Now that my baby is a little older, I've gotten back into the habit of reading chapter books to my oldest before she goes to sleep.
I started off by reading her books I loved from my childhood, like The Twits or Wayside Stories. But then I realized it's more fun if I haven't read the book and I'm curious to know what happens too.
Recently we finished Matilda, which I never read as a child. Loved it! We tried the Ramona series, but we both got bored on book one. Now we're reading a series called Judy Moody that's a little cheesy but Mel really likes it. Plus the whole series is available free on the Kindle library.
What do you read to your kids?
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ReplyDeleteGreat idea Fizzy about the Judy Moody series - I'll check it out. The bit about getting bored is so true - we loved Matilda as well for that reason. There are a few books that my children ask for time and again, and have become part of our "story" together. The first is the Winnie the Pooh original collection and more recently, The Sweet Dreams book and the I Love You book by Andrew Wynne and Emma Scott. I loved the last two so much that I bought a copy of each for my children to keep as a memento. Those last few moments before sleep are so precious to them, and my favourite part of the day too. They know the words off by heart. Thanks for conjuring up my happy book memories for me!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteDon't get too excited about Judy Moody. I actually much prefer the Franny K. Stein series about a mad female (kid) scientist, but we read them too quick and they're not at the library.
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House in the Big Woods series is a fabulous read aloud. Start at the first one. Our favorite is The Long Winter. The Warriors series (about cats in the wild) is fantastic and my daughter devoured it. Into the Woods is the first one. The Magic Treehouse series are loved by kids, although I found them annoyingly lesson-oriented. Edward Eager wrote fabulous books about kids and magic that I loved-- start with Half Magic. Enchanted Castle (Elizabeth Enright) is another great read aloud magic book. The Children of Greene Knowe also great read aloud. Finally, Harry Potter is a great choice.
ReplyDeleteWe just watched the whole Harry Potter series (1 through 5 at least). I feel like she might get bored if I read it.
DeleteMy husband is a librarian so I am partial to asking Librarians for help. We love, love, love our local library. They make themed book kits with 15 books in them on various themes (we have gone through ABCs, 123s, African American Culture kits 1 and 2, Things that Go, Insects) and we are never bored with them. Our librarians are extremely helpful. I have a toddler, but I recommend going to the library, and finding a Kid's Librarian to ask for help. They know their trade :-)
ReplyDeleteI just don't have time to go to the library though. They only allow 2 weeks for loans and getting them returned starts to become hugely stressful for me.
DeleteI have also loved discovering children's books that I never read growing up. My favorites so far -Charlotte's Web, The Jungle Book, The Wizard of Oz.
ReplyDeleteGreat books! And great to read aloud. The Trumpet of the Swan (EB White, same as Charlotte's Web) is similarly magical.
DeleteBelieve it or not, I never read Charlotte's Web. I hear it's hella sad.
DeleteYeah, definitely Charlotte's Web book and then movie.
ReplyDeleteAlso the other Roald Dahl books.
Try the Clementine series.
A Wrinkle in Time
Lemony Snicket series (of unfortunate events).
Alvin Ho
Could do the Wizard of Oz books (there are a bunch of them).
Depends on the age: (maybe she'd just read these to herself)
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew.
Katie Kazoo
The Whoopi Goldberg Sugar Plum Fairies?
Nate the Great
Can't stand Junie B Jones, just sayin.
Eventually Harry Potter and Rick Riordan Lightning Thief, etc.
I love reading to my kids! We have soft rule that we try to read the book before seeing the movie. So we are also looking for movies based on books: Black Beauty, Secret Garden, Treasure Island, Matilda, Harry Potter.
ReplyDeleteA. A. Milne is delightful to read to children if you haven't read those books already.