What is your four year old reading?

[jimmychoos]

My ds has just turned four. He adores books and has a good vocabulary. Although he still likes picture books he has the attention span for much longer stories - we are getting through 4/5 books every bedtime now and I think he's ready more involved stories. So I'm looking for recommendations - what is your 4/5 year old reading and loving at the moment?

Horrid henry?

I would err aginst getiing too long ones. you may find he like s the satisfaction if finishing them and knowing them.
After all he may read you the odd word out of them soon
I am suprised when they start school they still focus on books i thought he had grown out of but use them in lots of differnt ways.

have you t he Jolly postman?

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oh ditto gruffalo and room on the broom and all the doctor seuss.

gruffalo works on differnt levels too

I think it's a tricky stage to find books for. DS2 is 5 in May, and in the past year things that have gone down particularly well (in addition to the picture books) along these lines (longer books/fewer pictures) are:
Dick King-Smith: Sophie's Snail, Dragon Boy, and The Cuckoo Child
Andrew Wakefield: Bottersnikes & Gumbles
Michael Bond: A bear called Paddington
I can't remember the author: Milly Molly Mandy
Dorothy Edwards: My naughty little sister
Enid Blyton: The Magical Faraway Tree
Michael Bond: A bear called Paddington
Roald Dahl: Fantastic Mr Fox, The giraffe et al.

Also any 'easy readers' from the library, or bookclubs, tend to have simple plot lines, and short chapters, and it will be a good while before he can read them himself.

Just to add I think it's an excellent thing to do to get 4 yr-olds to listen to longer stories, and concentrate on words not just pictures, and to expand their vocabulary if they are ready for it.

I remember being slightly discouraged by some of the response (don't do it - stick to picture books) to a similar question on mumsnet over 2 yrs ago about my (then) 4 yr-old ... Well he's now 6.5 and is a superb reader, and confidently tackles 300-700 pp books, such as The Hobbit, and Harry Potter 4 & 5.

So I would say "go for it" jimmychoos IMO it's the most important thing you can do for his literacy at this age, and you are giving him a precious gift.

Just wanted to say, I know that list looks a bit twee and dated, but the books written nowadays for, say, an 8-yr old to read to themselves, often contain inappropriate/inaccessible topics for a 4 yr-old. My boys' boy 4-yr-old recently rated the sickly sweet Milly Molly stories as his best books ever

Second for Horrid Henry, v popular here. Gruffalo too, and Room on the Broom by the same people. And When Mum Turned into a Monster. And we have been reading some of my old Enid Blyton stuff - Magic Faraway Tree ones, and the Book of Fairies. I guess you've already gone insane with all the Mr Men/Little Miss books???

I liked mmm and got it for my nice and she loves it! nephew (8) listens in surreptitiously

I find dick king smith books hard to read aloud. they dont roll off the tongue somehow.

My 4yo DDs favourites are :

Gruffalo
Room on the Broom
Angelina Ballerina
Dr Suess
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
Monkey Puzzle (and I absolutely love the Audio version!)
The Adventures of Bert
"Annie and Alfie" series

Also have a book called "The Shirley Hughes Collection" (who writes the Annie and Alfie series).

Just some that I can think of at the moment....

ditto alfie.

also the Jamie and angus stories by anne fine are fantastic

angus is (ds1) a cuddly highland cow and jamie loves him more text fewer pics.

Hi WM! How are you? Did you get my email?

Personally I can't stand Horrid Henry ... but I must admit the kids love it.

I'm supposed to be ironing, but can't seem to drag myself off here.

Hiya BBbb! Yes, he adored the Hobbit, and would tackle Lord of the Rings if I'd let him. He said he enjoyed HP5, but I don't think he really did - too much teenage angst he couldn't associate with ... it certainly wasn't my idea! But he was determined. He also loves more standard stuff like Michael Morpurgo, Jenny Nimmo and Caroline Lawrence. (But he also like really odd things that I've never enjoyed like Lewis Carroll and Norton Juster: The Phantom Tollbooth.)

Reading is just his thing. (You should have seen him on the football pitch this afternoon though - looked like an alien from another planet! Can't have everything!)

I had probs with my dd (who is 9 now) in that her 2reading age" was way above her "knowledge of world" age - I have to admit that even though she could read anything at 6 I didn't see much point in getting her reading things like HP at that age - instead dp read them to her with lots of discussion and she herself read things like Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton and co. She's a big Jaqueline Wilson fan and has been for about 3 years but I have to vet them 1st as some of the content I find completely inappropriate for her even at 9. Do please be careful of this if you're allowing 6 year olds to read "older" books - gosh do I sound like someone's gran? Sorry!

Oooh yes - similar problem here with DD1.

She's 8 but her teacher pulled me aside recently to say that her reading ability has been shown to be in the 11/12 year age group.

Obviously some reading material for 11/12 years would be inappropriate for her as emotionally she is just a 8yo child, not a "pre-teen".

She is a big fan of Jacqueline Wilson and like you I do "vet" her books as things like "Tracy Beaker" are OK, yet I don't think "Lola Rose" is!

Also reads SOME Judy Blume, ie Superfudge etc, obviously not "Forever" (I remember reading that in Secondary school!), Anne Fine, Roald Dahl, Jill Murphy (The Worst Witch etc), Enid Blyton and C S Lewis.

I love vetting ds1's books - gives me an excellent excuse to read children's literature, and there's some great stuff out there! You can judge a lot by the author, once you've checked them out. But watch out for Marcus Sedgwick - some superb books, but a couple of very disturbing ones (e.g. Witch Hill) which I certainly wouldn't recommend to any pre-teen.

DS1 has just shown an interest in Jacqueline Wilson (?! don't ask!) ... he read 'The Mummy Cat'. I've no great desire to read JW books, but have always assumed that most of it would be unsuitable for him. I wouldn't want him reading Tracey Beaker - is there anything else that would be OK?

Fortunately he does turn-off if it doesn't reach him. Someone on here recommended Gleitzman, and he picked something up that was all about relationships, and broken families, and mixed-up kids - and he didn't relate to it at all. But he just told me about it, and put the book on one side.

Most of JWs books are OK but Lola Rose is aimed at the older reader. Basically story line involves girl in a family where domestic violence is present. Girl, mum and brother escape to London, mum has a win on Lottery and basically they "re-invent" themselves.

"Girls in Tears"/ "Girls out Late"/"Take A Good Look" are others for the older reader.

I think the genius of the Artemis Fowl books can only be appreciated when you've already read a lot of fantasy literature. ... Like Pratchett but in a different way.

Ds1 refuses to read Lemony Snicket, though I know he would love it. He just hates the idea of a sad story!

Have you got Richard Scarry books? Ds, nearly 5, adores them - now reading really well and much of it's down to those - they're perfect for booklovers who are nearly ready to read to themselves, plus I like the "real life" element (albeit cosified). Best I think are are "What do People Do All Day", "Funniest Storybook Ever" and "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go".

Otherwise: anything by Satoshi Kitamura, eg "Up in the Attic", which is beautiful, also "Me and My Cat"; the Walker "Read and Wonder" series (factual not stories), which bookshops tend not to stock - have to get from Amazon or book clubs; or first-stage Roald Dahl, eg "Fantastic Mr. Fox".

We have just discovered the Richard Scarry books for our 4 year old. The text isn't long but the pictures are fantastic and a great discussion point. Great for developing vocabulary and particularly interesting for any boys into engines.

He also loves Dr Seuss, Gruffolo, etc but still even now likes the Shirley Hughes books and nursery rhymes - particularly if he is tired!