first read aloud chapter book for bedtime?

[Babywhite]

DD is four, and I would like to try reading a chapter book to her at bedtime. Can anyone recommend some good ones to start with for that age?

TIA

[brittone2]

DS is almost 5 but these have been ones we've enjoyed:

-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
-The Cricket in Times Square
-Little House in the Big Woods (and eventually the rest of the series)
-Mr. Popper's Penguins
-Paddington Bear (depends on the kid, but mine liked it :) )
-more recently Charlotte's Web (did result in tears at the end, but he loved it).
-Wind in the Willows (suprised me because the vocab is pretty complex but he liked it)

Lots more that I'm blanking on currently...

if I remember right, My Father's Dragon and some of the Frog and Toad and LIttle Bear books have shorter chapters.

The Read Aloud Handbook is a great book for inspiration

[SnuggleBuggles]

Nate the Great books are fun and have short chapters.

Beth

[brittone2]

How could I forget? The Mouse the Motorcycle series was great fun for DS.
And since we're talking mice, Stuart Little is great.

[alexsmommy]

Nate the Great books are fun and have short chapters.

Beth

I like these because they are longer books but still have a small illustration on each page. Nice transition to books w/o pictures.

[brittone2]

Adding James and the Giant Peach, although James' parents are eaten by a rhino in the very beginning (briefly mentioned). Could be scary, depending on your child's temperament. DS is pretty sensitive but it didn't bother him too much.

(eta: The Boxcar Children, which DS loooooved. A wee bit scary for him in places but again, he's pretty sensitive)

[egoldber]

Our first read alouds were....

Stuart Little
Mr. Popper's Penguins
The Lighthouse Family series by Cynthia Rylant

YMMV on the Roald Dahl books (James and the Giant Peach, etc.). His books scare the bejeebers out of Sarah and give her nightmares.

[KBecks]

This is going to be a great thread for us. I have been considering Charlotte's Web but I am not sure I am ready for DS1 to do it at age 4.5. I'm worries about scary and sad for him. Maybe in another year, although I should read it now to help me decide.

We checked out Homer Price from the library, but when we tried it, Alek did not want to read the pages without pictures. He strongly prefers a picture on every page, and so I don't feel like pushing him into text-only books yet, but perhaps soon we will try it again in a few months and see what happens.

I'd love to get a list going for future reference of longer books with engaging stories that are not at all scary. We can take a little suspense, but I am concerned about exposing him to sensitive subjects.

[egoldber]

I'd love to get a list going for future reference of longer books with engaging stories that are not at all scary. We can take a little suspense, but I am concerned about exposing him to sensitive subjects.

Well you just never know what is going to bother YOUR kid, KWIM? Every kid is different. We skipped Charlotte's Web when Sarah was 4 and waited until she was a bit older because we had had so much death in our family at that time.

Stuff by Roald Dahl (James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) freaks Sarah out. But other kids love it.

And actually, I think that books are terrific way to introduce sensitive material. It's not as vivid as a movie, it happens to a third party, you can stop and discuss things before moving on, etc. I think it's easier to discuss racism when it's Ma in Little House vs when it's your neighbor or a kid in school saying things.

[brittone2]

And actually, I think that books are terrific way to introduce sensitive material. It's not as vivid as a movie, it happens to a third party, you can stop and discuss things before moving on, etc. I think it's easier to discuss racism when it's Ma in Little House vs when it's your neighbor or a kid in school saying things.

ITA. DS doesn't really watch TV at all, so that may be why he's so sensitive to some things (or it may just be his personality in general). In any case, I think in some ways it has been helpful to introduce it through a book via TV, or real life.

[egoldber]

Oh, other books we read awhile ago....

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
Mary Poppins
My Father's Dragon series

[californiagirl]

Pippi Longstocking (particularly the new edition with the Lauren Childs illustrations) is good, but again, parental death in the opening pages. The first time we tried it, DD would have nothing to do with it. The Mouse and the Motorcycle didn't work for her, but Henry and Ribsy did. Nate the Great is a nuisance to read aloud, if you ask me; it's got that easy-reader thump thump to it. The OZ books are good, but can be scary.

DD is mildly sensitive, although she'll tolerate a lot more in books than in movies -- don't get me started on kids' movies! But she has a friend who is highly sensitive, and Oz totally does not work for him.

[wolverine2]

DS won't let me read anything but chapter books anymore. We did the 3 My Father's Dragon books, which were a big hit, and some Dahl books (George's Marvelous Medicine and something about a Crocodile). I loved one called Toys Go Out, which I got from this website that has lots of good ideas: http://www.daddyread.com/prechapter.html

We also did some Magic Treehouse, but much prefer reading material that is not written for grade-level kids to read themselves necessarily. I lose interest in the Magic Treehouse-type stuff pretty quickly.

[brittone2]

Pippi Longstocking (particularly the new edition with the Lauren Childs illustrations) is good, but again, parental death in the opening pages. The first time we tried it, DD would have nothing to do with it. The Mouse and the Motorcycle didn't work for her, but Henry and Ribsy did. Nate the Great is a nuisance to read aloud, if you ask me; it's got that easy-reader thump thump to it. The OZ books are good, but can be scary.

DD is mildly sensitive, although she'll tolerate a lot more in books than in movies -- don't get me started on kids' movies! But she has a friend who is highly sensitive, and Oz totally does not work for him.

Oh yeah! Henry and Ribsy! That was one of DS's very first now that I think about it. He loved it :)