Welcome to Gaia! ::

I'm back -

Older kids -
Chronicles of Narnia
Heidi
Little Women
Little House books
Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island)
The Hobbit

I'm currently reading "The Lord of the Rings" to my daughters - though I'm not sure I'd recommend it as it's extremely long!

I've read to all 4 of mine all the way up to 3rd/4th grade. They enjoy the "mommy" time, and I think it's good for them to have longer stories to build their attention span, and bigger words to add to their vocabulary!

I have to add that I prefer UNABRIDGED books - I've read abridged versions that slaughtered the original and left me very disappointed. Of course you have to keep in mind your youngster's attention span when picking books that are longer. I find that my kids really identify with the characters in longer books, and are really interested in finding out what happens to them next!

I also read with lots of expression - use different voices for different characters, and ask questions occasionally to make sure they're still listening!

right now we are working on beginner readers from the I Can Read series and some from their school.

We still love the Sandra Boynton board books I used to read to them when they were babies. I usually read to them at night while nursing them when I knew I had their attention!

Oh those books <3 I love them a new one is coming out XD I love them too!

Here's one probably no one here has tried, but in our house it's been a runaway smash hit: Yotsuba!&, by Kiyohiko Azuma. It's a manga (Japanese comic book), and yes there is an ampersand in the title. If your child is between 4 and 7, it might go over really well, and we adults certainly loved it - we bought it for us! It's about a young girl (I think she's 5) named Yotsuba and her adventures when she and her dad move to a new town and meet their new neighbors. No nudity, no sex, nothing vile. There is a minor character who smokes, but largely for the comic value of having Yotsuba yell at her for being a "bad person". Yotsuba learns not to talk to strangers, never to ride the bus alone, how to catch fish, how to go grocery shopping, manners...each chapter has a different theme. My son has lobbied (successfully) for us to read him one chapter every night at bedtime, and laughs out loud every time. Look for it in the manga section of your local bookstore.

My son isn't really literate yet (or at least that's what he claims), so mostly at night he has us reading comic books. Lately, aside from Yotsuba!&, he's been favoring the Star Wars: Clone Wars series. His field trip to the library did net a new favorite, though - "I'm a Tiger Too", which he managed to either memorize or learn to read by the time it was due back. Sometimes he still quotes it. ...Yeah, he'll be getting his own copy for his birthday.

His perennial favorite is a rendition of "St. George and the Dragon" with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman (my favorite illustrator). Nothing appeals to a wannabe superhero more than the story of a brave young man fighting against a terrible dragon. It probably helps that both of us parents (whoever is reading) really get into the different parts, roaring and waving imaginary swords and so on. I've read "The Faerie Queene" myself, so I have a soft spot for this one.

I strongly suspect my son can read a bit, but is afraid that if we know that we'll stop reading to him at night and make him read on his own instead. Aside from reassuring him that that's not going to happen (story time is my favorite!), I can't do much else besides wait for him to own up.

My 16 year old's been reading the same series - I haven't tried it yet though - maybe some rainy day at the cabin this summer!