Looking for the Summer Reading Chart? It’s Right Here!

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How many swimsuits do you own? 🩱
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We’re headed down to Vegas this month to spend a week of quality time with my parents . . . and their pool 💦
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Did I order myself a few new swimsuits? You bet I did (this is, to be honest, very out of character behavior for me - apparently four months of staying home is getting to me). You can see the three new suits I ordered on my blog today, plus the three suits I already had.
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I buy pretty much all my clothing secondhand but swimsuits? I’ll buy those new, thanks 🤣

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Last week, when I talked about one of my daughters struggling with reading, I had so many parents reach out to tell me how relieved that I’d shared this, because they’d felt so much shame around having a child who was slow to learn to read or finding it really challenging or unpleasant. That they’d felt like a bad parent or that they’d failed because their child wasn’t reading Harry Potter in kindergarten or resisting reading practice every single day.
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I’ve taught three of my children how to read now and I know for certain that EVERY CHILD IS DIFFERENT.
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Reading is an easy skill for some of them to pick up and takes TREMENDOUS effort and 100x longer for others.
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Some kids are reading at 3 and others are eight before they really get the hang of it.
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Some kids basically teach themselves to read (I have zero of these children) and others need significant help every step of the way.
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It’s really difficult not to compare your child to other children when they’re struggling with reading. It’s hard not to feel like it might be your fault. It’s a challenge to not feel like a failure when your child is barely reading three letter words and other parents in their class are mentioning that their child recently finished Harry Potter on their own.
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If you’re in this boat, I just want to give you a huge hug and let you know that you’re doing awesome. Your child WILL LEARN TO READ. It might take longer and be a lot harder for them. It might require more work from you and more creativity to keep it positive.
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But it’s not a contest. And it’s not a reflection on your abilities as a parent.
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#everydayreadingmessages

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Last month? More books like Mercy Watson.

This month? More books like Elephant & Piggie!

I’ve rounded up a whole list of books that include animal pals, easy text, lots of dialogue and bright, simple illustrations! They’re all on my blog today, so hop over to check it out!

And if you have other suggestions for Elephant & Piggie Read Alikes, I’m all ears! Tell me in the comments 👇🏼

#janssenspicturebooks

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Does your state have a book award or book list?
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I followed along with the Texas ones religiously for the six years we lived there, then used the Massachusetts one to guide my read-alouds for my 4th and 5th grade classes when I was a school librarian there and now I’m trying to read all the ones on the Utah list this summer.
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How about you?
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#janssenschapterbooks

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Last week when I talked about how reading works in our family, I got so many requests for an outline of how it looks in our home.
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Today, on my blog, I’m sharing all the details about how we balance reading for fun with reading practice, audiobooks and read alouds and what that looks like most days at our house.
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And I’d love to hear how you fit reading into your summer schedule!

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One side benefit of putting in garden this year? So much more audiobook listening time! #ad
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Almost every afternoon, I'm out in the backyard watering the garden, weeding, and checking on my plant babies while I listen to a new book (I've blazed through so many audiobooks this year, it's almost unbelievable!). The sun in my hair and a good @Macmillan.Audio narrator in my ears? There's no better way to spend a summer afternoon.
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I just started listening to The Half Sister by Sandie Jones and this family suspense story about two close sisters who are shocked when a young woman shows up on their doorstep claiming to be their half-sister is keeping my garden well-watered and makes weeding feel fun!
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Macmillan also curated a list of audiobooks for every listener - check out my stories for the link! It's the perfect way to find just the right audiobook for your summer listening. You can also follow the #SummerListening hashtag for more @Macmillan.Audio recommendations.
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And if your garden looks amazing because of it? Well, that's a nice bonus!
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#janssenlovesaudiobooks

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What are your favorite summer activities at home?

When we lived in Arizona, our summer activity was basically “live at the pool” 💦 but now we don’t have a neighborhood pool and . . . we basically stay at home all the time.

I’m sharing 20 summer activities to do at home with your littles on my blog today!

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What are your favorite books about colors?

I’m working on a round up of books that teach colors and I don’t want to miss any great ones!

#janssenspicturebooks

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Did you know Kindle Unlimited has more than SIXTY THOUSAND books for kids included? 🤯
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Whether you want picture books, chapter books, graphic novels or even audiobooks, Kindle Unlimited has you covered.
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I’m sharing more than 50 of my favorite kid titles included in Kindle Unlimited on my blog today so if you need some new reading material, hop over and check it out!
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And if you haven’t grabbed your two free months of Kindle Unlimited yet, that smoking deal ends tomorrow so don’t wait!