“My child loved the program. We are very, very pleased. The stories were simple and Catholic. They covered the basics and were short enough to master and move on. We have actually used it with three children and will be starting with the fourth. I look forward to it.”
- C.S |
“One of my great frustrations is that many early reader books are really not phonetically controlled; they have very few words on a page, but frequently use words with exceptions and complex phonograms. Little Stories is just the opposite -- many words on each page, but phonograms used in the words are introduced gradually and progress from simple to complex. In addition, we loved the stories themselves! They were very sweet and enjoyable and really reinforced the Faith and virtues we want for our families. Many times when my first grader was reading the stories aloud to me, his younger sister AND his 3 older brothers would all stop what they were doing to come and listen :-)”
- Linda, Maine |
“Little Folks Program seems to be the easiest, quickest way to get right into reading. The stories are human and real! They really enjoyed the humor in some of them, and liked to discuss the issue involved. For instance, helping with chores, telling the truth, being responsible, etc. Could not be more satisfied with any program!”
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“I wish we had just started with a simple CATHOLIC program like Little Stories, and moved on from there. I'm shelving [other program] next year in favor of CHC's First Grade Lesson Plans and curriculum. Sometimes simpler is just better.”
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“My 1st grader is a reading champ thanks to Little Stories for Little Folks! He reads everything everywhere now! I love watching him figure out new words! The look on his face is priceless!”
- Cheryl, Arizona |
“CHC, thank you so much for Little Stories for Little Folks! My son and I were starting to read with another program and he was so bored. I switched to your program, and after reading his first Little Stories book he was so proud of himself, he read it to his sisters and his father over and over again. He is a bright boy and just needed a program that was tailored with love and understanding of the young mind. Or, as he said, 'Now learning to read is really fun, I sure like my new little books!'”
- Kathryn |
“I have really enjoyed using Little Stories for Little Folks for one year now with two children. I had taught four older children to read using another program. Your program is much more user friendly and I didn't need to take a seminar to start it! I will gladly use it again next fall with another child.... I am expecting my tenth child early this fall, other mothers should know that this is a program that is doable even for very large families, unlike some other, more intense programs.”
- Melissa, CO |
| “We are currently in our second year of homeschool, and I have never used anything but your materials. However, several months ago, I was flipping through the 1st grade reader from another popular Catholic homeschool provider, and I was struck by sudden doubt about the efficacy of the Little Folks program. This other reader seemed so much more of everything--bigger, slicker, more pictures, more words. I went home and ordered a copy of it for use in our curriculum.
However, it took only a few weeks for me to realize that this other reader, while bigger and more illustrated, was pretty much bankrupt in the vocabulary department. Not only that, but the stories were vapid, the language terribly repetitive, and the lessons in our Faith not nearly as strong as those in the Little Folks series.
So I'm now convinced. Little Stories for Little Folks is a gem not only in teaching reading skills and vocabulary, but also in the strong lessons in our beautiful Faith.”
- Cari, Mississippi |
“Couldn't let this month ... go by without reinforcing how wonderful your phonics program is. I used a different program with my two oldest. Once I made the switch to CHC with child #3 I quickly discovered that his reading and spelling was much more solid, and emerged faster! Kudos to CHC.”
- Julia, MN |
“This...will be our first year of homeschooling...[public school] kindergarten [was] a sad experience...for my son. Essentially a bright and observant boy AND easily distracted. The distractedness ...resulted in a young boy afraid of getting in trouble when he is doing his best...but still failing and now hates school at the age of 6. We started the Little Folks program in July...[after about three weeks] he read aloud alone Book #7 from Level 1...with pride...beaming. He did the same with book #8 yesterday. And today he was taking over while we looked at book #9. While I am thrilled that he is learning to read, I am even more grateful that he is engaged and taking initiative. Praise be to God...the progress made in reading and attitude is an answer to prayer that will fuel our new adventure as a family. Thank you so very much!”
- Sherrylynne, MN |
“When teaching my 3rd child to read, I turned to Little Stories for Little Folks for the first time. WOW. She learned to read so easily, quickly, no tears, lots of smiles! It was so worth it to shelve the other program previously used and use this one. She loved the stories and had such a great time on Level 1 when we would ask her to read one of her stories to daddy or grandma or grandpa. Such pride as she read a real book!”
