What to read after Frog and Toad?
January 31, 2017 1:04 AM Subscribe
What to read after Frog and Toad?
My young reader (6 years old) is suddenly tearing through Frog and Toad stories, and he enjoys doing those Oxford Reading Tree (Songbirds and Biff, Chip, and Kipper) readers -- level five or sixish at the moment.
What else is good at or a little above that reading level? And beyond? (Besides, of course, just moving up the Oxford Reading Tree levels.)
My young reader (6 years old) is suddenly tearing through Frog and Toad stories, and he enjoys doing those Oxford Reading Tree (Songbirds and Biff, Chip, and Kipper) readers -- level five or sixish at the moment.
What else is good at or a little above that reading level? And beyond? (Besides, of course, just moving up the Oxford Reading Tree levels.)
Well, Owl at Home, of course. Make Way for Ducklings, although McCloskey stuff is kind of dry if you ask me - but i think maybe he was onto something with Blueberries for Sal, which has a pleasing narrative symmetry and a sort of meditative quality.
Moon Man and Allumette by Tomi Ungerer.
The Island of the Skog
Anything by Gomaar Timmermans.
A bit more advanced would be The Shrinking of Treehorn by Florence Parry Heide, which is dialog-heavy, and No Kiss for Mother by Ungerer again, which is just plain fun (but does include a (brief, amicably-resolved) fistfight and smoking).
posted by Rat Spatula at 4:27 AM on January 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
Moon Man and Allumette by Tomi Ungerer.
The Island of the Skog
Anything by Gomaar Timmermans.
A bit more advanced would be The Shrinking of Treehorn by Florence Parry Heide, which is dialog-heavy, and No Kiss for Mother by Ungerer again, which is just plain fun (but does include a (brief, amicably-resolved) fistfight and smoking).
posted by Rat Spatula at 4:27 AM on January 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
My daughter loved the George and Martha stories. And the Max and Ruby books.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 4:28 AM on January 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Sing Or Swim at 4:28 AM on January 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
Maybe Russell Hoban's Frances books? This link has an extract near the end under Memorable Lines and Passages: Frances.
posted by paduasoy at 5:01 AM on January 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by paduasoy at 5:01 AM on January 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
Henry and Mudge; Mouse Soup and yes, anything else by Arnold Lobel; Little Bear. Kevin Henkes has some great books at that level too, and the Froggy books by Jonathan London.
posted by BibiRose at 6:25 AM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by BibiRose at 6:25 AM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
You should try the Magic Tree house series, although he might need another 6 months or so.
BTW, while the Wind in the Willows is a great book, the language is actually extremely difficult (lexile level 1140L, which is around average 12th grade level.) Here's a typical sentence: "Naturally a voluble animal, and always mastered by his imagination, he painted the prospects of the trip and the joys of the open life and the roadside in such glowing colours that the Mole could hardly sit in his chair for excitement." I read it to my seven-year old, and he made me read the whole thing, but I don't know how much he truly understood.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:40 AM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
BTW, while the Wind in the Willows is a great book, the language is actually extremely difficult (lexile level 1140L, which is around average 12th grade level.) Here's a typical sentence: "Naturally a voluble animal, and always mastered by his imagination, he painted the prospects of the trip and the joys of the open life and the roadside in such glowing colours that the Mole could hardly sit in his chair for excitement." I read it to my seven-year old, and he made me read the whole thing, but I don't know how much he truly understood.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:40 AM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Yes, I love The Wind in the Willows, but I'm an old badger. This Magic Tree House looks more up his alley.
posted by pracowity at 7:09 AM on January 31, 2017
posted by pracowity at 7:09 AM on January 31, 2017
The Poppleton books (Cynthia Rylant & Mark Teague) are charming. They're not as sly or astute as the Hoban* and other Lobel books mentioned above but they're fun, gentle without being treacly, and a tiny bit weird.
*All the Frances books are terrific but A Bargain for Frances in particular is great--such tight storytelling, & such a vivid picture of a bruising friendship! I can only say the name "Thelma" now the way Seinfeld says "Newman."
posted by miles per flower at 7:46 AM on January 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
*All the Frances books are terrific but A Bargain for Frances in particular is great--such tight storytelling, & such a vivid picture of a bruising friendship! I can only say the name "Thelma" now the way Seinfeld says "Newman."
posted by miles per flower at 7:46 AM on January 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
Also, a very different pig: Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson books are a lot of fun and at about the same reading level.
posted by miles per flower at 8:05 AM on January 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by miles per flower at 8:05 AM on January 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
Elephant and Piggie
posted by brujita at 8:07 AM on January 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by brujita at 8:07 AM on January 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
My first graders start with Frog and Toad, and the more popular books after that are Henry and Mudge, Amelia Bedelia, Junie B Jones, Magic Treehouse, Bailey School Kids, Baby-Sitters Little Sister, Matt Christopher sports books, Ivy and Bean, My Weird School. Those are all series of many, many books.
posted by Huck500 at 9:15 AM on January 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Huck500 at 9:15 AM on January 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
Winny-the-Pooh and The House At Pooh Corner, with the two books of poems Milne also wrote?
posted by LizardBreath at 10:02 AM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by LizardBreath at 10:02 AM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
Seconding Henry and Mudge and Poppleton. Cynthia Rylant has many books in the easy reader category; I also recommend Mr. Putter and Tabby, which is charming.
Houndsley and Catina by James Howe (of Bunnicula fame) are endearing.
posted by carrioncomfort at 10:34 AM on January 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
Houndsley and Catina by James Howe (of Bunnicula fame) are endearing.
posted by carrioncomfort at 10:34 AM on January 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
I think you are getting close to where you'll be able to read Jenny and the Cat Club, a story for a happier world.
posted by Frowner at 11:20 AM on January 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Frowner at 11:20 AM on January 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
The term you are looking for is "early chapter books"- these are books that have bigger text, but are relatively short. Scholastic has a new imprint called "Branches" which has dozens of early chapter books in all sorts of genres.
My personal favorite new series is Kate Dicamillo's Tales from Deckawoo Drive.
posted by momochan at 5:43 PM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
My personal favorite new series is Kate Dicamillo's Tales from Deckawoo Drive.
posted by momochan at 5:43 PM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
The Phantom Tollbooth?
posted by Ghidorah at 4:31 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Ghidorah at 4:31 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Warning: it's about a superhero named Captain Underpants, so (as my cousin said upon receiving it as a gift when she was little) it's totally inappropriate. But hilarious.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 4:11 AM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]