Reading Streak

April 8, 2018 is day 2000 of consecutive days of reading aloud and we’re still going strong!

We officially started our reading streak on September 26, 2012 when Zoe was five and Mia was three.

Reading Streak Books

Here’s a chronological list of what we’ve read during our official reading streak. Below this list is our recollection of what we read before the streak.

Year 1

“Ivy and Bean” (book 1) by Annie Barrows
“Ivy and Bean and the Ghost that Had to Go” (book 2) by Annie Barrows
“Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record” (book 3) by Annie Barrows
“Ivy and Bean: Doomed to Dance” (book 6) by Annie Barrows
“Ivy and Bean: What’s the Big Idea?” (book 7) by Annie Barrows
“Ivy and Bean Take Care of the Babysitter” (book 4) by Annie Barrows
“Ivy and Bean: Bound to Be Bad” (book 5) by Annie Barrows
“Little House in the Big Woods” by Laura Ingalls Wilder [Second round for “Laura” books]
“Farmer Boy” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Little House on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“On the Banks of Plum Creek” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“By the Shores of Silver Lake” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“The Long Winter” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Little Town on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“These Happy Golden Years” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“The First Four Years” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Little House on Rocky Ridge” (Rose book 1) by Roger Lea MacBride
“Thea Stilton and the Star Castaways: A Geronimo Stilton Adventure” by Geronimo Stilton
“Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride” by Kate DiCamillo
“Little Farm in the Ozarks” (Rose book 2) by Roger Lea MacBride
“Horton Halfpott: Or, The Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor; or, The Loosening of M’Lady Luggertuck’s Corset” by Tom Angleberger
“Caddie Woodlawn” by Carol Ryrie Brink
“In the Land of the Big Red Apple” (Rose book 3) by Roger Lea MacBride
“On the Other Side of the Hill” (Rose book 4) by Roger Lea MacBride
“The Hundred Dresses” by Eleanor Estes
“Caddie Woodlawn’s Family” by Carol Ryrie Brink
“Little Town in the Ozarks” (Rose book 5) by Roger Lea MacBride
“New Dawn on Rocky Ridge” (Rose book 6) by Roger Lea MacBride
“On the Banks of the Bayou” (Rose book 7) by Roger Lea MacBride
“Bachelor Girl” (Rose book 8) by Roger Lea MacBride
“Little House in the Highlands” (Martha book 1) by Melissa Wiley
“The Far Side of the Loch” (Martha book 2) by Melissa Wiley
“Down to the Bonny Glen” (Martha book 3) by Melissa Wiley
“Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White
“Beyond the Heather Hills” (Martha book 4) by Melissa Wiley
“The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett
“Little House by Boston Bay” (Charlotte book 1) by Melissa Wiley
“On Tide Mill Lane” (Charlotte book 2) by Melissa Wiley
“The Road from Roxbury” (Charlotte book 3) by Melissa Wiley
“Across the Puddingstone Dam” (Charlotte book 4) by Melissa Wiley
“Little House in Brookfield” (Caroline book 1) by Maria D. Wilkes
“The Secret School” by Avi
“My Name is Maria Isabel” by Alma Flor Ada
“Little Town at the Crossroads” (Caroline book 2) by Maria D. Wilkes
“Chartlotte’s Web” by E.B. White
“Little Clearing in the Woods” (Caroline book 3) by Maria D. Wilkes

