UKC

I turn to the hive mind once again...

Our eldest is about to surf the breaking wave of reading (we hope). We'd love to help him on his way but I'm after a few recommendations for things to catch his imagination.

We've got a good few in the bookshelf but they are still a bit old yet - things like Narnia, Treasure Island, The Dark is Rising Series, a bunch of Robert Westall, Roald Dahl. I also plan to get hold of the Willard Price 'Adventure' series.

So any UKCers who've been through the same thing recently got any suggestions please?

In reply to Bobling:
Well, our son, same age, loves Asterix and Donald Duck ( most of them are from me from about xxx years ago)! He also likes loads of German/British 'wordy' books, great " modern" kids stories. Just get a few books from the library and see what he likes..? Let him pick the books at the library....

In reply to Heike:

Thanks - funnily enough the last books we got from the library were Asterix, I enjoyed the puns much more this time round!

In reply to Bobling:

I have fond memories of my dad reading me Harry Potter when I was that age, one chapter at bedtime, probably don't go beyond the second book until he's a bit older, the dementors really did seem scary as a child.
Wind in the Willows
Beatrix Potter
There was an illustrated book of greek myths which got read lots, first to me and then by me (I suspect very sanitised)
Winnie the Pooh, you could then introduce him to some of the games on wanders through forests

In reply to Bobling:

Moomin series?

for a bit later, perhaps... Depends on his reading age.
Trying to think of books I got from the 'Starfish book club' at primary school...

Noggins?

In reply to Bobling:
Good stuff! I loved my Asterix(and still do)! My husband did as well in English. So, it's quite funny as the jokes are different. However, wee man picks the weirdest books in the library if you let him - from comics - to Egyptian mummies and astrology. I'd just get him to pick stuff he wants whatever it may be and read it? (Sorry not very scientific....) Heike Oh and we are also hoping he might read it himself sometime.....

In reply to Bobling:

The Animals of Farthing wood I found great at that age... seem to remember it being a thick book though

In reply to Bobling:

If it's for them to read themselves then the best stuff is probably stories you've already read to them, so they are familiar with the story.

So Gruffalo or Bear Hunt stuff? Room on the Broom, Jill Murphy books are v. popular Whatever Next! where a bear builds a rocket.

Rhyming stuff is early word games so Dr Seuss is always popular.

Something that is easy to pick up and quick to read is more important than challenging stuff early on, so they get to know that reading is a pleasant pastime not a chore.

In reply to Bobling:

How about a Rupert Annual. Nice pictures. He goes on adventures. Also two texts, one rhyming which your child could try and read. Also a longer text which you could read to them.
Its a long time since I had a 6 year old, this could be way off.

In reply to Bobling:


You sound like you had exactly the same reading apprenticeship as me - probably the only author I'd add to that is Nicholas Fisk, possibly out of print now?

The books my son (now 7) loved most last year were the Mr Gum series. Raucously funny, bit of an acquired taste perhaps but there is definitely a bit of depth to them. I read them to him - he's not reading full length books yet but did pick them up to read sections.

Some of the books suggested are for older kids! Colin Dann I read when I was 10 or 11! I even tried to read one of his to my son recently but the language, imagery and moral points are too complex for a six year old.

Anyway not sure I have an answer as I think mine is still a bit young for independently reading fiction. I intend to just carry on reading him as much classic fiction as possible in the hope he latches on to reading. He's still reading pretty basic books at school and you need a bit of fluency before reading 'proper' books I guess?

In reply to Bobling:

How about The Owl that was Afraid of the dark and others from that series... OK to read and readable by him now or soon.... (Jill Tomlinson I think)

You can get star wars stories in assorted reading age groups so the youngest end of that might work if he's into it and then you can cross over into Lego Star wars annuals and books as well - that way there is stuff to read 'properly' and stuff he can browse and play at (lego star wars magazines with puzzles etc in them) - that way you can (if it's an issue) blur the distinction between 'reading' and education with fun and letting him get on with stuff himself. Millennium Falcon workshop manual and 'where's wookie' picture books etc....

Your reading list sounds identical to mine when I was young and most of that is getting close to being read to/given to my oldest who is seven so Dark is Rising etc getting close etc. My lad is very fond of Gerald Durrells 'the talking parcel' (also called battle for castle cockatrice) - it's what I learnt to read on (mum had a cold and couldn't read so I picked it up and cracked on, breaking months of vehement 'I don't need or want to read') - I read it to him at about 5ish and he reads it himself now (ages 6 on). Very descriptive and imaginative. I'm now reading him adult Durrell books, as again the descriptions and natural history are amazing - I just need to do some quick on the fly mental editing out of mild profanity or a few bits that are less PC or appropriate these days.

