Reading: Ages 6 to 9

At the age of 6 to 9 years children begin to display the quality of  "seriousness." Their desire to learn and ability to concentrate increase dramatically. They are learning new words and new concepts daily, and books facilitate this process.

Children in this stage are beginning to read for themselves. They need books carefully gauged to their reading level because overestimating a child's reading ability leads to frustration and disappointment. Young readers require books with simple words and strong, simple storylines. Sentences should be short, and the print should be large.

As children grow a little older, they begin to enjoy reading longer, more involved tales full of excitement and drama. They also enjoy realistic stories about family, friends, and school. Their interest is held by stories about children from other lands, simple biographies, serialized fiction, and collections of jokes, riddles, and tongue-twisters. Younger school-age children, however, still love to listen to stories told by others.

Books assist children in making sense of their world by helping them gain a better understanding of themselves and others around them. The early years of school bring new challenges, and books and stories help children deal with their day-to-day growing problems.

At this time, children are quite likely to gravitate toward books in which the main character is of the same gender.