Mumsnet users share with Scottish Friendly their favourite books to read to their children

[EllieMumsnet]

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Reading to your DCs can be a great source of not only downtime and bonding but it can also help your children learn and develop. Many of our most nostalgic memories contain at least one recollection of our parents reading our favourite book to us, therefore Scottish Friendly would love to know which your favourite books are to read to your children and why? Plus what are your favourite childhood books?

Do you love reading the classic Winnie the Pooh because you get to do all the voices? Perhaps your DC loves adventure books and you’re not one to shy away from acting out the scenes? Or do you love a books that your child can read along with you? Maybe you and your DC love to get all cosy with some pillows and blankets and read their favourite Roald Dahl book together?

Here’s what Scottish Friendly have to say: “With just two weeks left of summer, perhaps it’s getting to that time when you’re looking for new ideas to keep your little darlings amused. Even if it’s just to give yourself the chance of a well-deserved cuppa and to put your feet up for longer than 5 minutes!

Scottish Friendly is celebrating 20 years of supporting children’s literacy with a game your kids can play called ‘Letterfall’. It’s fun and educational too, and to celebrate this milestone anniversary we’ve added an extra twist! Now kids all over the UK can play to try to beat the current high score for a chance to win a fantastic prize for their school – an iPad Pro, iPad and an iPad Mini are all up for grabs! Visit the site to play (terms apply, more details on the website.)”

Whatever your favourite book to read to your child is and why, share it on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

[Flikka40]

Older children here who are all good readers but like to read fiction to themselves. We do all read non-fiction together though - current favourite to share is Ripley's Believe It Or Not.

[Voldesnort]

It changes as they grow. Hairy Mclary (from Donaldsons dairy !) was one of the Faves at toddler age, the worst witch series when she grew up a bit and now its Harry potter/ chronicles of narnia. I love the memories they conjour while my DD is enthralled

[NeverTwerkNaked]

For younger children, something with rhyme and rhythm that I don’t mind reading 100s of times in a row at their insistence- most of the Julia Donaldson books, Dragon Stew...

I also love the Snorgh and the Sailor

For reading with my slightly older son I love the Claude series, they are wonderful gentle fun

[ProteinIsGood]

We actually have all the classics, can't remember where from. A favourite of the younger ones is 101 Dalmations. However the older ones like reading on their own and don't want that 'extra' voice effect anymore haha.

[frogintheTyne]

When my son was wee, his favourite was Q Pootle5 ( the original illustrated version). We read it so often together I could dream it in my sleep.

That wee boy is now studying astrophysics at University!

[NerrSnerr]

Our favourite at the moment is Monkey Puzzle. We love talking about the animals and what we would do if my daughter got lost.

[custardcream1000]

We read lots of different books, so it's hard to choose a favourite. I do have a soft spot for some of the books that were read to me as a child too, such as 'peace at last' and 'whatever next'.

[PorridgeAgainAbney]

We don't really have a favourite as we tend to have to read the same book for about a week before moving onto the next, but the most read tend to be Fireman Sam because I do a really good rendition of Norman and Dyllis .

[buckley1983]

I love reading to my son at bedtime & his favourites soon become mine too! When he was younger - I loved reading him this battered old book we got at a jumble sale called 'The Dog that Dug' - a brilliant rhyming story with illustrations by the fabulous Korky Paul.
Now he's older - I love reading him the Dirty Bertie series by Alan MacDonald & I'm slowly introducing my absolute favourite when I was a kid.. the Little Vampire series by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg :)

[Laney79]

I'm currently pregnant with my first, but have been an auntie for a long time. One of my fave books to read was the Oxford book of Christmas poems...love reading Roger mcgough's fight of the year aloud! That and charlottes web. Gorgeous book!

[Ashhead24]

We love the Ahlberg books here, Peepo, Each Peach Pear Plum and Burgler Bill have all been favourites. The pictures that go with them are great for picking out details and making up whole stories about what's going on.

I also love Ouch in my Pouch as it's so fun to read, really flows nicely.

Looking forward to reading Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton when they're a bit bigger, am hoping not to be disappointed by coming back to them as an adult .

