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!

Ps swallows and amazons was a big hit. Maybe the borrowers?

If you like Greek Mythology tales, Enid Blyton's Tales of Long Ago is a good book!
I read these for myself when I was about 8, but they are told in a much gentler way than usual, ie the violence of such stories is very underplayed.(although still there...You might want to read each story first, to check whether your child would be worried by it.)
I don't even know if this book is still in print, actually! I bought this copy from a second hand bookshop, because I was so delighted to see it, as I loved the stories so much!

I'm pretty sure he did understand the plot Katherina He also had a lot of fun reciting all of the associated nursery rhymes, so it is a book that gave us a lot. But it's still an awful lot simpler than Roald Dahl etc

I think we're all in agreement that picture book still have lots of value at almost any age!

DS1 loved the Railway Rabbits series at that age (so much so he wrote to Georgie Adams to say so, bless him). We also enjoyed all the Enid Blyton ones suggested above, Mr Men/Little Miss, and Roald Dahl.

DS2 is 4.5 and still loves the Julia Donaldson type books, but has also become interested in chapter books (think he wants to be like his big brother). So far we've read The Twits and the first Faraway Tree books, and he loved them.

DS is 6 and we're doing Dinosaur Cove for the third time He can't read them himself yet, not found a non-school-phonics book that he can read yet, but that doesn't mean he can't enjoy the story. He also liked The Faraway Tree, Magic Treehouse and he's been ok with Flat Stanley and the Jeremy Strong books. Totally bored with Horrid Henry though.

But when he's listening to DS2's story at bedtime before his own chapter, he's just as interested in all those. Mr Wolf's Pancakes, The Bumblebear, Hairy McClary and Slinky Malinki are all favourites with both boys. If he sneaks his torch on before morning he can be found looking at the pictures of all different books and he gleans the story from the simple words he can get and the pictures together.

Room for both at this age I think.

We read usborne illustrated stories at bedtime with dc now 6 but have done since he was 5. We've almost finished Greek myths, DC loves that there's an illustration on every page and that it has chapters that he can put his bookmark on every night.

Another one for Usborne's Greek Myths and Legends. Ditto re: pictures and bookmark. Thought we were the only ones, but I could have written your post, seafoodeatit!
That and lots of science related books.

amelies likewise! they're good that they last so long too, although he only wants chapter style books for bed now I have to constantly be on the lookout for the next replacement!

The usborne look inside science books are brilliant too.

4 year old in Reception like book about the 5 senses and spot the difference books about different kind of flowers, dinosaurs, leaves, birds, shapes around you name it.www.booktrust.co.uk you can find different books for age interest.

Ronald Dahl is my fave author. Want my two (4 and 2) to grow up loving him too so will continue with picture books and some of his too x

Re the growing out of books thing - DD refuses to grow out of ANYTHING. She still happily reads baby board books as well as chapter books. She seems unusual in that though, most of her friends without younger siblings have passed on those books as they weren't getting read.

DS at 7 often picks up and reads the picture books DD brings home from reception, where he refuses to even bring home a reading book from his own class.

But even so they rarely choose to read books they've memorised at age 2. Occasionally for nostalgia value, but as routine bedtime stories they generally prefer something new and something with a bit more meat to it. A toddler picture book may be beautifully illustrated and use good vocabularly (I love the Hairy Maclary books for vocab!), but it's still not going to last DC more than a minute.

That's true, seafood! There's also an Usborne Norse Myths, wonder if that's next...

shameless place marking sorry! We have quite a few of the above but always looking for more.

Has Dick King Smith been mentioned?
Beatrix Potter is pretty grown up language and stories.
Allan Allberg (sp?) has some more grown up stuff, though I've found it a bit odd.
Lighthouse Keeper series (picture books but a bit more grown up than JD)

Forgot brambley hedge and noggin the nog