Recommendations for picture books with more complex texts

[ohmygosh123]

My daughter (5) enjoys more complex texts (things like The Little Princess) but prefers books with pictures in, and the more the better. Also the more interesting or detailed the better.

Other than Greek Myths and Legends books which she loves, can anyone recommend any particular favourites please that your children have enjoyed. In terms of reading level, she is just starting to make the transition to chapter books.

I'm in France at the moment, so can't just waltz into a bookshop and look for myself. I'd also love to get her ones that she will love for a couple of years, rather than just be read once.

Thanks folks!

There is an illustrated version of <a class="break-all" href="//"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Princess-Gift-Young-reading/dp/0746067801/ref=cm_cr-mr-title" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Little Princess".

Also plenty of illustrated classics with beautiful illustrations on this website.

My daughter loves this. Though the text might be a bit heavy for a 5 year old. I hope Disney does not make an adaptation of this. They ruined "The little mermaid"!

Thanks boogiewoogie - I'd never heard of that publisher before - the Jungle Book illustrations look amazing. Wild Swans also looks really good - I remember it from my childhood, but had forgotten all about it.

I recommend wholeheartedly the Usborne Young Reading series. There are lots of abridged versions of well known stories, plus mythology and collections of short stories on a given theme. The illustrations are lovely and the books are at a range of different levels of complexity.

Barefoot books do some lovely ones - dd had Herb the Vegetarian Dragon and the Barefoot Book of Princesses (traditional tales rather than twee and pink!)

Also, what about Katie Morag? Does she have/like those? (You can do the look inside thing on amazon with them to see if the level would be about right)

I was also going to recommend barefoot books: I have just bought the Princess and the white bear king for my 6yo niece (and a 6yo neighbour)..
Also just bought Pippi Longstocking illustrated by Lauren Childs. The original Paddington books were chapter books and have some pictures, ditto Mrs Pepperpot, Clever Polly and the Stupid wolf, the Usborne young reading as above (lots of non-fiction too, which is very popular with my 5yo ds).
Happy reading!

Winnie the Witch (5-8 year olds) have great pictures on every page but a bit more text than the entry level ones. When she's older she can read them for herself.

Second Katie Morag.

My DD is 5, and like yours, we are just beginning to move to me reading chapter books aloud as well as picture books. I don't know if it will be to your taste, but we are having a lot of fun with the old-fashioned Noddy stories. They are proper stories, but have a colour picture on each page to "ease" things along.

I have also enjoyed the Mrs Pepperpot series, as there is quite a bit of text to accompany each picture, although it is not a chapter book. I'd also echo what BlueChampagne says about the Winnie chapter books, though the illustrations are not in colour.

Ooh, they are in colour in ours - we've got about half a dozen stories in one hardback.

My kids have really enjoyed things like Quentin Blake's Green Ship - and the Sailing Boat in the Sky. How about Emma Chichester Clark's Blue Kangeroo (mid length). John Burningham's books stand up to being read again and again. V limited text in Would You Rather but perfect for sharing as you talk about each spread, then there's Harquin, and also Humbert. I am a complete Burningham devotee and you should be able to snoop inside his books on amazon. My kids are almost 8 and after a year of completely rejecting picture books they're now reading their favourites to us which is rather nice.

If you want something a little more complex but with pictures my husband has been writing some books for the kids in our family. I know that we are biased but they are quite good. The other nice thing is that they have been illustrated by children in our family. We have found that children relate really nicely to the cute pictures. We have h
Just started to sell the books from our website www.haroldtheplatypus.co.uk. It's worth a look at least. There are four books in the series with another two on the way

I love The Mousehole Cat it has gorgeous detailed and imaginative illustrations, and the story is beautiful. Was just reading it tonight in fact!

Corby Flood, Hugo Pepper and Fergus Crane (by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell) are lovely. The illustrations are great and they're proper chapter books.

We love Astrid Lindgren- the stories about Lotta are great and she's 5 too...