Have you continued reading bedtime stories to dc once they are fairly fluent readers, and if so, what books have they enjoyed?

[Earlybird]

....reading together is such a lovely end to the day, so we are continuing with the tradition. Would appreciate suggestions of specific books please.

Well was going to say Land of Green Ginger but have been beaten to it (several times!)

The thing is, once they can read to themselves fluently, what you read to them needs to be something where the reading-aloud process adds value - LoGG perfect for this, as there are those among us who enjoy a right old pantomime camp-up of the characters.

Poetry is a good one for this, as it's a rare child who can make as good sense of a poem as can be done when it's read well. So that's my main thing - though I get competition now - dd & I had a little tussle the other day over who could do a more expressive "Ozymandias"

DS1 (7.4) is currently working his way through the Harry Potters. We read to him a few pages and then he finishes the chapter before lights out. We are currently on the 4th one. I think we need to stop for a while as the later ones are a bit more grown up, as Harry is, and a lot darker - probably too dark for a boy of 7.

We have also read Stig of the Dump, Charlottes Web and all the Jeremy Strong books which are funny. Some of the Roahl Dahls are aimed at older children, like Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

My SIL is getting him the Narnia books for Christmas too.

He also likes the Cressida Cowell books like How to Train a Dragon and How to be a Pirate which are good too. Depends how girly your DD is though as they might not appeal to some girls.

Oh - I'm rubbing my hands in anticipation of tackling some of the wonderful suggestions here!

Bink - (hi there!) - any specific poetry books you'd suggest?

We've recently read Enid Blyton "Magic Faraway Tree", "Mrs. Pepperpot Stories", and "Teddy Robinson" - all of which dd has enjoyed very much.

EB - as you can probably guess, I am a bit rigorous about poetry - it has to be Proper Poetry, and Good. None of that greeting-card formula stuff you get in supermarket collections ...

Good publishers = good anthologies, I think - so this Oxford collection is worth having (and that page has some good links, inc Read Me and Laugh, which we love). I also get lots of use out of my old battered Norton anthologies, which you probably still have from college days. Dd discovered William Carlos Williams for herself out of there (plums in icebox poem, of course). I'd also look around in your local library, as they're usually good for anthologies.

Bink - thank you for the poetry anthology suggestion. It would make a good addition to our home collection, so will look into purchasing.

Thanks to all others who have replied too - I've started compiling a nice list!

Other suggestions?

EB - BookPeople has a set of three poetry anthologies compiled by Anne Fine - called A Shame to Miss - which I have got in the Christmas stash. They look really good.

I hate reading aloud and also nobody bothered reading to me after I could read, so I don't really see why I should but thankfully DH is a bit more reasonable about all this! He has read all of Lord of the Rings to DS1 (now 8) and is currently reading the Harry Potter series to DS2 (6).

I am currently reading Inkspell to DD1 who is 10 (taking rather a long time about it because we usually only get 15 minutes by the time the other two are sorted out). DH and I are often reading different books to DD2 (7) she has a special passion for those My Story history books so at the moment I am reading her War Nurse (educational but SO badly written) and I think DH is reading her Prisoner of Azkaban.

LOL dino your DH is very reasonable. I am not fantastic on voices tbh but DS still enjoys the snuggly time. And I think it is preferable than Hey I Forgot to Say I love you for the 75th time with DD although I have a feeling that DH has hidden that one.

He is fantastic about doing this. I really do take my hat off to him. Even if I slag him off in every other regard .

Dd is six and still loves her bedtime story.

Recently she's been totally captivated by Finn Family Moomintroll, and she adored Tom's Midnight Garden. She's also likes Pippi Longstocking, and we're currently reading The Borrowers.

I love reading to my DSs. It is something really special to share. I am finding that now their comprehension has increased I actually enjoy the books I read out loud to them.

Michael Morpurgo books are new to me and they are fantastic. We've just read 'On a Wide, Wide Sea' and we all shed a tear or two.

We are also about to finish 'The Adventures of The Little Wooden Horse' Ursula Moray Williams. A classic from my childhood but the DSs are absolutely loving it.

I tried the Little House books but they were too scared by them (lots of wild animals and Native Americans scalping newcomers)so we'll try again in a year or so.

Mine love the Lemony Snicket books too,but after the first I find the plots a bit turgid.

I can't wait to read them books like 'Across the Barricades' and 'when Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit'. I read them by myself but would have loved to share them with my Mum or Dad.

Have to say I am of those of you whose children enjoyed Tom's Midnight Garden. I got halfway through reading it to the DD's, was enjoying myself HUGELY but they were bored and eventually asked me to change to something else.
Little Philistines.

I have just remembered that I have bought The Phoenix and the Carpet for DS for Christmas. I remember loving that, I hope he does too.

Rosa, it's guting when that happens isn't it? I was SO looking forward to reading wind in the willows with ds but we had to stop when he sighed "oh no there's loads more pages and pages about the blooming river"

I'm reading the Septimus Heap, book one: Magyk to my 2 (8 and ) years old) they love it when I read to them at bed time even though they read themselves for half an hour after I've finished. They also loved the laura Ingals-Wilder books of Little house on the prairie fame which I read to them - some ofthe expressions or words used needed explaining anyway.

Rosa, ds has looked at A Dog So Small and said, no thanks mum
Another splendid pair of verse anthologies is Seamus Heaney's Rattle Bag and School Bag, both published by Faber, and also By Heart: 100 poems to learn and remember (I think, am typing from memory here).

puddle, I sympathise with your ds tbh. The novel has been wrecked for me by the "all the fun and 10% of the words" stage adaptation I was a weasel.

still reading to my children (7, 4, 2) and they love pippi longstocking...

have read mrs pepperpot to them but kept bursting out laughing and they couldn't understand a word.

other books they've enjoyed but the eldest 'gets-it' quicker:

famous five
narnia

Yes, DD is 7 and we are reading the "Roman Mysteries" together at bedtime. She then stays up for a bit in bed and reads to herself. DS is 4 - still likes to be read to, and no doubt will for a bit longer.

My mum read A Little Princess to my sister and I, I think around that age. We loved it.

We read "Wind in the Willows" to the DSs recently and even I thought it was dull. I never read it as a child and I'm glad I didn't bother .

I'm reading them "The Little Prince" at the moment, which I'm enjoying far more than they are. Next on our list is "How to twist a dragon's tail", a Moomin book and then the J M Barrie "Peter Pan" (the last is only on my list,strictly speaking, but I'm going to be allowed to read it, I am, I am......)

Why on earth should books not count as presents???????? puddle?

I think puddle meant that you don't feel bad about buying your DCs loads and loads?

My DS is only 2 at the mo, but think this is a great post and can't wait till we can read older books together

In that case ibble ...i wholeheartedly agree..they are not presents ...so you can buy and expect loads back...