What are your favorite books to read aloud to young children?

July 15, 2009 5:13 AM

What are your favorite books to read aloud to young children?

I have an almost-three-year-old son who seems like he'll be ready soon for listening to chapter books read aloud, a few pages at a time.

I have my own favorites from childhood -- not necessarily when I was that young: the Little House books, the Anne of Green Gables books, Five Little Peppers, All-of-a-Kind family. (Just typing that out -- parents apparently heavily into meaningful deprivation.)

But I'm sure there are gems out there I don't know about. Also, I think my list might be a little more appealing to girls. (My sister and I were the ones being read to.)

So -- what are your favorite chapter books to read aloud with children? The ones from your childhood, or the ones you've read with your child(ren)? I'd like to refer to this list in the future, so please don't feel constrained by his young age. I'd be happy to have some to save for when he's older.

Finally, I saw this question, but (a) it's been years since it was posted, and (b) the suggestions seem more for six-year-olds to read themselves, as opposed to have read aloud.

posted by palliser to media & arts (27 comments total)

My second graders go bonkers for the Junie B. Jones series, Roald Dahl (The Enormous Crocodile, The Witches, George's Marvelous Medicine, and Fantastic Mr. Fox are his best for reading aloud), and the Captain Underpants series.
posted by HotPatatta at 5:28 AM on July 15

Any and all Dr. Seuss.
posted by rokusan at 5:30 AM on July 15 [1 favorite]

The 13 and 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear.

Once he gets to eight or so, read to him from the Cyberiad by Stanslaw Lem. It may seem too advanced for him, but I recently had the joy of reading it out loud and was wonderfully surprised by a new feature of a book I thought I knew very well.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 5:46 AM on July 15

My dad read to my brother and I a lot when we were young, and along with some of the books you and others mentioned above, we really loved listening to books by Astrid Lindgren. Our favorites were the "Karlsson-on-the-Roof" series, "Mio, My Son," and "Ronia, the Robber's daughter." They're imaginative and all have strong, interesting male and female children as characters. I think my dad first read them to us when we were 3 and 7, but they are probably best suited to kids who are 5+ years old.

The books in Joan Aiken's "Mortimer and Arabel" series (which begins with "Arabel's Raven") are smart and funny and, as a bonus, have great Quentin Blake illustrations. I also remember my little brother enjoying Sideways Stories from Wayside School when he was in the 6 to 8 age range, and the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series when he was slightly younger.
posted by cimton at 5:54 AM on July 15

Charlotte's Web is the BEST book to read aloud, each of my kids loved it around 4 reading a chapter a night. Ages 3- 5 I remember being very good ages for fairy tales and legends, bible stories and other short forms.

Big hits here were Sneetches by Dr. Seuss (especially the one about the "pale green pants") Orchard Cat by Steven Kellogg, which is currently out of print, but maybe your library has a copy - or anything really by Kellogg.


James Stevenson's books are very funny to a four year old.

My son really loved a retelling of the Odyssey around age 5, but I can't see to find it now. We checked it out of the library. The same author did a book of King Arthur/Round Table stories.
posted by readery at 6:09 AM on July 15

We've been doing this with our now five-year-old daughter, and so I think I understand what you're going for. I used it as a way to help her wind down before bedtime, to teach her to listen without interrupting (she can raise a finger to let me know she's curious about something, but has to save her questions until I pause), and to just listen passively and enjoy the rhythm of reading aloud; sometimes to just fall off to sleep rather than becoming active and involved as we do with daytime reading.

