A nice problem! Generous book tokens for 4yo birthday - how shall we spend them?

[DustingOffTheDynastySuit]

So, I have boy-girl DTs, which were both given a generous book token present for their 4th birthday recently.

We have a LOT of books already, including pretty much all the JUlia Donaldsons, Book People sets of Thomas, Alfie etc, some nice hardbacks of things like Paddington, some Oliver Jeffers, Jonny Duddle, Judith Ker etc, and a few of the slightly older classics like The Jungle Book and Wind in the Willows. I think we have all the Winnie the Pooh books now too.

So, what shall we buy? I will obviously let them go to a book shop and choose a few things each, but it's actually quite a lot of money and I'd like to spend it wisely so we get things that last. But some things - like Dahl collections etc - are much better value from The Book People than buying individually from a shop.

What would you get?

A children's encyclopaedia or a fun children's atlas would be a good investment.

What about a really lovely edition of the full Chronicles of Narnia, or similar? Really build up their library of classics (Nesbit, Streatfeild, Barrie etc) with nice editions?

Pop up Charlie and chocolate factory

Katie Morag

My kids love the lift the flap books like 'How things go'

Some lovely factual books. So animals/vehicles/food/seasons. What about some Christmas stories too?
The 'you choose' and 'just kmagjne' books are excellent and partic good for twins (I have 2yo twins) as there is something for everyone on every page and they can develop the story themselves.

Some factual but children focused books. Now mine of a similar age are at school I have found we have been buying quite a few based on what subjects they are learning about at school to help them. We recently have one on Henry 8th, one on the Vikings, one about Romans and one about ' my body'. They really like them

These. They are the best books ever.

Amazing

Amazing again

My dd also liked the Usborne Beginners series - factual books good for this age range, and there's lots of them. This was a particular favourite - frisson of danger, and all that.

These books are lovely
www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_8?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=robert+sabuda&sprefix=robert+s%

Thanks everyone. They have just been given some Usborne lift-flap factual books and they are bloody brilliant so I may well get some more of those or similar.

We have 'That's Not My Hat' and I agree it rocks .

Narnia is a good idea - what age would you say that's best from. Ransome as well, as I know DH would love reading those.

Anything else that's popular these days? I remember reading Dick King-Smith, Charlottes Web, Heidi and Black Beauty at primary school, but we've actually hung on to quite a few of those.

Pippi Longstocking? What's the 'boy's' equivalent?
Wondering what might be good as chapter books to read to them that they can then read next.

My boys love pippi long stocking books so I don't think it is a girl/ boy thing

Press Here and Mix it Up, both by Herve Tullet. Genius

Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre have written some lovely chapter books (illustrated). I think you can still get them in hardback. Probably ones for you to read to them, and that they could grow into.
e.g Pugs of the Frozen North, Cakes in Space and Oliver & the Seawigs.
www.jabberworks.co.uk/pugs-of-the-frozen-north/

There's an awesome new illustrated Peter Pan just out too. www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2015/oct/11/peter-pan-illustrated-by-minalima-jm-barrie

Set of Roald Dahl books - DS got really into them around 4. Other simple novels - Flat Stanley, Paddington
YY to Katie Morag

My 5 year old loves this.

We ended up getting The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, which looks like a nice length, and quite a few Osbourne flap books on Dinosaurs and How Things Work, plus a young child's copy of Alice in Wonderland as they are doing some Alice themed stuff this term.

Added on to a whole stack of Waterstones loyalty points I already had, I ended up getting quite a bit of cashback, so the tokens still have money on them and I we get to go book shopping again, yay! Will look for Pippi Longstocking and NArnia.