READING TIPS AND NOTES

Robin Radlauer-Cramer teaches fifth grade at Valley Elementary in the Poway Unified School District in northern San Diego County.

What is the only series of children’s books to reach icon status in kids’ pop culture?

“Goosebumps.”

This genre of horror fiction has done what many of us have failed to do: turn children on to reading. And therein lies a lesson: Series are a great way to get kids reading.

Think back to your own awakening as a reader. Chances are, it was aided by a series. My favorite was “The Black Stallion” series.

If your child finds a series he enjoys, you are well on your way to reaching your goal. In our fervor to share what we love about reading, we sometimes overlook the preferences of our children. Allowing your child to make his own reading choices is vital to helping your child turn on to reading.

If your child wants to read “Goosebumps,” or some other series, let him. When he tires of the series, you can help him find something else in the same genre. Series give your child hundreds of pages of reading he will enjoy. And, his tastes in series will give you a clue where to look for more books he will enjoy. Series are available from extremely easy reading levels up to those for young adults. Many are very good. But most important is that kids like them.

Many of these series will capture the imagination of your child and open the world and fun of reading. Here are some your child may enjoy:

Kindergarten-Grade 1

“Henry & Mudge,” by Cynthia Rylant

“George & Martha,” by James Marshall

“Amelia Bedelia,” by Peggy Parish

Grades 1 and 2

“Zack Files,” by Dan Greenburg Realistic

“Arthur Chapter Books,” by Marc Brown

“Triplet Trouble,” by Dadey & Jones

“Bailey School Kids,” by Dadey & Jones

“The Kids in Ms. Coleman’s Class,” by Ann M. Martin

“Pee Wee Scouts,” by Peggy Delton

“Polk Street School,” by Patricia Reilly Giff

“Magic Treehouse,” by Mary Pope Osborne

“Time Warp Trio,” by John Scieszka

Grades 3 and 4

“Horrible Histories,” by Terry Deary

“Amber Brown,” by Paula Danziger

“Babysitters’ Little Sisters,” by Ann M. Martin

“California Diaries,” by Ann M. Martin

“Sideways Stories From Wayside School,” by Louis Sachar

“American Girls,” by a variety of authors

“Great Illustrated Classics,” by a variety of authors

Grades 4 and 5

“Animorphs,” by K.A. Applegate

“Indian in the Cupboard,” by Lynn Reid Banks

“My Teacher Is an Alien,” by Bruce Coville

“The Book of Three,” by Lloyd Alexander

“Anastasia Krupnik,” by Lois Lowry

“The Black Stallion,” by Walter Farley

“Orphan Train Adventures,” by Joan Lowery Nixon

“Dear America” (girl characters) and “My Name Is America” (boy characters), by a variety of children’s authors

BOOK EVENTS

* Monday in Thousand Oaks: Storytime at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. at Barnes and Noble, 160 S. Westlake Blvd. (805) 446-2820.

* Monday in Pasadena: Storytelling by local storyteller Sybil Desta at 11 a.m. at the Pasadena Library, 285 E. Walnut St. (626) 744-4052.

* Tuesday in Los Angeles: “Wildlife on Wheels,” storytelling and display of live animals at 4 p.m. at the Wilshire Branch Library, 149 N. St. Andrews Pl. (323) 957-4550.

* Saturday in Carson: Children’s book signing and reading with Dolores Johnson, author of “Grandma’s Hands,” at 2 p.m. at Smiley’s Bookstore, 20220 S. Avalon Blvd. (310) 324-8444.