She has long loved the E.B. White books, and many of his essays too. We've read and re-read Ursula Le Guin's Catwings series. We read Felix Salton's Bambi, which was lovely (and I just found Bambi's Children recently, and we'll start that soon). The Misty of Chincoteague series was so great that we went there for the pony swim for our vacation last year. Seconding Roald Dahl, though there's a lot to explain in some of those ("What's poaching, Mommy?"). The books in the Cricket in Times Square series are great favourites (Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse is a good short one to start with - and she recalled all of those places when we went to NYC last January). The Jungle Books are also great, with Rikki-Tikki-Tavi the favourite (though you'd have to gauge your own child's fears). There's the Little Prince! And we also will read some Hans Christian Andersen stories - she likes his version of the Little Mermaid as much as the Disneyfied one. I recently found a copy of the Littles at an Estate sale, so that's coming up soon for us - I remember liking them more than the Borrowers (I think it's the tails that she likes - she has always wanted a tail). I've read her chapters of James Herriot books - she loves Cedric the farting boxer more than Walter the Farting Dog. Right now we're reading Ella Enchanted, and she's not choosing that every night - but the story is staying with her in her imaginative play. Oh! And we love, love LOVED the Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and the Tale of Desperaux (the movie? Feh.) - they were made for reading aloud and the chapters are a great length.

There's two years' worth just mentioned - and I chose all of the above because I loved them myself (and still do) and because the writing is so descriptive (pictures in the head, rather than on the page); and written in many cases (especially E.B. White), so conversationally, that while they were interesting, they were not so stimulating that they kept her from sleeping. And many of them are chosen because they're easy on my voice - it's like flexing a muscle, learning to read aloud well and for a sustained period. I want her to be quiet and listening, and if I drone too much, she just gets bored and restless - not restful and thoughtful. Many were ones that my third-grade teacher read aloud to us, and that's my reminder that I hope to be reading aloud to our daughter even then.

Reading aloud to her is one of my favourite things - but a big part of it is finding the right books!

There were good books mentioned here too: http://ask.metafilter.com/118907/What-should-my-6-year-old-read (sorry - cheap link because she just woke up and I've got to go!)
posted by peagood at 6:14 AM on July 15 [1 favorite]

Little Bear is a classic early childhood set of stories.
Kenny and the Dragon is beautifully illustrated and well written tale of friendship and loyalty.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle is a favorite from my childhood.
Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot is a series written by the same author as the Captain Underpants books. It is targeted to a younger audience than the good Captain.
posted by onhazier at 6:14 AM on July 15

The Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling were some of my favorites as a child.
posted by mollymayhem at 6:15 AM on July 15 [1 favorite]

I remember really digging Linklaters The Pirates in the Deep Green Sea

I also really remember Jack Londons The Call of the Wild but maybe a bit too brutal for a 3 year old.

Bilbo of course.
posted by uandt at 6:19 AM on July 15

My daughter is almost four, and she's really enjoying a bit of Pippi Longstockings every night.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 6:28 AM on July 15

I have fond memories of Booth Tarkington (Penrod, Seventeen). Second on the Kipling (Just So Stories, The Jungle Book). My mom also read us Pride and Prejudice. Probably ambitious, but I remember liking it. Never too early to instill a love of literature!
posted by Go Banana at 6:30 AM on July 15

A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman. It has wonderful rhythm and is so SO creative. (A sock is a house for a foot...)
posted by cachondeo45 at 6:36 AM on July 15

Beverly Cleary is a good choice, and has some great books about boys (Henry Huggins, Otis Spofford).
posted by corey flood at 6:37 AM on July 15

Little Monster, by Mercer Mayer, as well as his painted fairy tales for when your son is older (the beast is scary).

Where the Wild Things Are, Mickey in The Night Kitchen (Sendak is happiness)

Shel Silverstein, any and all poems. They're just fun to read aloud, fun to hear.

Goodnight, Moon.

When he gets older, The Phantom Tollboth.

And a little bit older? One of the best things that ever happened was a family friend coming over a couple times a week for, well, a long damn time. First, he read the Hobbit to me. Then, The Lord of the Rings. Seriously. He read the Elvish, sang the songs, and everything. Fantastic.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:15 AM on July 15

I have great memories of my mom reading My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet. I think there were simple line drawings in my version, so I got some visual stimulation, but the story is really the best part.
posted by kidsleepy at 7:15 AM on July 15 [1 favorite]

I've been reading various things to my boy prince for years now (he's almost 6 now). I found that it really took being 4 or close to it for him to really remember a story over a period of several days. So I'd look at something shorter and something with pictures to help keep his attention. Once my little one could read and follow along with the words, around 4 or so, he liked books that were mostly words a lot better. We're doing the Harry Potter and Box Car Children series at the moment.

