Auntie Chrissie — Reading Specialist
📚 A Special Place to Read

Auntie Chrissie's
Reading Nook

A warm corner for every child who ever thought reading wasn't for them — until the right book, and the right teacher, came along.

"

For 30 years, Auntie Chrissie sat beside children who struggled, who resisted, who said "I can't read" — and she stayed until they could. She didn't just teach reading. She taught children that they were capable of more than they knew. This corner is named in her honor, and built in her spirit: patient, warm, and absolutely convinced that every child has a reader inside them.

— Dedicated to a teacher who changed lives, one page at a time
🌟 Little Readers (Ages 3–7) 📗 Chapter Book Readers (Ages 6–12) 💜 Reluctant Readers
Find Your Path

Every Reader Is Welcome Here

Whether your child is just beginning to explore words, building chapter-book stamina, or needs a little convincing that books can be fun — there is a spot in the nook just for them.

🌟

Little Readers

Ages 3–7

Picture books, read-alouds, rhymes, and simple stories that make early reading feel like magic. The best thing a parent can do is read aloud together every single day.

See Book List →
📗

Chapter Book Readers

Ages 6–12

Ready for longer adventures, bigger characters, and stories that take more than one sitting. These books build vocabulary, stamina, and a lifelong reading habit.

See Book List →
💜

Reluctant Readers

Any Age

"I hate reading." We hear you. These books are funny, fast, visual, and chosen specifically because they have convinced children who swore they would never like reading — that they were wrong.

See Book List →
Story Time Corner

📖 Come Sit and Listen

Story time is one of the most powerful things you can do for a young reader. Hearing a story read aloud builds vocabulary, comprehension, imagination, and the feeling that reading is a joy — not a chore.

🎥

Professor Pop's Classic Read-Aloud Series

Professor Pop is reading the greatest children's stories ever written — classic public domain tales that have delighted kids for over 100 years. Free forever, on YouTube. Subscribe so you never miss a new one!

🦉 Subscribe on YouTube →
🐰

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Beatrix Potter · Ages 3–7 · ~5 min

Peter sneaks into Mr. McGregor's garden against his mother's wishes — and barely escapes! A timeless lesson in curiosity, consequences, and the comfort of home.

🎬 Recording Soon
🦢

The Ugly Duckling

Hans Christian Andersen · Ages 4–8 · ~8 min

A little bird who doesn't fit in discovers he was never a duckling at all. One of the most beautiful stories ever written about belonging, patience, and finding your people.

🎬 Recording Soon
🐢

The Tortoise and the Hare

Aesop's Fables · Ages 4–8 · ~4 min

The fastest animal loses the race to the slowest — because he stopped trying. The single greatest lesson about hard work and staying focused, told in five minutes flat.

🎬 Recording Soon
🚂

The Little Engine That Could

Watty Piper · Ages 3–7 · ~7 min

"I think I can, I think I can." The little engine that wouldn't give up. Every child needs to hear this story — and then hear it again when things get hard.

🎬 Recording Soon
🌸

Thumbelina

Hans Christian Andersen · Ages 5–9 · ~12 min

A tiny girl no bigger than your thumb goes on a great adventure — escaping a toad, befriending a swallow, and finding where she truly belongs. Magical from start to finish.

🎬 Recording Soon
🌈

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

L. Frank Baum · Ages 6–10 · Chapter Series

Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion on the yellow brick road. Professor Pop will read one chapter at a time — the perfect ongoing series for young listeners.

🎬 Chapter Series — Coming Soon
🦁

Aesop's Fables — The Collection

Aesop · Ages 4–10 · 3–5 min each

The Lion and the Mouse. The Ant and the Grasshopper. The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The Fox and the Grapes. Short, punchy moral stories that children remember for a lifetime. A full series.

🎬 Fables Series — Coming Soon
👠

Cinderella

Brothers Grimm · Ages 4–8 · ~10 min

The original Brothers Grimm version — a little darker, a little richer, and a lot more magical than most retellings. Kindness, patience, and believing you deserve better.

🎬 Recording Soon
🎁

Free Story Time Resources — Right Now

While we build our own library, these trusted free resources are ready today:

  • 🎬
    Storyline Online
    SAG-AFTRA actors reading beloved picture books aloud with beautiful illustrations. Completely free. storylineonline.net
  • 📱
    Libby (OverDrive)
    Free e-books and audiobooks with your public library card. Thousands of children's titles available instantly. libbyapp.com
  • 📚
    Epic! Reading
    Digital library of 40,000+ books for kids. Free for schools and teachers; family plan available. getepic.com
  • 🌐
    International Children's Digital Library
    Free picture books from around the world in dozens of languages. Great for multilingual families. childrenslibrary.org
  • 🎧
    Audible Stories (Amazon)
    Hundreds of audiobooks made free for children during school closures — many still available at no cost. Great for car trips. audible.com
Auntie Chrissie's Picks

📚 The Reading Nook Book Lists

Curated with love. Every book on these lists has been chosen because it has actually made children want to keep reading.

