Books for 5 year olds? To read to them.

[Ericblack]

I'm finding it difficult to get books that are right for my son. He's OK with the Roald Dahl ones but would probably like a few more pictures. Any middle ground between picture and dense text recommendations? Not too twee. Funny if possible. Apologies if this has beenn done to death. It's so hard to search for stuff.

The Flat Stanley books are great, IIRC a few pictures and big text so not too much reading per picture IYKWIM.

You can get some wordier picture books but I haven't actually bought any just looked at them in the shops so couldn't comment. I decided against them as I felt DS1 would want the lot read in one night, whereas with a chapter book it's easier to break it up.

DS loves cat in the hat and anything else by Dr Zeuss.

DS is 5 and a half and loves the Horrid Henry books.

The Wishing Chair Enid Blyton

dd1 loves it with a passion

also Pippi Longstocking

Mr Majeka?
Dr suess, Flat Stanley,horrid henry are all great,

We love the Gruffolo books & I like anythings that has rhymes in it. DS (almost 5) loves the Appletree Farm series as he likes following the wrods & finding the ducks hiding on each page

The Lorax by Dr Seuss - just read this to DD who is 6 and it was really good - lots of rhyming and silly made-up words.

Thank you for all of these. I love the way people help each other on Mumsnet. It's a real service. Thanks again for replying. More welcome as I've not bought a book for him for months so there's a lot of catching up to do. Library worked for a while but all thrown in a pile in the middle and very difficult to find what you're looking for.

Not sure how they go down with boys, but other nice books to read to children of this age are My Naughty Little Sister and Naughty Amelia Jane.

We've just dug out all of my old books, so DD1 has gone to bed and read Teddy Robinson, Tales of Toyland and Milly Moly Mandy. We also found Amelia Jane and My Naughty Little Sisiter.

horrid henry horrid henry horrid henry

esp for little boys, they love being aghast at how awful he is.

Also there are lots of really good Allan Ahlberg ones for that age which are very amusing stories with lots of pictures including maps so you can track where everyone is in the town etc. Try The Cat that got Carried Away (brilliant) or The Woman who Won Things. Perfect for 5 year olds.

My ds also loves roald dahl esp the Enormous Crocodile which is full of colour pictures, and George's marvellous medicine which is aimed at a bit of a younger audience than eg charlie and the choc factory. .. in case you haven't tried those ones.

They are great aren't they littlerach. We also have Milly Molly Mandy too. DD is nearly 3 and a half, and loves a chapter or two of these for her bedtime story.

Paddington bear stories are great too and dss used to love them. Wombles are good too but then thats quite alot of text (unless they have brought out new versions )

Keep 'em coming. Brilliant. I loved Millie Mollie Mandy too and have loads of books at mum's house. In Dorset. I live in Glasgow. Grrrr.

I have just spent a gratifying fortnight mesmerising children, four at a time, aged between 4 and 6, with a chapter a night of The Land of Green Ginger. It's a pantomime, though - you have to be prepared to do silly voices, and be the sinister dragon. Which makes up for the lack of pictures.

Ponder and William (about the adventures of a small boy and his, um, pyjama case)

DS1 enjoyed Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine (it came free with the cereal!).

Shirley Hughes any good. Ive got tales from Trotter St at home and it looks for about that age (Actually havent read it as dss is too old for it and dd too young)

My dd (4.5 yrs) has just got into wordier books and has so far loved Amelia Jane and The Faraway Tree series (despite the 'spiffing' language which does irk me occasionally!). She also loves all those fairy books series (Rainbow Fairies/Party fairies etc) but that's probably a girl thing.

I know but spiffing language was not a problem when I was young though - loved Arthur Ransome and Enid Blyton. Do your kids notice it moonshine?

EricBlack - don't think she does mostly, or certainly doesn't mention it, but then she is only 4 yrs old. But I must admit to changing some words when I am reading it (apologies to Enid Blyton's estate!).

binkie - I have the Land of Green Ginger with pictures. It's an ancient copy tho - I must admit I hadn't thought of reading that to the children - I'm sure that they would love it.

nooka, are they the gorgeous delicate Ardizzone drawings? - how I adore those.

hausfrau, have you any of Posy Simmonds's children's books, which are sort of half a picture book and half a comic strip, with quite a lot of text (and rather Intelligent IYKWIM)? Like Lulu and the Flying Babies and this adorable one about an exploited cat ?

What about Tony Ross's picture books Lots of them are for older children 5 and up. some actually for even older but htey ar worth a dlook and have some god humour in them too.