Reading Levels
By Kate Smith
Family Health Library
The Children's Hospital
1056 E. 19th Ave.
Denver, CO 80218
voice: 303-861-6378
fax: 303-864-5385
e-mail: smith.catherine@tchden.org
Our consumer health library is separate from the medical library, but I have children's books along with the adult stuff. I use colored tape to indicate age groups. I put on the call number and the colored tape and then cover it all with clear call number protectors so they stay on. It works fine and you can see at a glance what's what. You can also get the colored dots from an office supply place and do the same thing for really cheap.
All the children's books on health topics are shelved together (we don't have THAT many). The tape on the back and a printed sticker on the book pocket indicate the approximate age groups. This way when I'm looking for a book on, say grief, I can easily pick out books that are appropriate for the age child the requester is talking about.
Here is a copy of my criteria for choosing the ages. These are pretty loose, and basically you just develop a "feel". (And I pay attention to what the children pick when they come in.)
Reading Levels
PRESCHOOL -- purple tape
- Picture books: a picture on each page; very few words
- Intended for toddlers and preschoolers
- Intended that parent will read to the child.
- short: 28-32 pages
- can be very tall or unusually shaped
- can be enjoyed by any age
EASY -- yellow tape
- For kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders
- very limited vocabulary, and larger print; simple stories
- generally have a picture on each page or two page spread
- Length: 32 - 48 pages
- Generally not as tall as the picture books
- Lots of these books are intended to be read to the child by a parent
OLDER ELEMENTARY -- red tape
- For 3rd through 5th graders
- more densely written than the EASY
- Length: 48-190 pp. for fiction
- fiction books have chapters
- Uncomplicated sentence structure
- Content not likely to be understood by younger readers
- Can include "bridge books" (easy chapter books)
- Fiction books: generally the main character is usually about 2 years older than the intended reader
YA -- 6th to 9th grade -- blue tape
- Not as mature as adult level, but more adult themes
- Fiction books: generally the main character is usually about 2 years older than the intended reader
- Length: generally more than 200 pages for fiction