🌟 Little Readers (3–7)
📗 Chapter Books (6–12)
💜 Reluctant Readers
💰 Money Books
🐛
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle
Counting, colors, days of the week, and a beautiful transformation. One of the most beloved picture books of all time.
Ages 2–5
🌙
Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown
Simple, rhythmic, calming. The perfect bedtime book for the youngest readers. Many adults still have it memorized.
Ages 1–4
🐉
Dragons Love Tacos
Adam Rubin
Hilariously funny. Children beg to hear it over and over. It shows kids that books can be genuinely silly and fun.
Ages 3–7
🐘
Elephant & Piggie Series
Mo Willems
Genius early readers. Simple dialogue, big emotions, and humor that makes children laugh out loud. Perfect for beginning readers to read themselves.
Ages 4–7
👟
Pete the Cat Series
James Dean
"It's all good." Pete's calm, cool attitude teaches resilience and reading at the same time. Kids love singing along.
Ages 3–7
🦁
Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak
A timeless masterpiece about imagination, big feelings, and the comfort of home. Sparks incredible conversations with young children.
Ages 4–8
🎩
The Cat in the Hat
Dr. Seuss
Written using only 236 different words specifically to help early readers. Rhyme, rhythm, and a mischievous cat — hard to resist.
Ages 4–8
🦙
Llama Llama Red Pajama
Anna Dewdney
Perfect for bedtime separation anxiety. Rhymes beautifully. Children who feel nervous at night connect with Llama's big feelings.
Ages 2–5
🕷️
Charlotte's Web
E.B. White
Friendship, loyalty, loss, and love — all wrapped in a farm story. One of the most important books a child can read. Bring tissues.
Ages 7–10
🌳
Magic Tree House Series
Mary Pope Osborne
History, adventure, and mystery — short chapters, big imagination. Over 55 books means reluctant readers become voracious readers.
Ages 6–10
🎭
Matilda
Roald Dahl
A brilliant little girl who loves books and changes her world through reading. Perfect for every child who has ever felt underestimated.
Ages 7–11
🐶
Because of Winn-Dixie
Kate DiCamillo
A lonely girl, a stray dog, and a town full of surprising people. Beautiful writing that children and parents both remember forever.
Ages 8–12
🌟
Wonder
R.J. Palacio
Auggie Pullman just wants to be ordinary. A powerful story about kindness, courage, and what it means to be seen. Impossible to put down.
Ages 8–12
⛏️
Holes
Louis Sachar
A boy sent to a strange camp to dig holes. Three interwoven timelines and a mystery that clicks together perfectly. One of the best plots in middle-grade fiction.
Ages 9–12
🐻
The One and Only Ivan
Katherine Applegate
Based on a true story. A gorilla in a mall who wants to go home. Tender, beautiful, and quietly heartbreaking. Children do not forget it.
Ages 7–10
🦅
Hatchet
Gary Paulsen
Survival, resourcefulness, resilience. A boy alone in the wilderness with only a hatchet. Especially popular with reluctant male readers.
Ages 9–12

🌟 Auntie Chrissie's Note: The best book for a reluctant reader is the one they will actually finish. Start here. There is no shame in funny, fast, visual, or short. The goal is to help them feel the reward of finishing a book — the rest follows.

