Books/ book series appropriate for grade 1

[LuxPerpetua]

Dd will be starting grade 1 this Fall and one thing I mentioned to her that she seemed rather keen on was having a quiet reading time where she can read her own books from the library.  So, to that end, I'm wanting some lists of good books and/or book series that would be fun for a very sensitive 6.75-year-old girl.  She can read quite well--as in, she's beyond "The fat cat sat on the mat" kind of story--but she's very sensitive as to content.  She likes fantasy/fairy tale themes--like dragon stories, fairies, enchantments, etc., but we don't have to be limited to just that.  Any suggestions?

[Daffodil]

Can you give examples of books she's able to read, to give us a better idea of the right reading level?  I have a kid the same age who is really enjoying the Secrets of Droon fantasy series.  They're exciting, but not scary.  Every time the kids find themselves in a dangerous situation, things are resolved immediately - like on the next page - and nothing really bad ever actually happens.  He also liked My Father's Dragon and the sequels.

Some other possibilities:

the Dragonling series by Jackie French Koller

the Catwings series by Ursula K. Le Guin

the Cobble Street Cousins series by Cynthia Rylant

the Lighthouse Family series by Cynthia Rylant

(All of the above are 3rd-4th grade reading level.)

Edited by Daffodil - 6/17/12 at 6:23am

[ilovemygirl]

I have a dd who is super sensitive to anything intense or scary or violent and she loves loves loves Cynthia Rylant books. She is a little younger than your dd so she is reading the books that are a reading level or two lower than the ones listed by the pp. One series is called Poppleton another is Mr. Putter & Tabby. They might be too young for your dd but I thought I'd mention it just in case.

We are going through a huge series right now called Animal Ark about a little girl whose parents are both veterinarians. They are very sweet books. They are about 100 pages each. 

I'll post more as I think of them ...

[Savoir Faire]

My daughter really liked the Rainbow Magic series. Even better? There's 100 books in it! Seriously. (They're a super popular series.)

Otherwise, I {{{heart}}} the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. Fudge/Superfudge by Judy Blume is popular with my two (6 and 7.9). I'm actually looking for read-alouds for my two right now....so I'm kind of in the same boat.

By any chance, does she like Harry Potter? We listened to the entire series on tape and it was totally amazing. Then my daughter started reading the books on her own. I thought it might be a little dark for them--- but the kids did really well with it.
 

[LuckyMommaToo]

I agree it would be helpful to know what books your daughter can read by herself. Some my six-year-old is loving:

-- Bink & Gollie

-- Gooney Bird Greene

-- The Breyer Stablemates series (all about horses)

-- Unlikely Friendships (true stories of unusual animal friendships)

-- Betsy-Tacy

-- The Night Fairy

Savoir Faire, have you done Dahl yet? They're such wonderful read-alouds!

-e

[Greenmama2]

Madeleine is quite sweet.

[LuxPerpetua]

Thanks so much for the suggestions.  Part of the issue is that I'm not sure what she can or can't read because she is very quiet and private about that.  All I know is that she's breezed through Little Bear and Frog and Toad and seems to be able to read almost anything I put in front of her.  I want something in between Frog and Toad and something more advanced like Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, if that makes sense.  

Does anyone like the Magic Treehouse series?  I've heard that mentioned before, and was wondering if that would be good too.  Another friend of mine suggested some sort of Color Fairy series but I can't remember the name. Anyone know?

[zebra15]

DS Loved the Cynthia Rylant series. I think there are 6 of them.  Also Kate DiCamillo has a Mercy Watson series which is a Hoot.  There are tons of color pictures and the main character is a pig that loves 'hot buttered toast'.

http://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Watson-Boxed-Set-Adventures/dp/0763657093/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340377459&sr=8-1&keywords=mercy+watson

Also don't forget about non-fiction books.  There are lots of great reads out there in the non-fiction section.

I would start making friends with your local library and the children's librarian.  I did this and she was my best resource for years.  DS loved her and she even would venture into the adult section with him for materials.  We just moved and honestly she is the one thing we are going to miss about that area!

[Daffodil]

The Magic Treehouse series is fine.  The books are just about the level you're looking for.  They're not great literature, but there's nothing wrong with them.  They're somewhat educational, and they're interesting without being scary.

[LuckyMommaToo]

Zebra has a good suggestion -- our children's librarian rocks! And we usually take out 50 books at a time so the kids can try anything that looks interesting without making a commitment. My DS liked Magic Treehouse but so far DD has no interest in them (it may be because the first one is dinosaur-themed, and she's SO not into dinos).

I've been eyeing this Silverlake Fairy School series from Usborne, because their books are usually high quality, but I haven't bought it yet:

http://www.myubam.com/p/1406/silverlake-fairy-school-complete-collection-6

-e

[JSerene]

My dd is 7 and new to reading on her own. She loved the Ivy & Bean series by Annie Barros. I second all the Ramona Quimby books and another called Socks by B. Cleary. The latest book she loved loved loved was The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh.

[pek64]

The third request for book info.

Cam Jansen
A to Z Mysteries
Droon
Bailey School Kids
Boxcar Children
Jigsaw Jones

Look at other threads where book reccomendations were requested. There have been lots!