# Reading to Children



## T.Allen.Smith (Jun 15, 2015)

I have a six year old & a four year old. Since infancy, I've read to them every night before bed...children's books mostly. 

Now, I think it's time to start actual novel length stories. I want to introduce them to fantasy & adventure stories. However, being many decades removed from childhood reading, I can't think of a lot of stories I want them to hear that are age appropriate. By age appropriate, I don't mean the exclusion of violence or potentially scary material. I just don't want graphic violence, sex, etc. Think G, PG, or maybe even PG-13 if it's the right book.

My list so far:
1) Treasure Island (Starting tonight)
2) The Hobbit & LoTR
3) The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe
4) Harry Potter books


Hoping you all could help me add to the summer reading list.

Thanks.


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## Steerpike (Jun 15, 2015)

1. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan Aiken
2. The Borrowers, Mary Norton
3. The Tale of Desperaux, Kate DiCamillo
4. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, also DeCamillo
5. The Girl Who Could Fly, Victoria Foster
6. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
7. Lorelei and the Lost and Found Monster, me (cheap and short - shameless plug).

Some of the above are longer than others. All are good. If you can find the Aiken, I remember really liking that one.


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## Trick (Jun 15, 2015)

I was a fan of Brian Jacques as a kid. Redwall was great. 

Inkheart is good, by Cornelia Funke. She also wrote The Thief Lord and The Dragon Rider which I liked as a young fellow. I'm sure her others are equally as good but I grew out of her style before getting around to them. 

Other than that I know my wife loved A Wrinkle in Time, though I never read that one.


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## Butterfly (Jun 15, 2015)

you could always go for some Roald Dahl, such as the BFG, James and the Giant Peach, The Witches, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory... the list goes on and on...

Amazon.com: roald dahl


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## T.Allen.Smith (Jun 15, 2015)

Great suggestions.

Thanks all.

List is growing.


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## Steerpike (Jun 15, 2015)

Oh, man...CORALINE


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## T.Allen.Smith (Jun 15, 2015)

Steerpike said:


> Oh, man...CORALINE



What's that?  Seriously, I'm gonna have to look it up.

EDIT: Neil Gaiman novella, I see. A Hugo winning piece.

It says "horror". Not too scary I hope?


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## thedarknessrising (Jun 15, 2015)

The Princess Bride by William Goldsmith. It is a kissing book though.


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## T.Allen.Smith (Jun 15, 2015)

thedarknessrising said:


> The Princess Bride by William Goldsmith. It is a kissing book though.


They've seen the movie though.

They haven't seen any of The Hobbit movies though. I want them to get the books before that.


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## Steerpike (Jun 15, 2015)

T.Allen.Smith said:


> What's that?  Seriously, I'm gonna have to look it up.
> 
> EDIT: Neil Gaiman novella, I see. A Hugo winning piece.
> 
> It says "horror". Not too scary I hope?



Not too much. It's for kids. The "other mother" has buttons sewn on her face for eyes. My daughter thought that was creepy.


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## Tom (Jun 15, 2015)

I read Coraline for the first time when I was nine or ten, and none of it creeped me out. (I loved it.) It all depends on the kid you're reading to--some have a naturally higher tolerance for creepy stuff than others. 

@T.Allen: A book series I'd suggest is the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. Those were my favorites when I was a kid. They're humorous fantasy, and subvert all sorts of tropes, from "witches are old and ugly" to "knights must rescue the princess". I'm sure your kids will get a kick out of them.


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## Svrtnsse (Jun 16, 2015)

The moomin books by Tove Jansson. Start with Finn Family Moomintroll (fun and games and adventure) and then Moominland Midwinter (which deals with a bit more serious subjects). Those were some of my favorite books as a kid and I still go back and read them now and then these days.


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## TheCatholicCrow (Jun 16, 2015)

It depends on their reading levels and comprehension. I seem to remember being a huge fan of the "great illustrated classics"- adapted versions of Little Women, Heidi, Hans Brinker etc. 

Little Princess & The Secret Garden are also decent. 

