Books for my nearly 5 year old ds

[Jojo3973]

Just that really. He loved my naughty little sister and the faraway tree ones. He quite likes picture books, especially You Choose, but thinks they are babyish!! Just after ideas for his birthday please!

Current favourites of my daughter (4.6) are the BFG and Pippi Longstocking.

Another popular thing are Story Cubes, just like "You Choose" they're an aid to make stories up along to.

Astrosaurs.

Pippi Longstocking
Famous Five (BBC Dramatised version BIG HIT)
Roald Dahl
Ladybird (very) abridged classics went down well - swiss family robinson, journey to the centre of the earth, wind in the willow etc
Coming to six go for Little House on the Prairie
Wishing Chair
Tintin big hit around five and a half
Ditto Beano and Dandy around 6
Horrid Henry Easy Readers

You Choose and Just Imagine are often used in Year 1 so he might decide they aren't babyish again soon.

what about www.bookdepository.co.uk/I-See-All-Angels-Navarro/9781908973160

Well, at that age, a Certain Mumsnetter (she knows who she is!) recommended Who's in the Loo for my middle child. I am still reading that bloody book 3 years later. Though I am quite partial to the line 'a wandering wombat who wanted a widdle'

DS1 (5yo) loves the Octonauts stories. They are very factual, and quite long, and the illustrations have lots of detail. I find the standalone books (ie one story per book) better than the multi story books (M&S are doing a siz stories in one book at the moment for £8) though, as I think they're better written fpr some reason, and there is more detail in the illustrations.

Another vote for Astrosaurs - my DS loves them. Also CIA (Cows In Action) by the same author.

Roald dahls fantastic mr fox and George's marvellous medicine is a hit with our ds1.
As is Winnie the witch books
Guinness world records
When, what, how and why book (from water stones) tells you info about fish, animals, the ocean, etc. ds loves finding out about it all

Alfie books by Shirley Hughes ds1 has always loved.

is Paddington possible? They have republished them as picture books. The Magic Faraway tree is currently in The Works as a big thick book with colour illustrations which makes it look much more interesting than the standard text.

What about some of the Julia Donaldson early reader books, Animals in School, colour pictures, nice clear text for children to read - book band 10ish I think if I remember right.

Dick King Smith, my daughter is just getting into these, Lighthouse Keeper by Ronda and David Armitage (they are now available as chapter books but still with colour pictures so might seem more grown up to him)

Don't know if you'd be happy buying second hand books, as I don't think they're still in print, but my DS loves the Gumdrop books by Val Biro, about a vintage car and its owner.

periwinkle could I ask you about the lighhouse keeper books please? They look very sweet. The ones I've seen on Amazon are 32 pages long. Are these the ones you mean? And which one(s) would you recommend that I bought first? DS is 5, and still into picture books, but he is happy for me to read him a few chapters of a book every night as then he gets to use his bookmark, which is a novelty.

oh I love the Lighthouse Keeper books.

Yes there are 2 sorts, the picture books are about 32 pages long and have lovely large pictures. Then they republished them in b format I think they call it which is chapter book sized to appeal to an older audience as well. These ones are longer but the font is bigger so that children can read them themselves more easily. The actual story and text is identical but there are 2 stories in each book (except the Lighthouse Keepers New Friend which is purely published in this format and is a single story).

Doesn't matter which you buy really but I would probably go with the chapter book style ones as then he can read it himself too when he is at that level and they still have lovely colour pictures on every page.

If you want to know which titles are which style I have put them on my new blog
thebookbears.wordpress.com/picture-books/the-lighthouse-keeper-picture-books/
thebookbears.wordpress.com/early-reader-books/lighthousekeeperearlyreader/

hope that helps a bit.

would he be open to listening to poems being read to him? we got given a beautiful poetry book at Easter - Poems for Young Children www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9781848103214?redirected=true&gclid=CO3g1ovQ_LcCFdIPtAodUUAAWw
makes a nice change to stories - lovely pictures, over 300 classic poems and my daughters love it.

will have a think about any others boys might like - my mum was a teacher, we have a stupid number of books but with 2 girls I am used to fairies and sparkles...

some duplicates here no doubt, but my just 5 year old DD likes

Milly Molly Mandy
My Naughty Little Sister
Sophie books by Dick King Smith
Jeremy James
Horrid Henry

and we have lots of collections of stories e.g The Puffin Book of Stories for 5 year olds, Stories for Under 5s (ed by Sara Corrin), Tell Me Another Tale ed Leila Berg...

My 5yr old is obsessed with Beast Quest (and Sea Quest).

I assume these are to read to him, or do you want books he can read - we struggle, as DS likes fact books and long chapter storylines, but of course his reading isn't there yet...

And he LOVES you choose.

Thanks periwinkle. Really appreciate your guidance. Now added t my amazon wish list!

oh and if he likes bookmarks the usborne young series books come with a ribbon attached to use as a bookmark - went down very well in our house!

Colin and the Curly Claw; funny and enjoyable for parents too
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0778708403

Or the Night Pirates- really like the way it's done.
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0778708403