Chapter books update.

[rivka]

A while back, I asked for recommendations for read-aloud chapter books. Since there was a lot of interest in the topic, I figured I'd provide an update about which books have worked well for us.

So far we've tried:

The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh, by A.A. Milne.
I don't have to supply a plot summary for this one, right? A few of the stories went over well, but other stories are fairly pointless from a three-year-old's perspective. We never got that far into it. Principally valuable at this point because it started us off on chapter-book reading, although I'm sure she'll like it more when she's a bit older.

My Father's Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland, by Ruth Stiles Gannett.
Little boy rescues dragons from terrible predicaments, using only his ingenuity and an oddball set of supplies. These books are amazing. Really, really wonderful. Alex just completely ate them up. There is a lot of adventure, but almost nothing is actually scary. The plots move quickly. These books are charming and funny and don't show their age at all.

Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Little girl grows up in the backwoods of Wisconsin in the 1870s. We read half of this very quickly, and then stopped. Some of the chapters make for great read-alouds. Others, like, uh, the hog-butchering chapter, not so much. We've had some interesting conversations about how people used to live. I guess we might take this one to Williamsburg, even though the period is off. Alex is still very fond of Laura and Mary, but she doesn't really ask for me to read this one. She's getting Little House in the Big Woods paper dolls for Christmas.

Mr. Popper's Penguins, by Richard and Florence Atwater.
Polar-obsessed housepainter raises a family of penguins in his suburban home. We started off fine with this one, and then Alex got bored after a few chapters and we didn't continue. I had to do a lot of modification of old-fashioned language. She might like this more in a year or two. I thought it was charming.

James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl.
Abused little boy rolls off for adventure inside a giant peach, accompanied by giant insects. Alex's verdict: "Really good, but a little bit scary." We gulped this book down in just a couple of days, although I confess that I skipped the very long songs that the Centipede sings. There's a lot of brisk adventure and not too much description in this book, which is good for a three-year-old. Michael thought Alex would be traumatized by James's mean aunts, but she seemed intrigued by them instead.

Ramona the Pest and Ramona the Brave, by Beverly Cleary.
A little girl lives a little girl's life. Massive, massive hits. Ramona the Brave is 190 pages long. We got it from the library on Sunday afternoon, and finished it this morning. Plus, Alex has been pretending that Ramona is her friend who comes to her parties. I wasn't sure how much she would get these stories, because they're very elementary-school-centric, but apparently Ramona's appeal is universal. Her beautiful new red boots get stuck in the mud. Another kid copies her owl picture. She's simultaneously excited and a little creeped out by Halloween. Just, you know, kid stuff. I'm loving the books, and so is Alex.

Where next? One of the children's librarians sent us home with Ursula LeGuin's Catwings. Alex is plugging for Ramona and Her Father, although I remember it being kind of sad. And I've ordered Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle from an Amazon Marketplace seller. It feels like the whole world of reading is open to us now. We're having a lot of fun.

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Catwings is one of my absolute favorites, but the sequels don't do much for me. (If it's published in a thicker chapter book, they're probably all together, the individual books are only a few chapters long.)

I only knew about Henry Huggins and Ribsy when I was a kid, and didn't discover Ramona until adulthood, but I really love Ramona. In Grant Park, in Portland, Oregon, there are fabulous statues of Ramona, Ribsy, and Henry.

I'm a big fan of Babe, the Gallant Pig, by Dick King Smith, as well as the reeditings of James Herriott stories for kids. (There's enough sadness and words that I'd say his original stories are better for 6+).

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine grew up with the tradition where, leading up to Christmas, her family reread all the holiday scenes in the Little House series. If I had a kid I'd totally do this!

There are some Little House books for younger kids too, she might like those. And the other Cleary books (Henry Huggins, Henry and Ribsy).

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

Catwings for a 3-year-old? Really? I looked at it in the library, thinking of it for the child in my life (who is 6 months younger than Alex), and decided it would be too scary. But I may be too conservative in that direction.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I haven't pre-read it yet, so let me get back to you on that one.

[aloha-moira.livejournal.com]

Haha, I remember LOVING the pig butchering. They blow up the bladder and play with it! SUCH FUN! :) I still love Mr. Popper's Penguins, but I can see it not working for a three year old.

