Zoe just told me that September 9, 2023 will mark 4000 days of our Reading Streak. September 26, 2023 will be the eleventh anniversary of when we started. I just updated the books for the past three years, one to three per year now, just a page or paragraph per day. And still we read. She just wrote an essay about her relationship with books and literacy.
The last time I updated this was December 12, 2020 marked three thousand consecutive days of reading aloud and we’re still reading!
We officially started our reading streak on September 26, 2012 when Zoe was five and Echo 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 Echo)
- On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- I, Freddy (Freddy book 1) by Dietlof Reich
- Freddy in Peril (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 Echo)
- 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 (Echo’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
- The Big Six by Arthur Ransome
- Missee Lee by Arthur Ransome
- The Penderwicks on Gardam Street (book 2) by Jeanne Birdsall
- The Penderwicks at Pointe Mouette (book 3) by Jeanne Birdsall
- Missee Lee by Arthur Ransome
- The Penderwicks in Spring (book 4) by Jeanne Birdsall
Year 8
- The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer by Caitlin Murray
- The Penderwicks at Last (book 5) by Jeanne Birdsall
- Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margo Lee Shetterly
Year 9
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (partial read)
- Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Year 10
- The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate — Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben
- As Fast as Her: Dream Big, Break Barriers, Achieve Success by Kendall Coyne
Year 11
- Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomon (partial read)
- The Overstory by Richard Powers (partial read)
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
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 children since they were born, initially board books and later picture books.
At ten 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 four years old, I started reading her chapter books in an attempt to make bedtime more attractive and to eliminate the nightly challenge of choosing three picture books, which was taking longer and longer.
I read aloud to Zoe and Echo 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 three thousand 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 Echo 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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