[PomDeNlume]

Currently the favourite book in our house is Dear Zoo (the Noisy Book version with questionable animal noises!) but like a previous poster mentioned, I'm very much looking forward to introducing my son to Roald Dahl, and then hopefully a few years more down to Douglas Adams

[MimsyBorogroves]

I can't wait til my children read Enid Blyton's "Adventure" series.

I enjoyed reading Cherry Tree Farm etc with them too. All my old faves.

[MrsKCastle]

When they were younger, all the Julia Donaldson & Axel Schleffer books went down well. Anything with rhyme and repetition that they can join in with.

My DDs are now 7 and 10 and we enjoy Road Dahlia, Harry Potter, mystery/adventure (Scarlet & Ivy, Code Busters, Secret Seven). Also classics: The Hobbit, Anne of Green Gables, Pollyanna, Treasure Seekers. I love sharing books that I enjoyed as a child. In fact Pollyanna and Anne of Green Gables belonged to my grandmother, so my kids are the 4th generation of my family to read them!

[voyager50]

Anything my Roald Dahl - I loved them as a child and it's so lovely to pass on the joy of reading them to the next generation. They make him laugh out loud just like they did for me and I still enjoy them as an adult.

[sharond101]

Anything Julia Donaldson, I love the rhyming and flowing stories. Just a nice length too.

[Mumof5x]

Mog books always been a MASSIVE fav in this house since my oldest was little, now 18 and I'm still reading them to my youngest. If I'm tired I can lay down next to them close my eyes and recite every book word for word haha. New favs are stick man and scarecrows wedding (not quite ready for eye closing yet but getting there)

[BristolMum96]

My favourite books to read to my daughter are my favourites from my childhood, Twelve Dancing Princesses and The Queens Knickers
Princesses is so beautifully illustrated and Knickers is so funny. I have the exact books I had as a child so they are well worn and loved

[thenorthernluce]

I read twice a day to my one year old as part of her pre-nap routine. Our current favourites are “Oi Frog!” and “Hairy McLary from Donaldson’s Dairy”, but the classics like “Each Peach Pear Plum” and “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” make regular appearances in our repertoire.

[Grumpasaurus]

MY favourites to read to DS (2 years old) are the oh-so-beautifully written and illustrated books by Canadian author Nancy Tillman. "Wherever you go, my love will find you" and "I'd know you anywhere, my love" are sure to bring tears to my eyes and cause me to squeeze DS a little harder :-).

HIS favourites to read, randomly, are the two books given to us in Spanish! One is by a friend of ours, about a little dog who needs glasses. The second is a Spanish version of Jack and the Beanstalk (Juan y los Frijoles Magicos). I have absolutely no idea why he likes them- neither DH nor I can speak the language! Yet he consistently picks them and wants "more, more.."

Who knows why they appeal to him, but nonetheless, walk past our house around 7pm most nights and you will either hear me swallowing me tears whilst trying to get through a book, or stumbling over my own tongue trying to sound authentic...

Definite Gringo here, but we do love books!!!

[JellySlice]

At an age when dd was perfectly capable of reading good literature, she refused to read anything other than the Rainbow Fairies books. So I started reading classics to her at bedtime. Books like The Wizard of Oz, authors like E Nesbit, literature with more meat to it. Rich, varied language, complex plots, unfamiliar backgrounds. (It was a delight to revisit favourites from my youth, too! )

Dd's vocabulary widened, and her teachers commented on the sudden leap forward in her schoolwork. And from time to time I'd find that she had read on a chapter or two...

[qate]

The Dr Seuss books, especially The Places You'll Go - I love the rhythm and message of it. So excited for when he's older and we can do the Harry Potter books, Enid Blyton (esp the Faraway Tree) and Roald Dahl!!

I still love reading A Tale of Time City - not one that many people have heard of, let alone read, but has been a favourite since I was a kid.

[asuwere]

One of my favourites to read to my youngest is Charlie Cook's Favourite Book :)
I'm just starting to read The Faraway Tree books with my middle DC which is lovely as they were my favourite books when I was little so nice to read again.

[ailsasheldon]

I love Enid Blyton. My favourite is the faraway tree. I have my original copy and a new one and it brings back lovely memories

[MummyBtothree]

I love reading the rhyming book 'Oi Frog' to my DS. It's his favourite book and we love to read it together at bedtime.