What books do you read TO your 5 year old?

[Greta84]

So my 5 year old in reception is doing great on her personal reading (I think) they put stickers over the levels but she's on Level 3 and seems fairly confident having started reading in September and teachers have said she loves school etc. She's outgrown although I still read to her the Julia Donaldson books BUT I know she still loves picture books. Any ideas of any lovely books to read to her? She quite likes non-fiction too so we're currently doing a pop-up book on London which is fab!

If she still lives picture books, keep reading them. If you are looking for something a bit longer, Shirley Hughes has written some lovely picture true books aimed at slightly older children. I forget the names but one is about a girl called Daisy I think and the other a modern Cinderella. We also love the Ottoline books by Chris Riddell -chapter books so they feel 'grown up' but illustrated throughout and brilliant fun. Also, I don't know if you can still get them but we have some old ladybird versions of classics like The three musketeers and Swiss Family Robinson which my children loved.

Don't know where that random 'true' came from, sorry!

The Flat Stanley books are chapter books which still have quite a few pictures.in. Johnny Riddle picture books are a bit longer than others and then there are chapter books which follow on. My five-year old loves both. He also likes the shorter Roald Dahls. He liked Marge in Charge too.

I would have thought a five year old would have been fully in the thrall of Julia Donaldson books, I wouldn't consider them outgrown! We read everything, usually a picture book followed by a chapter or a chapter book that doesn't need looking at, so encourages laying down and sleep.

Thanks! It's odd she really has outgrown them. I have a 2 year old now who is still loving lift the flap books but when my now 5 year old was 2 it was all Smartest Giant in Town and What the Ladybird heard etc and she knew all the words. I don't think she's particularly advanced but she's not so keen on them now when I get them out to read to the 2 year old. The 2 year old has no where near the attention span for Julia Donaldson. Both very different

A nice illustrated folk tales/fairy stories book could be good - stories are a bit meatier but good pictures and also good 'life knowledge' to be familiar with the traditional stories?

Weve got a nice one called something like '5 minute traditional tales' and a nice Scottish folk tales one (we are in Scotland...) - this kind of thing can be easy to find in charity shops & library too.

I also recommend The Iron Man by testing Hughes - it's about five chapters, but each a story in its own right, and good illustrations.

Also a book of short stories called 'A necklace of raindrops' - Jan Pienkowski - lovely illustration.

All of these also work well as independent readers as she comes on too.

Testing Hughs = Ted Hughs. Or maybe it's Hughes? The poet guy.

My reception child is not doing very well with reading on his own at all, bless him (summer baby so still 4), but he loves being read stories at night and I've actually veered into books I loved as a child. He is really enjoying Enid Blyton at the moment! we've gone from the Faraway Tree to now starting The Famous Fives. Obviously I change a bit of text as I go along (anything sexist for example, as dear old Enid had a tendency fowards a good few 'isms') but I'm really enjoying revisiting them too.

Definitely want the life knowledge of old stories. My dad loved reading those to me. Also maybe too young for the Greek/roman mythology which I loved too. Also loved Enid Blyton Faraway tree thanks for the suggestions

I will keep this thread as a suggestion for gifts too

The Usborne Illustrated Stories for Bedtime - short stories so feels a bit like the chapter book her sister likes me to read but still with the pictures she needs to stay engaged. I am also reading her Funny Stories for 5yr Olds which is lovely, but only one small picture per story isn't enough for her.

Reading the books from walker stories atm that are on bookpeople atm. They are small three chapter books and every night my DH reads a chapter from one and I read one from another book. Might do Winnie the Pooh books or Horrid Henry next. Or Thomas. Or Ronald Dahl.... lol can you tell I love books
DS also loves the happy family books and if he wants a picture book we do meg and mog.
Might get the supertato books too soon.

Things DD has been asking for recently (nearly-5, but a big reader herself)
Winnie the Witch
Various Jeremy Strong - the Pirate School ones are proper picture books, many of the others have quite a lot of B&W illustrations but maybe not every page.
Pippi Longstocking (quite illustrated edition with picture by the Charlie and Lola illustrator)
Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf
The awful Rainbow Fairies - I won't read them though
You Choose - always popular
and some baby books, just because.

Winnie the Pooh we love too, we have that on CD in the car; and the Just So Stories.

Faraway Tree definitely. We also like Milly-Molly-Mandy, the Mr Men and Teddy Robinson by Joan G. Robinson.

My 5 year old still enjoys picture books, but he chooses them himself. Can you take her to the library and let her choose some books she fancies? The library is a popular activity for us! We've also been working through lots of Mr Men books lately as he loves "acting" these out.

We also read quite a lot of fact books now. My son is a good reader so I think he enjoys reading the fact books with us because a lot of the ones he likes are a bit above him, whereas he can be the one to read a story. We have quite a few of the Usbourne "Look inside" books (there is a massive range - London, the Body, Trains, Space, Dinosaurs and Computers are all popular here!)

For longer stories - a few of these have already been mentioned but:
Some Roald Dahl (especially The Enormous Crocodile, The Giraffe, the Pekky and Me, Fantastic Mr Fox, The Twits, The Magic Finger and CHarlie and the Chocolate Factory)
My Naughty Little Sister
Winnie the Pooh
The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark
Flat Stanley
Wind in the Willows
My Father's Dragon

You should try a big book of fairy tales. I used to love reading mine when I was little. They have other versions I've seen in the book store, which is just a book full of fairy tales.

I've just finished the Enchanted Wood and we're now onto the Faraway Tree with my 5yo DS but I see they've already been suggested! He's loving them.

We have also done a few Roald Dahl's - George's Marvellous Medicine, The Magic Finger and we have the Twits lined up next.

I am loving being off the picture books and onto something more interesting (still having to read A Squash and a Squeeze twenty million times a week to DD, sigh).

Have a look at the "Sophie" books by Dick King Smith.

We have one of those 365 stories books. That works nicely as they are quite short but all different which DS loves. He likes finding the right page for the day. We have a couple
Of those. We also have many mr men books.

Another vote for the Walker books from the book people. Santa brought a huge pack of them and we're working our way through. Boy 4 and girl 6 both seem to really enjoy them. They're a nice length and plenty of variety too.

My daughter also really loves The Worst Witch series by Jill Murphy, and my son goes through phases of absolutely loving Mr. Men

I've been reading my DS Greek myths and legends recently. They are satisfyingly gory and full of magic and monsters!

I started reading chapter books to them at about that age. Read one chapter a night. I started with ones that each chapter was a story on its own, and then moved onto longer books.

Jeremy strong books are a great gentle intro to chapters. Also the Emil books by Astrid Lindgren. As far as pictures books are concerned, try Clarice Bean books and That Pesky Rat by Lauren Child as they are a bit older than Charlie and Lola but still fun and readable in one go.

Oh and the Dr Seuss books, not just cat in hat but others too like the lorax and fox in socks and I can read with my eyes shut.