Chapter bk. read-alouds for preschool age

[teachma]

My son is soon to be 4 years old, and I have recently started reading a few chapters from a chapter book with him at bedtime. We have read Beverly Cleary's The Mouse and the Motorcycle and are now reading Charlie and the Chocolate factory. Anyone else reading anything fun with their younger children? I would love suggestions based on what your children, 4-5 years old, have enjoyed. The students I teach are a little older, and themes in their books are sometimes inappropriate for a 4 tear old, IMO.

[Wilhemina]

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett (or is it Gannett Stiles?)
My dd age 5 enjoyed the heck out of this and its sequels.
She also really enjoyed Little Bo by Julie Andrews and its sequel Little Bo in France.

[librarymom]

The Junie B. Jones series is about a kindergartener, and they are pretty well done, IMO.

If you are near a bookstore, try going to it and looking around at the chapter books and see what interests your son. Then take those titles to your local library and check them out.

Good luck!

[miss_sonja]

[QUOTE=Ann Marie]My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett (or is it Gannett Stiles?)
My dd age 5 enjoyed the heck out of this and its sequels.
QUOTE]

We're reading this one now.

I really like to choose books with a story I enjoy. We've been reading the longer Beatrix Potter stories.

[Alkenny]

Charlotte's Web
Stuart Little
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (or other "Fudge" books)

[applejuice]

Wow !

YOur Four year old is super!!

Would you mind reading the Harry Potter books to him, especially if he has not seen the movies?? That way, you can finish the first four books before the next movie comes out and be ready for the sixth book when it arrives.

[cathe]

My girls enjoy the Sophie series - The first is Sophie's Snail and then Sopie's Tom, etc. It is about a little girl who wants to be a farmer when she grows up. We also like the Little House on the Prarie books.

[srain]

My son LOVED the All of a Kind Family series by Sidney Taylor, to the point where he insisted on celebrating Purim.

[teachma]

Awesome suggestions. I had forgotten all about My Father's Dragon though it was part of the 2nd grade curriculum, which I taught, at my former school! I even have those books somewhere in boxes in my garage. The library might be easier. And, srain, we DO celebrate Purim, so my ds might really relate to the All of A Kind Family. I read those series when I was 8 or so myself. Keep those ideas coming. We aren't ready for a new book yet, but I will keep a list of your recommendations.

[mom2x]

We have read Truckdogs by Graeme Base about 4 times!

[Brikiefer]

Dick King Smith books are always fun. I'm reading _Martin's Mice_ with my 6 yo right now and we're really enjoying it. It's about a farm cat that prefers to keep mice as pets, rather than eat them. We've read _Babe: The Gallant Pig_ and _Ace: A Very Important Pig_ too.

Bridgett

[HomeBirthMommy]

My 4 year old has really enjoyed the Anne of Green Gables books. Our library has some that are easier versions, so a chapter (or sometimes 2) are a perfect length for a preschooler. She didn't get into Charlotte's Web at all, and I was so disappointed.

[BoobyJuice]

My son is only 3 - almost 4 - and has always had a very short attention span when it comes to books. He still loves board books, only started longer picture books (like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie) a few months ago. Recently when we were at the library he saw these big books on dinosaurs. They're like 3rd grade text books. Each chapter is about a different type of dinosaur. He wanted to check them out - I figured they'd be returned unread. I mean, they're hundreds of pages. He loves them! He'll sit for chapter after chapter - basically as long as you can read to him.

Long time to get to my point, don't forget non-fiction! Expecially if they have an interest in something specific - trains, butterflies, whatever. Maybe now that he's sitting for these, we'll try some of the great fiction you've all recommended.

Great thread

[srain]

Originally Posted by teachma

And, srain, we DO celebrate Purim, so my ds might really relate to the All of A Kind Family.

Heh- maybe you could have helped me with my first-time batch of hamantaschen!

[happymama]

The Secrets of Droon series by Tony Abbott. My ds started listening to them at age four, and loved them. We still occasionally read the next in the series (he's six now.)

Paula

[napless]

This is great! I came here to post the exact same question!

My ds (4) loves loves LOVES Little House in the Big Woods. We have read every chapter countless times. He liked Farmer Boy too.

He also enjoyed All About Sam by Lois Lowry.

He liked Ribsy (Beverly Clearly) but not Henry and Ribsy or The Mouse and the Motorcycle. (Go figure.)

Oh, and he loved Mrs. Pigglewiggle.

[teachma]

I love Mrs. Pigglewiggle! I will definitely do this one with him soon!!

[napless]

We found Sophie's Snail at the library - ds really liked it - I did skip over some of the mean sibling interactions though (ds is 4).

We're reading Pigs Might Fly now.

[cathe]

We're into beginning readers right now as my older dd is 5 1/2. We just found a book both of my dd's loved (second dd is 3) called Agapanthus Hum and the Eyeglasses. It is a short BR chapter book but has a really fun story. The main character Agapanthus is really quirky and wonderful. The author (Joy Cowley) also wrote a wonderful picture book called Mrs. Wishy Washy which was also a big hit with my kids.

[lorijds]

Anything by Roald Dahl. Short, weird, fantastic, and kiddos always triumph.

Lori