Recommended Children's Books

[KBecks]

Read Kiddo Read, by author James Patterson

http://www.readkiddoread.com

[andbabymakes3]

I have a gifted 7 year old boy who reads far beyond grade level but who I don't want to expose to a lot of the 'older' kids books yet due to thematic issues and such. We are constantly looking for new/fun things for him to read. Recently we found a really fun short story that was at his level:

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)

My husband and I both enjoyed the story and the fun text! We also read sometime ago Kate DiCamillo's The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. This was a great book but thematically a bit much; I'd definitely recommend for the 11+ set.

We've also found Andrew Clement's school stories, which look like a good age-and-reading-level appropriate series of books. We read Frindle which he liked.

Among our favorite picture books (also have a 3 1/2 year old!) are:

• Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson (and all the others really, but this one is a gem)
• Moose Tracks (also Karma Wilson!)
• Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
• The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (one of the longer stories)
• The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss
• Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
• Muncha Muncha Muncha by Candace Fleming

And for those of you with boys...who can maybe read it without crying, which I can't!...you should check out a great picture book called Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. If nothing else I will give this book to my boys at some point later in their lives! Right now it has moved from the bookshelf to the closet as I just can't read the darn thing and not cry! But I'm the overly-emotional type!

[crimscrem]

i absolutely love the Peter Rabbit collection. Our boy, who will be 2, really enjoys the pictures. The linked collection is absolutely fabulous:
http://www.amazon.com/World-Peter-Ra...8089339&sr=8-4

I also like the burton books:
Mike Mulligan and His Steamshovel
http://www.amazon.com/Mike-Mulligan-...8089442&sr=1-3

and the Little House
http://www.amazon.com/Little-House-V...8089465&sr=1-3

[ourbabygirl]

What do you all think of reading books that you would read yourself for pleasure, to your babies? I've heard of people doing this but don't know how they manage to keep the kid still & interested without pictures to look at, etc. I have an almost 7 month old DD & when I read to her she only seems interested in good illustrations & turning the pages (loves to crinkle paper!). Any good books you would recommend reading to your babes? Also, how many pages would you read in a session?

Thanks!

[elephantmeg]

my just turned 6 year old is enthralled with the magic tree house books. His classmates are really getting into them too-his teacher has borrowed books from various kids and is reading them aloud too. But this has made a huge difference in DS wanting to be read to and reading as well. I can't believe he can actually read these books! There is also a website and you can take a 3 question quiz and earn "passport stamps" for the books.

[doberbrat]

Originally Posted by ourbabygirl

What do you all think of reading books that you would read yourself for pleasure, to your babies? I've heard of people doing this but don't know how they manage to keep the kid still & interested without pictures to look at, etc. I have an almost 7 month old DD & when I read to her she only seems interested in good illustrations & turning the pages (loves to crinkle paper!). Any good books you would recommend reading to your babes? Also, how many pages would you read in a session?

Thanks!

we do/did. W/dd1, dh was home with her most of the time. So I hade him read his car magazines/books to her. W/dd2, she listenes to dd1's books. Personally, I think being read to increases vocabulary and having grownups read to them teaches them that everyone reads and its fun.

And, once they start choosing their own books, I read anything once to them but if I dont like it, we dont reread it. keeps me from loosing my mind!

[missym]

My older DD got hooked on the Warriors series by Erin Hunter this year in 4th grade. It does contain some violence (the cat clans fight each other). The first book is Into the Wild. Both girls enjoy the graphic novels, as well.

I highly recommend The Sisters Grimm books by Michael Buckley - DH reads it to them before bed and they all love the story. The series starts with The Fairy Tale Detectives.

Some other favorites of my rising 5th and 2nd graders:
Bad Kitty
Giants Beware!
Zita the Spacegirl
Disney's The Never Girls - In a Blink

[MommyAllison]

Paddington! DH and the kids just finished A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond as a read-aloud, and all 3 of them loved it. I didn't listen in, so don't know what the perfect age range is, but ages 5-7 liked it here. They've also enjoyed The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, and Mr. Popper's Penguins.