I think my sisters were into Babysitters Club and the Box Car Children but I always gravitated towards Goosebumps. My 7yr old little sister has recently discovered the "choose your own ending" ones. She loves the concept of being able to interact with the text. I'm not sure what level they are but I do know she's precocious so idk - it kind of depends what your children are interested in. I remember "Holes" was huge when I was around that age as well. I think I read (and loved) "The Egypt Game" around this age. There's also a wonderful series that I was positively obsessed with which was basically a series of unrelated historical fiction epistolaries. "The Winter of Red Snow" was about a young girl during (I believe) the American Revolution. There was another about an Irish immigrant and a bunch of others that I only vaguely remember. I was captivated by them but I can't say they were particularly popular with the other children. 

I think there's an almost Dr. Who-like series called "The Magic treehouse" where a brother & sister travel through time together & visit a bunch of famous places (Rome and such). I never read them but a few of my younger siblings were fans as children. 

I think the L Snicket's  Series of Unfortunate Events might also be something to consider.

EDIT: Apparently the HF series is called "Dear America". Here's Winter of Red Snow. The other one was "So Far from Home". 

I was also a fan of the American girl series but they're more simplistic. Molly was my favorite -- a ginger w glasses during WWII. Can you tell I've always had a thing for history?


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## TheCatholicCrow (Jun 16, 2015)

There's also The Witch of Blackbird Pond (which is historically inaccurate but whatevs) and The Island of Blue Dolphins.  

I forgot to add - my sister's friend recently published (what I think is a Middle grade) Fantasy/Scifi series "Child of Atlantis". It's apparently doing pretty well. Just thought I'd throw it out there as something to look @ when you're on the prowl for children's lit. 

Hope this helps!


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## T.Allen.Smith (Jun 16, 2015)

Used up all my Thankies, but thanks everyone.

I appreciate the recommendations & insights.


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## thedarknessrising (Jun 16, 2015)

TheCatholicCrow said:


> I think there's an almost Dr. Who-like series called "The Magic treehouse" where a brother & sister travel through time together & visit a bunch of famous places (Rome and such). I never read them but a few of my younger siblings were fans as children.



I loved Magic Treehouse as a kid. Those books and the Harry Potter books are what got me into writing my own stuff.


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## Tom (Jun 16, 2015)

How about the Percy Jackson series? Those are a little more mature in terms of content, but they're great books with outstanding storytelling, wacky humor, and, as plus, they teach kids Greek mythology!

A series my sister likes is Royal Diaries, which are faux-diaries of different princesses and queens from all over the world and the timeline. Let's see...there's Grand Dutchess Anastasia, Queen Elizabeth I, Nzingha of Matamba, Cleopatra, Kaiulani (last queen of Hawaii), and many others. My sister loves them, since they offer such a beautiful glimpse into the lives of these historical figures.


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## T.Allen.Smith (Jun 16, 2015)

Tom Nimenai said:


> How about the Percy Jackson series?


Yes. I do plan on reading those to the kiddos eventually. My nephews are reading them now.

On another note, the start of Treasure Island went well. I was concerned about attention spans (with no pictures & only Daddy's voice) since the book starts a bit slow, but they were engaged and are looking forward to chapter 2.


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## Steerpike (Jun 16, 2015)

T.Allen.Smith said:


> Yes. I do plan on reading those to the kiddos eventually. My nephews are reading them now.
> 
> On another note, the start of Treasure Island went well. I was concerned about attention spans (with no pictures & only Daddy's voice) since the book starts a bit slow, but they were engaged and are looking forward to chapter 2.




You're going to do Silver''s voice, right matey?


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## T.Allen.Smith (Jun 16, 2015)

Steerpike said:


> You're going to do Silver''s voice, right matey?


Arrr! Of course!

Planning on it, at least. Haven't met Silver yet though. Just a chapter a night.


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## Steerpike (Jun 16, 2015)

T.Allen.Smith said:


> Arrr! Of course!
> 
> Planning on it, at least. Haven't met Silver yet though. Just a chapter a night.



Nice!

By the way, Project Guttenberg has illustrations from an old edition of Treasure Island in the HTML version of the story. The kids might like to see those.


