What to read to 5 year old DD?

[balancingfigure]

Just looking for suggestions for what to read with DD. At the moment we read things like Rainbow Magic, a chapter or 2 a night interspersed with Mog/The Gruffalo ie more picture books. She loves the Rainbow Magic books (I'm slightly sick of them though!) and seems to follow the story & like the chapters ie progessing through the book. I would like to read something perhaps a bit more interesting :o. I wondered about The Secret Garden (which I loved when I read it myself as an older child), Adventures of Tom Sawyer (which I haven't read), Roald Dahl.

While I can try any of these the thing I'm unsure of is getting the balance between stories to save for her when she can read them herself or keeping her interested by reading 'better' stuff to her now!

She is just 5, been in Reception for a year and I think her reading is going OK but its obviously still quite basic stuff. Anyway I hope to continue reading to her (as long as she will let me!). Another mum told me her Dad had read Dickens to/with her when she was 8 or 9 which I really like the idea of.

So any ideas would be great!

Naughty Amelia Jane and The magic faraway tree by Enid Blyton are good. dd is 6 now and can read them to herself, but she still loves being read to.

I think something like The Secret Garden would be more appreciated when she is older.

And I studied English at Oxford, but I can't imagine I would have appreciated the subtlety and wit of Dickens at 8.

My dds also love children's poetry books and Roald Dahl is a firm favourite too.

Roald Dahl.
Winnie the Witch (the longer texts not the picture books)
The Worst Witch
Horrid Henry (if you don't boycott it on grounds of bad influence)
Some Enid Blyton
Flat Stanley
The Cat Who Got Carried Away (and the other Gaskitt books)
Paddington Bear
The Wombles
Bottersnikes and Gumbles

Brilliant - thank you for the suggestions!

I wondered about Dickens at 8 as well but the idea of reading togehter is nice.

Will leave The Secret Garden for now - I really struggle to remember what I read until I was a teenager so its tricky working out when/what DD will like.

DilysPrice's list is excellent. I'd add (interspersing old and new)

Teddy Robinson
Anna Hibiscus series
Milly Molly Mandy
Princess Mirrorbelle

Dickens at 8 - might have been A Christmas Carol? I read that to dd around that time, and she very much enjoyed it (at Christmas of course!) - no doubt she didn't understand all the subtleties but its such a classic/referred to so much (muppet xmas carol et al) that I don't think it matters.

Should also say dd is now 10 and I still read to her at bedtime, currently Beasts in My Belfry by Gerald Durrell.

Little House books. Mine all loved it. Were particularly excited at finding out she was real.
Narnia ( Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is best to start, Prince Caspian isn't good for reading out loud though)
Famous Five
Little White Horse
Secret Garden
Wolves of Willoughby Chase (bit scary-if she can cope)

Dd2 (age 8yo) has A Chirstmas Carol for her school reading book at present. She thinks it's boring, but it's not really her style of book. She prefers more school/modern issues.

I think A Christmas Carol would be ok if it was an abridged or children's version, but I have taught it to Year 8 before and they struggled with the language.

There are some adaptations of Enid Blyton books centering around the character of George from The Famous Five. Think the author is Sue Welford or something like that. Dd likes those and they make a change from simpering princesses and fairies.

The Mr Gum series is excellent, similar in style to Roald Dahl.

My daughter (four and half) has really enjoyed the magic faraway tree books. I have read Charlie and the chocolate factory and Matilda with the promise once we have read them she can watch the film. It has shown me a bit about how much she is taking in because she is able to point out the differences between the film and book. Along the same line and shorter books, she is really enjoying Dr Suess books, Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton stories, the Lorax.

I have a 5 year old boy, and we are currently reading James and the Giant Peach. Roald Dahl are brilliant.

He also loved the Magic Faraway Tree.

My Naughty Little Sister stories? My DD loves them and they are a good length for bedtimes.

Just discovered The Really Rude Rhino - she was almost choking on her milk from laughing so much.

I would echo what's been said already. Love Teddy Robinson, a lot of Enid Blyton (Magic Faraway Tree, Amelia Jane etc) and especially My Naughty Little Sister. The old-fashioned lilt is very readable.

My dd knows now I refuse to read Rainbow Magic books out loud if she wants me to stay awake!

We have read Road Dahl books, the Lion, Witch and Wardrobe and currently reading Wizard of Oz. She prefers the books to have pictures in them but not essential.

My Naughty Little Sister stories and Milly-Molly-Mandy books popular with our 5 year old dd.

Polly and the Wolf.

Echoing lots mentioned:

Faraway tree books and other Enid Blyton stuff for younger children eg The Wishing Chair.
Flat Stanley
The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark
The Enormous Crocodile/Fantastic Mr Fox/George's Marvellous Medicine/The Twits - Roald Dahl
Alfie books and Dogger - Shirley Hughes (for lovely picture books)
Sophie books by Dick King Smith
Walker story book series - short chapter books with pictures. Look them up on Amazon. Sylive's Seahorse is a nice one.
Daisy books by Kes Gray
The Cat Mummy - Jacqueline Wilson (this is sad though.)

A little princess. It was my absolute favourite when I was younger

yy to the Worst Witch. DD adored them and months later still relates things in them to her life 'This is just like when Ethel took Mildred's project, isn't it?' Love it!

We're doing polly and the wolf

Further adventures of the little wooden horse and Gobbolino, Jeffy the Burglars cat, Ursula Moray Williams
Mermaid Magic by Gwyneth Rees
Aunt Severe and the Dragons by Nick Garlick
The Oliver Moon books by Sue Mongredian
Naughty little sister books
Charlotte's web - E B White
Roald Dahl books, especially The Twits and the BFG - and the Minpins
5 year old dd likes all these

Iggy & Me series by Jenny Valentine is a more modern version of My Naughty Little Sister, and very readable.