Suitable books for 5 year old boy?

another v strong recommendation for the Mr Gumm books - DS (6) has never laughed so much in his life. They are fab. You can get the whole set on book people v cheaply at the mo.

We also love the worst witch, and roald dahl.

I am just about to start to read some Judy Blume ones - superfudge etc.

Here's an inbetweeny, Leaf Olympics by Matt Northmore. funny, exciting, not too young or too old perhaps. Have a look.
Good luck.
www.amazon.co.uk/Leaf-Olympics-ebook/dp/B005MKCEH0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1315912491&sr=1-1

Last post- promise!! He also likes Usborne 1001 things to spot and the adventure books like Puzzle Dungeon which involves puzzles like a maze to get to the next bit of the story.
He also loves information books. Usborne Living in Space and Pirates have been memorised by him.

..and Mr Men books

Hopefully not x-post but my 5 year old is mad about the Traction Man series.

Mixed Up Fairy Tales by Hilary Robinson is one of my favourite books. I have taken it into all the year groups that I have taught in (Y1 - Y4) and there have always been lots of giggling! The idea is that you create your own fairy tale by moving the strips - endless stories. The children seem to love the one that ends in one of them marrying a troll!

my son (dyslexic, easily bored) adored captain underpants, mentioned above - part comic strip, sophisticated vocab and syntax; liked the jeremy strongs, hated - but yours might like - the green knowe series (lucy boston) adored the laura ingalls wilder series - nothing like the tv series, all v well described and riveting pioneering, loved the little wooden horse and gobbelino the witches cat. also enjoyed fact books about cows, dinosaurs, horses. My nephews loved just william - recommend the audios for a long car journey. (the horrid henry audios are read brilliantly). the just so stories are good at this age, and then puck of pook's hill - kipling out of fashion but a good story teller, the jungle book. and he loved myths and legends. greek, norse, native american, and the brer rabbits. basically, things with humour or adventure.

the school library association has good reading lists., age apropriate and divided by genre, often with reviews

My boys loved Children make terrible pets which was a new york times childrens book of the year. And all of the Dr. Seuss books are great (and come in different reading levels). The all rhyme and so children love the sound of them and it`s easy to remember. They have an ABC themed one too!

anti Robin hood sorry

DS 6 likes the newer/younger Astrosaurs Academy - definately from the library I had to ask as they were so popular.....1st chapter book was Charlottes web which he loved but was a bit more bloodthirsty than I remembered...didn't like teh magic faraway tree or wishing chair but we have been doing secret seven which he loves... also Tintin he finds hilariuos - also second The Gaskitt family - anything funny really thanks for the ideas mentioned already as he is also one that gets scared easily....

Audio greek myths too and a planatarium thing we found - will try Arthurian next bit for some reason he is very antu robin hood and not too keen on pirates!

Church mouse!!!! Such fun for the parent too. Giggler Treatment is surreally hilarious, esp audio version by Tomy Tiernin(sp?)
So many refreshing suggestions.

Magic Tree House series are good too - short and snappy chapter books with pics (tho the Americanisms a bit irritating) Jack and Annie go to a diff time in History each book so nice educationally. First two are Dinosaurs and Knights.

Why are most libraries so low on Dinosaur Coves? Munstersmum u so lucky! Off to Bookpeople website...

Twoflakes so agree re Winie the Pooh beign started too young then dismised. Prob cos tv version aimed younger.

Any of the Hiccup Horrendous Haddock books. They're really fun: here

Also, just found this but we haven't read it so not sure of age range. Terry Deary is good though, and your ds would probably enjoy some of the Horrible Histories too.

DS is a bit of a softy and can't take any books with suspense or nasty characters (that rules out just about all literature then). He loves the Humphry books about the classroom hamster, where every chapter ends happily. We've now read these 3 times through. Yep, that's all 5 books 3 times. We're currently on Harry the Poisonous Centipede, which has a bit more suspense (he is now 7, after all), but still end happily.

Gwenfair They are also on offer at The Book People too! Will buy and store!