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## T.Allen.Smith (Jun 16, 2015)

Good to know.

I really want to see if they enjoy the story without illustration first, as an experiment. Hopefully, Stevenson & I can work together and make it come to life.


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## KC Trae Becker (Jun 16, 2015)

Some good recommendations here. I'll add:
Two old series I loved as a kid. The first books of each at least held up to my kids
The Prydain Chronicles, by Lloyd Alexander
The Dark Is Rising Series, by Susan Cooper

Some more recent series:
The Spirit Animals series is very kid friendly. Even though there are multiple authors the consistency is pretty good.
The Heroes Guide to saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy is the first book in a series that is a humorous romp through fairytales.

And a recent stand alone book I liked:
The Night Fairy, by Laura Amy Schlitz


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## Steerpike (Jun 16, 2015)

Oh yeah I can't believe I forgot Susan Cooper. Also, maybe The Blue Sword, by McKinley.


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## Feo Takahari (Jun 16, 2015)

I used to read the Vesper Holly series to put my mother to sleep. I think it would work just as well for younger readers--there's not much objectionable in it.


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## MineOwnKing (Jun 16, 2015)

My kids are 8 and 5. 

I've tried Treasure island, The Hobbit, The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe.

My kid's complain before I finish the first sentence. They are just not ready for it yet.

Teen Titans wins the day.

We are trying Farty Marty now....but only my 8 year old is able to stay awake long enough.

My son just finished 2nd grade and he is just beginning to read and type on his own.

He performed his very first google search last week and I stumbled upon it when he wasn't looking.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

HOW TO BE A PROFESSIONAL CRAPS PLAYER IN VEGAS IN 10 MINUTES!

Wow, times have really changed.


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## Saigonnus (Jun 17, 2015)

Sir Nobonk. I loved it as a kid.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## chrispenycate (Jun 17, 2015)

Hmm. Some of those sound a little advanced for a four year old. 

If they like the Lion, the witch and the wardrobe you've got the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia - I bought the boxed set for my nephews, and now they've stopped reading to my grand niece (she's teenaging, and my grandnephew was one this week, so is not yet very word profound. I lover TH White's 'The sword in the stone', niece's copy of Watership Down is totally loose leaf by now (I don't think the original binding was very solid) and I had a grandfather who was very 'animal inclined', so I was read the Gerald Durrell books from very early, and loved them but that might have been the performance as much as the (rather grown up) content and humour. 

Perhaps the Alice books? I know they're now being rejected for Freudian elements, but I was never upset by them.

Do they have any special likes? I remember my slightly younger grandniece being ready to accept anything with horses in it, and was being read 'Black Beauty' incredibly early (Mind, I was brought up by siamese cats, so was wild about a book called 'Tai Lu talking', which nobody else has ever heard of).


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## Butterfly (Jun 17, 2015)

The Waterbabies

The Borrowers

Somehow, you just reminded me about them.


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## T.Allen.Smith (Jun 17, 2015)

chrispenycate said:


> Hmm. Some of those sound a little advanced for a four year old.


That was my concern.

So far they both love Treasure Island though. We're on Chapter 5, two chapters ahead of schedule.


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## KC Trae Becker (Jun 18, 2015)

Talking Animal fantasies are more age appropriate if your kids like animals. They thrilled me as a child with their get-in-the-heads-of-animals imagination stretch often associated with fantasy and sci fi.

Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O'Brien
One Hundred and One Dalmatians, by Dodie Smith (I was just today strongly reminded of 
       the dog's Twilight Bark while listening to Terry Pratchet's Long Earth War and the 
       troll's long call.)
The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling

Watership Down, by Richard Adams was not originally written for kids, but has been enjoyed by many of them.

There's also the Oz series, by L. Frank Baum


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## T.Allen.Smith (Jun 19, 2015)

Thanks again to all for the great recommendations!


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## ScorpionWoman (Mar 15, 2019)

Inkspell, Inkheart, and Inkdeath are good fantasy books that would be age appropriate. The author is Cornillia Funke (I may have misspelled her first name). They were some if my favorites when I was younger, particularly the second one Inkspell.


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