Your suggestions for chapter books for me to read to 5 year old dd

[handlemecarefully]

She has recently 'graduated' from short books to wanting me to read her chapter books (with fewer illustrations).

We have done the Faraway Tree books I wouldn't mind something a bit more contemporary than Enid Blyton (and I don't want to get into the politics of Blyton btw!)

Any thoughs?

Thanks

[Lolcats]

MOOMINS!!!!!!

[ahundredtimes]

Yes, you must read The Dolls House immediately Cali, all on your own, on your rocker on the porch with your quilt (you DO have all these things, of course you do).

Ok. I'm going to order Miss F and Miss H. How exciting.

[seeker]

I did wonder, but just thought I was too stupid to understand the excellent reason for you doing it. That;s the sort of self esteem a good Catholic education gives you!

[handlemecarefully]

With some degree of mortification, I have only just noticed that I started this thread under 'Adult fiction'

Very kind of you all not to point this out

[singersgirl]

Oh yes, I've googled 'Miss H and Miss F' and it is real. It is a lovely, lovely book. I do remember 'The Doll's House', particularly Marchpane, but not as well as 'Miss H and Miss F' (because I had it).

Time for bed. Don't think the DSs will ever take to Japanese dolls.

[Ellbell]

Do not read the Rainbow Fairies books. They are bloody awful. When your dd is a bit older and starts wanting to read to herself, let her have a few. They all have the exact same plot and are so repetitive that they are easy to read. My dd1 read about 9 gazillion of them when she first started reading alone. I read one aloud... never again. God they are hideous!

DD2 is 5.6 and enjoys the Animal Ark books. (They also do 'Little Animal Ark' which she can read some of by herself - she reads a page and I read a couple of pages and so on.) They are also a bit repetitive and come in an unfeasibly large number of volumes, but they are not as repetitive or as badly written as the fairy ones.

Dick King-Smith is a winner, as is Roald Dahl. My dds also enjoyed the Worst Witch series, Mrs Pepperpot, Pippi Longstocking. Would The Borrowers be suitable for this age? (My dds haven't read it yet, but I seem to recall that it was quite gentle...)

[ahundredtimes]

No, no. This is the one where they all live in the house, and then the terrible china doll with the working eyes and real yellow hair, her name is Marchpane, comes to try and take over. And Tottie is the hero, and she is made of wood and is strong and wise and reliable.

And then, well, Birdie catches fire. Birdie sacrifices herself for the good of the house. She gets confused easily and words bang together inside her head.

God, it was good. I'm going to google Ms Godden for more 1940s children's literature. I think it is a rich vein to be mined.

[singersgirl]

I think 'Miss Happiness and Miss Flower' is another book, but perhaps I'm getting confused and they are just characters in 'The Doll's House'. Is that the one where Little Peach appears at the end - the tiny baby doll inside the peach stone?

[ahundredtimes]

Singersgirl - there are more? I'm going to get them. I didn't read The Dolls House as a child. I am in love Mr Plantagenate and dd sinks back in her pillow sighing 'well done Tottie' before we turn the light out.

[singersgirl]

I loved 'The Doll's House' and 'Miss Happiness and Miss Flower'. I think I've still got it somewhere....

[ahundredtimes]

dd (6 today) and I have just finished reading The Dolls House by Rumer Godden. (It's old, sort of 1940s I think).

OMG it's utterly utterly wonderful.

Has dolls in it with names like Mr Plantagenate and Marchpane.

Beautifully written and rather upsetting in a good way. We have enjoyed in HUGELY.

[seeker]

and he's 6 and quite a good reader. Don't move them on too quickly - they can get huge amounts out of things like the Gruffalo as they get older.

[seeker]

Ds still has a picture book - or quite simple books for bed time.

[Anchovy]

We are currently doing the entire "Stanley " collection - Invisible Stanley, Stanley in Space, Stanley & the Magic Lamp, Flat Again.

My 5yr old Ds is loving them.

I do agree about "spoiling" things by reading them when they are too young.

[Carbonel]

The Serioulsy Silly Story Collection from teh Book People is excellent - had my 5 yr old dd in ststches!

She has now moved on to Jeremy Strong books, all very funny. Dh has bought her Bigggles, but that is still a bit complicated

The Rainbow Fairies seem to be loved by most girls (but they are dreadful..) and my dd also loves the Magic Kitten books

We also look at non fiction books, Kingfisher Young knowledge and DK Eyewonder are excellent for this age

[zisforzebra]

We finished 'Fantastic Mr Fox' this evening. My 4 & 5 yo DS' really enjoyed it (and luckily didn't notice that I kept forgetting which voice to do for which character! )

[Hulababy]

noonar - 5yo DD sometimes still likes a picture book too, especially now she can read almost all the words in them - we share the reading. And sometimes she just wants a simple picture book if very tired and doesn't want to think too much.

[InMyHumbleOpinion]

I tried to read George's Marvellous medicine to my four year old.

Big mistake.

2 chapters in - "The nanny will die! We don't kill nannies!"

[pagwatch]

• she asked for it because she had seen her brother reading it. And she gets the gist rather than the religious/heavy overtones - I can edit slightly as i read. Mostly she likes me to describe the creatures and she likes mr Tumnus and the fact that there is magic in it.

And I preferred it to Lord of the rings which was her other choice .
We are doing Charlie and lola on alternate evenings if that helps...

[NorthernRockCod]

another one
bills new frock deals wiht gender sterostyping
far too cpm[lex for a 5 year old

[Fennel]

Of the more contemporary books, my dds enjoyed aged 5-6:

Jacqueline Wilson (some are aimed at this age group, Connie and the Water babies, Lizzie Zipmouth),
Anne Fine (Bill's new frock, The Same old story every year),
Horrid Henry,
Dilly and the pirates, etc (I don't know what it's like but dd1 enjoyed this series).
The Little Witch
Clarice Bean (Lauren Child, similar to Charlie and Lola but a bit older)
Tilly Beany (similar to Clarice Bean really)
Dick King-Smith (Sophie's Tom, Back to front Benjy)

We've read many of the older favourites too but I have enjoyed discovering ones which are new to adults as well as children

[NorthernRockCod]

its easy to make the mistake of reading books before they are ready

thre sno hurry imfo