What is a Bridge Book?
My library system sometimes marks these as “JBB” which stands for Junior Bridge Book. This category of beginner books are more wordy than picture books, but either have short chapters or no chapters. The books are not as long as chapter books and there are often large pictures scattered throughout to heighten interest and take pressure off reading so many words on each page.
Big Foot and Little Foot
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We initially read Big Foot and Little Foot when I bought a year of Julie Bogart’s Bravewriter Darts to teach grammar. This was one of the monthly units. (Here’s my refer-a-friend link that gives you $10 off Brave Writer products!)
I didn’t expect Big Foot and Little Foot to be quite so short; it is for the younger end of the recommended age for the Bravewriter Dart (for ages 8-10). My 7 and 9-year olds latched on to the easy chapter book format and asked me to check out the whole series. It’s so great when that happens!
Big Foot and Little Foot series:
- #1: Big Foot and Little Foot
- #2: The Monster Detector
- #3 The Squatchicorns
- #4 The Bog Beast
- #5 The Gremlin’s Shoes
Then, we went on a Sasquatch tangent and read a few other Sasquatch stories while studying the states of the Pacific Northwest.
Marvin and James
Masterpiece was one of our Book Club reads for 2024-2025. My kids adored the characters: a little boy named James who befriends a beetle named Marvin. My 7 and 9 year olds were delighted to discover that the author, Elise Broach, had written a set of five spin-off books featuring these characters. The illustrations are important in this story, so it is wonderful that the same illustrator worked on this series of early readers.
Marvin & James Series:
- The Miniature World of Marvin & James
- James to the Rescue
- Trouble at School for Marvin & James
- Marvin & James Save the Day
- A Trip to the Country for Marvin and James
Mercy Watson
One summer, our library had a virtual interview with Kate DiCamillo and we watched while eating “toast with a great deal of butter on it,” just the way Mercy Watson likes it! If you haven’t discovered these funny stories about a pet pig named Mercy Watson, my children highly recommend them!
Check out the discussion guides on the author’s website!
- Mercy Watson to the Rescue
- Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride
- Mercy Watson Fights Crime
- Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise
- Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig
- Mercy Watson: Something Wonky This Way Comes
Deckawoo Drive
Kate DiCamillo wrote another set of bridge books, giving side characters from Mercy Watson their own side stories. These are about Mercy Watson’s neighbors who live on Deckawoo Drive. I really enjoyed watching the characters develop and change in these stories.
Check out the discussion guides on the author’s website!
- Leroy Ninker Saddles Up
- Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon
- Where Are You Going, Baby Lincoln?
- Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package
- Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem
- Franklin Endicott and the Third Key