Year 2

“On Top of Concord Hill” (Caroline book 4) by Maria D. Wilkes
“Across the Rolling River” (Caroline book 5) by Celia Wilkins
“Little City by the Lake” (Caroline book 6) by Celia Wilkins (2003)
“Little House of Their Own” (Caroline book 7) by Celia Wilkins (2005)
“Little House in the Big Woods” by Laura Ingalls Wilder [Round 3 for “Laura” books]
“Trumpet of the Swan” by E.B. White
“Farmer Boy” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Little House on the Prairie” (Laura book 3) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Chartlotte’s Web” by E.B. White (requested again by Mia)
“On the Banks of Plum Creek” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“I, Freddy” (Freddy book 1) by Dietlof Reich
“Freddy in Peril” by Dietlof Reich (Freddy book 2) by Dietlof Reich
“By the Shores of Silver Lake” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Freddy to the Rescue” (Freddy book 3) by Dietlof Reich
“The Haunting of Freddy” (Freddy book 4) by Dietlof Reich – aborted, too scary
“The Long Winter” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Meet Molly” by Valerie Tripp
“Saige” by Jessie Haas
“Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White (requested again by Mia)
“Saige Paints the Sky” by Jessie Haas
“Happy Birthday Molly” by Valerie Tripp
“Molly Learns a Lesson” by Valerie Tripp
“Little Town on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Molly’s Surprise” by Valerie Tripp
“Molly Saves the Day” by Valerie Tripp
“Changes for Molly” by Valerie Tripp
“My Life with the Chimpanzees” by Jane Goodall
“Winnie the Pooh” by A. A. Milne
“The Chimpanzees I Love” by Jane Goodall
“Molly Takes Flight” by Valerie Tripp and Nick Backes
“The Dolphins of Shark Bay” by Pamela S. Turner
“Dr. White” by Jane Goodall (picture book)
“The Eagle and the Wren” by Jane Goodall (picture book)
“Mia” by Lawrence Yep
“These Happy Golden Years” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“The First Four Years” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“The Puppy Place: Ziggy” by Ellen Miles
“Little House on Rocky Ridge” (Ross book 1) by Roger Lea MacBride
“The Puppy Place: Bella” by Ellen Miles
“The Puppy Place: Snowball” by Ellen Miles
“Bravo, Mia” by Laurence Yep
“Charlotte’s Web” by E. B. White
“Meet Josefina” by Valerie Tripp
“At the Same Moment Around the World” by Clotilde Perrin (picture book)
“Little Farm in the Ozarks” (Rose book 2) by Roger Lea MacBride
“Josefina Learns a Lesson” by Valerie Tripp
“A Reward for Josefina” by Valerie Tripp and Jean-Paul Tibbles
“In the Land of the Big Red Apple” (Rose book 3) by Roger Lea MacBride
“Cachioritos, Canela” (Zoe’s first chapter book in Spanish read by her) by Ellen Miles
“It’s About Time: Untangling Everything You Need to Know about Time” (picture book) by Pascale Estellon
“The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes” (picture book) by Gary Rubinstein and Mark Pett
“Animal Ark, Hound at the Hospital” by Ben M. Baglio, Ann Baum, and Jenny Gregory
“On the Other Side of the Hill” (Rose book 4) by Roger Lea MacBride
“Albert Einstein: His Life and Universe” (epilogue only because of questions Zoe was asking about Einsteins’ brain) by Walter Isaacson
“Animal Ark, Labrador on the Lawn” by Ben M. Baglio and Ann Baum
“Animal Ark, Husky with a Heart” by Ben M. Baglio
“Lulu and the Brontosaurus” by Judith Viorst
“Ivy and Bean, No News is Good News” (book 8) by Annie Barrows
Zoe listened to The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (all 3 books in 2 weeks on audiobook)
“Puppy Place, Cocoa” by Ellen Miles
“How I Got a Life and a Dog” by Art Corriveau
“Little Town in the Ozarks” (Rose book 5) by Roger Lea MacBride
“Miss Rumphius” (picture book) by Barbara Cooney
“New Dawn on Rocky Ridge” (Rose book 6) by Roger Lea MacBride
“Lootas, Litle Wave Rider, An Orphaned Sea Otter’s Story” (sea otter book on trip from Monterey) by Clare Hodgson Meeker
“Stella and Roy Go Camping” (picture book, Yosemite) by Ashley Wolff
“On the Banks of the Bayou” (Rose book 7) by Roger Lea MacBride
“Big Fat Cow That Goes Kapow” (Mia’s choice) by Andy Griffitsh
“The Whale Who Wanted to Be Small” (picture book) by Gill McBarnet
“Bachelor Girl” (Rose book 8) by Roger Lea MacBride
“The Penderwicks” (book 1) by Jeanne Birdsall
“Matthew Looney and the Space Pirates” by Jerome Beatty Jr. (found in a pile of old books from Mara’s childhood)
“The Penderwicks on Gardam Street” (book 2) by Jeanne Birdsall
“The Penderwicks at Pointe Mouette” (book 3) by Jeanne Birdsall

Year 3

“Ella Enchanted” by Gail Carson Levine
“From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” by E.L. Konigsburg
“Ivy and Bean Take the Case” (book 10) by Annie Barrows
“The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett
“A Little Princess” by Frances Hodgson Burnett
“The Penderwicks” by Jeanne Birdsall
“Matilda” by Roald Dahl
“Sarah, Plain and Tall” by Patricia MacLachlan
“Skylark” by Patricia MacLachlan
“Caleb’s Story” by Patricia MacLachlan
“More Perfect Than the Moon” by Patricia MacLachlan
“Grandfather’s Dance” by Patricia MacLachlan
“A Wrinkle in Time” by Madelein L’Engle
“The Penderwicks” by Jeanne Birdsall
“The Boxcar Children” by Gertrude Chandler Warner
“The Boxcar Children at Surprise Island” by Gertrude Chandler Warner
“The Penderwicks on Gardam Street” by Jeanne Birdsall
“The Penderwicks at Point Mouette” by Jeanne Birdsall
“Chomp” by Carl Hiaasen
“All of a Kind Family” by Sydney Taylor
“More All of a Kind Family” by Sydney Taylor
“All of a Kind Family Uptown” by Sydney Taylor
“Ella of All of a Kind Family” by Sydney Taylor
“All of a Kind Family” by Sydney Taylor
“The Penderwicks in Spring” by Jeanne Birdsall
“Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott
“The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle” by Hugh Lofting
“The Journey of Doctor Dolittle” by Hugh Lofting
“Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” by Judy Blume
“Stink and the World’s Worst Super Stinky Sneakers” by Megan McDonald
“Emily of New Moon” by Lucy Maud Montgomery
“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain
“Little Men” by Louisa May Alcotte
“The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo” by Judy Blume
“Violet Mackarel’s Brilliant Plot” by Anna Branford
“Jo’s Boy” by Louisa May Alcotte
“Eating Enchiladas” by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
“Blubber” by Judy Blume
“Anne of Green Gables” by Lucy Maud Montgomery
“A Little Shopping” by Cynthia Rylant
“Dear Mr. Henshaw” by Beverly Cleary
“Shiloh” by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
“Anne of Avonlea” by Lucy Maud Montgomery
“The Borrowers” by Mary Norton
“Anne of the Island” by Lucy Maud Montgomery
“Shiloh Season” by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
“Anne of Windy Poplars” by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Year 4

