My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Join in for children's book recommendations.

Children's books

Short chapter book recommendations for me to read to very sensative dd

34 replies

tiredbutnotweary · 25/09/2013 14:32

Dd (age 5) loves being read to, and I have been reading her short chapter books (as well as books from her picture book collection) for a while now.

However I'd really appreciate recommendations of books that have no scary or people-being-mean-to-each-other content.

She has particularly enjoyed Little Nose (that was as scary as she can manage Smile), Ursula Bear series, Animal Ark, Rainbow Faries, which we're all tired of now thank god.

Her favourite all time book is "How Green Was My Mouse" by Dick King-Smith. This seems like the perfect story for her, all happy, with the couple getting married and having a baby at the end (which makes her grin and sigh like your wouldn't believe)!

I'm getting more of these short chapter books by Dick King-Smith, but just wondered if any of you had any other recommendations, that follow a similar vein, sort of happy real life stories?

Many thanks in advance Thanks

OP posts:
Report
exexpat · 25/09/2013 14:34

Dick King-Smith is great. How about some other classics like Paddington Bear, Olga Da Polga, My Naughty Little Sister, and Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf? My DCs enjoyed those at around that age.

Report
Takver · 25/09/2013 17:34

Teddy Robinson :)

Also Milly-Molly-Mandy

Report
Judyandherdreamofhorses · 25/09/2013 20:36

My 4 year old sounds similar. Enid Blyton (Wishing Chair, Faraway Tree?). They need a bit of editing as you read, and there are still some scenes of 'mild peril' that DD makes me skip...

She won't entertain Clever Polly as she's scared of the wolf on the front cover...

Report
Judyandherdreamofhorses · 25/09/2013 20:37

I'm looking at the Ahlberg's 'Happy Families' series next

Report
fleacircus · 26/09/2013 08:40

DD1 is similar, can't cope with anybody crying, anything scary, any suggestion of meanness. She's very fond of Iggy and Me (as am I) - a lovely funny family with two daughters have amusing times together. The daughters are nice to each other, the parents are lovely. It's like the diametric opposite of Hollyoaks.

Report
Poledra · 26/09/2013 08:56

DD1 adored Milly Molly Mandy at the same age. The Secret Kingdom books are similar to the Rainbow Fairies but at least you get different names...

Report
IndianMummy · 26/09/2013 09:37

Arrr, she sounds so sweet! (mine are the opposite) There's this old series called Dilly the Dinosaur (it's a nice but naughty dinosaur) that she might like...you can probably find it in the library to try it out..

Report
Seeline · 26/09/2013 09:46

Definitely try My Naughty Little sister - my DD loved those
the Wombles are quite funny
Naughtiest Girl in the School - Enid Blyton

Report
BlueChampagne · 26/09/2013 11:11

The Magic Roundabout books by Eric Thomson (if you can still get hold of them) are a good read for kids and adults alike.
The Owl who was afraid of the Dark
Longer Winnie the Witch books?
The Claude books by Alex T Smith?

Report
PuzzledBear · 26/09/2013 11:16

Yes yes to My Naughty Little Sister, Teddy Robinson and Milly Molly Mandy. All completely unthreatening and lovely. Also try the Little Grey Rabbit stories by Alison Uttley.

Report
tiredbutnotweary · 26/09/2013 21:30

Thank you so much for posting everyone - lots of great ideas for me to look into Smile!

I should have added that she does love silly (Winnie the Witch rather than Horrid Henry silly iyswim)!

Thanks again Flowers

OP posts:
Report
ArabellaBeaumaris · 26/09/2013 21:35

Think most of my suggestions have been mentioned already but can add

Anna Hibiscus
Sam Pig

We have several collections of "stories for 5 year olds" type things - often edited by Stephen & Sara Corrin, & there are some lovely stories in there. Also a collection ed. by Leila Berg called "tales for telling" (I think).

Report
ArabellaBeaumaris · 26/09/2013 21:35

oh, Sophie stories by Dick King Smith

Report
fleacircus · 30/09/2013 11:10

Problem with Rainbow Magic is that reel the kids in, the series never ends and I have actually met children in year 7 whose parents rave about how much they read, but it turns out they only read Rainbow Magic. And they're all ghost-written by a corporate conglomerate, just like Sweet Valley High. And the fairies are basically bullying Jack Frost by excluding him from everything, which is probably why he's always trying to ruin their gender stereotyped fun.

Report
PeterParkerSays · 30/09/2013 11:17

These Little Bear stories, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, are fab.

They are gentle and lovely to read.

Report
FariesDoExist · 30/09/2013 14:48

Pippi long stocking
Winnie the pooh

Report
tiredbutnotweary · 30/09/2013 18:08

Thank you again everyone!

Fleacircus - I couldn't agree more - I remember one book where a goblin gets to become a chef, it was refreshing to be honest!

Last night DD realised she can read these books herself (I obviously posted too soon when I said she was tired of them) - and today she discovered they have them at the school library too - arghh!

OP posts:
Report
Periwinkle007 · 01/10/2013 11:50

ok most are already listed but our favourites include
Paddington
Naughtiest Girl in the School (have just had to order some more of these as we only had 3 from me being little and there are some more that were written by someone else)
Iggy and Me
Dick King-Smith in general
Rainbow Fairies/mermaids/lucky star type stuff
Milly Molly Mandy

also have
Gobbolino the Witches Cat
Charlotte's Web
Magic Faraway Tree etc
Little Grey Rabbit
The Bullerby Children
Worst Witch
lots of Holly Web
Claude
Willow Valley
Bluebell Woods
Mammoth School

Report
Periwinkle007 · 01/10/2013 12:00

Amelia Jane
Sally Gardner has done some about children with magic powers or something, My mum has just got them for us from the Book People but I don't know what they are like yet as I haven't seen them. age 5plus so I would expect they are fine and Sally Gardner has written some of the Early Reader books (fairy tale ones)
Winnie the Witch Chapter books

Report
fleacircus · 01/10/2013 12:59

Some of Holly Webb's are lovely - DD was given (I think) 'The Snow Bear' for Christmas and suddenly loads of her make believe games involved arcane references to Inuit customs. Had no idea where it had come from for a while!

Report
Clawdy · 01/10/2013 22:37

The "Kitty" books by Bel Mooney are good fun,with gentle humour.

Report
Periwinkle007 · 02/10/2013 20:28

ok the Sally Gardner ones I would leave for the moment. My mum got them for us and whilst we haven't read them I have lifted a few out of the set to put away. My children are lucky enough to live a sheltered life so I don't think they need to come across certain situations yet.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

bigTillyMint · 02/10/2013 20:32

Milly Molly Mandy and My Naughty Little Sister were favourites here!

Don't read Michael Morpurgo until she's toughened up!Wink

Report
Periwinkle007 · 02/10/2013 21:16

oh yes something ALWAYS dies in Michael Morpurgo. Milly Molly Mandy's are lovely though. Wish they would print them with bigger font though so early readers could read them themselves. Or is it just my old copies which are small print?

I remember loving The Magic Faraway Tree at 5/6ish and also I remember Gobbolino and Ramona but I was more like 8 when I discovered Ramona although it is fine for younger ones I think.

Report
EmpressOfTheSevenOceans · 02/10/2013 21:28

If she's very sensitive I might not go for Amelia Jane. She's a badly behaved doll who always gets her comeuppance but that can lead to situations like her being tied to a tree in a dark wood - I always ended up feeling very sorry for her at that age.

Milly-Molly-Mandy is great though Grin.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.