Books for 3 year old boy

[Liz]

My ds will be 3 next month and I'm looking for some book suggestions for his birthday. His past favorites have been predominantly in the truck, train and tractor category: Katy and the Big Snow, Choo Choo, Mike Mulligan and Maryanne, Lois Lenski books, etc. Lately we're getting a little bored with these books and others he says are too scary (anything with bears, dragons, etc.) so it's getting really tough at bedtime. He seems to like reality-based stories but nothing scary. And I am looking for story books not books with allot of photos of trucks, we have tons of those and he loves them but they don't work at bedtime, KWIM? He loves Thomas the Tank Engine but I find them either too complicated (all this British train lingo) or too Disneyfied. So if your child likes truck/train/tractor stories, what else do they like?

TIA,

Liz

[idaismyname]

website books suggestion

http://www.solterrabooks.com/

This is a site that sells gentle books.
It has sooo many of my favorites
It has age categories too
hope this helps

[ajsmom]

Our ds, 2.5 yrs old also loved the Virginia Lee Burton books.

He loved the Complete Works of Beatrix Potter, the Tales of Winnie the Pooh (not the Disney Pooh) and he and dh are now reading the Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. There is a bit of adventure in them but he likes them and this is a kid who isn't ready for Where the Wild Things Are.

Happy Reading,
Rebecca

[countrymom]

My son is 3 and I tend to read "bedtime books"- to get him in the mood. Ones that rhyme- or that he can memorize to recite with me are best-- it makes him feel secure, the familiarity of the book and the bedtime theme leaves him ready for bed. (But often I read him library books that have nothing to do w/ bedtime-- but at the end, I'll add "...and they all went to sleep....The End.")

[Lady of Z Lake]

He might like Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.

[Teresa]

When my daughter was 3 she loved:
Mr. Putter & Tabby series
Little Bear series
Millie Molly Mandy
Teddy Robinson

At night she prefers few or no pictures, so we read:
Wind in the Willows
Beatrix Potter
Winnie the Pooh series (the real version, not Disney)
The Wind Boy
Stories for under 5-year-olds

She still tends to be very sensitive to anything 'rough' or 'rude' so we do a lot of editing!

[Liz]

Interesting suggestions! A few comments;

"Where the wild things are" used to be good but is now "too scary".

Beatrix Potter, ditto (and I have to say they are pretty scary - somebody almost gets killed in every one which is reality, I know, but I can understand why he finds them scary).

I find it interesting that so many of you are already reading big books without allot of pictures. I have been reading some James Herriot chidren stories to him and he likes them although I wonder how much he really understands. Why do you think your children like books without pictures at bedtime?

[Teresa]

When I asked my daughter for her reccs. she also suggested Catwings, and then added, "I love cat stories, but NOT Tom Kitten!" (She actually means Samuel Whiskers, where Tom is almost made into a dumpling by the rats.)

I know she (and I!) prefer picture-less books at bedtime because it's easier to just lay down, close eyes and listen. We also tell an ongoing story that my daughter loves to hear, and, of course, that can be done with the lights out entirely!

At 3 and 4, many kids are more interested in 'setting the scene' than in the actual development of a plot, so often the stories we tell are primarily descriptive!

[ajsmom]

Perhaps their understanding of danger and scary grows...

For months all Aidan wanted to hear was the Tale of Samuel Whiskers. We began reading Beatrix Potter to him when he was one. Now that he is almost 3, I know he understands so much more and the anticipation can be too much for him at times once he really knows a story.

He used to recite paragraphs from the above mentioned story; I was amazed. And now he acts out the part about Tom Kitten climbing up into the chimney. But he won't watch any Thomas the Tank Engine videos even though he loves the trains. They are too rough and when Percy spilled jam all over everyone that was it for Aidan!

I look forward to trying some of the books suggested here. Has anyone tried Robert Luis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses?

[ajsmom]

Perhaps their understanding of danger and scary grows...

