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Original poster

Young bookworm - need book/reading suggestions for dd (age 6)

39 replies

Earlybird · 30/05/2007 13:27

DD is 6, and quite verbal/mature for her age, with a vivid imagination and insatiable curiosity. She loves reading and being read to.

Please can you suggest titles of books that would be suitable bedtime story fare, and also books she might enjoy reading on her own?

Thank you.

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TooTicky · 02/07/2007 11:02

Pippi Longstocking definitely, and other Astrid Lindgren books if you can get hold of them.
Also, books by Rumer Godden - Miss Happiness and Miss Flower, and Little Plum, about Japanese dolls - really lovely.
Tilly Beany by Annie Dalton.

Original poster
Earlybird · 02/07/2007 10:53

spudmasher - great to meet you too!

DD and I really enjoyed it. She was mesmerised - it was fun for me to watch her be so enthralled.

Yes, we got two books signed. Somehow we had missed the book table on our way in, so were quite fortunate to buy something after as they sold out of books quite quickly at the end. After we got the books autographed, we sat down and alternated reading bits to each other. I love how dd is discovering the joy of reading (she stayed up very late last night reading more from the books and was hooting with laughter as she retold the stories on the way to school this morning.)

It was such a lovely afternoon (finally!), and we had the inevitable running into the fountains after the reading. DD got a bit wet, but it was worth it.

Will look out for you online, and once again, it was good to meet.

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spudmasher · 01/07/2007 19:45

Earlybird, it was great to meet you and your dd today!

She looked like she was enjoying herself! I was amazed at the number of adults without children there! The guy seems to have quite a following!
My girls had a good time. DD1 was hooting with laughter all the way through. DD2 was puzzled by some of it as it was a little over her head at times but had fun all the same.
DH and I felt like we had come out of a comedy club by the end of it! DH had a hard time on the way home with the girls teasing him about things he says all the time! 'Don't ever let me catch you doing that again...!'
I hope you got your signed books! The queue was fierce so we cut and run despite protests from the children.

Once again, great to meet you!

spudmasher · 30/06/2007 20:24

Great! Will look out for you!

Original poster
Earlybird · 30/06/2007 17:17

spudmasher - sorry to take so long in replying, but I've only just seen this.

Yes, we are planning to go tomorrow. DD and I will be in D 14 and 15 so quite close to where you and family are seated. My dd is almost 6.5, so right between your two girls.

Hope you see this message, and look forward to meeting you tomorrow!

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spudmasher · 28/06/2007 11:51

?

spudmasher · 26/06/2007 20:15

Earlybird?
Are you still going on Sunday?
We are in row F seats 21-24 - I will look out for you - please come and say hello!!!

Ceolas · 31/05/2007 22:53

My DD just turned 7 and loves the Rainbow Fairies. We have them coming out of our ears.

She also recently read Clarice Bean, Utterly Me and has Clarice Bean Spells Trouble. She enjoyed The Owl Who was Afraid of the Dark too.

Will see if I can think of any others.

DilysPrice · 31/05/2007 22:46

The Rough Guide to Children's Books (ages 5-11) is a good start - it's good for newer stuff you don't remember from your own childhood.

Worst Witch series is spot on for this age group, as is anything by Dick King Smith.

Naughty Little Sister, Milly Molly Mandy, Mrs Pepperpot, Paddington, The Wombles and Pippi Longstocking are all worth a try (and all have several volumes that don't have to be read in order) - probably best to see if they're in your local library so she can test them to see if they're to her taste.

And Alice and Pooh of course, and anything by Roald Dahl.

