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Please help , Age appropriate books for a 4 and 7 year old advanced reader that don't encourage naughty behaviour.

49 replies

Timetoeat · 01/11/2022 17:01

Hi, I am looking for suggestions for books to give as presents for 4 year old and 7 year old children who are both very advanced in reading.
I struggle to find books that are appropriate for their ages ,that don't promote being naughty and that aren't too easy for them.
Thanks for any suggestions.

OP posts:
Timetoeat · 02/11/2022 22:53

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, greatly appreciated, will definitely be buying a few of them.
Authors really seem to think that books for young readers need to have a main character who behaves in the exact way I'm trying to discourage ,like Dirty Bertie,Horrid Henry etc. Is there any books like the one mentioned above,that should be avoided?
Thank you again.

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hiredandsqueak · 02/11/2022 23:58

I used to buy dd books about animals. She loved Humphrey the Hamster series. Dick King Smith wrote lots of books she enjoyed particularly the Hodgeheg. For the four year old the Funnybones and the Lighthouse keeper series.

Jux · 03/11/2022 00:17

7 year old, how to train your dragon. 4 yo will enjoy the pics too.

DelurkingAJ · 03/11/2022 00:22

Dick King-Smith, Anne Fine (my 6 year old is currently loving Jamie and Angus), Toto the Ninja Cat.

UWhatNow · 03/11/2022 00:29

My son grew up reading Horrid Henry but he was the most righteous and rule following kid you’d ever wish to meet. Still is as an adult! I’m not sure reading about naughtiness translates into behaviour.

Timetoeat · 03/11/2022 00:38

UWhatNow , that is true , but for some children,like the children that I'm buying the books for, will struggle with the concept of its only a story,we don't talk like that or copy behaviour.

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Cutesbabasmummy · 03/11/2022 07:46

@UWhatNow I completely agree. Children are smarter than adults think!

ProtectorExtraordinaryOfTheCantonsOfNim · 03/11/2022 08:05

When you say "very advanced" in reading, what kind of thing are they reading at the moment?

33goingon64 · 03/11/2022 08:10

My boys loved the Atticus Claw series. Wholesome but with a bit of toned down peril.

healthadvice123 · 03/11/2022 08:50

If they are such advanced readers then surely they won't behave naughty because they have read a boon
They will see bad behaviour at school etc and all around , horrid Henry is even called horrid , its not like anyone is encouraging anyone to be like him

Lullabies2Paralyze · 03/11/2022 08:54

Percy the park keeper books for the 4 year old if they like animals? Or Elmer the elephant?

Harry Potter for the 7 year old ? I was that age when the first one came out, I struggled with a few words like hermione (I think i called her hermey-one)

threegoodthings · 03/11/2022 08:55

Timetoeat · 03/11/2022 00:38

UWhatNow , that is true , but for some children,like the children that I'm buying the books for, will struggle with the concept of its only a story,we don't talk like that or copy behaviour.

Advanced readers but they struggle with the concept of it's only a story?

Bit odd

katmarie · 03/11/2022 09:10

It makes sense to me, they are capable of reading the story, at a skills level, but without the social and emotional intelligence to recognise that as it is a story, then copying the behaviour would not be a good thing to do. But books aimed at their age group in terms of skills level will probably be inordinately dull to them and risk put them off reading altogether.

I had a very advanced reading ability as a child, I had an adult reading age capability by about 11, and I had a huge enthusiasm for reading. I know my parents struggled to give me age appropriate books, and enough of them to stop me getting bored, or worse, helping myself to adult books that I could read, but not understand or process properly, like my dad's Stephen King collection.

I loved Dick King Smith, the worst witch, milly molly mandy, Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl etc. Also some classics, like Black Beauty, and the What Katie Did series, Run With the Wind. But I also loved non fiction too, it might be worth looking at what non fiction books might spark their interest.

Floydthedemonbarber · 03/11/2022 09:25

My Naughty Little Sister books by Dorothy Edwards. Written in the 1950s but the language is very accessible for my 7 year old. There are often things like coal deliveries, old fashioned names for things etc that we google and then learn a little bit about too.

Dd also loves the Tom Gates books.

Timetoeat · 03/11/2022 09:27

Yes,KatMarie, that's exactly it. More so the 4 year old, as they are on the Autism Spectrum, been able to read since early 3 years old,without being taught. We had Some of the books that has naughty behaviour in it,and it was being copied so unfortunately they had to be rehomed,(the books, not the child 🤣)

OP posts:
Timetoeat · 03/11/2022 09:35

Protector extraordinar
The 4 year old has been reading since early 3 years old, without being taught.
Can read pretty any book thats picked up ,haven't had a reading test yet to see what the actual reading age is yet.
7 year old nearly 8 year old, is my niece and has finished Harry Potter. Can read anything that she picks up. The naughty behaviour is more of a concern with the 4 year old.

OP posts:
Floydthedemonbarber · 03/11/2022 10:13

threegoodthings · 03/11/2022 08:55

Advanced readers but they struggle with the concept of it's only a story?

Bit odd

It's not odd, they can read the words but don't have the the mental capacity. It's the same way they they get scared by things that older children don't. I think dd1 (7) has Mega Monster, I think, by David Walliams. She has only read a few pages as she is too scared about what this monster is going to be.

fruitbrewhaha · 03/11/2022 10:16

WandaWomblesaurus · 02/11/2022 12:38

Toad is very very naughty 😂😂😂

He is! And a total misogynist, he is so very cross that he has to dress up as a poor woman, it's so beneath him.

fruitbrewhaha · 03/11/2022 10:17

My DD loved Heidi at that age and has recently read it again.

JanglyBeads · 03/11/2022 10:32

Speak to your local librarian or whoever looks after the library at school. They'll have loads of good ideas, including more recently published books rather than the classics suggested here - many of which are quite dated, and your children may not like. Nothing against older titles but the language etc can be a barrier.

Also, I would not recommend any J Wilson books for a 7 year old, the themes of all but a very few are quite grown up. Even the Hetty Feather series includes men behaving inappropriately etc. Those designed for younger children are listed on her website iirc.

BendingSpoons · 03/11/2022 10:42

My 3yo DS loves the Rainbow Fairy books. The Faraway Tree is popular; we have some shorter books in that series as well.

Do they enjoy non-fiction? It's a great way to extend reading and learn about the world.

Usernamenotallowed · 03/11/2022 11:12

For the 4 year old -
Hotel flamingo series and Big Sky Mountain series
Dick king smith books
The cat and the king
The Gaskitt stories

WandaWomblesaurus · 03/11/2022 22:59

The Christmas Pig is lovely.
Some of the childrens novelisations of the Star Wars books are good too and encourage mindful and thoughtful Jedi youngling behaviour!

WimbyAce · 06/11/2022 08:35

Had forgotten the My naughty little sister books, think I might look for some of them.

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