My 8 year old boy loves the Mr Gum books by Andy Stanton - we have been reading them since he was about 6 and they are fantastic - laugh out loud funny, mad and so well written with great illustrations. It think there are about 6 of them now. I absolutely love reading them too which is a huge bonus. I urge you to try them!

My 7 yo loves non-fiction. Try the Usborne Beginners, which your 5 yo may be able to read for himself. If they are interested in the subject, they will read better.

Also, the Beast Quest books are great, and he reads those himself.

For books you read to him, there are some great suggestions in the thread, already.

My son has audio books of things like the Greek Legends, and the Arthurian Legends. These are great for even short car journeys.

Hi, Sir Gadabout books are great fun, by Martin Beardsley, also big on audio CDs; Roddy Doyle's The Giggler Treatment read by Tommy Tiernan is simply magic.

Dinosaur books are pretty stand alone - each one at the beginning tells you all you need to know. Although it is quite good having read the first one to set the story totally (I sound like Dinosaur Cove are my favourite books which isn't quite true but they are definitely tolerable )

This is a great thread. The Book People have a collection of The Dinosaur Cove booked, volumes 11 to 20, on offer for 9.99. Do you have to have read the previous volumes for them to make sense?

I also brought a collection of the Faraway Tree books from Tescos for 5 pounds last Christmas time - worth looking out for.

Boys I know love the Captain Underpants books by Dav Pilkley - comic-book sections, lots of toilet humour and schoolboys getting up to mischief. Also the classic Stig of the Dump by Clive King, the Geronimo Stilton series (mouse adventures in different countries) and my DS's current favourite, Jack Stalwart Secret Agent series (also have some educational content about countries). And if he likes pirates you could try Peter Pan - there are various abridged versions.

My son (who was 6 last month) has enjoyed lots of Roald Dahl - loves Fantastic Mr Fox and George's Marvellous Medicine but all others too. Also liked Boy - the autobiographical one - he talks a lot about that. Also Tom's Sausage Lion by Michael Morpurgo, Dirty Bertie stories (urg), The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (more to come!). He LOVED The Great Ghost Rescue by Eva Ibbotson. There are also good compilations published by Kingfisher - Pirate Stories, Dinosaur Stories, Stories For 5 Year Olds, 6 years olds and so on. We are on the 5th Harry Potter book - reading them to my 7 year old daughter but DS loves them too. Also Teddy Robinson - gentle and funny. Going to read Green Smoke soon - loved that when I was little. And the Over Sea, Under Stone books by Susan Cooper. Russell Hoban stories are great. And he is really enjoying the Little House on the Prairie books (being read to his sister but he is very into them too. Start with The Little House in the Big Woods.)

TwoFlakes - I LOVED The Little Wooden Horse! And are you thinking of Gobbolino, the witch's cat? Did you read Carbonel as well?

Hi

we've also been looking for adventure books for our 5yo son that are exciting without being too dramatic and the stuff of nightmares!

One series that really hit the spot was Paul Stewart and Chris Ridell's far flung adventures, 3 books Corby Flood Fergus Crane and Hugo Pepper which I'd heartily recommend. They have short chapters, a gripping story and lots of great illustrations.

Enjoy!

I've recently discovered the Lighthouse Keeper stories by David and Mrs (can't rem name) Armitage - picture books but with quite sophisticated language and humour. Also the Sampson and the CHurch Mice books by Graeme Oakley are fantastic - sophisticated humour and storylines (by which I mean perfect for a 5 yr old and not too babyish). Both 70's classics, but recently reissued- the CHurch Mice ones by Templar. What else? My mum was saying my brother had loved the Teddy Robinson books when he was little, which are quite gentle little stories but DS is only 5 and I think that can sit alongside Ben10 and JOhnny Test. Paddington, someone's already suggested, also Pooh Bear stories are hilarious! I think people probably often start them too young and give up b/c the old fashioned language is beyond a 3 yr old but they're hilarious and a 5 yr old would love them! I remember great adventure stories by Ursula MOray Williams, like Adventures of the little Wooden Horse and another one about a black cat, Grimalkin or something; a witch's familiar - anyone rem that? Blimey, I'm on a roll! Gaskitts are good because they're a bit longer but loads of illustrations...