what age have you started reading books to your child

[bambi06]

i want to start reading narnia/ enid blyton/charlie and the chocolate factory etc[actually i want to read them ] to my kids of 5 and 4 but dont know whether it will be hard slog or not, do you think i`ll be constantly stopping to explain every night . but i have this lovely image of us all cuddled up in bed together enjoying listening to these stories but i cant remember how old i was when i adored them being read by mo own mother . do you all read these sort of books or maybe i should wait tillolder?

personally think reading to kids from any age is fab and even if you have to stop and explain it makes the experience a little more special as then at least you know they are paying attention.

personally think reading to kids from any age is fab and even if you have to stop and explain it makes the experience a little more special as then at least you know they are paying attention.

You won't know until you try! How about getting an illustrated treasury of children's stories and reading those to them to begin with?

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My two Ds's adore stories it's part of the bedtime routine and has been since Ds1 was 8months old. We go to the Library every three weeks and they love picking their own books

Fab, reading a few paragraphs at night is a fab start, it seems Roald Dahl books are designed for that purpose! I read to ds (now 11) until he could fully read a decent book, so he was erm 7 I think, even after that he adoreed being read Harry Potter (the 1st one anyways up)
Well done you, you'll love it!

my 4 yr old loves charlie and the chocolate factory, george's marvellous medicine, all the Roald Dahls really. He is also enjoying the famous 5 and secret 7 at the moment, and last year when he was three he liked the wishing chair books (all blyton). narnia might be a bit heavier going, maybe save those until 6?
Another great series which a 4 yr old and up will LOVE is the Horrid Henry books. Huge success. Great on tape for the car as well.

great as i cant wait and abolutely adore books.. i get such a hunger for reading and want to instill this in mine. my local corner shop is selling all the enid blyton books and more for 4.99 and get one free so ill be stocking up . im getting bored of reading the fairy story treasury that weve been reading for god knows how long but htey adore it but i feel i want to move on as wel as get them ready for some fantastic stories, im sure my dd will be enthralled as she has the most amazing imagination, making up names and stories and fairy tales, i love listening to them myself and shes only just 4!!

We have been asking similar questions, dd (3.11)does sit and listen to our collection of Hans Christian Anderson which are quite grown up in their dialogue and language.

I had looked at the Amelia Jane series and Wishing Chair books but wondered if they may be a bit old fashioned. Was rather amused to see al the politically correct changes.

We go to the library a couple of times a week and I think she must have read every book in there twice! She particularly loves the ones that feature a twist on the fairy stories.

Was looking at the Horrid Henry series so mught give them a whirl.

We have just finished Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with DS1 who is 3y7m and he loved it. we started on Lion, Witch and Wardrobe but he found it a bit scarey so we've moved onto James and the Giant Peach which he's enjoying. I'm really chuffed as we bought loads of boxed sets of these type books when I was pregnant and I couldn't wait to srtart reading them to him!
Go for it - they take on board the bits they understand and ignore the other bits. One of my best memories recently was DH coming in from work and DS1 and I were sat on the sofa and I was reading Charlie. DS1 greeted DH with "Daddy - Charlie's won a golden ticket!" - he was so excited!

I might try Charlie and the Chocolate factory as she loved the film and has become obsessed with winning a golden ticket.

My 4 and 2 year olds are proving resistant to anything other than Thomas the Bl**dy Tank Engine at the mo, but I remember my mum reading Enid Blyton to me when I was 2 and loving it.
I tried reading Enid to them a few months ago but had to stop as they and I found the whole thing 1940s smug middle classness a bit much.

My mum must have read Enid Blyton to me from toddlerhood as I remember being about 6 or 7 and loving Enid Blyton and reading them myself. I was definitely in 2nd year Juniors when I read Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing by Judy Blume and have seen it just recently and wondered how! My 4 year old likes Thomas and Postman Pat but I try and read Enid Blyton to him and he's slowly coming round. I too love reading and read at least two or three books a week so want to encourage my children to love reading too.

We have been reading The Grufflo type books to my 3 year old since she was about 2, every night she gets one whole book read to her. Dont think at the moment she would be interested in Enid Blyton, Hans Christian Anderson stories yet. I can remember reading Enid Blyton myself and I loved those stories.

this is very encouraging that CATCF doesn't need much stopping for explanation, I will get it today and start a chapter a night with my 4 yr old

and then James and the Giant Peach and Fantastic Mr Fox... hurrah!

badhair - we used the chocolate idea to start with DS1 - he too was obsessed with Thomas and I find those stories sooooo awful to read!

You might hold their attention longer with books containing colour pictures and then you can also talk about the pictures. My DD is 6 and now enjoys "big girl" stories read to her - like Charlie and Chocolate Factory and Pippi Longstocking etc. DS is 3 and still wants pictures (of diggers, trains, planes, etc - Y A W N) but hey, he's interested!

BTW, does anyone else start yawning when they read to their children? I can't help it, I'm ready for bed myself by the end of it!

my ds is nearly 7 months and me and dp started reading to him at bed times about 2 months ago

Thye have some quite nice story books in Smiths that arefor you to read but with pictures in. Similar size to the Horrid henry's I think there was one about witches, one about dinasours and a few others. Might be a good stepping stone.

from bump onwards!!!