what next after classic toddler picture books - suggestions please!

[valbona]

Hello, my DD is nearly 3 and we've done Alfie, Meg&Mog, Tiger who came to Tea, Gruffalo, Olivia, Where the Wild Things Are etc etc etc to death. She's just starting to be able to concentrate on longer stories - The Enormous Crocodile was a massive hit and also an Usborne collection of heavily condensed classics like The Wizard of Oz (with lots of pictures still, of course).

But I'm not sure what else comes between straight picture books and proper chapter books. I would love to hear your suggestions! Thanks vv much in advance.

I think our "bridging books" were the longer Ladybird fairytales that I had when I was little (Beauty and the Beast, Puss in Boots etc) and a thick book of classic fairytales; also we went from the books you mention on to Milly Molly Mandy and Meet Mary Kate, which are chapter books but a different story per chapter so you don't have to hold a story in mind between reads.

DD2 went from the picture books, including the much loved Katie Morag (picture books but longer stories) to Naughty little sister, Dick King-smith's Sophie books (current favourite), Astrid Lindgren's Lotta (shorter and easier chapters than Pippi Longstocking), Milly Molly Mandy, Usborne young readers, Anna Hibiscus.
StellaNova, I shall have to look for Meet Mary Kate; I was about to start a thread looking for other realistic stories about children, which seem to be where DD2s tastes Lie (DC 1 is a boy and had a totally different taste in books at this age)

wearymum DS1's tastes are exactly the same. Apologies OP for hijacking the thread but some we have read are: Tales of Joe and Timothy, Matthew's Secret Surprises/ Where Matthew Lives, Aurora And The Little Blue Car/ Hallo Aurora, the Jamie and Angus stories (Anne Fine), and Carrot Tops, a book of short stories. Some are out of print but you can get them on Amazon second hand.

Don't forget Dr Seuss - they're colour coded on the spine. Start with red I think.
Paddington eg Paddington in the garden - is not a chapter book and has lots of pictures.
Julia Donaldson eg snail and the whale (longer than the gruffalo)

Winnie the witch chapter books with several stories in

Seriously silly stories by Laurence Anholt

And Kaye Umansky did some fab story poems with lots of pictures - DS likes these two:

The empty suit of armour

The Spooks step out

She's way too young for chapter books. The picture books help with their comprehension which is an incredibly important stage.

My dcs like

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0007182317/ref=mp_s_a_1?pi=SL75&qid=1350997050&sr=8-1

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1416917055/ref=mp_s_a_1?pi=SL75&qid=1350997120&sr=8-1

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1406305499/ref=mp_s_a_1?pi=SL75&qid=1350997169&sr=8-1

Best thing is probably to take her to a book shop and let her spend a while looking and choosing for herself. There is tons out there so absolutely no reason that a child that young wouldn't find loads they like.

Don't rush her into books with no pictures.

fuckadoodle- the winnie the witch books I suggested each have three/four stories in, each one about the length of a standard chapter. They are also heavily illustrated and low on actual text. They are basically the Winnie stories and pictures condensed into a smaller paperback book rather than a large glossy book.

Likewise the Anholt and the poem books. Lots of pictures, little text- like the enormous crocodile.

My DS is three and these complement his massive stash of picture books but make him feel a bit more grown up like his older sister. At seven she is only just moving onto books with no pictures (and she still comes and listens to DS's bedtime stories and demands to look at the pictures too), there is no way any child is ready for books with no pictures before five or six. I can't see where anyone has suggested moving the OP's child onto books without pictures, just helping her out with suggestions similar to the Enormous Crocodile.

I thought that was what she was asking for in her op.

A friend of mines children go to a school with loads of pushy competitive parents and by reception lots had their children exclusively on word only books and boasted about it in the playground. Until the teacher pointed out that actually it was detrimental to their learning. That's what i thought the op was doing.

Might get that winnie book!

I read the OP as asking for books that bridge between 'proper' paperback books and picture books i.e. paperbacks but with lots of pictures. DS is heavily into this stage and I am enjoying it immensely (I adore The Enormous Crocodile) as its a nice change from those big picture books and it means he can snuggle in closer when I read. Each one of the books I recommended takes about the same time as a picture book or two to read.

I know what you mean about competitive parenting, one of the parent's in DD's class has given their children extra homework because she doesn't think the current homework is hard enough.

The Winnie book is excellent but my secret favourites are the seriously silly stories especially The Emperors Underwear.

Shirley Hughes - Alfie etc.

The Aliens and Dinosaurs love underpants books.

