What books do your 5-6 year olds like?

[Anotherunimaginativeusername]

We're very much stuck in a rut with bedtime books for my 5.5 yr old. He's not terribly keen on reading at the best of times, so bedtime is pretty much the only time he'll agree to read with me, because it's part of his routine. He's a creature of habit, but this also means we've been reading the same few books every night for absolutely ages! He's not yet reading that confidently himself although he is moving forward with his phonics, so this is more about recommendations for books we can read to/with him, rather than decodable books for him to read to us. We have a mix of fiction and non fiction, but still need to mix it up a bit!

The day the crayons quit
Owl babies
Mog the forgetful cat
The diabolical Mr Tiddles
Not yet zebra

My 5.5 year old really likes those short novels that come with Happy Meals - a bit more grown up than a picture book but still short enough I can read them in 2/3 nights.

Things I read to them - Harry Potter (just finished the Chamber of Secrets - took a fair few weeks doing a couple of pages a night), Ronald Dahl, Beatrix potter, all Julia Donaldson.

My nephew is into diary of a wimpy kid, the old goosebumps books (where you choose what happens next) and David Walliams!

Mine is obsessed with captain underpants. He’s gone from a ‘can’t be bothered’ reader and writer to a kid who goes upstairs to read and has tried to write his own comic. Loves it.

My 5 year loves the puppy tales series by Holly Webb, also a bit of Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton.

He's going through a stage of loving Dirty Bertie which is a bit Horrid Henry (about a very naughty, gross boy basically) but it does give us a chance to talk about a few things (eg why his behaviour is unacceptable!)

Mine is not a reader at all, but loves CDs and Audible. He'll happily listen to hours of audiobooks.

We tried how to train your dragon as DH is keen on it but it didn't hold his interest. We'll try again in a year, same with Harry Potter. I'm trying to avoid David Walliams as his writing is absolutely shit in my opinion!

Claude books and Mr Penguin... both you Alex T Smith.

For reading to them at that age:
Faraway tree
Pippi longstocking
Mrs Pepperpot
Roald Dahl
The borrowers
Winnie the Pooh
The owl who was afraid of the dark

Or for more picture books type books my 5.5 yo is still loving all the Hairy Mclairy books, Dr Seuss, Julia Donaldson is still popular, Janet and Alan Ahlberg books,

Paddington, Pooh Bear, the Twits, the magic faraway tree

My DS also loves 'finding books' like finding the Unicorn etc and puzzle adventure type books.

I read my ds The Water Horse by Dick King Smith recently - he absolutely loved it. He's also enjoyed Roald Dahl (but only the ones with male protagonists 🙄).

If he likes non-fiction, my DS really likes the 'Little Kids First Big Book of' series. They're very basic in terms of actual information imparted though!

Anything by Dick King Smith
The shorter books by Roald Dahl, so The Twits, Esio Trot, The Magic Finger, The Enormous Crocodile, George's Marvelous medicine.
Horrid Henry, these are always in the charity shops
Mine loved short stories at this aged too, Enid Blyton has loads of collections of short stories.

Mine loves the Mo Willems “Elephant and Piggie” series, he reads each character himself or we take turns, short enough to read three before bed and entertaining (ish) for adults. Before these he was an adequate but reluctant reader, for some reason these have him engaged enough to do different voices and proper intonation etc - very worth a try.

Fantastic suggestions, thanks all

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy - and all the associated books. Also liked Alfie books.

Alfie
Mog
My naughty little sister

Bear and Rabbit books - really funny.
The Legend of Kevin
Shiny Pippin
Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue (and others in series)
Isadora Moon (and others in series)
13 Storey Treehouse
Bee Boy
Indiana Bones
Toto the Ninja Cat
Wizard in my Shed
Ottoline and the Yellow Cat
Circus of Thieves

These are books we've read to her. She reads some of the simpler stuff herself, but really can't be arsed.

• Colour short story versions of the wishing chair, magic faraway tree and famous five.
• Dogman/cat kid
• Claude
• 13 storey treehouse series
• Ricky Ricotta's might robot
• Billy and the mini monsters
• Wigglesbottom primary

The Oi Frog! series is brilliant, there’s also this list to give you some ideas
www.booksfortopics.com/year-1

The Faraway Tree
The Wishing Chair
The Pirates Next Door
Claude
Hotel Flamingo
The BFG
Matilda
The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark
Just So stories

Most of the above. Michael Morpurgo’s Mudpuddle Farm series has been really popular as have some of his others.

Winnie the Witch
Harry and the Dinosaur
Several by Tor Freeman
Dr Seuss

I've just started with a big book of fairy tales which are less like a picture book but still a complete story in one go - he's enjoying any of those with dragons and monsters in!

Oh yes to the mo willems books! Elephant and piggie are amazing.