Just Right Books

We've been talking about choosing "just right" books when we are shopping for books to read in the classroom and at the library.  Just right books are:

not too easy and not too hard


looks interesting


I can understand it


use the 5 finger rule (if I find 5 or more words on a page I don't know it is too hard)

Here are some visuals we used to help us.

(too small shirt)
This book is too easy.
I know all the words
and can read it very easily.
I may have read it
LOTS of times already.
I won't challenge myself
as a reader much with
this book.

(fits just right shirt)
This book is "just right"!
I know most of the words.
I may stumble on a few as
I read but I understand
what the book is about.
I am interested in this book!

(too big shirt)
This book is too hard.
I might be interested
in it, but it is too big and has
several words I do not
know (5 or more on a page)
I are not sure I
understood what the
author was telling me
when I got to the bottom
of a page.