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?

Ds is four and his current favourites include (to read together): The Rascally Cake, Six Dinner Sid, Alfie and Annie Rose, Mrs Armitage stories (Quentin Blake) and the Walker Books "reading together" series of small format picture story books.
For reading aloud he loves Richmal Crompton's Just William and Joan Aiken's Arabel and the Raven stories.
Agree with the idea of old-fashioned books often going down unexpectedly well. I think it's an important part of the appeal of Harry Potter, which he is also showing a keen interest in.

Thanks everyone!

Thanks for your comments Roisin - my instinct is to give him longer stories to build up his interest in reading really - I think he's ready for things that are more involving IYKWIM. One of my worries is that he might get bored with the books they do when he starts reception in Sept, so would like to use the stories we read at home to keep him interested. I'm impressed yr ds is reading the hobbit - I don't think I read until 8/9.

He loves Dahl's Giraffe etc, plus cops and robbers. You've all confirmed that some of the older books I remember (Aiken, Paddington, Just William) still go down well.

Wedgies Mum - I can't bear the Mr men books! They are deadly dull to read.....
Slinky - he loves Alfie and Annie rose - but we have three 'treasuries' and he likes to read them from cover to cover - takes a good half hour.....

Beety - I am interested in the book you mention further down - A little peice of Land about a footballer in Palistine. My ds is also 10 but does not have alot of interest in reading, he can read well but just doesn't. I am looking for books with a sporting theme as he is really sporty and that seems to be the main focus of his attention. I have just had a look on Amazon but can't find it - do you know the author's name?

we love the Lauren Child books - Clarice Bean ones, I will never eat a tomato, I am not tired & I will not go to bed, plus the one about the Pesky Rat good - they have a quirky sense of humour & funky illustrations.

Coming back to this again & on the subject of traditional/old-fashioned: has anyone suggested treasuries of fairy tales? We have the Hutchinson one, which is organised in sections from tinies to school-age to older (etc.). The text is quite substantial, but stories are well illustrated too. Good fun for acting out too.

Jaybee, my DS (also 10) is the same about reading - I just googled for football books, I don't think any of these is the one beety mentioned but there are lots of others. I'll see what else I can find!

Another one, Jaybee - Amazon of course! It won't let me link to it but if you go to Amazon and get the books page, then the children's books page, and then click on children's books in the dropdown search list and put football in the search box, there are loads of titles. I'll have a look again and see if I can find the Palestine one.

Jaybee, have just realised we are on the wrong thread! This is jimmychoos 4-yr-old one, not beety's 10-yr-old one. Oops.

Janh - thanks for your help - I know I am on the 'wrong' thread but it was on this one that bbbb mentioned the football book. I have looked through the 10 year old thread for inspiration but several of the ones mentioned I have already bought for him and sit on his shelf unread. We are currently trying to encourage him to read the Lemony Snicket books - I had never heard of them until mentioned on Mumsnet - and managed to find the first one a couple of weeks ago.
I will return to the 10 year old thread!!