“Saving Shiloh” by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
“Anne’s House of Dreams” by Lucy Maud Montgomery
“Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH” by Robert C. O’Brien
“Anne of Ingleside” by Lucy Maud Montgomery
“The Borrowers Afield” by Mary Norton
“Rainbow Valley” by Lucy Maud Montgomery
“Rilla of Ingleside” by Lucy Maud Montgomery
“Five Little Peppers and How They Grew” by Margaret Sidney
“The Blythes are Quoted” by Lucy Maud Montgomery
“Caddie Woodlawn” by Carol Ryrie Brink
“Caddie Woodlawn’s Family” by Carol Ryrie Brink
“Five Little Peppers Midway” by Margaret Sidney
“Emily of New Moon” by Lucy Maud Montgomery
“Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein
“Emily Climbs” by Lucy Maud Montgomery
“Emily’s Quest” by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Year 5

“The Penderwicks” by Jeanne Birdsall
“From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” by E.L. Konigsburg
“The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place” by E.L. Konigsburg
“Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein
“Raymie Nightingale” by Kate DiCamillo
“Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein
“The Land of Forgotten Girls” by Erin Entrada Kelly
“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll
“Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There” by Lewis Carroll
“Swallows and Amazons” by Arthur Ransome
“Swallowdale” by Arthur Ransome
“Radio Girl” by Carol Brendler
“Peter Duck” by Arthur Ransome

Year 6

“Peter Duck” by Arthur Ransome
“Winter Holiday” by Arthur Ransome
“Coot Club” by Arthur Ransome
“Pigeon Post” by Arthur Ransome
“We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea” by Arthur Ransome
“Secret Water” by Arthur Ransome

Year 7

“Secret Water” by Arthur Ransome

I will continue to update this page with new titles that we are reading for as long as we can keep our streak going.

Background Prior to Reading Streak

I’ve read to both of my girls since they were born, initially board books and later picture books.

At 10 months old, Zoe could pick out the right book from a pile on the floor when I started reciting the words from memory.

When Zoe was 4, I started reading her chapter books in an attempt to make bedtime more attractive and to eliminate the nightly challenge of choosing 3 picture books, which was taking longer and longer.

I read aloud to Zoe and Mia almost every night and here’s what we remember reading. We weren’t keeping track day-by-day back then. After each “Laura” book, I would check in to see if Zoe wanted to keep going. She did. When we got through the ninth book, she was really sad that the series was over and she wanted to know what happened to the people. “Did they all die, Mommy?” I did some research and discovered the “Rose” series which we read in its entirety. I had to get those books from interlibrary loan. We started to ask the librarian for new ideas.

Then, in September 2012, I read Alice Ozma’s The Reading Promise and when I told Zoe that there was a dad who read to his daughter for more than 3000 nights, she got interested in trying to see how many nights we could read aloud together, still me reading to her. So, our official reading streak started on September 26, 2012. The list of those books is at the top of this page. I will keep updating it as we keep going.

Chapter books that I read aloud to Zoe and Mia before our official reading-streak:

All 9 “Laura” books:

“Little House in the Big Woods” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Farmer Boy” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Little House on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“On the Banks of Plum Creek” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“By the Shores of Silver Lake” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“The Long Winter” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Little Town on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“These Happy Golden Years” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“The First Four Years” by Laura Ingalls Wilder

All 8 “Rose” books:

“Little House on Rocky Ridge” by Roger Lea MacBride
“Little Farm in the Ozarks” by Roger Lea MacBride
“In the Land of the Big Red Apple” by Roger Lea MacBride
“On the Other Side of the Hill” by Roger Lea MacBride
“Little Town in the Ozarks” by Roger Lea MacBride
“New Dawn on Rocky Ridge” by Roger Lea MacBride
“On the Banks of the Bayou” by Roger Lea MacBride
“Bachelor Girl” by Roger Lea MacBride

Other favorites:

“Charlotte’s Web” (multiple readings) by E.B. White
“Mrs. Piggle Wiggle’s Magic” by Betty MacDonald
“Mrs. Piggle Wiggle’s Farm” by Betty MacDonald
“Hello, Mrs Piggle Wiggle” by Betty MacDonald
One other Piggle Wiggle book
Several Mercy Watson books by Kate DiCamillo

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