MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
We're currently winging our way toward the end of a Roald Dahl box set, and I quite like the bed time routine of a couple of chapters of silliness each night. Who else has a prolific back catalogue that we can pick up cheap enough and keep a Six and Three year old entertained at bed time?
Any ideas?
My boys enjoy David Walliams, Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Rosen.
I used to love Anthony Horowitz when I was younger, Philip Pullman too.
I best add, my wife's a primary teacher, and will kill me if she reads this! I'm trying to look like I know what I'm doing here. 🙂
Walliams is very Dahl-esque, though he's really 9+. I guess if you're reading them.
For kids of your lot's age the Dr Seuss books are excellent, and there's looooads of them.
If the oldest is really keen then getting them into some of the long series is a good one. They're not exactly high literature, but series like Rainbow Magic, Secret Kingdom and Magic Ballerina for girls; and Beast Quest for boys are really good. Kids get hooked on them.
Slightly older books that you could read them (but with slightly 'older' topics) are series like Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, Dork Diaries and Norm are really great and funny. They're also illustrated to encourage the kids to read. One of the current favourites is a new one called Monster and Chips, which is brilliant.
arther ransom?
CS Lewis
Girls or boys?
My daughter is sitting here saying she would recommend the Enid Blyton books
Naughtiest Girl
Faraway Tree
Malory Towers
Wishing Chair
etc.
Douglas Hill is excellent, I thoroughly enjoyed his books
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/douglas-hill/
My 6 year old has discovered Enid Blyton and the Naughty Little Sister books
For boys, Walliams may be a bit old for them - my lad loved the Mr Gum and Horrid Henry
Which suggests that girls really do mature more quickly....
All old, and rather silly...
J P Martin's Uncle books
Pippi Longstocking
Doctor Doolittle
Professor Branestawm
Dick King-Smith is prolific and usually entertaining, but shorter books.
That reminds me, if you're local enough you can have this lot, we've had a clearout but they haven't got as far as a charity shop yet. All decent enough nick, we recycled the battered and torn ones. Free to a good home. Doncaster.
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
Midlifecrashes, thanks, but we're a couple of hours up the road.
The rest of you, thanks! I've been on Amazon and spent a small fortune.
X
The mighty Captain Underpants is also a must.
The rest of you, thanks! I've been on Amazon and spent a small fortune.
I used to do the same until I totted up what I was spending month on month. That's when I joined the local library and have used them for 90% of books in the 3 yrs since. It's made even easier when you can reserve what you want online + there's no fee for kids' books. Job done.
What about the Just William stories if you can.still get them Bygone era but I enjoyed them as a kid and I am not that old (probably).
A A Milne
Arthur Ransome's books are a must. Very much of their time, (between the wars), but great storytelling, and just as enjoyable for adults; I'm gradually getting the whole collection in iBooks.
I also recommend Alan Garner, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alan-Garner/e/B001K8N5ZI
In particular The Owl Service, The Moon Of Gomrath and The Wierdstone of Brisingamen. Elidor is very good, too.
They can be a bit dark, and some more sensitive children might find them a bit too much to handle, Owl Service is particularly dark, it was made into a very good TV series years ago.
Give it a couple of years, but I Am David by Anne Holm is wonderful.
As are The Silver Sword and There's No Escape (and pretty much everything else) by Ian Serraillier.
The Sherlock Holmes stories are perfect for slightly older kids too - expands their vocab, teaches them a bit of history and obviously very entertaining too. 🙂
CountZero - MemberArthur Ransome's books are a must. Very much of their time, (between the wars), but great storytelling, and just as enjoyable for adults; I'm gradually getting the whole collection in iBooks.
I only read Swallows and Amazons for the first time last year - what an utterly joyous book.
Currently collecting the others myself.
It's never too late to read a good book. 😀
Arthur Ransome and Richmal Crompton +1. Magical stuff. I [i]sort of[/i] enjoyed Alan Garner's stuff aged about 9-10 years old. Depending on age, Dahl's [i]The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar[/i] will fire the imagination.
The rover adventures/giggler treatment series By Roddy Doyle.
Little creatures stealing dog turds and leaving them in the path of adults that had been horrible to children.....brilliant.
Artemis Fowl series........fairies with laser cannon
Professor Brainstawm - I loved him! 🙂