- Angela, WI |
“My family has grown into a group of enthusiastic readers because of your phonics program! My 3-year-old is starting kindergarten with my 5-year-old and the 7-year-old and 8-year-old are motivating each other in their studies. Thanks for your beautiful, easy-to-use, "real-Life" Catholic curriculum!”
- J., LA |
“I have been ordering from you for 10 years now, and am teaching my 6th & 7th children to read with Little Stories for Little Folks. The older kids love hearing the stories again. They have all kept their first readers in special places in their rooms.”
- Ellen, South Carolina |
“I love your phonics program. I have used it for my last three students and they love it, too! They especially like putting the little books in their own notebook and adding a holy sticker to the cover each time they finish a book (after 2 successful reads).”
- April, OK |
“The Little Stories for Little Folks books are great! I thought teaching my son to read would be difficult, but not with this book. There are very easy-to-follow steps that teach kids how to go from learning basic letter sounds, to putting sounds together, to reading. The tear-out-and-fold book pages are wonderful and progressively get harder as the child's reading level goes up. My son loves being able to read and he is so proud when he finishes each little story. Thank you for these great teaching tools!”
- Colette, FL |
“We just used your delightful Little Stories for Little Folks for the first time this year with our kindergarten boy. He has seemed bored or overwhelmed with other programs or readers, but just loved yours! We made a new little booklet almost every day, and he decorated a little box to collect them in. He enjoyed re-reading many of the booklets over and over, such as "Mud on the Rug" and "You and I", because he got a great kick out of the humor. It was so encouraging to him to see how many books he had read by the end of this year.”
- Claire, IN |
“The Little Stories for Little Folks series is phenomenal! My oldest daughter attended our parish school for kindergarten and was really struggling with phonics and reading overall - so I knew I had my work cut out for me getting her to read this year. Come January everything started to click and I'm THRILLED to share that my daughter is almost through Level 1! She is excited to read all of the stories to us now, and you can just see the confidence blooming in her. I think the content of the stories helps my daughters to feel comfortable talking about their faith. I am a convert, and was not raised in a home that talked about religion/faith, so I grew up shy to even say the name of Jesus in front of anyone. By reading these stories, and getting comfortable saying these words that affirm our faith, I am ever hopeful that my kids will have a "boldness" to share their faith that they will take with them wherever they go in the future! Thank you!”
- Kris, IN |
“My son loved Little Stories for Little Folks and is an amazing reader. He would be in K this year, and is reading at about a 2nd-3rd grade level. He is reading chapter books and loves, loves, loves to read. He has excellent word-attack skills. Thank you for such an awesome phonics program.”
- Heather, MN |
“We are just finishing up our first year of homeschooling. In the beginning, I struggled through a well-acclaimed book to teach my then 5-year-old how to read. After just a few weeks of lessons, he was running away from me at any mention of it. A friend told me about Little Stories for Little Folks, and so I went ahead and bought it. However, I stubbornly stuck with the original program. Then my 4-year-old started to ask to do lessons just like big brother, so I decided to start him with Little Stories for Little Folks. He took to it quickly. He calls them his "little lessons" and he's very proud of his work. Watching his joy and enthusiasm finally convinced me to switch my 6-year-old over to this program. The transformation in his attitude was immediate. Reading the stories has given him confidence, and he has learned to love his lessons again. And we both love that they are Catholic!! Thanks so much for a wonderful program!”
- Gia, TX |
| “I recommend these readers for any family needing a simple and successful phonics and reading program. This year my 5-year-old started the program as suggested. "Mr. Five" is a child who challenges me every step of the way, on everything. But I never heard him complain when I said it was time to read Little Stories. He finished his last Level 1 booklet this week, reading it aloud to me with fluency. This story is entitled "Messy Room." After reading the booklet he said two things to me, "Mom, I want to clean my room better too." And later he asked me, "I'm done with reading? Does that mean I have to wait until next year to read the other stories?" (If you knew my "Mr. Five," you would also know how much his responses amazed and delighted me!)
I can not recommend this program enough. My sons have benefited both from sound phonics-based reading and gentle lessons in virtues. Each has identified with the children in the stories and always want to know what the children would be doing in the next booklet.
(A tongue in cheek warning: Mrs. Nicholson's stories are liked so much that it may cause the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" syndrome in your house! (If you give your children Little Stories for Little Folks, you'll have to give them Bigger Stories for Little Folks, and when they finish reading those stories, they will want to read Devotional Stories for Little Folks, and Devotional Stories for Little Folks, Too! This may lead to your son, who may 'hate' to read and write, asking to do Catholic Heritage Handwriting, Language of God, etc. -- simply because each is written by "Nancy Nicholson." But I hope it does, because we have enjoyed all her work!)”
