When our kids are young, reading with them – especially at bedtime – seems to come to us naturally.  As they move toward becoming independent readers, our tendency is to read to them less and encourage them to read more.  Shelving more picture books doesn't mean that your special reading time has to end ... chapter books open lots of other doors for sharing stories and your love of books. 
  
My daughter (7-and-a-half) has the auditory equivalent of a photographic memory.  She plays with words and morphs them into new things the way other kids play with molding clay and action figures.  She has an "ear" for accents and dialects, and she is quick to mimic them after hearing just a few lines.  Whether we're standing in line to buy groceries or sitting in a restaurant, Catherine is always ready to pick up new material. 
  
When we read, each character must have their own voice.  If it's a squirrel, we need the "tut-tut-tut" and squeaks.  If it is a handsome prince, nothing short of a proper British accent will do.  As a second grader, Catherine is reading a lot more on her own.  As a result, we have changed our bedtime reading diet.  There are still plenty of picture books, but we've blended in chapter books, too.  We are also doing more with partner reading, sometimes called reader's theater.  Each of us takes at least one "role" and we read those parts as we go along.  Easy readers -- particularly early chapter books -- rely heavily on dialogue to build the story and move events along. 
  
They also create wonderful opportunities to share the reading and maintain the bonding time we had with bedtime stories not so long ago.  Even without picture books, we can prolong the fun of creating silly voices and adding drama.  Still, you need to know your child and use your judgment in selecting books.  Some -- but not all -- of the most popular books for new and transitional readers are filled with pranks, pratfalls, and low-brow humor.  The language can be (shall we say) more colorful.  The words that Catherine used to hear are now right there in front of her -- in black and white and spelled correctly.  It is one thing for a four-year-old to say "poopie face," and be corrected.  It is yet another for them to hear you giggle about unmentionables when you're reading together.  Oh, boy!  The character I'm playing/reading says it, so it must be okay! 
  
There is a part of me that revels in the fact that my daughter is excited about reading and these books keep her coming back for more.  These are the books that make for fun read-alouds (think The Three Stooges).  There is also a part of me that cringes.  I feel like we're traveling once again through toddlerdom and preschool days ... reviewing all the lessons of what is and isn't appropriate.  Last year, I wrote A Question of Character (http://childrens-literacy.com/2009/04/21/a-question-of-character/) expressing the thoughts of my dilemma.  The conversation that came from that article raised an excellent point ... through books we meet all kinds of characters.  Some we like.  Some we don't.  But the more people we meet, the more we'll learn about ourselves and how we want to engage the world.  Just like the picture books, these are opportunities to talk about things ... even if it means going over old material.

Sharing books at bedtime is a tradition kids remember forever.  It creates a quiet point in the day for everyone, and can satisfy that desire to reconnect with our kids apart from whatever else happened the rest of the day.  The transition away from cute, cuddly picture books doesn't have to mean the end of bedtime stories.  It's the beginning of a whole new chapter!

What are your favorite chapter books for reading with kids?