Another holiday reading thread - 6 year old DD

[mrsmortis]

I'm looking for books for my DD that will stretch her from a language perspective but be appropriate subject wise.

She is 6 and just finished Y1 but her reading books from school have been from the Sapphire book band since about half term.

Her favourite thing in the world to read is Rainbow Magic and I don't intend to stop her from reading them, but I do want to encourage her to read other things too. She has a very low tolerance for threat (it's only since just before Easter that the level of threat in Rainbow Magic has been OK, before that she had to be in the same room as us, and if she was really scared one of us had to hold the book while she read it!).

We've read Swallows and Amazons together but that hasn't really captured her imagination. I wondered about Ballet Shoes and the Gemma books. We're read a lot of non fiction too. Her current love is her atlas, especially the pages of flags at the end. She's also space mad and has read a lot of children's non fiction on the subject.

Can anyone suggest something for her?

[dinkystinky]

Astrosaurs - dinosaurs in space series of books - are a hit with my 6 year old (also going into year 2).

[MyDogEatsBalloons]

My six year old loves the Daisy books by Kes Gray. Be warned though, Daisy is a bit of a brat - DD thinks this is hilarious, but sometimes has to be reminded she can't get away with 'Daisy Behaviour' herself!

[MrsKCastle]

There's a few other series similar to Rainbow Magic but (IMO) better- more challenging language and less tedious.
Try:
Glitterwings Academy
Lucky Charm
Secret Kingdom

You could also try Roald Dahl,
My Naughty Little Sister
Flat Stanley
The Worst Witch

[AmazonsForEver]

We read Ballet Shoes to ours at this age, was a little beyond them, though reading at similar level.
Does she have much of a sense of humour?
Mine really enjoyed the How to train your dragon books, they're very funny, and the language in them is excellent. I hesitate to suggest Astrosaurs, but some children love them, and if she's okay with Rainbow Fairies, then she probably won't mind other series that never end...

The Ottiline books are wonderful, by Chris Riddell. The illustrations are gorgeous, and very detailed. Have you considered Tintin- there are two volumes set in space (Destination Moon, and Explorers on the Moon), very exciting, but no inappropriate language. (you may have to explain the Captain's whisky!)

Chronicles of Narnia
Chronicles of Prydain
Paddington Bear
Pippi Longstocking

Have you seen the Maps book by the Mizilinkskis? That is really lovely (though beware, there are some countries that don't feature!)

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

The Land of Green Ginger, by Noel Langley - it is a very funny sequel to the Aladdin story. It has a wizard who has accidentally turned himself into a button-nosed tortoise, a flying back garden, villains called Rub Dub Ben Thud and Tin Tack Ping Foo, and a donkey that sits on a pin.

[AmazonsForEver]

Heidi?
What Katy Did
Pollyanna
The School at the Chalet (and its 60 sequels)
Malory Towers

Generally the older the book, the more difficult the language, and more appropriate the content! (though avoid Treasure Island- not a children's book)

[morningtoncrescent62]

The Ramona Quimby series
Mrs Pepperpot

[AmazonsForEver]

Olga Da Polga

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

The Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jannsen.

[hels71]

Milly Molly Mandy?

[WidowWadman]

Fortunately the milk by Neil Gaiman.

[mrsmortis]

Thank you everyone. There are a couple things in there that I haven't hear of before and several that I should have thought of but hadn't occurred to me.

We've already read the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe together, but he death of Aslan was only managed by me reading the next chapter out loud immediately and me telling her constantly that there was a happy ending... Not something I want to try again for a while. She's read Pippi and we watched a cartoon of it on German TV the last time we were there. We have the Maps book, it's brilliant.

I'm off to dig out my copy of What Katy Did and see if my Mum still has Mrs Pepperpot.

And I'll look for some of the others in the library at the weekend.

[BlueChampagne]

The Worst Witch
Sophie and the Shadow Woods

[AmazonsForEver]

Rumer Godden's Dolls House might be nice, also Miss Happiness and Miss Flower.

[BlueChampagne]

A Necklace of Raindrops
Winnie the Witch (collections for 5-8yo)
Mr Majeika
Katie Morag
Janet Reachfar

[Preminstreltension]

The Ottoline stories were good transitional books for my DD at this age. Ditto Judy Moody and the Enid Blyton Naughtiest Girl series.

I think Ballet Shoes is actually quite hard going. I read it to DD (8) but a lot of it is actually quite obscure (Maeterlinck's Blue Bird...). Charlotte's Web is a simpler story although it does have quite a bit of threat I suppose.

What about the My Naughty Little Sister stories? Or Bel Mooney's Oh Kitty stories.