Book recommendations for 5yo dd1 to read at home?

[Aranea]

Dd1 is in reception and just having a big burst of enthusiasm for reading. This week she's been put up to level 4 of the ORT but I suspect will go up again as she is reading it with no difficulty.

In any case I'm kind of ignoring the whole reading scheme levels thing and just reading lots of other stuff with her at home, which she is loving. We've read Flap Your Wings, Are You My Mother, Sticky Vickie etc, and are currently reading The Cat In The Hat, which I think is probably the hardest thing she's read.

She's having no trouble with it and is loving it, and I'm just wondering what would be good for her to try next. Any recommendations? I love reading stuff like that with her as it's so much more fun than Biff & Kipper... what have you enjoyed with your DC?

[MumNWLondon]

DD really enjoyed the ladybird read it yourself fairy stories - if your DD is reading ORT level 4 well she should manage level 3 or 4?

Slightly harder would be Horrid Henry early readers, Mr Men books or the Allan Alhberg happy family books. Or try the Daisy books (not the chapter ones they might be a bit hard, the picture ones?)

DD hated the ORT when on level 4 - I complained as she was put onto level 3 of the ORT at the start of year one despite being able to read all sorts of things at home.... after working through all of level 3 and half of level 4, she was totally bored with it.... I spoke to teacher and then to head - and they put her on half way through level 6, now a few weeks later nearly finished level 7, and to my great surprise the books are much more interesting and engaging .... she now enjoys reading them!!

[mylifemykids]

Try the Superphonics collection from either Red House or The Book People (I can't remember which!)

[TheFirstLady]

Reading by herself - my DC liked the Red Nose Readers by Allan Ahlberg.

[Aranea]

Oh great, thanks. I particularly think the ladybird fairy tales would go down well, that's a great idea. Can't face the idea of Mr Men though... they drive me mad!

[Aranea]

MumNWLondon... where do you get the ladybird books? I've just been looking at the ladybird website and they seem to have a very limited range and only offer books up to level 2 in the fairytales section as far as I can see.

[MumNWLondon]

i bought them in waterstones - big one on Piccadily, but all available on amazon....

link

[Lizcat]

We read anything and everything at home, all the story books we have had for a longtime not just using the words, but thinking about how we might say the words. So we read a huge variety of styles and difficulties.
At the moment Rainbow magic choose your own story is very popular.

[Lizcat]

We read anything and everything at home, all the story books we have had for a longtime not just using the words, but thinking about how we might say the words. So we read a huge variety of styles and difficulties.
At the moment Rainbow magic choose your own story is very popular.

[Aranea]

thanks for the link - have just ordered one I think she will enjoy it.

[smee]

Go to the library Aranea - that way you can enjoy an hour sitting trying out a few things with her. We go lots and you soon get to know what authors/ books will work. That way you can borrow them or buy them being sure you're hitting on the right thing.

[Aranea]

Good idea, smee, and I would so much enjoy an hour sitting in the library with her - it's just that dd2 is 15 months old and it's pretty well impossible to listen to dd1 read while she is awake! So it usually happens just before bedtime after the little one is asleep.

[smee]

That's a shame. I love the library, especially in this weather. Perfect after school trip.

[TheFirstLady]

Good point about the library though - I just remembered when my DC were that age we used to get absolutely loads of first reader books out - the Orchard Crunchie ones were particularly good - they were coloured banded too in increasing levels of difficulty - basically short chapter books with colour illustrations. Well worth checking to see if your library has those or similar books.

[Aranea]

Thanks FirstLady, I will check.

[Aranea]

Hmm, maybe I'm being defeatist about having dd2 around. Perhaps she could play while dd1 reads in the library?

Actually though, thinking about it, last time I took dd2 to the library she divided her time between successfully figuring out how to open the gate so that she could escape from the preschooler area, and screaming because she wanted to sit on a revolving chair and press buttons on the computers. This despite the fact that I and a multitude of age-appropriate toys and books were waiting hopefully for her in the preschooler area. She is a nightmare

[TheFirstLady]

I didn't mean to read there necessarily, I see the problem - but to take home. In our library however, they have a playpen in the children's section - I used to shove DD3 in there occasionally to get five minutes peace to choose books with the others. DD3 was going through her book destroying phase at the time.

[sylar]

DS1 is in reception and gets a book a night and two at weekends and at 32 pages they take a while to get through. On the Biff and Chip day off though we read ladybird books (DH's from the 70s!), Dr Suess or some of the I can read series (available on Amazon) since they do spiderman, transformers etc in easy to read formats. I would imagine they do similar girl ranges.

I've found I have to be a bit careful not to give him something too challenging and put him off.

[MumNWLondon]

Don't read in the library - but get your DD to look through the books to see which one looks about right for her.... maybe you can go at weekend and just take her?

[Aranea]

You're right, she would really enjoy picking books out. Maybe I will dump dd2 with dh leave dh to have some quality bonding time with dd2 on Saturday.

[wheelsonthebus]

My dd is ORT level 4 and has just enjoyed 'Boring Old Bed'.