIS LINK IF I DO NOT WANT TO WRITE MY OWN STORIES?

Even educators and/or parents who are not interested in creating a new story him or herself might be interested in the process of writing one to enhance an understanding of the way Beginner Stories work.

By reading this link the adult would appreciate the process and help the child have a more rewarding and enhancing experience.

WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDED NUMBER OF WORDS USED FOR EACH LEVEL?

Each publisher will have its own guidelines.

I use the following scale:

LET'S GET GOING: 1-25 words used

LEVEL 1: 26-45 words used

LEVEL 2: 46-70 words used

LEVEL 3: 71-100 words used

LEVEL 4: 100- 150

Please note that the scale above refers to "WORDS USED," not "word count."

Though there should be restrictions on the "word count," dividing the story into chapters reduces the impact of a story that has a larger "word count."