A few months after I published Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age, my daughter took an interest in learning how to read.

We started with a set of BOB books, a beloved 35-year-old series that helps kids take baby steps into the world of reading.

Olive loves shuffling through this boxed set of skinny books and reading them to her grandparents. To expand the experience, I just discovered This Reading Mama’s excellent printable activities for the series.

Whenever exploring early reading books, parents and caregivers should follow This Reading Mama’s crucial advice:

“Follow the lead of your child. If she shows signs of disinterest or frustration, STOP! Take a break. You may also need to re-evaluate if your child is ready for these books and activities. I cannot emphasize enough the need to be a student of your student.”

If you are looking for more resources, Zoobean co-founder Jordan Lloyd Bookey shared some ideas in this week’s edition of the free Born Reading Newsletter:

I was delighted to discover the Now I’m Reading! series by Nora Gaydos. The stories are just as simple and truly easy to read, but they are also zany and completely engaging for him.

The stories are simple. For example, “A yak,” “A yak sat,” “A yak sat on a hat.” They add on complexity and silliness with each page.  My son loves reading these books, and I don’t mind listening to them over and over again.