Appropriate and good chapter books

[puamama]

My almost 5 year old DD is loving The Tale of Tiptoes LIghtly.  Who has some other great chapter books?  I"m looking for sweet and simple.

[PatchChild]

Five is a great age for the little house on the prairie books.

[midnightwriter]

Sophie`s Snail by Dick King-Smith, and other Sophie books. http://www.amazon.com/Sophies-Snail-Dick-King-Smith/dp/1844281353

[Daffodil]

Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner

books by Cynthia Rylant - Thimbleberry Stories, the Lighthouse Family series, Gooseberry Park

books by Astrid Lindgren - The Children on Troublemaker Street, The Children of Noisy Village, Pippi Longstocking, Emil in the Soup Tureen

Tove Jansson's Moomin books (Comet in Moominland is the first one, followed by Finn Family Moomintroll)

Emmaline and the Bunny - Katherine Hannigan

The Night Fairy - Laura Amy Schlitz

Happy Little Family - Rebecca Caudill

Did You Carry the Flag Today, Charley? - Rebecca Caudill

[hakeber]

Amelia Bedelia

Romana Quimby

Horribe Harry

The Borrowers

The Littles

Frog and Toad

Here's a good selection: http://nancykeane.com/rl/264.htm

[puamama]

thanks for the ideas.  I will start ordering them from the library today!!!

[midnightwriter]

Moomins are pretty dark books. I personally love them, and my 8 yo too, but they  might be quite deepressing / traumatic for a 4 year old. They were written in 1939 or around that, and the vague menace (of WWII, for the author) is everpresent. Not for a sensitive child, I'd say. But they are absolutely wonderful. The Night Fairy is also a bit dark, and also excellent.

[Daffodil]

Originally Posted by midnightwriter 

Moomins are pretty dark books. I personally love them, and my 8 yo too, but they  might be quite deepressing / traumatic for a 4 year old. They were written in 1939 or around that, and the vague menace (of WWII, for the author) is everpresent. Not for a sensitive child, I'd say. But they are absolutely wonderful. The Night Fairy is also a bit dark, and also excellent.

The later Moomin books (like Moominpappa at Sea - one of my all time favorites) are a bit darker, but the first few I wouldn't consider dark at all.  I guess I could see some kids being frightened by the approaching comet or the Groke, but the books don't have a dark feel overall - not to me, anyway.  My kids both liked them at late 4/early 5, but they're not super sensitive or easily frightened.  I remembered The Night Fairy as pretty mild, but now I that I think about it, I guess there were some unhappy parts, especially at the beginning when the fairy's wings were damaged.  I'd say all the other books I listed are really mild and suitable for just about any kid (except maybe Emil in the Soup Tureen.  Emil gets shut in the wood shed and, I think, spanked or whipped for misbehavior, and he misbehaves constantly.)

[midnightwriter]

Moominpappa at Sea is my favorite as well--one of my favorite books, actually. But even in the earlier books I found the mood to be one of gloom--the earth to be obliterated by the comet, then the volcano erruption and the flood, loosing their home... It is interesting that you didn't find them dark overall.

The author herself says that when she was writing them, she felt the feeling of doom approaching. I'm sure that reading about the author influenced my perception of the books...But no matter what, they are not "sweet and simple"...
 

The same applies to Night Fairy--such a wonderful book on many levels, but not "sweet and simple"...

Originally Posted by Daffodil 

The later Moomin books (like Moominpappa at Sea - one of my all time favorites) are a bit darker, but the first few I wouldn't consider dark at all.  I guess I could see some kids being frightened by the approaching comet or the Groke, but the books don't have a dark feel overall - not to me, anyway.  My kids both liked them at late 4/early 5, but they're not super sensitive or easily frightened.  I remembered The Night Fairy as pretty mild, but now I that I think about it, I guess there were some unhappy parts, especially at the beginning when the fairy's wings were damaged.  I'd say all the other books I listed are really mild and suitable for just about any kid (except maybe Emil in the Soup Tureen.  Emil gets shut in the wood shed and, I think, spanked or whipped for misbehavior, and he misbehaves constantly.)

[Daffodil]

Originally Posted by midnightwriter 

Moominpappa at Sea is my favorite as well--one of my favorite books, actually. But even in the earlier books I found the mood to be one of gloom--the earth to be obliterated by the comet, then the volcano erruption and the flood, loosing their home... It is interesting that you didn't find them dark overall.

The author herself says that when she was writing them, she felt the feeling of doom approaching. I'm sure that reading about the author influenced my perception of the books...But no matter what, they are not "sweet and simple"...
 

Yes, I'd also say Moominpappa at Sea is one of my favorite books, right up there with my favorite adult books.  In a way, it's really more for adults than kids - but my DD loved it too.  (My DP liked it, but found it kind of disturbing - he kept wanting them to leave the island.)  It is interesting that the books seemed so dark to you - to me, they really do seem sweet, and not exactly simple, but definitely about a safer, cheerier world than ours.  There may be comets and volcanoes and the Groke, but in the end everything always turns out all right, and you know all along that it's going to.  And along the way, people find pearls and magic hats and silver sea horse shoes, and Moominmamma is always there to take care of everyone.
 

[summermommy2004]

The Boxcar Children!!! I loved them when I was in elementary school.

[Montana Mom]

Another vote for Little House on the Prairie!  Then maybe the old Ramona & Beezus books and Nancy Drew.

[LynnS6]

Ivy and Bean (has 7 books in the series)

Besty & Tacy (also part of a series)

Cam Jansen (lots of books in the series)

The Mouse & the Motorcycle 'trilogy' by Beaverly Cleary: The Mouse & the Motorcycle, Runaway Ralph, Ralph S. Mouse

Mercy Watson books by Kate DiCamillo -- cute, funny stories, great illustrations. These are perfect 'first' chapter books.