🐶
Dog Man Series
Dav Pilkey
Part comic, part chapter book. Ridiculous, hilarious, and beloved by children who say "I don't read." Dav Pilkey himself was a reluctant reader.
Ages 6–10
😂
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series
Jeff Kinney
Funny, illustrated, relatable. Greg Heffley's middle school disasters have made more reluctant readers into book lovers than almost any other series.
Ages 8–12
🦈
The Bad Guys Series
Aaron Blabey
Short. Funny. Illustrated. The "bad guys" try to become heroes. Children who resist chapter books will finish one of these in a single sitting.
Ages 6–10
🏫
My Weird School Series
Dan Gutman
Teachers named after bizarre things. Absurd school situations. Short chapters. 100+ books so a child who loves one can keep going for years.
Ages 6–9
📓
Big Nate Series
Lincoln Peirce
Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid but with more comics embedded in the story. Middle school humor and fast-moving chapters hook readers immediately.
Ages 8–12
🔮
Amulet Series (Graphic Novel)
Kazu Kibuishi
For older reluctant readers. Stunning artwork, a gripping fantasy story, and a format that never feels like "real reading" until they're hooked.
Ages 8–12
🎒
Dork Diaries Series
Rachel Renée Russell
The girl-friendly answer to Wimpy Kid. Middle school drama, illustrated, funny, and relatable. Has gotten many reluctant girl readers to finish their first full book.
Ages 8–12
🚀
Captain Underpants Series
Dav Pilkey
Silly beyond belief. Boys especially love it. It was written by the same author who couldn't sit still in school. Has introduced millions of kids to reading for fun.
Ages 6–10

💰 Auntie Chrissie's Note: The best time to teach a child about money is before they need it. These books make saving, spending, and growing money feel like an adventure — not a lecture. The earlier kids learn, the further they go.

🍋
The Lemonade War
Jacqueline Davies
Siblings compete to earn the most money before school starts. Math, business strategy, and sibling rivalry make this the best fiction book about money for kids — and a genuine page-turner.
Ages 7–10
🪨
Rock, Brock, and the Savings Shock
Sheila Bair (former FDIC Chair)
Twins handle their $100 grandfather gift in opposite ways. Written by the woman who helped protect Americans' money during the 2008 financial crisis. Compound interest for kids, beautifully explained.
Ages 6–10
🥷
Money Ninja
Mary Nhin
A ninja learns to earn, save, and spend wisely. Part of the wildly popular Ninja Life Hacks series — illustrated, accessible, and packed with practical money wisdom at a young child's level.
Ages 4–8
📈
Investing Ninja
Mary Nhin
One of the very few children's books that actually addresses investing — not just saving. Takes young readers into the concept of making money grow. A perfect companion to the Investments Wing.
Ages 5–9
💸
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday
Judith Viorst
Alexander gets a dollar and spends every cent before the week ends. A masterpiece of financial regret told with pitch-perfect humor. Children recognize themselves immediately — and learn from it.
Ages 4–8
🐻
The Berenstain Bears' Trouble with Money
Stan & Jan Berenstain
Brother and Sister Bear discover money is harder to keep than to earn. A gentle introduction to earning, saving, and spending wisely from one of the most trusted children's brands ever.
Ages 4–7
🌾
One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference
Katie Smith Milway
Based on the true story of Kojo, who borrowed enough to buy one hen and built a farm that changed his community. A remarkable true story about entrepreneurship, generosity, and what money can do when used wisely.
Ages 6–10
🌱
Growing Money: A Complete Investing Guide for Kids
Gail Karlitz & Debbie Honig
The most comprehensive kids' investing guide ever written. Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and how markets work — explained in plain language for elementary and middle schoolers ready for the real thing.
Ages 9–14
💰 Visit the Investments Wing — Free Lessons for Kids →
From Auntie Chrissie

Little Things That Make a Big Difference

Thirty years of reading alongside children taught a few lessons that no textbook can replace.

📅

Read Aloud Every Day

Even 10 minutes of reading aloud daily builds vocabulary faster than almost any other activity. It does not matter what you read — what matters is doing it consistently.

🏡

Let Them See You Reading

Children who see adults reading grow up believing reading is something adults do for pleasure. That model is more powerful than any lesson plan.

🔄

Let Them Reread Favorites

A child asking to hear the same book for the 15th time is not being stubborn. They are building fluency, comfort, and deep understanding. Let them re-read.

❓

Ask "What Do You Think?" Not "What Happened?"

Comprehension questions can feel like a test. Wondering questions feel like a conversation. "I wonder why he did that" sparks more thinking than "What did he do?"

🎯

Never Shame a Reading Level

A child reading below grade level is still a reader. Meet them exactly where they are, celebrate every page, and they will move forward. Shame makes them stop.

📚

Have Books Everywhere

Books in bedrooms, baskets, backpacks, and bathrooms. Children read what is accessible. The easiest way to raise a reader is to make books impossible to avoid.

📚 Support the Reading Nook

When you purchase books through these links, a small commission helps keep the Reading Nook free for every family. We recommend Bookshop.org because every purchase also supports independent local bookstores.

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👩‍🏫 Are You a Parent or Educator?

We have a dedicated space with teaching strategies, phonics resources, read-aloud guides, free printables, and tools specifically for the adults helping children learn to read.

Visit the Educator Resource Page →