Suggestions for a very young advanced reader?

~*Kate*~ · Apr 19, 2010

My four year old son is an exceptionally good reader and starting to read chapter books on his own. We read James and the Giant Peach to him, and he'll read himself an entire Captain Underpants. Yesterday he started flipping through Stuart Little, reading a page here and there but getting enough that he could answer easy questions about the plot.

Does anyone have suggestions for books between those two levels? All I've come up with is The Magic Treehouse, which are fine but not my favorites.

Thanks in advance!

Kathleen42 · Apr 19, 2010

What about the Fudge books? Although might (according to Amazon) be a problem if he still believes in Santa Clause.

~*Kate*~ · Apr 19, 2010

Yeah, he does. That's the issue I'm running into-- difficulty versus subject matter.

Thanks for helping though, Kath!

CaroGirl · Apr 19, 2010

Junie B. Jones is fun and a good opportunity to have a dialogue about grammar and appropriate vs. inappropriate behaviour.

Amarie · Apr 19, 2010

The Jack Russell Dog Detective books by Darrel Odgers are very cute.

CaroGirl · Apr 19, 2010

More: My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett, the Flat Stanley series, the Dragon Slayers' Academy series, Amelia Bedelia, Geronimo Stilton, Nate the Great.

~*Kate*~ · Apr 19, 2010

Oh thanks, I haven't heard of several of those!

Kitty Pryde · Apr 19, 2010

Geronimo Stilton, Dragonbreath, The Pain and the Great One, The Big Book For Peace, Mostly Monty, Stink! Oh, and Mercy Watson. There's a weird little series about animals who have parties, by Akiko Ikeda that's somewhere between picture book and middle grade book.

Maybe get some advanced picture books too--like "Gnomes" or "Animalia" (by Barbara Berger not Graeme Base), or other story compilations.

~*Kate*~ · Apr 19, 2010

Great ideas, thanks Kitty! He actually got Stink for Easter and is loving it, so y'all are on the right track for sure.

askcb · Apr 19, 2010

I am having this same problem! My daughter is just four and started reading at an early 3. I frequent a used bookstore near us and we've been able to find a few chapter books with horse or dog themes that seem to keep her interest. She is an animal lover through and through and especially loves the Breyer Stablemates horse series. I have tried Junie B Jones and Amelia Bedelia, both okay for content but she doesn't care for them. For the most part she just reads a ton of non-chapter books of varying levels, and I've sort of resigned myself to that being best for now.
I'm interested to see what other people suggest though!

JoeEkaitis · Apr 19, 2010

Pardon a blatant but sincere plug.

<<<<<<<

~*Kate*~ · Apr 19, 2010

LOL. Shameless plug gladly taken, Joe.

Shady Lane · Apr 19, 2010

I came here just to say My Father's Dragon. I actually had it read to me when I was five or six (Mom read to us every night) though I probably could have read it on my own...anyway, I adored it.

Ramona?

charlotte49ers · Apr 19, 2010

The Bailey School Kids are good ones, and ditto to the Junie B. Jones books.

Kitty Pryde · Apr 19, 2010

OH! Boxcar Children.

Shady Lane · Apr 19, 2010

Wayside School??

~*Kate*~ · Apr 19, 2010

*frantically writes down great ideas*

Thanks everyone!

charlotte49ers · Apr 19, 2010

More:

Horrible Harry books by Suzy Kline
Arthur books
Beverly Cleary books
There are some Berenstine (SP?) bear chapter books
Amelia Bedelia

Kitty Pryde · Apr 19, 2010

Oh! Eric Sanvoisin's "Ink Drinker" books. Extremely sweet innocent faintly scary vampires who suck the words out of books.

SheilaJG · Apr 19, 2010

Shady Lane said:
I came here just to say My Father's Dragon. I actually had it read to me when I was five or six (Mom read to us every night) though I probably could have read it on my own...anyway, I adored it.

Ramona?

This book has never failed with my kids. I'm amazed that it was written in 1948 and still holds up so well.

Another oldie but goodie is Wolf Story by William McCleery, but I think it's out of print. I absolutely adore this book. It's about a son who makes his father read him a bedtime story every night and it always has to have a chicken named Rainbow and a Wolf in it.

Oh, and don't forget non-fiction. My youngster devoured those early readers because he loved learning about animals, planets etc.

CaroGirl · Apr 19, 2010

The Dragonling series by Jackie French Koller.

MsJudy · Apr 19, 2010

Since she likes animals, try the Puppy Place and Animal Ark series. They're about kids saving animals, finding homes for strays, etc.

~*Kate*~ · Apr 19, 2010

Thanks for all the suggestions!

cwgranny · Apr 19, 2010

Marvin Redpost...probably my favorite chapter book series.

Madeleine · Apr 19, 2010

Well, I've never read Stuart Little, so I'm not sure how advanced that is, but I know that as a littler kid, I enjoyed Nancy Drew - the boy version of which is, of course, The Hardy Boys. Those might be a bit too advanced for right now, but I'd recommend them in after a bit.

-Madeleine

Suggestions for a very young advanced reader?

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