Books?

[norfolklass]

No don't worry this isn't another reading thread!

Im just after some ideas for some more books to get to read to DS who is 4.6 and has just started reception.

He loves books and being read to but they really have to hold his interest so we have loads and loads but mostly quite similar.

For example we have all the Julia Donaldson ones,all the Little Red Train books (which he loves!),millions of Thomas books,Mr Men etc and his favourite book of all time which is called Here Comes the Train which gets read a million times a week and he knows word for word!

So was thinking of getting some new ones but no idea really where to start.

How are the Roald Dahl ones? Was thinking The Twits and BFG or are they too old for him? Any other suggestions greatly appreciated!

[Mousey84]

RD ones are too old I think - maybe 6 or 7 to start those. Do you have a local library you could go and try some new books for free, then buy any particular favourites?

[seeker]

I think the BFG is PROBABLY all right, and Fantastic Mr Fox is brilliant. but my ds was completely freaked out by the others until he was nearly 8!

I would take him to the Library and to some charity shops and let him choose big bagfuls to go through. You can return/ recycle the rejects.

[norfolklass]

Thank you-yes that was what I thought that they were probably a bit too old for him.

We only have a teeny tiny library here with a very small childrens section so tbh I don't tend to bother looking but perhaps it might be worth a look.

I was mainly asking because family etc have started asking if there is anything he'd like for christmas so thought he could have some lovely new books rather than more toys and cars etc which we are drowning in lol!

[bodiddly]

My ds is the same age as yours ... we have read the Enormous Crocodile by RD as the library have one which is fully illustrated in colour as ds loves it! He still likes books with lots of pictures and preferably in colour though he is coming round to the idea of less pictures. He also likes the Winnie the Witch series, Oliver Moon series, any fairy tales and the "seriously silly" versions of the fairy tales .. I am not sure if that is what they are called but things like Snow White and the Seven Aliens. We go to the library every week and pick 12 books ... he reads/flicks through them all and I read him a different one each night. We are now picking chapter style books rather than picture books. Ds still loves his Mr Men books, Harry and the Dinosaur books etc but more for reading to himself than for me to read to him.

[norfolklass]

Thank you seeker-hadn't thought of charity shops which is daft really as get all my books from there!

[norfolklass]

Good grief is your DS reading Mr Men books himself!!

Oh yes had forgotten about Enormous Crocodile-will add that one to the list. Im sure he'd love the silly fairytales as well-basically anything that makes him laugh is good!

[bodiddly]

oh yes def charity shops .. I look every time I go in one. Ah that reminds me I have picked up most of the series of Disney books from charity shops for ds. Things like 101 Dalmations, Aladdin, Cinderella etc - he loves those and the same goes for the M&S first readers fairy tale range. All from charity shops and car boot sales!

[bodiddly]

I wish ! He tells himself the story as he flicks through the pages though!

[moosemama]

Oxfam have an online second hand book shop, childrens section here.

My boys (7 and 5) love having the Enid Blyton Faraway Trees and Wishing Chair books read to them.

Ds1 is still wary of most of the Roald Dahl books even though they did several of them in school last year. I think he was ok with The BFG, James and the Giant Peach and Georges Marvellous Medicine, but certainly has no inclination to read or hear any of the others as yet.

[smee]

Why not to the library and have a hunt together? I think with Roald Dahl it depends on the child. DS has loved pretty much all of them, and he was 4 and a bit when we started and only 5 now, so it's worth a go, especially The Twits he thought that hysterical. He also loves TinTin books. You can get those in libaries too, which is good as they're not cheap. They're his most favourite thing in the world and have been since he was younger than your DS.

[Mousey84]

Dont know if you can do it everywhere, but here you can order kids books from other libraries for free, so look into that if you do manage to track down books you think he may like.

I tend to browse Amazon for ideas.

[cory]

The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson is lovely- so lovely that I re-read it to my pre-teens every years as a seasonal treat.