Early chapter books with zero threat

[mrsmortis]

Hi, I think we are hitting an issue with my DD's reading age being above her maturity level. She has a real issue with the level of threat in the books she is reading.

She is in Y1 and is bringing turquoise books home but is reading at a higher level again when she reads for fun. What I am struggling to do is find books that challenge her reading ability but which she is emotionally prepared to deal with. She's been devouring the Rainbow Magic books over the summer but she still has to sit next to me to read chapters with Jack Frost in (This is an improvement as I used to have to hold the book for her). It's not that I have to make her read, she loves reading and will devour books at any opportunity, but I'm running out of ideas for books with no threat in them so that she can read them for fun.

I've tried the Darcy Bussell Ballet books and those are apparently really scary so she has to be made to read the once she is past the first couple of chapters. She's read Dick King Smith's Sophie books (or we have read them together) an those were OK. She's scared of the Worst Witch and didn't like Flat Stanley. She has read some Horrid Henry and I have more of those on my list to get from the library. We've read the first of the Faraway Tree books but those are that bit harder and she needs more support with them.

So what else can people suggest?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Oliver moon?

There are a few Famous Five early reader books at the Book.People.

Hiya, I have a 5yo DD who's also prone to an over-active imagination so we too have the problem of finding books that are not too scary. Some ones we've tried and enjoyed recently:
The Dixie O'Day series (in the fast lane & the great diamond robbery)
The Lucky Stars series by Phoebe Bright
A few of the Claude books eg Claude on Holiday

Have also borrowed a few more from the library to see how we get on with The Secret Seven, And one about a girl who can talk to animals... Molly something? I think!

HTH

DD loved Titchy witch (Rose Impey) at that age. Also Katie Morag first readers, Dixie O'day (Shirley Hughes), Humphrey's tiny tales (Betty Birney).

Does your local library have a first readers section? Ours was really good.

Is Winnie the Witch too traumatic?

What about the 'Daisy' books by Kes Gray, my dd loves reading these, they are very funny and wouldn't say there's much threat in them although Daisy is a bit naughty.

The owl who was afraid of the dark. We also have 2 others by the same author - the cat who wanted to get home and the hen who did something equally dull. Neither are a patch on Plop but DS (also Y1 turquoise) reads them to himself.

We are having a love affair with Claude at the moment, although I am mainly reading it to him.

How about really simple information books like Usborne beginners? There shouldn't be any threat in books about insects, the human body, space etc.

Magic farmyard are also v simple.

Oh yes, Daisy. Good call.

The Amazing Esme books might be suitable?

Usborne do a good range for all the stages of early reading, might be worth a look.

Milly Molly Mandy books, or My Naughty Little Sister? These are both so sweet and old-fashioned, so no threat at all! My dd is 4 and loves them. Other Shirley Hughes are nice too.

Happy Families books by Alan Ahlberg - your local library will probably have some of them. Lovely pictures, not even mild peril.

Claude and Daisy hit the spot beautifully. This is a definite gap in the market IMO (and we're there for the 3rd time). Our 3 have enjoyed the Scout and Ace books from the library if you're OK with comic strip style.

Horrid Henry is worth a look if you can bear it.

Our dd (6) is enjoying revisiting the Katie Morag books and reading these herself this time (but these aren't chapter books).

Ds enjoyed the Dinosaur Cove books at a similar age. Dd1 did the Sophie books, some of the Roald Dahl are simpler than others, there are the dreaded Magic Fairy books if you must.

Libraries are great for first reads as not really worth spending out on this stage IMO.

Ah yes we have both Milly Molly Mandy and the Naughty Little Sister books, both also available on Audio books.

Mr Gum ones are fun too.

D King-Smith has a lot of booth about animals - or rather with animals as characters. Not scary and fun. Also, try Corgi Pups - these are simple chapter books for young readers. Amazon will have a lot of them. Colour Young Puffing are another series if fun books - I remember DD1 loving the ones about the Witch Dog.

Thank you so much everyone. So many replies so quickly.

I'm not going to manage to respond to everyone individually but I have a few further comments:

EmmaGellerGreen - Are they any good? I'm really rather nervous about Famous Five books that aren't written by Enid Blyton.

erin99 - Oooh I didn't realise that there were other ones. We read the owl who was afraid of the dark around bonfire night last year, definitely one for the list.

GoogleyEyes - She's bringing the Happy Families books home as her reading books from school at the moment (we read Mrs Lather's Laundry tonight). I think school have them all so we'll get them all sooner or later. I do like them.

And I have now added the following to my list (after checking most of them out on Amazon): The Daisy books, Amazing Esme, Milly Molly Mandy, My Naughty Little Sister

I think the Secret Seven books are initially more manageable than Famous Five.

My DD woke crying the other night because the Secret Seven was scary!!! (and she wonders why I won't let her try Harry Potter!!) She has enjoyed the Usbourne young readers books. Also The Secret Mermaid and Tilly Tiptoes. Having not read them myself I can not comment on the scariness of them!