- Jamie, RI |
“I LOVE the Little Stories for Little Folks phonics program. I had looked at several phonics programs and was reduced to tears due to the complexity/cost of them. Nancy Nicholson's curriculum is easy to read/understand/is affordable!”
- Kathy |
“My first grader was reluctant to read on his own time despite having mastered the phonics from [another Catholic phonics program]. I thus introduced Little Stories for Little Folks to him. He absolutely has taken to the little book format and wholesome stories very much. I plan on using Little Stories for Little Folks with my other children. The sense of accomplishment he gets after finishing each book successfully is having him "craving" more...”
- Anne Francoise, Virginia |
“I was very worried about my ability to teach my daughter to read. However, Little Stories for Little Folks made the process a JOY! Each book had a bite-size lesson which built on the lesson before. It was perfect. I also wanted to mention that adoption is presented in a positive light in your material. I am thinking specifically about the Little Stories book called "Kim's Adoption." Good job!”
- Melissa, MN |
“[My younger daughter] went through two complete phonics programs, but still has some issues. We needed to get past the phonics and just read. I pulled Little Stories for Little Folks off the shelf. She loved reading the first book. Why? "Because it was about going to Mass, just like us." She doesn't get frustrated reading anymore because she is so engrossed in the stories that she takes the time to figure out the words so she doesn't miss anything.”
- Kathleen, NJ |
“My son loves Little Stories for Little Folks! He can't wait to start the next booklet! He loves the stories. We laugh about them, and he reads them to his father in the evening after dinner. It is not flashy material, but it WORKS and it's CATHOLIC. Almost too good to be true! There is very little advanced prep time for me, which means we can pick up a booklet on the fly and just sit down and learn.”
- M.B. |
“Initially, I purchased Little Stories for Little Folks as a supplement. As a first-time homeschooler, I thought teaching to read must be tedious and expensive to be effective. I had my own Catholic school upbringing in mind. So as I experimented, researched and dabbled with other much more expensive and heavily packaged phonics programs or dry all-in-one phonics program books, my four-year-old was actually not only learning to read with CHC alone but looking forward to it! And I knew it wasn't memorization at work but true phonics when she would play with words she saw during her day by replacing letters to create new sounds, and therefore new words. The stories are embedded in her memory so that a recurrent family character will bring a squeal of delight and old stories retold by her (which is great for reading comprehension). Also, not only is the content much richer and character-building than another secular popular boxed-set reader that she liked initially, there are many more different words and many more words overall introduced in CHC's Little Stories than the other popular boxed-set. Most importantly, it's our favorite time of the day at the close of evening to snuggle up next to each other and read them.”
- Dalia, Pennsylvania |
“I have switched to Little Stories! The stories [in other programs] were JUST stories. Yes, my two oldest have learned to read, but there wasn't the faith building that my husband and I have come to see as vital in ALL aspects of learning! We have had some amazing conversations relating to the stories! Having gone through three years of teaching two of my children to read, I see now more clearly the importance of including our faith at each step of the way. The programs I used initially were secular. I think I was afraid that the "Catholic" programs wouldn't be good enough. I never saw them recommended in the books I was reading at the time for advice. (However, none of those authors were Catholic!) Now, as I have begun to use Catholic sources I am DELIGHTED at the quality and SO disappointed at the lost opportunities by using only secular materials initially.”
- E.M. |
“We first purchased this in 2002 and have since used this program with several children. This is not just a phonics program, but these adorable little readers teach valuable lessons as well. I love that we are no longer forced to use secular curriculum to teach phonics to our children. This is a solid program that teaches our children how to read and about our Catholic faith. Thank you so much for this wonderful Catholic phonics program!”
- Tami, WA |
“He absolutely loves all the stories in this program [Little Stories]. When he understands a funny part, he likes to re-read it and laughs out loud. It is so cute. The days were few where he didn't want to read these stories over a text book. He liked when the color changed with each level he completed of the books. For the price the results ARE amazing!!!! I would definitely recommend this program to everyone. I was scared to think how I am going to teach him to read. It was really fun and easy for him.”