Charlie and Lola might appeal?
Paddington?

I probably misread it R2peepoo.

Hello and thanks everyone for your thoughts.

Yes, I'm not looking for chapter books - just picture books / books with loads of pictures that were a little bit longer / more complicated. A friend lent us My Naughty Little Sister - the stories drove me nuts but she liked them ... I got the first Paddington this summer and we read it every night (aargh!) for a two-week holiday - lots to look at but a little bit more meat than other stuff. Ladybird fairy tales sounds just the thing. And I'll check out the other stuff.

Thanks again ... more ideas obviously appreciated!

Friesops Fables a mew publication by author, Julian Defries. is now a firm bedtime favourite in my house. beautifully ?drawn? both in words and pictures. One of the stories is an analogy of a business panda seeking to ?corner the market? in bamboo, comparing him to the power hungry, wealth obsessed, businessmen we are all too familier with. Very relevant to today?s world.

The Library Lion is good for this age. It's a picture book but slightly longer and with more text that feels like more of a proper read.

www.amazon.co.uk/Library-Lion-Michelle-Knudsen/dp/1406305677

I would agree with fuckadoodle about The Runaway Dinner. It has more plot and a more grown up, concersational, rhyming scheme.

Allan Ahlberg generally is good for this age group - consider books from the "Happy Family series"

Mrs Pepperpot has been made into a picture book. this and another book have two stories in each one.

Second (or possibly third) Winnie the Witch and Katie Morag. She might also like some of the Disney books available as little hardbacks (Snow White etc), though you might not enjoy reading these quite as much!

However, you could do a lot worse than the Eric Thompson Dougal stories; DS1 got into them about this age.

Check this out..a mushroom evades the picker and goes to space! Longer than most picture books and illustrated with mushrooms!

www.violetteeditions.com/books/index.php?route=product/product&path=60&product_id=68

The Velveteen Rabbit and the Mousehole Cat are lovely.

Similar amount of text as Mog books, the Large family series. Katie Morag I find comes in different length stories... If I remember right volume 2 stories about twice thd length of vol 1.
We've just been passed on some books from a friend and DD (2 3/4) has really taken to Angelina Ballerina, a good length for her and not as overly girly as they sound. A bit longer, but sounds like the kind of thing you're after, a book from the 'Foxwood Tales' series, might try and track down more of these as also engaging pictures.

Ok.... I advise the library, then you can try lots of different picture books and buy the ones that grab you. My DD, nearly 4, loves the Lettice Rabbit books, the Stripy Horse ones and Mr Men! Actually Mr Men are favourite at the moment .

www.amazon.co.uk/Fairy-Ball-Lettice-Mandy-Stanley/dp/0007201958/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352673333&sr=1-3
www.amazon.co.uk/Fairy-Ball-Lettice-Mandy-Stanley/dp/0007201958/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352673333&sr=1-3

She also loves Winnie the Pooh stories, that come in many different formats these days (due to Disney, ga!- I prefer the originals but we have lots of very well illustrated other versions that she loves).

Other than that Julia Donaldson still goes down well, and we keep adding to the collection even now at nearly 4- have you done Tiddler, Cave Baby, Tabby McTat?

DD has also got this www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Usborne+Illustrated+Sories+for+Girls&rh=n%3A266239%2Ck%3AUsborne+Illustrated+Sories+for+Girls&ajr=0

and we are on one a night at the moment, probably for about the 4th or 5th time through. She loves them, as DS loved the boys version.

Mrs Pepperpot- the illustrated ones go down well, and Winnie the Witch illustrated too.

Then somewhat randomly she will pick a book or two that DS has had and get quite attached to it- she did this with Michael Morpugo's Snakes and Ladders www.amazon.co.uk/Snakes-Ladders-Banana-Michael-Morpurgo/dp/1405260815/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352673769&sr=1-1 which was one of DS's reading books in chapters. Not an obvious choice for a 3 year old but there you go!

My daughter loves books and is 5 in January, and I am only just moving her on to chapter books!

I second the take her to a library - I think different of the same might be more appropriate than more complicated. I just find that my DD1 struggles to pick up all the details in longer stories to get the significance further on.

Anyway libraries are good.

my 3.5 year old adores Winnie the Witch, Emily Brown stories and stories like the elves and the shoemaker and the gingerbread man are firm faves here.

I have just started a blog storysnug.com which recommends picture books. The books are all books that I read with my four year old daughter and if she likes the book I post it. Hopefully you will find something that your daughter will enjoy too.