What are you reading - to your 3-4 year old?

[Mo2]

DS1 is 3.5 and suddenly seems 'between' stages in terms of the sorts if books he wants at the moment.
This week's selection has included:
Dr Seuss poems
Thomas the Tank Engine (ladybird book size)
Ladybird books: Rapunzel, 3 Billy Goats Gruff, Snow White etc
Monsters Inc Annual from last Christmas
Factual book about rockets/planets/space
Story about jumbo Jets
'Usborne' Farmyard Tales/ Train Tales Series

We go to the library and get a mix of things, but I usually like to steer him towards things I think I'd like to read to him (as opposed to coming home with 5 Thunderbirds videos... )

Interested to know what your 3 & 4 year olds are reading?

Thomas, Thomas and more flippin Thomas (I've got a phd in T The T E! We're also into Noddy. (That's me and ds aged 4, btw.) He also loves factual books with picture of aeroplanes, cars and animals. Dh has a couple of books about the making of Thunderbirds and Capn Scarlet which ds really enjoys. Ds shares story times with his 6 yr old sister too so he gets to hear My Naughty Little Sister, Milly Molly Mandy and Disney stories.

Yes, lots of Thomas and any stories involving vehicles of any description. Mine are now 4 but enduring favourites are The Giant Jam Sandwich, Funnybones and Burglar Bill.

When my ds was that age his favourites (and mine ) were Where The Wild Things Are, Tom and the Island of Dinosaurs by Ian Beck, and a lot of the Allan Ahlberg Happy Families books, like Mrs Wobble the Waitress. They're really meant for children learning to read, but worked well for reading out loud. Burglar Bill and Funnybones also popular, josiejump!

We're 1/2 way through "The BFG" and we've also read "Charlie and the Chocolate factory". As dd1 is 6, then dd2 tends to get the same stories as her - things I would not have thought of reading to dd1 when she was 4, but dd2 is enjoying all the same.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to ds1 who is 4 1/2, but ds2 sits in on it too, he's 2 (waits for ages for a mention of Dobby!).

Mo2 - this is such an exciting age. If your son can concentrate and listen well, you can start reading him books without pictures - real novels. At this age my sons loved the easy Roald Dahl books such as Fantastic Mr Fox, also things like Enid Blyton: The Magic Faraway Tree, etc. Then you can start to read longer and longer novels.

DS1 is just 4 and still loves all the old favourite picture books - Ahlberg, Butterworth, Inkpen, Alborough, Donaldson, Sharratt, Whybrow, etc., but we do read him 'proper' novels each night too - a chapter or so.

Another vote for Ahlberg. I read his books for fun myself as they really appeal to my sense of humour. Also Colin McNaughton books like Boo! and Oops! with Preston Pig, jolly and funny.

This all sounds very familiar. Ds, nearly four, is really into non-fiction about natural history (dinosaurs and camouflage, hence the interest in the life-cycle of the reed warbler...), volcanoes and life under the sea. He also likes having a chapter of his dad's childhood faves (Arabel and the Raven, Babar in America, Little Nose) read to him, Pirate Diary (bowdlerised by us when it comes to the flogging incident) and the wonderful picture book by Quentin Blake, The Green Ship. Like Mo2, we feel he is at a transitional stage - occasionally reverting to his comforting, baby picture stories, but also "wanting more". Not sure my battered but comprehensive Noel Streatfeild and "Sue Barton - soppy nurse" series will appeal, though

I'm thinking of starting Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree books with DS1 (4), a chapter each night. I loved those books when I was little...

Yes anything by Quentin Blake is good, my dd loved the Clown at that age (no words but a very powerful story, it really got her imagination going).

gruffalo
room o n the broom
duck in a truck

oh soupdragon my ds who is 4 loves those enid blyton books,as did i,my dp was sceptical about ds enjoying them but he does.since he was about 3 he has also enjoyed the paddington books,milly-molly-mandy(!!)teddy robinson etc,he mainly has these at night and books with pictures during the day.

CAM, ds adores "Clown". It really is a powerful story and we both like making up what happens next. We have a Quentin Blake compendium of stories - did your dd also love "Cockatoos" and "Mrs Armitage's Bike"?

Yes Mrs Armitage on Wheels had her in hysterics. At the moment, No. 1 is Lauren Child's Clarice Bean. Clarice is dd's alter ego.

I love reading all the "oldies" (Children like listening too!)-milly molly mandy,my naughty little sister,teddy robinson,polly and the wolf. Usually nice chapter/story lengths for bedtime reading too

My little boy is 5 now - but thinking back his favourites were The Tiger who Came to Tea, The Gruffalo, and Snore

DS2 used to love the Hodgeheg - Dick King-Smith - "I got a head on the bang" etc. Mind you some of it is a bit tragic. That might have been when he was a bit older though - it's really hard to remember 6 years back! There are dozens of short D K-S books.

We used to read Don't forget the bacon by Pat somebody - lots of repetition. We tried Milly Molly Mandy but I found it a bit heavy going (sorry!) - My Naughty Little Sister was enjoyable though and also the Lucy & Tom and Alfie stories (and Dogger, it is brill, but also a bit of a tear jerker, I hate reading stories that make me cry!)

Mostly picture books eg The Gruffalo. Anything by John Burningham (still reading Harvey Slumfenburger's Christmas Present and it's 5 months since Christmas...)

Dr Seuss is very big at the moment with my 3yo dd, who's recently understood the concept of rhyme (Mummy, what rhymes with purple? What do you mean nothing, you stupid Mummy, go away!) I'm trying to persuade my 5yo ds that he can actually read the simple ones like Hop on Pop (part of cunning plan to delegate entertainment of #3, due in November). Shirley Hughes is also a huge hit, especially Alfie & Annie Rose.

Ds, just 3, loves Dr Seuss, thinks they're hilarious. He also likes Postman Pat books and Bob the Builder (too young to follow a story but can talk about a pic of a digger for hours .......) Kipper, Wibbly Pig and and Piggy Wiggy are also favourites.

Dd is 3 1/2 and loves the Allen Ahlburg 'Fast Fox Slow Dog' books. There are lots of them, all written with the same theme.

Fantastic, and easy to read! They get my vote too.

Alfie Stories by Shirley Hughes
We're going on a bear hunt
Hungry Caterpillar
Awful Barbie stories

Recent purchase was The Mousehole Cat - beautiful pictures by Nicola Bailey and a great story (bit tedious 4th time round in 1 day tho'!)

Really cheered to read that someone else used to like the Sue Barton nurse stories - that takes me back! Anyone remember Brenda Buys a Beauty salon?

Another Sue Barton reader here... I'm surprised though at what you can read at such a young age. I recently bought a set of Roald Dahl books but expected it to be a while before DS could have them read to him (he's 2.4) and we've also got the Harry Potter's. Then it looks like I will have to be off to my Mum's looking for Magic Faraway Tree etc.