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Along the same lines as the best toys thread...

Best books for E, aged 16 months

The Tiger Who Came To Tea - Judith Kerr
Hairy Maclary (series of books) - Lynley Dodd
Are You My Mother - PD Eastman


Worst Books

Books that talk - I hate them, I hate them, I hate them, I cannot see how they encourage reading, communication skills or vocabulary....AARRRGGHH

Beth has just turned 2 and we love -

The Tiger who came to tea

Hairy Maclary

The Hungry Caterpillar
Winnie the Pooh books

Beatrix Potter's books

(real classics )

I'm not Cute! (came in her latest bookstart bag)
http://www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com ... sp?id=1633

Any Katie Morag stories (she can really relate to these, living on an island herself!) http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/childrens/ ... g/home.htm




I hate talking books, overly cute books and really dull books, but she has some deadly dull ones that she loves

best:

the puppy patrol books by Jenny Dale aimed at age 9, all a bout a family who run a kennels.. 40 odd paperbacks in the series, all stories about dogs, (makes a nice change from magic and wizards etc, which my son is not into)

worst:

noddy - really hateful stuff if you look at it.. particularly the older stuff.

I used to be a children's librarian and the most popular book was the Guiness Book of Records. It's a great book, it can be dipped into for five minutes and it can be read from cover to cover. It can be read by those just starting to read or those leaving secondary school. It's of interest for teenagers who are bright and enquiring and it also holds the attention and is within the scope of teenagers with learning difficulties. There's something in there that will interest (and gross out) everyone. It was a real blessing for getting disinterested and reluctent readers reading. Plus you can read it and still look cool because you can show your friends the worlds largest poo/nose/number of piercings/dreadlocks/fingernails/supercar.....

Sales pitch over.

As for picture books, one of my favorites is Maurice Sendek's 'Where the Wild Things Are'. I'm still impressed by and greatly enjoy the rythem of the words and the images they evoke. It's a great one for public reading and storytimes.

My brother had a book called 'Owl Babies', which he used to make me read to him all the time.

I loved the Swallows and Amazons books when I was about 8-10, and used to spend every weekend in the summer creating sailing boats using my climbing frame and a big picnic rug.

Can't think of any books I didn't like.....

I'm quite a big kid... But my favourite is Diary of a Wombat!

nothing wrong with being a big kid
i have read the hobbit 12 times and my grandchildren love the duncton wood books (so do i)

For little ones, all the Charlie and Lola books are lovely (Lauren Child), plus the Shirley Hughes Alfie and Annie Rose books, and her series for toddlers - such fabulous, old fashioned illustrations! Also anything by Jill Murphy (she does the Large family, and for older readers the Worst Witch series).

Pass the Jam Jim and You can Swim Jim are nice for littlies (Kaye Umansky). And I have come across Dear Zoo 3 times today on my travels - it is a really classic. And the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

I love good kids books. I could probably go on for some time...

We like Charlie and Lola too, but you have to make sure they are written by Lauren Child, not just based on her writing, and actually written by someone else. We came across one recently that was based on the TV show, and not actually written by her, and it wasn't nearly as good.

We have also enjoyed the "Little House on the Prairie" series, both the full novels and the picture books you can now get.

DS (10YO) likes Morris Gleitzman at the moment, and DD (10YO) likes the Ramona series. DS (6 YO) loves dragons, so any good dragon books anyone can suggest would be appreciated.

My boys love all books - they are starting to read with more confidence now so I hope their love of books continues into reading for themsleves.

Favourite author - if I had to pick just one - Julia Donaldson - Gruffalo, A Squash and A Squeeze, The Whale and the Snail etc - excellent stuff that I never tire of reading to them (always a winner for me!)

They are just getting into the Horrid Henry books - not sure I like all the Nah nah ne nah Naar's I'm now hearing from them though

The dude (8 year old boy) is demolishing lemony snicket books faster than my mum can get them off ebay but when he was wee we used to love the 'duck in a truck' series though his favourite was a book where this mole went round with a dog turd on his head asking all the various animals if they'd done it It of course to the dudes delight went round the entire farmyard with graphic descriptions of cr4p and finished with the mole pooing on a st bernard

cheers, Paul

my ds (3 1/2) really likes trains, so various Thomas stories, much to my disgruntlement, but he will also look at factual train books.

He enjoys all the Julia Donaldson/Axel Schaffer books and knows them off by heart

He (and I) enjoy most Eric Carle books: Hungry Caterpillar, Bad Tempered Ladybird, Panda Bear etc

Dh particularly enjoys John Burningham books: Oi get off my train, The Magic Bed etc as they deal with important issues in a simple non scary way

Ds also enjoys books with accompanying CDs from Barefoot Books, (Magic Train, Portside Pirates)

BUT I had to spend about half an hour in Smiths the other day while he pored over all the "Historical Steam" train magazines and then threw a tantrum because I had put one back incorrectly

Oooh, let me see....Ellis is 20 months and is currently loving:


Mr Men (Mr Tickle is his favourite, but of course I have to do the tickling)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar (but I have to let him stick his fingers in the holes)

Little Zeb

Max the Red Tractor

He did have a Noddy book, but he ate it.

Worst books? Yep, talking ones. Or ones that fall apart within seconds in little hands.

Swallows and Amazons - all the books in the series by Arthur Ramson.

Magpie wrote:DS (6 YO) loves dragons, so any good dragon books anyone can suggest would be appreciated.

Hmmm, sounds familiar!

Try these;
The Disasters of Dragons and Other Fiery Fiascos
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Disasters-Drago ... 530&sr=8-2
Ignis
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ignis-Gina-Wils ... 337&sr=8-1
George the Dragon Way Out East
http://www.amazon.co.uk/George-Dragon-W ... 620&sr=8-1

My 6yo DS thinks they rock!
There is also The Book of the Dragon but I can't find it on Amazon. It's not a kids book but Gabriel loves it.