Can I share a parenting joy? I just read my first chapter book to DS - oh, the relief. Finally a child centered activity I enjoy.

[worriermum]

It was Roald Dahl's "George's Marvellous Medicine". He lapped it up and insisted I start the book again as we finished. I am so delighted. He is an only DC and I feel perpetually guilty for not doing more snakes and ladders/hide and seek/pretending...the tedium. But I am a bookaholic and I loved reading this to him. Plus, there is the hope that his enjoyment of this book means he will share my love of reading (experienced parents please don't disillusion me!)

Any MNers out there who understand my elation? Please tell me you're not all thinking "Oh dear Worriermum REALLY needs to get out more" as you scroll on down..

Ahhhh, lovely
How old is he? Am debating doing this with ds.... But never sure I'll persuade him to stop at a single chapter...

oh good choice.

it's a bit sad that my DDs don't want me to read any more. DD1 reads all the time. DD2 won't at all. I've worked through all the lovely stories of my childhood and some more other ones.
loved it.

Our first chapter book was George's MM too...I think we read it about 5 times over before I ran screaming for the nearest bookshop and bought ''Charlie and the CF'. She loved that too! Now on 'Matilda'...

I am really looking forward to this bit too. I only have about four years to go....

Oh, and think yourself lucky you don't have a little brother or sister getting bored and restless and shoving 'Maisy' under your nose at the same time...!

I love reading with my DD (also an only) and I can't wait to start reading chapter books with her so understand your excitement

how old were your dc when you started reading them chapter books?

ooh yes, this really floated my boat as well. Our first chapter book was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

It is such a relief to move on from picture books isn't it - a book with a real story in it
dd started with the faraway tree. Lovely the first couple of times......

I am contemplating chapter books for dd who is just about to turn 4. I think that perhaps I'm being a bit ambitious... but I am bored of the farking Mr Men.

know how you feel. I love reading to DS1 (currently on Little House on the Prairie series)- I'd rather do that than painting or playing bloody ludo.....

DD1 was 4.5 yo, (in April) but a book lover since tiny and used to sitting still and listening to story tapes, which helps. Now she is losing interest in her picture books and prefers the chapter books.

What is a chapter book? Just a book with chapters or are they some special kind of book?

Sounds lovely - I can't wait

My dc love that book too. And Matilda and the CF too! The giraffe one and the giant peach weren't as good imo.

I'm now reading Enid Blyton's The Faraway Tree to my 5 yr old. She LOVES it, it's so easy to read because I love it too and it is really helping her to develop her imagination.

spicemonster - just a book with more words than pictures, or no pictures at all, and divided into chapters.

I love reading DD1's bedtime story; it's graet to have something we both enjoy, rather than me have to kick myself up the ass to feign enthusiasm for Duplo and The Jolly fucking Postman
Unfortunately I still have many years of picture books remaining with DD2&3; and they alwasy want the same old ones, no matter how many lovely new books you get

yes we have been reading lhotp too tommy! it was so fabulous that I started a thread on it...(ds 4 also, I think its a good age for this)

having now read the first 3 books about 4 times each I have invested in some audio books of it and they are BRILLIANT, ds listens to them in bed every night.

what a lovely post

dd-10 still loves being read to and reading herself

I'm so glad you all understand: it's the little things that get one through the looong day. LOL Shitemum at your description - I suppose there are advantages to having an only DC as well.

Funnypeculiar he is 4.5, but I tried "George" on him only a few months ago and he wasn't interested. It seems one has to hit the exact spot!

A "chapter book" is just a regular book with chapters ie not a picture book.

So, do I try "Charlie and Choccie Factory" next? BadKitten what age is the "Faraway Tree"? Any other suggestions for an excited Worriermum?

Message withdrawn

DD has enjoyed being read chapter books since being 4y too. Makes story time more interesting We now share them a lot more too with us taking turns to read a page, which is even more fun I am finding (and helps DD get through a chapter book a bit faster than on her own).

I hear you here!!!

We are reading the Enchanted Forest By Enid Blyton - fantastic!

Bedtime stories are now enjoyable for me, I get to read all the books I loved as a child and its great for their imagination too. We always discuss the chapter afterwards and talk about what we think will happen in the next chapter or what we imagine the characters to look like.

I am so glad to have got to this stage because I hated Charlie and Lola books - why does everyone love them. I like the art work but thats about it.

Charlie is maybe a bit long. At that age, ds1 loved Fantastic Mr Fox and the other slightly shorter Roald Dahl books as well as things like Flat Stanley (huge hit), Enid Blyton (Faraway Tree etc). We've just finished the Humphrey one (hamster in a school, can't remember title, sorry) which was fun. I do find that however stressful the day has been (ds1 is being particularly rude and bad-tempered at the moment) the act of reading calms me down and them down and bed time results in at least the appearance of civilisation . Can't wait to get onto The Hobbit and the like.

I couldn't agree more worriermum, I've just started chapter books with DS, we bought our first in the airport and read it three times over the two weeks we where on holiday. It was Jeremy Strong's 'my brother's famous bottom goes camping' and DS loved it, and I enjoyed it too!

I have now gone on an ebay spress getitng cheap second hand chapter books for DS.