Book suggestions please-Roisin??

[marialuisa]

Could anyone suggest some fun books for my DD? She is 4.5y but has reading/comprehension level equivalent to a secondary school child. I know that there are other MNers with similarly able readers and would welcome their suggestions as we are struggling to keep up with her and find appropriate material.
DD is still in full-on sparkly princess-popstar mode so tends to focus on rather grim stuff like Felicity Wishes and the Rainbow Fairies, we would like to broaden her horizons a bit but don't want to scare her off. To be just that little bit more demanding she has sight problems and struggles to distinguish between lines of close-typed text so books with pictures to "break things up" are more appealing.

Does she like myths and legends Marialuisa? Or history?
Ds is six with a similar reading age to your dd from the sound of things and has recently loved these two titles:

Atticus the Storyteller

and

Britannia: 100 stories from Britain's History

Worlds away from Felicity Wishes and co [blech]

My girls loved the Sophie books by Dick King-Smith (think they are on offer with The Book People at the moment).

Dd (who was 5 in August so a fairly similar age) has just finished The Enchanted Wood and The Faraway Tree (both Enid Blyton) - they are fantastic for them to read and the chapters are a good length. She also loves those Rainbow Fairy books (in fact, those and that Secret Unicorn are up there as her faves!).

Have you tried Clarice Bean? They are great books and still have some pictures.

Thinking about it now, other books dd loves are the Winnie the Witch series (again, with pictures but sufficiently advanced vocab). If she is happy with no pictures though, the Enid Blyton books are great (just realised it's called the Magic Faraway Tree - another good one is The Adventures of the Wishing Chair).

Puffin also publish a set of books under the Young Puffin label which include Gobbolino the Witch's Cat and another favourite of ours is Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse. The Dick-King Smith books are good as well.

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, DD loves Clarice Bean! Will have a go with the Myths books Marina but have concerns about density of print, maybe better when she's got bifocals. DD is also a bit wobbly around anything "not nice".

DD agrees completely with her teacher that "Roald Dahl books are really not the sort of thing for a little girl to read" and is young for her age in many ways. Have to admit to having deliberately avoided Enid Blyton and can't see her going for Dick King-Smith either (she's not into cutesy kittens) but will see if library has any.

I'm away for a few days so if anybdy else has any ideas please post them!

Cutesy kittens?!! Sophie is a feisty little girl with a bit of attitude (and a temper) who wants to be a vet when she is older.

I keep saying this (sorry) but Gwyneth Rees's books like Fairy Dreams, Mermaid Magic and so on are way better than they appear from their covers. They would appeal to your dd by the sounds of it but are in a different league from Rainbow Fairies. They are also on offer from the Book People. Quite big type too.

Yes, was going to suggest DKS Sophie books myself. Just the thing for a little girl with attitude. The print is a good size, too.

And why the downer on Roald Dahl? Matilda?

Hi yoyo! Roisin must be working, otherwise I'm sure she'd be on Mmoo's thread on school library books.

Tamum - DDs enjoyed those too.

They deal with quite good issues don't they, yoyo, and in a way that the children reading don't feel they're being spoken down to. I like the non-pat endings too

Frogs - must be blind but I can't see the library books thread. Is it under "Education"?

Was half-term good? V. busy for us - mostly in London. Must dash - school run.

No, I'm projecting my own views about DKS. The only book of his I could stomach as a child was The Queen's Nose and my quick scan of a "Sophie" book seemed a bit too "Sheep-pig" like.

The downer on Roald Dahl is because they have mean people in! DD doesn't go for his stuff at that moment and I'm respecting her views.

BTW the author the "Secret Unicorn" books is a friend of ours so don't be rude about those ..DD prefers "Not Quite a Mermaid" though.

Cheers Tamum, the Gwyneth Rees books sound promising.

Yes, right girls. I can't access mumsnet at work - probably a good thing!

ML - I'll pop upstairs now and have a look for any specific suggestions.

I don't have any experience of sight problems, but I just wondered whether something like this (the reading window - not the book!) might be of help to her. You don't need to buy one, you could just cut one out of card. Just a step up from using a ruler/bookmark under the lines.

In fact I may just go and make one for ds2 now. He is currently reading books which don't challenge him, and has a very annoying habit of reading in his head about two lines further on than the line he is currently reading out loud, iyswim!

Library book thread (which is what it's become) is called something like, "Sorry, need to have a rant about school..."

Oops - I've just seen your comment about the Unicorn books. I was rude about them on the other thread

I've drawn a bit of a blank on the shelves upstairs: I must have been through and weeded out "these sort of books".

Dick K-S is great for this 'non scary' literature. (DS1 was exactly the same at this age btw.) He also didn't like animal books, but the Sophie books really are great, honest. DS1 also particularly liked Dragon Boy and The Cuckoo Child and ds2 recently really enjoyed his new one Dinosaur Trouble

I can't remember exactly how much 'unkindness' or 'scary moments' there are in these though.

Look out for 'Sprinters' and 'red bananas and blue bananas' and 'Young Puffins'. Anne Fine is an excellent author, who's written some good stuff for this level, also Jenny Nimmo.

Alternatively - and this is what we mainly did with ds1 - you can effectively just skip this phase and get her to read a little of the book you are currently reading to her. With a very demanding book this might be just a few sentences, or a specially selected paragraph. With an easier book it might be a page or two, or even a chapter.

HTH

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield?
Horsey type books ad nauseam by the Pullein Thompson sisters
the Drina Ballerina series (can't remember who by)

All of Roisin's suggestions went down well with mine too. Do look at The Book People as I think I saw some Anne Fine there.

Roisin - that guide is a good idea! DD2 does this I think and I am always telling her to slow down. She hates to follow words with her finger so this might be the solution.

I'm in the same boat ml, but with a slightly older dd now in y2. She has enjoyed all of the following over the past couple of years: Milly Molly Mandy; by Joyce Lankester Brinkley, quite dated but also charmingly quaint. I think it's illustrated.
The Worm and the Toffee nosed Princess by Eva Ibbotson, (Hodder - larger print and illustated)Lion at School by Philippa Pearce, (illustrated - Puffin),Lizzie Dripping by Helen Cresswell (OUP - scant illustrations), Magic in my Pocket by Alison Uttley; each story has an illustated header, but the print's not large. Finally, the silly Witch Wendy series by Alex Gutteridge - Macmillan - large print and lots of pictures.

The search for suitable books doesn't get any easier; my dd's reading age is now virtually unmeasurable in any meaningful way. She is "capable" of reading absolutely anything.

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Why not, Cod? She can always read it again!

DS1 read the Hobbit and Narnia at 6 and LotR at 7. DS2 'on paper' is a better reader at 6.5, but currently isn't interested in anything more challenging than Roald Dahl, Dick King-Smith, or the Beano. I'm trying to be patient with him, but I know he will enjoy reading much more when he starts accepting the challenge, and reading the more interesting/exciting books.

PS And I'd enjoy it more too

He does read loads of non-fiction though, including more demanding stuff.

I read ahead in my head as I read to the kids!
My dd1 is like this and we 'share books' I read a bit then she reads a bit.We have (or have read) most of the things suggested on here and would recommend Gwyneth reeds and the Sophie books.

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Don't they? Ds1 re-reads his faves a lot.

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Yes, once they can read they can read.

But not all fluent readers become lifelong readers and lovers of books.
Sometimes I think it's just about personality and temperament, but there are a number of 'hurdles' to overcome along the way. If children are offered unsuitable books at a particular stage, they can be put off reading completely, and only do it when they absolutely have to.

And that's a shame, isn't it?