It occurs to me that my almost 5 yr old son's book collection could use a few new additions.
We've been reading many of the same books to him for over 2 yrs and it's time to pass them along to his younger brother.
I would love to hear what other 4-5 yr old boys love to read (really, have read to them).
My son is not reading yet, but imagine that soon we'll want to add some read-it-yourself books, too.
And when is appropriate age to start some chapter books? Thanks.
Book to be read to him: Frog and Toad, Encyclopedia Brown, Mystery Series A to Z, Flat Stanley, DK Readers (different levels), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
I read to my daughter above her reading level and then have books at her reading level.
As far as identifying words and reading but not necessarily for the story: Bob Books
You could definitely begin reading chapter books to your son now. My daughter just turned 5, and we have been reading children's (age-appropriate) chapter books (and similar-type story collection books) to her for quite some time now. There is a great, larger-sized version of "Charlotte's Web"; it's a read-along edition. My daughter loves this book, and boys seem to love it, too! There may be a similar version of "Stuart Little", too (also interesting to both boys and girls). My daughter also loves "Little House in the Big Woods" and "Little House on the Prairie" (also in large read-along editions), but these are based on a little pioneer girl's point of view. I'm not sure how interested your son would be in these books, but I'm sure he would love the Thomas the Tank Engine stories found in the "Thomas the Tank Engine Story Collection". It's a beautiful hardcover book with all of the original, classic Thomas stories. The stories are presented in sections, and they are in chronological/series order; so it's like a chapter book. The "Tumtum & Nutmeg" books are also good chapter books to read to younger children. Why not visit your local library and ask the children's librarians for suggestions? Happy reading!
Love, love, love Frog and Toad books!
We love the Knuffle Bunny books or anything by Mo Willems. Also the Llama Llama books (Mad at Mama, etc.) The Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer are perfect for little boys, and make a good transition for early reading skills.
If you want to beef up his collection, check out cbomc.com (Childrens' Book of the Month Club). That's where I get almost all of our books, and they have really good sales. They also offer recommendations based on your child's age and what authors or subjects they like.
I started reading my son chapter books about 4.5 years old. I've used a lot of books my mom had left from when I read them to myself about 2nd or 3rd grade. The Boxcar Children are short, kid-friendly mysteries, that aren't too suspenseful. I don't know if they are still sold anywhere. We read some of the Magic Tree House books, but some of them were a little scary, so you may want to skim them yourself first. We just read Castle in the Attic, and I'm thinking about reading the Indian in the Cupboard books to him next. I try to stick to one chapter a night, but sometimes he will beg for an extra chapter and I can get him to do a chore in exchange!
I love books by Peggy Rathman and the Berenstain Bears series are good because they have different levels and often, have a good lesson to teach..
My son is nearly 5, and he loves:
Dr. Seuss- the Lorax, the Sneetches and other stories, 500 hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, If I Ran the Zoo
Anything with Spiderman or other Marvel heroes- there are a couple of Marvel encyclopedias that are great
Non-fiction- he likes books about jet fighters, human biology (we have a couple that have 3d models of skeletons, organ systems, etc that he loves), hockey, animals (Looking for Miza, Owen and Mzee), bugs, different countries
We are just starting chapter books at night and I am super excited!! We read the first two Oz books (got the whole series on my nook for like $2) and are now into the first Harry Potter. I am probably not going to get into the other HPs for now, but the first one is a good story all by itself. I have about a million books that I can't wait to read to him!!
We love Mo Willems (spelling)? He writes great simple, fun books! Knuffle Bunny and others. Check it out!
Anything Dr. Seuss, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, HArold and the Purple Crayon Series, The Hungry Caterpillar, The Five Chinese Brothers, Harry the Dirty Dog, Caps For Sale, The Berenstein Bears Series, The Curious George Series, Clifford the Big Red Dog Series.......All favorites of my son when he was that age.
Froggy series by Johnathon London, and my son (at that age) absolutely loved Dirt Boy by Eric Von Slangerup. I must have read that story hundreds of times LOL! He also received Farm Stories by Usborne books and really liked those stories.
My son love Cowboy and Octopus. That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown is a favorite, and fun to read. Also, don't forget old fables and books you read when you were little!