For months all Aidan wanted to hear was the Tale of Samuel Whiskers. We began reading Beatrix Potter to him when he was one. Now that he is almost 3, I know he understands so much more and the anticipation can be too much for him at times once he really knows a story.

He used to recite paragraphs from the above mentioned story; I was amazed. And now he acts out the part about Tom Kitten climbing up into the chimney. But he won't watch any Thomas the Tank Engine videos even though he loves the trains. They are too rough and when Percy spilled jam all over everyone that was it for Aidan!

I look forward to trying some of the books suggested here. Has anyone tried Robert Luis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses?

[MSings]

Check out http://chinaberry.com/ too. It sounds like Teresa shops there. The catalogue is fun just to read through and they categorize books by plot level not age. I have even found books for myself in the adult section.

[chicklet]

My dd has loved the Jesse Bear books by Nancy Whilte Carlstrom.

The illustrations are adorable, the text rhymes, the stories are sweet with just enough text and pictures.

I bought them from Chinaberry - a great resource!

[yogamama]

Dr. Seuss books - my son is 3 1/2 and LOVES the silliness of them recently

Make Way For Ducklings - lovely and engaging and a great bedtime read

Bearnstein Bears books - a bit moralistic for me, but he likes them

Busy Town of Richard Scarry books - alot of interesting maps, vehicles, etc. Also a bit dull for me, but he LOVES them...

[Tanibani]

We love these books... some we've been reading since he was 2, others we just started (he just turned 3)...

(I love kid's books. My first requirement is that they are beautiful to look at. Second, a great story....)

THE SPIFFIEST GIANT IN TOWN by Julia Donaldson. We borrowed her book ROOM ON THE BROOM from the library and he loves that too. I was looking to buy it, but since it's a Halloween story, it wasn't on the shelf. SPIFFIEST is her newest book - another hit! About a gentle giant who shares the clothes off his back with other needy animals.

McDUFF STORIES by Rosemary Wells. Tender and nostalgic illustrations, simple, sweet story. 4 stories in this hardcover. (pretty reality based, except Santa makes an appearance in one story.)

HELLO OCEAN by Pam Munoz Ryan. STUNNING illustrations. Very reality based.

THE DANDELION SEED by Joseph Anthony. Simple, quiet story.

TOUGH BORIS by Mem Fox. Your son says he's afraid of pirates... too bad... read this to him once and see if he likes it. It's really not that scary at all.

NO DAVID! by David Shannon. I was wary of this book (Caldecott Honor book). What if it gives him any ideas... guess what ... he already recognizes the "bad" things David does and at the end, there is maternal validation from mom. "I love you David." Giancarlo LOVES the book. We borrowed it from the library. Very reality based.

THE RAIN CAME DOWN by David Shannon. Very reality based. There is a dramatic stalled traffic scene, your son would like that.

There are more titles, I can't think right now.

[Liz]

Thank you thank you thank you!

Maybe my son is too stuck on reality. When I read Dr Seuss he's always asking me what's that? Ummm....a sorta dog/cat thing?

And he loves Richard Scarry books but they are terrible bedtime books. They never end!

I think I looked at No David. Is it about a really "naughty boy"? DS doesn't do most of those things yet so I don't want to give him any ideas!

Make way for ducklings was a favorite of mine when I was little. I'm surprised I don't have my old copy. Must have been read to death. Blueberries for Sal, too. My mother grew up in Maine so my Maine Grandma gave me all those books. I'll have to get new copies.

I was looking at the McDuff stories just the other day. He likes so many old chldren's books (maybe because we have most of my old ones) I thought that one might be a winner. I'll put it on my Indigo Wish List.

Anybody know any good farm-related stories? My in laws live on a farm so he loves all that stuff, too.

[tlc4tots]

Chinaberry! They have the most wonderful books I've ever found. The descriptions of the books are so heart warming. Watch their clearance section online to get really good deals on great books.