Looking for Good Old Fashioned Story Books for my 3yo DD

[moonblushtomato]

She already loves all the Shirley Hughes Alfie stories, Jane Hissey's Old Bear series, general fairy stories, Moomin picture books.

I'm trying to steer her away from all the "character" books based on the likes of Dora, Disney Princesses, Peppa etc.

From the more modern selection, Max Velthuis writes about a character called Frog and there is a whole series called things like Frog finds a Friend, Frog and the Stranger, Frog is Frightened, Frog in Love etc etc. My (now 5 year old) loved these. They explore emotions on a really simple scale.

We also loved That Rabbit belongs to Emily Brown, Where the Wild Things Are, The Runaway Dinner, Beatrix Potter (although perhaps a little to young still).
Lauren Child' s illustrated books of Goldilocks and Princess and the Pea are lovely to look at although the language is not tone of some of her writing is slightly too witty for a 3 year old.

Then eventually you can do Pippi Longstocking which we adored.

Happy Reading

Bunny and Bee set, I think by Sam Williams. They're great for initial learning to read too.
"The Baby Who wouldn't go to bed" is beautiful, even if it did produce a few tears from each of my dc.
"Peace at Last" etc. about the Large Family. (elephants)
Topsy and Tim if you can stand the moralising.
There's an author who does the most beautiful illustrations about a family on a farm. I can't remember her name, but one my ds loved was something like "The Last Train".

Found it Kim Lewis is the author. She's written a fair number and they're realy sweet, although I first picked one up because it mentioned "A lone Pine" and I was thinking of Malcolm Saville's Lone Pine Club. I think the book was called "Snow" or "First Snow". I can't remember if they're all about the same family or whether they're all stand alone books.

Mine started enjoying some of the chapter books like Milly Molly Mandy, and My Naughty little sister stories at about that age too.

Emily Gravetts books are fabulous, and anything at all by the Ahlbergs

The Large Family - ooh yes, we love them all. THey make me cry with laughter
Judith Kerr - The Tiger who came to Tea and then all the Mog books.

Good for rhyming is the Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy series

Beatrix Potter books are delightful. The DCs loved the ones we had.

The 'Boo and Baa' books by Olaf and Lena Landstrom are funny, short, very likeable.
'The Little Hippos' Adventure' by Lena Landstrom is also nice and there are other Hippo books too.

Winnie the Pooh -- complete tales and poems always went down well here.

Dr. Seuss -- many titles.

Classic Poetry for young children -- I have a few collections and they always enjoyed them.

'Catkin' and 'The Mousehole Cat' by Antonia Barber are fantastic (longish) stories, and gorgeously illustrated (I think by PJ Lynch.)

'East o the Sun and West o the Moon' translated by Naomi Lewis and illustrated by PJ Lynch is a lovely myth/fairy tale with beautiful illustrations.

'Fables' by Arnold Lobel is fab both for adults and children, quirky humour, clever.
'Owl at Home' remains a much-loved book in my home (also by Arnold Lobel).
'Mouse Tales' is also a lovely collection.

Sandra Boynton titles are appealing.

Mr Pusskins is lovely.

Other Shirley ones - like Dogger?
The Tiger who came to Tea?
Jill Tomlinson's series is lovely - I like The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark as a starter

All these Garth Pigs -some go for silly money but you could order them from the library.

Wind in the Willows, of course.

these Church Cat books are lovely.

Brambly Hedge! Run, don't walk to Amazon. Illustrations to die for.

Molly Molly Mandy

Mrs Pepperpot

My naughty little sister

All classics!

Wow! The Church Cat books really bring back memories of my childhood, I think DD would LOVE these books!!

Thanks all for some great ideas

Little Grey Rabbit - four of them have just been republished, and there are others available on Abebooks. I'd probably wait a year or so with them, though - DD has been enjoying them aged 4.5-5.

Katie morag stories by mairi hedderwick