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Children's books

Is there a top ten list of recommended books?

24 replies

Barbie1 · 07/04/2013 08:06

Hi,

We are due to be relocating to South Korea (if war doesn't breakout) and we have been advised there is a lack of English reading material.

Dd 3 loves books and ds 1.4 is showing an interest too Smile

What I would like is a list of the top recommended books for pre schoolers so we can stock up. We also thought parents, siblings etc could send a book for birthdays etc.

However I can't seem to find a list? Hmm

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Sirzy · 07/04/2013 08:10

Not sure about lists but I would start with anything by Julia Donaldson, and the Harry and his dinosaur books.

Does anywhere like the book people offer international delivery?

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Lomaamina · 07/04/2013 08:22

Paddington Bear (see if you can get an omnibus edition with the shortened versions)
'Kipper', 'The Great Pet Sale', etc. by Mick Inkpen see www.hachettechildrens.co.uk/Books/MickInkpen/index.page
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Winnie the Pooh

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Periwinkle007 · 07/04/2013 08:43

favourites with my 2 daughters include Winnie the Witch, James Mayhew's Katie in the art gallery ones, Katie Morag (tip here - book people have a set of 8 mini books so if you didn't want to take up much space they could be good)
Commotion in the Ocean, The Fish who could Wish, What the Ladybird Heard, You Choose and Just Imagine (these 2 are BRILLIANT and can be enjoyed for years by both boys and girls) I like all Nick Sharratt books.

You can do a wish list with the Book People and Red House books I think and of course with Amazon so people can then order what you choose.

will have a look on the bookcase in a minute and come back. My mum was a primary teacher and ran the library in the school for years so we have an amazing collection of books.

I suppose you probably want a mix of picture books but also ones with enough story to keep going for a while as you don't want to be taking loads out with you so the ones you do get will have to be good and multitasking.

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OrangeFootedScrubfowl · 07/04/2013 08:57

Ooh I hadn't seen that Just Imagine existed! Paperback pre-ordered. You Choose is fantastic.

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PetiteRaleuse · 07/04/2013 09:00

The Book Depository delivers worldwide for free :)

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OrangeFootedScrubfowl · 07/04/2013 09:01

You also need something by Shirley Hughes (Alfie Gets in First maybe?) something by the Ayckbourns (Each Peach Pear Plum?), a Charlie and Lola, and Funnybones.

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Barbie1 · 07/04/2013 09:07

Thank you for all your suggestions.

It's nice to know that some companies will deliver to the far end of no where!

I really thought there was a top 100 childrens book list somewhere, maybe the telegraph one? Google hasn't given me any ideas so perhaps I dreamt it Blush

I am writing down all the above recommendations and will compile my own list.

We have a huge amount of books already from my childhood and dh.

Am not altogether familiar with current books. Dd however does love the gruffalo and room on the broom.

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Barbie1 · 07/04/2013 09:10

We will be there for three years and have a huge container so we can take all our belongings so space isn't an issue.

I love books, would really love the dc to have the same passion.

I hope one day they can be passed down to future gc.

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TheNebulousBoojum · 07/04/2013 09:16

Lynley Dodd and the Hairy Maclairy books.
Dr Seuss
Mick Inkpen

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Periwinkle007 · 07/04/2013 09:29

ok had a quick look

right trying to think about the ages of your children, the fact you want books to appeal to both of them but also the fact you don't want enormous numbers of books which may not prove popular with them