Jewel Princesses and Fashion Princesses are series very similar to Rainbow Fairies in reading ability but, I wouldn't have said, very scary.

Iggy and Me series by Jenny Valentine is the 21st century version of My Naughty Little Sister.

Mr Majeika series by Humphrey Carpenter.

The Paddington books, by Michael Bond, but I think you would probably have to read them to her.

Sheltie series by Peter Clover. My DD had one of these as a school reading book in Y1, and was really cross that they only had the one!

Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark - yes there is a set of 6 Jill Tomlinson books available. I got it online for £10 but have recently seen it in The Works for £5.99 or £4.99 on sale.

Claude gets another vote from me.

Usborne Young Reading series one books are nice, stories of dolls/mermaids/fairies, Princess and The Pea etc.

Animals in School by Julia Donaldson

The Lighthouse Keeper books - can buy in Chapter book format.

The Early Reader books by Orion.

Secret Mermaid ones are good.

We have Tilly Tiptoes as well but girls haven't read them yet.

Dick King Smith - Lady Lollipop are fun according to DD1 but she has read lots of others too.

Magic Molly by Holly Webb

Zoe's Rescue Zoo

Rescue Princesses

Yes to Katie Morag early readers and Milly Molly Mandy

oh and My Naughty Little Puppy by Holly Webb.

DD1 is now in Yr2 and she has been happily reading lots of these for the last year, she is sensitive and easily spooked so I think they must all be ok.

DD2 is in Yr1, not quite 5.5 yet and reading very well but isn't so keen on bothering to read longer books. She has gone through the reading scheme and CAN read chapter books but she prefers shorter ones so we have a whole load of this level, Claude is her ultimate favourite at the moment. trying to think of others she has read. Mostly red banana ones or other banana ones like Mairi's Mermaid. She likes the Usborne Beginners ones as well which are all non fiction. officially book band 8 I believe but cover a whole range of topics from animals, space and ballet.

oh and the paddington books, not the simple picture ones for toddlers or the chapter books but the bigger picture story books, they are good and the pictures are lovely.

DD is 8 now but when she was small she was absolutely petrified by anything with any element of danger at all. She was also an early reader and was perfectly capable of quite difficult books in Reception, but simply couldn't handle the level of danger. She certainly couldn't have coped with most Dick King-Smith at that age, though she could have read all the words. She did manage Aristotle by him and loved it.

Claude is WONDERFUL and get them all immediately. They're not hard but they are inventive and fun and sweet.

Ottoline (by Chris Riddell). Again, funny and engaging and sweet and the pictures are amazing.

Milly Molly Mandy gets a yes from me, though she may need some support with general history and explaining how things worked in the olden days.

Look at Three Little Witches and there are a couple of others in the series. V v easy but entirely threatless.

The Faraway Tree and similar were also good for us.

Enid Blyton's Wishing Chair series
Milly Molly Mandy
Pony Mad Princess series
Just So Stories
Dick King Smith's animal books are lovely
Ursula Moray Williams' Gobolino/Little Wooden Horse series
Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf (I believe these were a series but I only had the one of them)
The Borrowers
Olga da Polga (stories about a guinea pig) books are lovely
Ursula Bear books
Mrs Pepperpot stories

I was also going to recommend the Happy Family books but you've already started on them!

There's a 'first chapter books' type of Disney Princess stories about too. I can't remember where I picked mine up from. It was either The Works or The Book People.

Oh, and our local Poundland has lots of Early Reader Horrid Henry books in at the moment...for £1, obviously!

DS is same age, and really easily scared.

We have enjoyed the Owl who was Afraid of the Dark, Amazing Esme and Dinosaur Cove books with no ill effects.

I would also highly recommend the Alexander McCall Smith books for children. There are three early Precious stories, and also a load of others (e.g. the bubblegum tree, the chocolate money mystery, etc) which achieve the careful balance of entertaining without scaring.

Lots here that I'd agree with. What about Pippi Longstocking, or The Children of Noisy Village (both Astrid Lindgren, the later one is very gentle indeed), Anna Hibiscus, Winnie the Pooh, The Gaskett Family Books (some mild peril in some of those). Plus lots already mentioned.

My mind boggles at how ballet books can contain threat... I've not come across Darcey Bussell's books though.

Winnie the Pooh is actually really difficult reading for a 5yo- the stories are great to read to them though.

I don't think I have much to add, as so many great recommendations on here, however, I do empathise. We struggled when my DD was this age, as her reading was so far in advance of her emotional capabilities. The Usborne "see inside..." books are v good for non-fiction. Anything written 50 years ago will have more difficult language, without necessarily containing 'threat'. The Moomins, for example, whilst being aimed at fairly young children does have very well constructed passages, and rich vocabulary, far in advance at what is aimed at 5 and 6yos today.

DS (5) is reading Roald Dahl atm, and whilst some of them are very dark, some are not at all- Esio Trot and The Giraffe, The Pelly, and Me are two good ones. He loves Danny The Champion of The World too.

What about nonfiction?