Year 3 reading recommendations

[RosieLeaLovesTea]

Hi all

My daughter is in year 3. She is 7 turning 8 in June. Progression on reading has stalled a bit. She needs to move on to more challenging books. Starting chapter books.

We have read Fantastic Mr Fox together - I read some and she read some pages. I loved the Road Dahl books as a child so it has been really enjoyable to read these again. But she is reluctant. We read the twits but I read more to her as it was longer and some of the words trickier. We have started George’s marvellous medicine. But she is not keen at all.

She said last night she would still like some books with colour pictures.

So are there any chapters books with some colour pictures in them?

Looking for recommendations.

The American Magic Treehouse series has black and white pictures and is aimed at this age group.

We struggle too. There's a lot of tweenage animal misery lit but it gets very repetitive! You can buy old golden books on Abe books or eBay which are big and contain a lot of text mixed with pictures-classics like Heidi. The bigger ones are read aloud so they're more challenging. I'll keep thinking.

Same for some Enid Blyton books. Big old copies of the magic far away tree have lots of pictures.

Have you tried Daisy and the Trouble with... series? They might be on the simpler end of chapter books and it's full of pictures... Although they are black and white unless the cheapo copy you order from ebay has previously belonged to a child who felt the need to colour them in

Squishy McFluff
Some editions of Shifty McGifty, and some editions of The Trouble With Daisy books

What about the Ottoline series by Chris Riddell?

My DD loves the Isadora Moon series. Simple, illustrated chapter books about a girl who's half vampire, half fairy.

My DDs hated Roald Dahl. Personally I don't think they aged well.

Lots of the recent early chapter books have colour illustrations. We liked Claude, Hotel Flamingo, Jolly Rodgers, Hubble Bubble, Fabio the Flamingo detective, Mr Penguin, Rainbow Fairies, Zoes Rescue Zoo, Jasmine Green, Animal Ark (new and old).

What does she like?

The faraway tree series has been broken down into shorter chapter books with loads of colour illustrations so that's worth a look.

Another vote for squishy mcfluff, my child was obsessed with them in year 3!

We've also recently loved a book called everything you know about dinosaurs is wrong (we're year 4 now but a very reluctant reader!)

The early reader versions of the rainbow fairy's, horrid Henry etc are colour illustrated if I remember correctly.

Also try searching for illustrated books. They are more expensive but I have seen Harry Potter for example in beautiful full colour (HP maybe be a bit beyond her currently but if they do it there will be others).
Also Disney books can be similar. Take a look at the charity shops or library. I have a big series if illustrated Disney books but they were mine as a kid!

These are the Disney ones I mean... www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Walt-Disney-s-Classic-Books-Hardback-Wonderful-World-of-Reading-Free-Post-/165190083488?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Daisy And The Trouble With…
The Claude books
Amelia Fang

All big hits here

my daughter was the same. She liked: isadora moon; the usborne series books (beautifully illustrated) roald dahl colour illustrated (i would read some to her then she’d read to herself at bedtime); claude; then the illustrated harry potter.
she has never been that into the endless animal rescue etc books but there are a lot

My dd is 8 in May and she loves Isadora Moon, Princess in Black and Dotty Detective series. They’re all heavily illustrated though may all be black and white and easy to read chapters.

My daughter loves the Daisy and the trouble with .. books mentioned above.
The Kitty books by Paula Harrison about a girl going on nighttime adventures is also a really nice set of first chapter books.

The 13 storey treehouse books, investigators series, captain underpants, diary of a wimpy kid, Tom gates, mr penguin

These have black and white illustrations but are really good!

Horrid Henry have an Early reader chapter book that might suit.
Enormous Crocodile would be nice.
Worst Witch ?

There are loads of illustrated books for that age now and I agree that the Roald Dahl’s books haven’t aged well. Try Rabbit and Bear by Julian Gough and Kew Gray; anything by Phillip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre; Bee Boy series by Tony de Saulles; Nick Sharatt’s Cat and the King books; Claude or Mr Penguin by Alex T. Smith.
Get to a library if you can and let her pick anything and everything that catches her eye.

The School Reading List website has lots of good suggestions for books per year group, including titles for the more able. Here's their Year 3 reading list.