Some Dogs Do - Jez Alborough
Where's my Teddy and My Friend Bear - both Jez Alborough
Little Bear books - Martin Waddell
The Rhyming Rabbit - Lydia Monks and Julia Donaldson
What the Ladybird Heard - Lydia Monks and JUlia Donaldson
Room on the Broom - Julia Donaldson
The Rainbow Fish - Marcus Pfister
Percy the Park Keeper - lots of them - Nick Butterworth
The Large Family - Jill Murphy
The Snail and the Whale - Julia Donaldson
Elmer - David McKee
The Smartest Giant in Town - Julia Donaldson
Old Bear - Jane Hissey
The Elephant and the Bad Baby
Meg and Mog books - Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski
Six Dinner Sid - Inga Moore
Mog - lots of them, one involves a cat dying though so check which one first, the others are lovely - Judith Kerr
Alfie - Shirley Hughes
Incy Wincy Spider - Kate Toms
Paddington - Michael Bond
Maisy - Lucy Cousins
My Naughty Little Sister - Dorothy Edwards
Laura's Star - Klaus Baumgart (about a little girl with a little brother)
Milly Molly Mandy
Katie Art Gallery books - James Mayhew
Lighthouse Keeper's lunch/cat/picnic - Ronda and David Armitage
Winnie the Witch - Valerie Thomas

Hope that helps a bit.

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Periwinkle007 · 07/04/2013 09:47

how did I forget Hairy Maclairy. glad someone else remembered!

You Choose and Just Imagine are absolute favourites in our house. They also love any of those finding books like Can you See Sassoon by Sam Usher, the usborne look and find books etc.

Might be worth looking at some non fiction Usborne books too. They do a Beginners range which are actually for Book Band 8/9 readers (about 6-7 year olds I think) which could then multitask a bit especially if your daughter starts reading well. They do everything from under the sea, your body, why do we eat, weather, planet earth, the solar system, night animals etc. beautiful pictures, great for kids to look at, easy for you to read to them and them to learn from but then good when they start reading. There is also a set I have just bought from the Book People which is called The Nature Year - 12 books, one per month about wildlife round the world. Split into the different continents. Illustrations rather than photos but a nice little set, small books and might be interesting given you are living somewhere different.

oh and Giraffes can't dance is another good book.

I dread to think how many books we have, it is quite scary and now my 5 year old is on early readers and simple chapter books we are adding to the collection too.

Planning for the future will your daughter go to an International school and therefore be learning in English? (not sure if you are Korean speakers) Just thinking that whilst lots of people don't like them, a couple of the early Peter and Jane books might be useful as well once she starts learning to read. My kids loved them. you would only need a couple to introduce basic words, 1a and 1b use the same words but in a different story - 16 words I think in total, 1c is writing based so would ignore that. 2a and 2b introduce some more words again same words but 2 stories. Or some of the basic phonics books as you won't be able to get those out there. Perhaps the Julia Donaldson songbirds phonics as they are quite fun reading but lots of people like Read Write Inc ones (my eldest hated them, didn't like the pictures or stories). My 5 year old learned to read with a combination of songbirds phonics, Peter and Jane and then the Read at home Biff chip and kipper ones, my just turned 4 year old is doing the same. If you are out there 3 years and you obviously love books then worth thinking about them.

others I have just thought of
Owl Babies
the Owl who was afraid of the dark
Julia Donaldson has done a poetry book too, saw it on our shelf yesterday - wriggle and roar I think it is called.
The Cat in the Hat knows a lot about that. - Safari So Good, all about african wildlife, Ice is Nice all about the North and south poles and Why oh Why are Deserts Dry all about Deserts. fun way to learn about things but also fun to read to children.

Lots of kids love Charlie and Lola books (drove us mad, we hated reading them), my girls like Princess Poppy (Daddy has gone on strike with those though and I doubt they would really appeal to your son although he is still very young so he might quite like them, they are harmless)

Don't forget if you celebrate Christmas to look for some Christmassy books too as you won't be able to get them so want to put some on your list or get before hand so you can read them in the lead up to Christmas. Happy Christmas Blue Kangaroo or might be Merry Christmas, can't remember, but that is lovely. Can't think of others at the moment as we have put them all away but The Snowman obviously.

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Barbie1 · 07/04/2013 09:49

periwrinkle thankyou so much for talking the time to write such a long list!

It seems we have a fair few books already mentioned now that I have looked Blush the other titles I will look into and let relatives know so they can send them if they so wish.

I also forgot to mention that dd 3.2 have been moved up a grade so she would probably need reading material for 4-5 years.