I like to mix up stuff he can read with stuff we read to him to broaden vocabulary and open up ideas, places and concepts and get him questioning stuff.

In reply to Bobling:

I'm currently reading 'the Enchanted Wood' by Enid Blyton with my 5 and a half year old. They love the Faraway Tree and we have to go and look for it when we go on walks to our local forest. There's 4 books I think.
Also 'The Children of Greene Knowe' series, especially the first one is Christmassy.

In reply to stubbed:


^^This^^ You cannot go wrong with Enid Blyton. Faraway tree is the best ever.

In reply to Bobling:

Try the Mr Gum series by Andy Stanton, the protagonist is a grumpy, smelly old git with a penchant for off meat and poisoning dogs. The stories are irreverent and very funny.

In reply to Bobling:

Anything by Julia Donaldson. My favourite is "the snail and the whale". A beautiful piece of writing to conjure the imagination of a young mind.

In reply to spenser:

This too is familiar - we have a really good book of six great myths with beautiful illustrations (this one https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=657800&v=1). Weirdly the big one finds them quite scary, yet his little brother who is 3 and a bit can't get enough of them. They are so deliciously immoral though "Yes, that's another of Zeus' sons, and Zeus's wife doesn't like him because she's not his mummy" and there is no 'lesson' (other than don't attract the gods' attention it never ends well) and it's a 50/50 chance of a tragic ending! I intend to graduate them both onto the Childrens' Illiad when they are a bit older which was one of my favourite reads from childhood.

In reply to Neil Henson:

That's my favourite as well - a profound environmentalist message. I like Tabby McTat too.

In reply to thread:

Loads to investigate here when I have some minutes tonight. Thanks everyone!

In reply to Bobling:

Everyone is listing lovely books, but a 6-8 year old boy may well prefer Horrid Henry.

In reply to Bobling:

the important thing is they read. You can't force them to read books they don't enjoy, and unfortunately just because you have fond memories of a book doesn't mean they will enjoy it. As someone else said, Horrid Henry will probably be enjoyed. I hated him, but my 9 year old (dyslexic) son learnt to love reading with those books when he was six. I'd also recommend the Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle and (to a lesser extent) the rest of that series.

In reply to Bobling:

Flat Stanley

In reply to Neil Henson:


Yes - good fun reads.

In reply to Bobling:

I love the Jon Klassen books.

http://blog.picturebookmakers.com/post/152596041611/jon-klassen

In reply to Bobling:

I blame my passion for travel and adventure squarely at the feet of Tintin and if you wish to feed a curious young mind I think they still stand up pretty well. A good step between pre-school picture books and full on novels too.

In reply to Bobling:

Beast Quest books. Formulaic and produced on an industrial scale but my son liked them. Perhaps a good bridge from pictorial books to longer books with chapters (there are some illustrations).

Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz might be a more recent equivalent to the the Willard Price books. Might be a stretch for a 6 year old to read solo. If so probably won't be waiting too long.

In reply to Bobling:

Can't beat Dr Zeuss

Also my son loved Captain Flinn and the Dinosuar Pirates - these are great
Plus every book of Thomas the Tank engine

In reply to Bobling:

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Swallows and Amazons yet - but perhaps a touch old for a six year old?

In reply to Bobling:

Enid Blytons Brer Rabbit.

In reply to iusedtoclimb:


Can't spell it either.


I'm surprised no one has mentioned Dick King-Smith yet.

In reply to Heike:
I really think that the advice to 'Let them choose' is so fundamental. If children find something themselves it means so much more to them. The trick for parents is to build on that rather than force your choices. My children chose lots of stuff I would never have looked at but they read them and found their own interests. We then just found more of the better stuff and encouraged them. It is great to see them adopting the same approach to their offspring.

In reply to Bobling:
Captain Najork. ( look it up on amazon) - he's a good balance between nice, and anarchic. But +1for the child choosing- a regular trip to Waterstones might kindle a life long fascination.

In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Thank for this, really well put.

In reply to Swig:

My missus is a big fan of those but says the last couple are not suitable for young children at all due to the violence/torture in them.