- R.T. |
“My 4-year-old daughter loves learning to read, and Little Stories for Little Folks makes it easy for me to teach her phonics. She caught on to the letter sounds and word families very quickly, and we're looking forward to starting the first Level One book this week! My husband and I are considering sending her to preschool, but I am still going to continue teaching her phonics from Little Stories for Little Folks. I would be surprised to ever find a reading program that is better than CHC's!”
- Jill, PA |
“Our 8 year old daughter was struggling with reading. Having tried everything else without much success, I ordered Little Stories for Little Folks, remembering that it was this series that helped our older daughter learn to read when all else failed. Well, my younger daughter is reading now, too, thanks to the Little Stories for Little Folks series. Thank you and God Bless!”
- Roberta, PA |
“Our family has completely fallen for the Little Folks phonics readers and spellers! My son's confidence and ability in reading have grown by leaps and bounds since we began using this program, and I love how our Catholic faith is integrated into each lesson. We cannot recommend this program enough!”
- Emily, Alberta |
“Thanks so much for your wonderful products. When I first received Little Stories for Little Folks, I wasn't sure if it would be enough. It looked so simple. But my daughter loves it. Whenever I tell her that we have a new story to read, she comes running to do her lessons. Little Stories for Little Folks was definitely enough. Thank you so much for making such a beautiful Catholic product.”
- Christine, Georgia |
“Little Stories is just wonderful! We took it slow at first, but then my child began to breeze through the stories. I saw it in the CHC catalog and bought it even though my oldest was only two at the time. I've been waiting a long time to have the story, "We Hope to See the Pope" read to me. My child read the stories to whomever would listen. He would tell the story lines to his dad and talk about the characters as if they were his friends. The characters are true-to-life. They sometimes are naughty or get into trouble. But the Catholic Faith aspect is important to my child. This is a lovely program!”
- M.C. |
“We are now using Little Stories for Little Folks with our second child in Kindergarten and it has been just as successful and enjoyable as with our first child. They both have become strong readers with excellent word attack skills, which we feel is due to the program. We are looking forward to using it again with our three other children!”
- The V. Family |
“My family loves the Little Stories for Little Folks: Catholic Phonic Readers. It is wonderful to see the joy in my children's faces when we sit to read them together... My seven-year-old son was a reluctant reader, but ever since we started using Little Stories for Little Folks, he has enthusiasm to read. I feel good about the messages given through these readers. I know that my children are not just learning how to read but getting lessons in character building as well. He is so excited to read to his Dad when he masters each book. We are ready now to move on to the next level because his confidence has increased tenfold while using Little Stories for Little Folks. My daughter just started them and is just as enthusiastic after listening to her brother read the books to her. She is a strong reader and they are just right for her because she moves at a faster pace and is able to move ahead with each book becoming a little more challenging.”
- Sandra, Ontario, Canada |
“I absolutely love this program. My mother-in-law has been a Kindergarten teacher of gifted children for 33 years. She was shocked when my 1st grader began to read her book! She and many others in my family (all school teachers) have been very surprised that this program not only developed him into a fantastic reader, but that he loves to read. He reads on his own, everyday. Thank you!!!”
- Cecelia, FL |
“Little Stories allows much greater opportunity for growth and application of phonetic principles while reinforcing Catholic values and life-styles. In addition to greater scope, the sequence is very appropriate with one concept building upon the previous concepts and constant re-exposure to new blends, digraphs, etc. I realize now that my older children could have benefited greatly from a more comprehensive presentation of high frequency sounds, blends and digraphs ... Both children, at different paces have really achieved using this program. What's more, they love it! ... My 5-year-olds are reading like you wouldn't believe and God is given glory throughout the series.”
- C.A. (a mother and certified teacher) |
“My children love Little Stories. They enjoy the stories and the quiet time together often discussing them. We have tried many different programs without much success or enjoyment. Little Folks is wonderful for both the parent and child! My children look forward to school and learning to read and I enjoy the family centered stories that actually help my children learn about living their Catholic faith. I am so grateful for finding a program that fits our homeschool and family/faith needs.”
- C.K. |
“My son learned using this program after many failures with other more expensive programs. Something in this program clicked and allowed my son to gain the knowledge he needed to succeed in reading. The progression of the little books caught and held my son's attention. He looked forward to reading the little books daily and upon progression he became more and more proud of his accomplishment. The results were worth much more than I paid for this program.”
- S.B. |