If Alex is enjoying Roald Dahl, I would suggest trying The BFG next. It's less creepy than most of his work, IIRC... well, maybe not less creepy, but the kid is always pretty safe and cared for (as opposed to in, say, The Witches).

This post is bringing back a whole flood of happy childhood memories... thanks!

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Danny the Champion of the World is also nice mostly non-creepy Roald Dahl.

[eeyorerin]

Oh, some of my favorites! I loved Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle especially, and I think that she's best read a little at a time -- the Here Is A Valuable Lesson Learned By This Child can get a little much if read all at once.

Oh, which is the one where Ramona has the horrible sheep costume because her mom can't afford to make her a better one? I think it might be Ramona and Her Father.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

I think I remember that scene! Was it Ramona the Pest? That's the only one I had when I was a kid, as far as I remember.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

We encountered it in an anthology of Christmas stories last year.

What I like about Ramona is that the books capture really well the tragedy of being a little kid, as well as the fun. Things really, really matter, and little things can be devastating.

In the sheep story, the day is saved by big girls playing the Three Kings, who draw whiskers and a dark nose on Ramona's face with eyeliner. That makes her perfectly happy again.

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

See, I remember the scene with the fruit flies and the blue oatmeal and throwing up in class in, I think, Ramona Quimby, Age 8.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I think Ramona Quimby, Age 8 is my favorite of the books.

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

Is it the one that ends with the bad day where Ramona's mother slashes her father's pancakes with the spatula and everyone is fighting and then they go out to dinner at the burger place and Ramona lovingly describes the juicy hamburger and crispy hot fries and the kindly gentleman dining alone pays for their dinner? If so, it's my favorite too.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

What fun! When you first asked for recommendations, I used that as an excuse to wander around the kids' part of my new-favourite bookstore. I ended up buying myself some books and I realize that I never got around to writing you more recommendations. Now, the only ones I can remember are A Bear Called Paddington and its sequels, and the Mary Poppins series.

[jazzfish]

Hurrah for My Father's Dragon! There's a third one (Elmer and the Dragon, perhaps?) as well.

Also possibles: Beatrix Potter? Kipling's _Just So Stories_?

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Did I say Catherine Storr's Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf? Because your mention of Ramona reminded me.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

That sounds great, although our library doesn't have it and it looks like it's out of print in the US. But it does seem like exactly the right sort of thing, so we might poke around for it used.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

If Alex isn't enthralled by Winnie the Pooh yet then probably The Wind in the Willows won't do much for her either... maybe in a few years though.

I wish I could think of good suggestions, but all of these sound like great fun!

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Yeah, The Wind in the Willows really is a book for older children. The amount of poetic description is a good indicator of that. (Really, three is quite young.)

[electricland.livejournal.com]

it really is -- I have absolutely no idea what my parents were reading to me at that age (although I'm sure I enjoyed it).

[ruisseau.livejournal.com]

Ramona and Her Father is kind of sad. Beezus and Ramona, though, is not, although it's more from Beezus's POV, and Ramona is the annoying little sister.

But if she loved James and the Giant Peach, you have to read her Matilda! That's my favorite Dahl book.

[txobserver.livejournal.com]

Ditto about Matilda. My kids (and before them, I) loved Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, and other Elizabeth Nesbit books.

[kip-w.livejournal.com]

Beverly Cleary is great. I pick up her books whenever I see them used. She's one of the writers who sees right into kids' heads. The first thing of hers that I was really aware of (I'd read some excerpts in collections before that) was an adaptation of "Leave it to Beaver" episodes. Beav orders an accordion by mail, because there's a free trial offer. When it comes, he drags it up the stairs into his room, thinking he'll impress everybody by walking down the stairs playing it.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

The Little House books someone mentioned above are really nice - my library has a bunch, and Elena loves them. Basically, each one is an abridged chapter - with gorgeous full-color illustrations - from the original source. "Going To Town" is nice, and there's "Summer in the Big Woods" (I think) and "Dance at Grandpa's" and so on.

What about Thornton Burgess? I haven't looked at that series lately, but I see them on the shelf at the library and remember loving them as a child. I don't know how appropriate they'd be..... a lot of anthropomorphized animals, IIRC.

Beverly Cleary has a couple of great memoirs. A Girl From Yamhill is the first one, and I can't remember the second......