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Periwinkle007 · 07/04/2013 09:51

also (sorry - dangerous to tell me space isn't an issue when it comes to books!) it is probably worth getting a nice children's encyclopaedia and question and answer book. I got 2 recently (one of each) from TKMaxx for £3.99 and £4.99 I think they were. Great for looking things up, answering some of the numerous questions kids come up with, good for them learning about reference type books etc, nice pictures and so on

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Barbie1 · 07/04/2013 09:55

Crossed posts

Periwrinkle, Christmas books...what an excellent idea, I would of forgotten about that.

We have a fair few Peter and Jane books which drive my insane but dd recognises the words so we will continue to read them.

She will be attending an international school, although I'm sure she will pick up a fair bit of Korean. Not from us, nether dh or I speak a word of it.
We are currently in France and she has picked up some French in the last 12 months.

One last question [sorry]

For bulk buying books which would be the cheapest and most efficant web site? Bearing in mind it would have to deliver to France?

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Periwinkle007 · 07/04/2013 09:55

no problem - I love children's books, absolutely love them. was thinking of writing a list anyway.

reading wise it is harder, If she is already reading a bit then I think you would have to look inside the books to see what level she is at and pick accordingly. I love the usborne books and so do my daughters (plus they fit on bookcases which is always a bonus). On their website it lists what levels the story books are and you can look inside them at a few pages so you can judge whether they are suitable or not. My daughter is 5.5 and in reception but reading level 8/9/10 books but usborne have lots for different ages and the ones I have seen are nice stories and illustrations. You could get harder ones and then she can co-read them with you, she reads the words she knows and you the rest and then she will become familiar with them and read them herself. That way you get longer out of the books, otherwise learning to read books are often a case of read them a few times and then they are done.

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Barbie1 · 07/04/2013 09:58

Makes mental note to increase container size to fit in all the new books Grin

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Periwinkle007 · 07/04/2013 09:59

bulk buying - Amazon are obviously great for that as they have depots everywhere so they might be very good on delivery costs. Book People are great for sets/collections of books but they don't deliver internationally any longer. Could you get some sent to grandparents? worth looking as their sets of books are very very good value so if there was stuff you wanted (I think it is free delivery over £25 in the UK) it would work out cheaper than amazon.

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Periwinkle007 · 07/04/2013 10:06

also worth considering anything like a 'telling the time' book or for the sort of age she will be 'draw your own fairy storybook' type ones. These are the ones I am thinking of (I got the set and used them individually as birthday presents) www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&productId=174980 or any puzzle books, simple word searches, that kind of thing

another one your son might like is 'the toddlers big book of everything' Picthall and gunzi. lovely photograph pictures, introduces quite literally everything, alphabet, numbers, colours, shapes, weather, oppostites, sizes, food, out and about, animals etc. my youngest still loves it, we do a lot of speed 'spot the...' games with it.

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spiderbabymum · 07/04/2013 10:13

Look at the guardian website and do a search

Try listmania on amazon often fantastic

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juneau · 07/04/2013 10:17

The Kumon book list is pretty good. This is the preschool one:

Kumon Pre-School Book List

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Barbie1 · 07/04/2013 10:24

I found the guardian list glad I wasn't going mad imagining that there was one! and the kumon list is brilliant, thankyou.

Seems I had my Internet browser set to France and not the uk. Hence no Uk based sites appearing Blush Perhaps I need to order a dummies guide to computers when I place the order Wink

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Periwinkle007 · 07/04/2013 11:00

lol.

another couple my girls like

My Cat likes to hide in boxes
Mr Pod and Mr Picallili (there are only 3 ls in it but I can't remember if it is llili or lilli)

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Lifesagame · 07/04/2013 13:05

Splat the cat books go down well here and we've got a box set of usborne farmyard tales which they love. Very short stories to read but are really designed as first readers so will see you through. Bumpus jumpus dinosaur rumpus and jolly olly octopus also favourites.

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booksteensandmagazines · 07/04/2013 21:28

Lovereading4kids is a great website

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