Mumsnet Talk

The Faraway Tree, and second Pippi Longstocking.

Read all the Roald Dahl books.
Pippi Longstocking - we love that the most and have read it 3 times now.
Clarice Bean books.
The Magic Faraway Tree - love.
Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island and other oldies.

Little house in the big woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder
The little white horse
Fattipuffs and Thinifers
The Phantom Tollbooth
the Snow Spider Trilogy
Thimble Summer
Emil and the Detectives

Dick King Smith.

Taggie, some epic spelling/typing fails in your post of 22.39

The Dark Is Rising Sequence. 5 books so lots to get through!

Roald Dahl is great to read aloud, but resist Little House on the Prairie as very dull.
Michael Murpurgo's Kensuke's kingdom was great, also Eva Ibbotson
Alice in Wonderland still works even tho it is 150 years old.
My lot also loved poetry and fitted the bill when we were all tired, especially The Highwayman by Alfred (?) Noyes.
Clarice Bean also good for something more modern.

wombling I just started reading Little House in the Big Woods to my 4yo DS tonight and he sat there with wide eyes and a look of rapt attention. Then he made his dad read chapter 2.

I still read to mine when they were teens especially if they were feeling overwrought.

Mr Gum definitely worth a try - I bought DS (just 9) a set of the audio books of these for Christmas and he and DD (just 7) love them.

I'm v tired and had

Michael morpurgo - some of them ok (Adolphus Tips) some of thrm dead dpressing.

piprabbit your post made me . Both DD and DS really enjoyed it, and I don't agree with dearcathyandclare, they are really interesting.

I do agree that Eva Ibbotson is fabulous, I have just read the Abominables to DD, and she loved it!

Im tired and on the wine too, Sorry, didn't mean to make you feel bad, it was genuinely amusing.

Narnia

My DD loved all the Little House books (as did I when that age).
Neither DC would listen to the end of Alice in Wonderland (not a big fan of that kind of fanciful stuff myself).
The Moomins.
Ballet Shoes (wonderful).
Thursday's Child.
The Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse, and Gobbolino the Witch's Cat (would suit your younger DC) - my DCs both loved this series.
The Little Prince.

I can't believe no-one has mentioned the How to Train Your Dragon series! They're brilliant for sharing, really funny and some fantastic language. Rather a lot of shouting though (well, they ARE Vikings )

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh.

You must read mr gum. We were camping when we read one. Me and dh carried on when the dcs were asleep. It was so funny. Had drunk wine. We used to fight over who could read it.

Marcus Sedgwick is great - also Agatha Parrot series and Penny Dreadful

My DTs are 7 and have enjoyed recently:

Abridged versions of...
Heidi
Black Beauty
Treasure Island
Around the World in Eighty Days

Also

Billy Bonkers (by Kes Gray I think)
Daisy books (Daisy and the Trouble With...)
Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf
Mr Gum
The Sheep Pig
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
The Magic Faraway Tree trilogy

We're nearing the end of The Magic Faraway Tree trilogy, and have loved it all the way. I don't remember reading it as a child, so it seemed new to me. Will definitely want to read it to DS when he's old enough too.

I love threads like this - gives me even more ideas for bed time stories

I've found reading to dd and ds a way of re-reading the books I loved best when I was their age. DD and I have been reading Pippi Longstocking, The Borrowers and Little House on the Prairie series recently - non of which I read as a child but we've both loved them.

I am currently reading Stig of the Dump to my 2 and they are both enjoying it & asking for more. The Railway Children is next on my list to read to them