DD loves the Littlenose stories and Bottersnikes and Gumbles. I don't think either of those are in print at the moment, but they're well worth getting if you see them in a charity shop (which is where mine came from, along with Mr Potter's Penguins which is an American classic).

casbie · 31/05/2007 09:15

the worst witch
meg and mog
mr men and little miss series
narnia series (lion, the witch and the wardrobe etc)

spudmasher · 30/05/2007 16:43

Earlybird it will be me, DD1, 8, DD2,5 and DH.
Great thing to do on a sunday afternoon.
Anyone else coming? Reasonably priced tickets!!

foxinsocks · 30/05/2007 16:40

clever polly and the stupid wolf

Clary · 30/05/2007 16:35

oh there are many

Clary · 30/05/2007 16:33

Yeah Rainbow Magic is the whole series -
Ruby the Red fairy and then all the colours of the rainbow
Crystal the snow fairy and then all the weather
Megan the Monday Fairy and days of th week
Paula the pony fairy and then lots of pets
Bessie the balloon fairy and then lots of party things

I'm extemporising a bit here tho DD would correct me
She also insists she has to read them in the right order - so the Book People set of pet ones I got for her birthday next month will be greeted with disdain unless I can also supply the intervening party ones (I think it is.....)

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 30/05/2007 16:20

Tobias and Tim - Magic In The Wind
Mrs Frisby and The Rats of Nimh
Gobbolino The Witches Cat
The Silver Brumby
Paddington Bear books
Roldh Dahl books
Milly Molly Mandy books
Pippi Longstocking

are all ones that my 6yo dd loves for bedtime stories. She can't readthemself though (I wish).

Original poster
Earlybird · 30/05/2007 15:35

Clary - is Rainbow Magic the same series as Rainbow Fairies? DD likes to read those on her own - think I'd tip over if I had to listen to them all myself, but she loves them.

Spudmasher - yes, let's touch base in a few weeks. I'll be there with dd (my only). Who will you come with?

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Clary · 30/05/2007 15:17

My dd who is almost 6 adores the Rainbow Magic series - I am aware that some people hate them! but the thing is they are kind of repetitive (the stories are very similar) and so easy for young children to grasp. DD reads them to herself really well.

we also enjoy Roald Dahl, Michael Morpurgo. DD also likes trad ones like Milly Molly Mandy and My Naughty Little Sister - language can be a bit dated but she seems to like it!

spudmasher · 30/05/2007 14:53

Fantastic Earlybird! Will see you there!
I will return to the thread late June to see if you are around and we can sort out a place to meet and say Hi!!

Original poster
Earlybird · 30/05/2007 14:50

I've booked Michael Rosen tickets too, so will have to arrange a rendezvous point spudmasher!

Bink - thanks for tip about the Bathroom Fiddler...I feel a big order from Amazon and the Book People is on the horizon. (Thanks hana for money saving tips).

yorkshirepudding - tell me more about the Borrowers books and why you like them.

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spudmasher · 30/05/2007 14:32

I've booked tickets! We are going!!

Bink · 30/05/2007 14:27

noo, it's Bathroom Fiddler, not Twiddler. (It begins "I am the bathroom fiddler/the bathroom twiddler" or like that.)

Bink · 30/05/2007 14:25

My personal favourite is "The Bathroom Twiddler", which is about a boy [basically it is EXACTLY about ds] spacily messing about when he's meant to be doing his teeth etc. Dd and ds read it to each other in bursts (between breathless screeches of hysteria) & can just about not speak when they get to the end.

Libraries usually have lots of his solo collections, as well as anthologies with his things in. He collaborates with Quentin Blake quite a lot.

(PS: if you find his "Sad Book", that's not really for children unless in circs like bereavement. It's about his son who died of meningitis as a late teenager, and it's beautiful and heart-rending but to be treated very carefully. Don't read it yourself in a bookshop.)

Original poster
Earlybird · 30/05/2007 14:24

Purcell Room, July 1. I'm hopeless at links, but maybe with the new system...

www.southbankcentre.co.uk/festivals-series/llf-children-s-literature

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spudmasher · 30/05/2007 14:22

Where is he performing Earlybird? We are in London too....wanna go wanna go wanna go

Original poster
Earlybird · 30/05/2007 14:19

Ok Bink and spudmasher - you've convinced me that we should go to see/hear Michael Rosen. Any 'must reads' of his that we should be familiar with before we go?

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