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Yes, we have four of the illustrated "My First Little House" books, and they are wonderful. We have Winter Days in the Big Woods, Summertime in the Big Woods, Prairie Day, and Dance at Grandpa's. That's what made her initially excited to have "a big book about Laura and Mary."

What about Thornton Burgess?

Well, librarian-in-training, maybe you could advise me on that. ;-)

I looked at some on Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/b#a717), and they seemed very, very old-fashioned in their language and style. But yeah, I remember liking them too. I can picture exactly where they kept them in the Booth School library, under the windows that led to the library classroom where we saw filmstrips.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

I'm working tomorrow night, and I'll take a look at the Thornton Burgess books. :)

I think once we work our way through my library's picture book "Little House" series, we'll move on to the big book.

[almeda.livejournal.com]

I loved Thornton Burgess; my old-book-pusher grandfather scoured the city to find me all of them.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

I flipped through The Story of Reddy Fox, and didn't think the language seemed too bad.

The other one I thought of was Junie B. Jones (author's name..... Parker, I think), who is sort of a more modern Ramona - but I think she'd be better received a couple of years from now.

[ailbhe]

I'll have to try James and the Giant Peach on Linnea, the abusive adults freak me out but might be ok for her. Though she can probably tell they freak me out. Also, the runaway rhino thing bothers me a bit. Babar also starts by killing the baby's parents, and although it never bothered me as a child, as an adult that's uncomfortable.

Linnea was happy with pig-butchering but found the sugaring-off dance boring.

I have a *very faint* recollection of My Father's Dragon but our copy has gone.

We've liked Shirley Hughes, "When my naughty little sister was good" especially; we've read several Shirley Hughes picture books, too, and a lot of them are about sibling relationships with no presumption of jealousy.

[wanderingaengus.livejournal.com]

How about The Phantom Tollbooth?

[rivka.livejournal.com]

It's one of my favorites! But it's for much older kids - it's got a lot of sophisticated wordplay and concept-play.

[lizardling.livejournal.com]

Ooooh. I love Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. I still remember the radishes. And the Slow Eater Tiny Bite Taker! :D :D

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I know, I loved those books so much!

My memory is that the first book has cures that are clever, but not magical - like the Slow Eater Tiny Bite Taker, and the radishes, and the boy who gets trapped in his room because he never cleans up. The later books have more magical stuff, like the tattletale cure where tails of black smoke actually come out of the kids' mouths and hang over their heads. I liked the "real" cures better, but it occurs to me that Alex may be precisely the opposite.

[lizardling.livejournal.com]

A pig that can use cutlery isn't magical? ;)

Ooh, I remember those too! *squee* big black clouds of smoke!

I know I pictured myself running around in an upside down house a lot as a kid, and spent time trying to figure out how I'd negotiate the vaulted living room ceiling and climb upslope to the hall. :D

Regarding Babar, I always was a bit freaked out by the old king elephant turning green when he was poisoned. O.o

Hmm. I'd totally second the Just So stories, they're fabulous for reading out loud, I think. I still love the story of the alphabet.

[redbird]

I have asked the library to send me the two Gannett books about dragons.

[tchemgrrl.livejournal.com]

Something in the description of the My Father's Dragon series reminded me of the Spiderwick Chronicles. They're great fun (secret rooms! I LOVED the idea of secret rooms as a child). And definitely more adventuresome than scary.

(I wouldn't say the same of the movie, which contained the useful take-home message that if your parents divorce and your father comes back and says he loves you, he's certainly a beastie in disguise.)

[lizardling.livejournal.com]

Hee, that's true. That said, I particularly liked the girl in the movie since she got to be the kickass one with the sword. :D

[llnaughty.livejournal.com]

wow, half those books were favorites of mine growing up, the dragon series, penguins, of course the ramona stuff (even though i was a boy and supposedly wouldn't be interested in them, i ate them up).

here are some more from my list of childhood favorites:

trumpet of the swan

mrs. frisby and the rats of nimh

100 pounds of popcorn

cricket in time square

[almeda.livejournal.com]

Something that just occurred to me while I was looking through kids' books for a rather younger aim: have you test-read the Great Brain books, by John D. Fitzgerald and illustrated by Mercer Mayer? They're based on the author's real childhood around the turn of the century in the American West, and are full of capers and adventures. A couple might be 'too scary,' as I recall the boys getting lost in a cave once and so on, but YMMV. Or AMMV, as the case may be. :->