At almost 3 though, non-illustrated chapter books didn't seem to go over nearly as well as slightly longer illustrated books. To set the pattern for reading chapters in larger books, we did a lot of reading single stories from a single bound collection. Some of his favorites were:


Thomas the Train – man do boys that age LOVE those trains
Frog and Toad
Winnie the Pooh – the original stories
Beatrix Potter – he liked the Squirrel Nutkin story best
The Golden Book stories – he especially loved Home for a Bunny


Good luck and happy reading! I know the hours I’ve spent in this time with my son have made up some of my favorite memories of his toddler years. I’m sure whatever you choose to read, that time is going to mean a lot to both of you.
posted by Palmcorder Yajna at 7:43 AM on July 15

The Tiger Who Came to Tea
The Gruffalo (and The Gruffalo's Child)
The Snail and The Whale
posted by gene_machine at 8:13 AM on July 15

Sorry, didn't notice that you specified "chapter" books.
posted by gene_machine at 8:14 AM on July 15

Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo.
posted by sswiller at 9:55 AM on July 15

I was way surprised that my now-4-y-o (who we suspect has 2 kinds of ADHD) will actually sit and listen as I read Jan Pienkowski's The Fairy Tales, which includes fairly long versions of Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. It's a credit to Pienkowski's incredible illustrating ability (I bought the book for me as much as the kids). We'll discuss the illustration and then he'll really listen to me read. Warning though, they are unabridged, as in, lots of mean mean stuff done by witches and stepmothers.
posted by rahnefan at 10:21 AM on July 15

or, um, whom... #@$%^&*
posted by rahnefan at 10:22 AM on July 15

Fairy tales (Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson), Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories, and everything Roald Dahl were my childhood fare (I have great memories of listening to teachers reading George's Marvellous Medicine, The Twits, The Magic Finger, and The BFG out loud during various times in primary school).

Specific books include: Wind in the Willows, Animals of Farthing Wood, The Fairy Rebel, and Stig of the Dump.

Enthusiastically nthing E.B. White (Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little), and Cricket in Times Square.
posted by kitkatcathy at 11:15 AM on July 15

Are you in the states? I've a lovely book/CD set of Tikki Tikki Tembo (as sswiller mentions above), unopened, (from friends of mine over at Macmillan Audio), and I'd be glad to send it along to you media mail for your son, if media mail is okay. MefiMail me.
posted by misha at 12:18 PM on July 15

D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths has some fantastic illustrations. Mr. Popper's Penguins will make everybody laugh out loud. You might want to wait a bit for this, but Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates is great too.
posted by oceano at 2:31 PM on July 15

Although a little dark, my 4 year old nonetheless enjoyed the original 101 Dalmations by Dodie Smith. We had it on tape from the library, read by Martin Jarvis, who read it far better than I ever could, but it captivated both me and my child...We probably listened to it five or more times. (Be aware though that unlike the Disney version, in the original it's very clear that the dogs are to be killed to be made into fur coats, and the religious/Christmas story theme is pretty overt.)

We also enjoyed shorter chapter books by Cynthia Rylant -- the Henry and Mudge series or Mr. Putter and Tabby series, Daniel Pinkwater (e.g. his Blue Moose books), Betsy Byars The Golly Sisters (3 books in this series); and I LOVE the Knight stories by Shelley Moore Thomas.
posted by gubenuj at 11:21 PM on July 15

The Pooh books, of course.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:48 PM on July 16

The BFG. Especially at bedtime.

And especially if you paraphrase the part where the giants are going to England to eat little kids at night. You know, you could, say, substitute the street where you live.

I did this the other night, just before a thunderstorm. Shoulda known better.
posted by blue_wardrobe at 6:54 PM on July 21