What can dd read that is easier than Pippi Longstocking?

[sethstarkaddersmum]

DD is y1, just at the end of ORT3. So not a particularly advanced reader.

She has been completely unmotivated with the whole reading thing (despite loving telling stories and being read them) and just recently I've been reading her Pippi Longstocking, which has really grabbed her interest and hence motivated her to actually read - having battled to make her do her weekly dose of Biff and Chip (which she manages fine but has no enthusiasm for) I have suddenly found her sitting down for ages trying to puzzle out Pippi Longstocking, which is fine, but of course it is way too advanced for her so progress is painfully slow.

So does anyone know of anything in the same mould, but much much easier - either very simple chapter books or else a series of picture books with (I'm guessing this is the key....) a cool heroine she can identify with?

thanks!

Daisy and the trouble with...
My Naughty little sister
Naughty Amelia Jane
Horrid Henry

Biff and Chip - aaaargh!!! Surprised any children want to read after that mind bogglingly, soul destroying stuff. Anna Hibiscus - good stories about Africa, actually interesting too; Naughty Little Sister - dd loved, and still loves this and lots of good stories about Truly Terrible Naughtiness; Mrs Pepperpot (think they come in picture books as well as "old fashioned" ones); Milly Molly Mandy. All quite old, but not too dated. Also recommended other day Colin And the Curly Claw - whole family fun Walker books quite good in general.

Usborne do Young Reading books on a range fo subjects both fiction (ie fairy tales and myths, retellings of classic stories) or non fiction (ie. Horses and Ponies, History of Chocolate !) and have a progression of levelsHere although you might find them on offer elsewhere. dd also enjoyed the Sophie stories by Dick King Smith but they may seem daunting at her stage.

Have you seen the Pippi edition illustrated by Lauren Child (Charlie & Lola, Clarice Bean etc)? It may be easier to read than the paperback editions, and the illustrations are witty and gorgeous.

My Naughty Little Sister (loads of books)
Mrs Pepperpot
Little Wolf's book of Badness

Lurking for more suggestions, as DD is similar level...

Milly Molly Mandy

The Worst Witch

Amelia Jane

Captain Underpants? The Worst Witch perhaps (or soon, anyway). There are some easy-reading Paddington books with lots of pictures which DS loves.
The easier Roald Dahls.

thank you for all these brilliant suggestions!
She's not that keen on Mrs Pepperpot (though I am ) and we practically know Naughty Little Sister by heart from repeated readings. I will check out all the others.

that Usborne stuff looks v v useful too.

Enid Blyton, Wishing Chair, and Magic Faraway Tree, ideal if you can bear EB.

Those fairy books - Ruby Fairy, Sapphire Fairy, Wednesday Fairy, Guinea Pig Fairy, Whatever Fairy - are useful, but get them from the library.

Iggy and Me by Jenny Valentine is highly recommended by my DD.

Mr Majeika
Second Bink re Magic Faraway Tree and Wishing Chair -- they are boaksome, but if you're not reading aloud, who cares? Ditto Amelia Jane.
Milly Molly Mandy
Horrid Henry (dreadful prose for reading aloud, but as above, who cares?)
Dick King-Smith Sophie Books.
The Hundred Mile an Hour Dog &c
Jacqueline Wilson has written some for early readers -- the Werepuppy, possibly?

Libraries have loads of books for emergent readers, sometimes by quite impressive authors. There's a whole series called Banana Books that libraries stock among the Reading Scheme stuff, and other similar ranges. It's a brief phase, so do borrow rather than buy if you can.

Olga da Polga/Teddy Robinson/Tales from End Cottage might all appeal

With some of the chapter books you could alternative aoges with her - a good way to prpgress with them quicker and keep her inteest.

Some Anne Fine ones- Jamie and Angus.

The Lotta ones by A.L.- much shorter and easier than Pippi.

we sometimes do alternate words!
annoyingly, we don't have a library (got flooded out in 07 and they're still building the new one) but I don't mind buying books and we have a lot of charity shops.

ooh I didn't know there was other stuff by Astrid Lindgren - thanks Breadandroses, that looks fun and I can sell it to her as being by the same author.

I would second the 'Daisy and the trouble with...' series

large text, fun to read and lots of pictures, but still in manageable chapters

Magic tree house books.

Agree about Daisy and the Trouble with. Also Junie B Jones - a modern American Naughty Little Sister. You will have to do the ghastly Rainbow Fairies at some stage too, of course.
There are still some great picture books for this age - Emily Brown is excellent as is Lauren Child's Who wants to be a poodle, I don't
and Ella's Big Chance by Shirley Hughes.
Actually, I think it is a shame that picture books tend to be relegated to the under-fives when well-illustrated books can give so much pleasure to older children too.

Clarice Bean, That's Me by Lauren Child

Clucky - are these Clarice Bean ones picture books? I have some Clarice Beans (for me ) but they're normal paperbacks and I think dd would prefer picture-book layout with all the pics and fewer words to a page.

I will check out Daisy and the trouble with... as lots of people have said that one

Katie Morag is great and she has several adventure stories (by Mairi Hedderwick). The illustrations are beautiful!