Reading to your kids

Akrasia

I've recently started to read a Terry Pratchet book to a 5 year old boy and I'm not sure if this is a good idea.

The book is 'Mort' and I've read it before so I know that the story and content are fine, but it's the vocabulary that I'm a little bit worried about.

I'm taking it slow and I stop regularly to explain the story and what has been happening but my son is clearly a little bit lost in some of the elaborate descriptions. I am inclined to think that it's good to expose him to the new vocabulary and the writing style and that even if he doesn't understand everythng, he's still absorbing and learning from it, but my wife said that maybe it's too hard for him and maybe it might make him feel inadequate if he can't understand it all.

At the moment he's listening and he's not interrupting which he probably would do if he was bored, but when I ask him if he knows what's happening in the story he says no.

Here's an extract from the book which shows the style of writing

This is the bright candlelit room where the lifetimers are stored – shelf upon shelf of them, squat hourglasses, one for every living person, pouring their fine sand from the future into the past. The accumulated hiss of the falling grains makes the room roar like the sea. This is the owner of the room, stalking through it with a preoccupied air. His name is Death.

But not any Death. This is the Death whose particular sphere of operations is, well, not a sphere at all, but the Discworld, which is flat and rides on the back of four giant elephants who stand on the shell of the enormous star turtle Great A’Tuin, and which is bounded by a waterfall that cascades endlessly into space. Scientists have calculated that the chance of anything so patently absurd actually existing are millions to one.

What are the opinions of everyone on here? Should I continue to read it and explain it as I go along or should I go back to something that is less complex and easier for him to understand by himself?

theLuggage

I'm a Terry Pratchett fan so can see the appeal but think it's a bit much for a 5 year old. His books really do have a comical slant on life but think you need to be a bit mature to understand. Maybe even late teenager to fully appreciate the books, though probably readable early teenager.

How about his kids books? Tiffany Aching ones are definitely simpler concept wise. I've never read any of the picture books like The Last Hero or Where's My Cow but they might be good too.

There are plenty of fantasy books that would be easier for younger children, Artemis Fowl was good as far as I remember.

Having said that if he's enjoying it why not keep reading till you find something better. Maybe a trip to the library and pick some books out together?

Akrasia

Yeah, You're probably right. I'll have a chat with him today and see what he says. We're 40 pages in and the book is more than 300 pages. I'll probably read a bit further until we get to the end of a sub plot and end it there.

Das Kitty

Just reading the excerpt of the book you're reading. I know I'd be stopping to explain lots of terms and concepts.

At 4 we're getting on grand with Roald Dahl.

I think it depends on the book. We read another book a week ago that had pictures, but the plot was all over the place so he had trouble following what was happening. In fairness to him, it wasn't well written and they were introducing new characters all the way up to the second last page.

I've promised him the BFG next, so I'm going to see how that goes and judge where to go next from that.

I agreee that there can be layers of meaning and draws on life experience that will go over a childs head. You risk doing more than boring him here - you risk leaving him with a memory of disliking the books and so will not pick them up himself later in life either.

Having said that - didnt pratchett do a series of three books specifically written for younger audiences?

But yes - I would move to more age appropriate material. We can often underestimate what level our child will take in and understand and enjoy - but we can over estimate it too. I think you are on the latter end of the scale and need to pull back. But watch for going too far the other way too.

dori_dormer

terry pratchett has loads of books for kids now. even some funny side ones like 'wheres my cow' and one about poo....

Theres ones called the bromeliad series i think.. about tiny elf like people living in our world. made for like 10 year olds to read i think, but I sure a 5 year old would love to listen to.
Tiffany Aching ones are great - you can learn a lot from Terrys books!

farmchoice

Akrasia wrote: »

I've recently started to read a Terry Pratchet book to a 5 year old boy and I'm not sure if this is a good idea.

The book is 'Mort' and I've read it before so I know that the story and content are fine, but it's the vocabulary that I'm a little bit worried about.

I'm taking it slow and I stop regularly to explain the story and what has been happening but my son is clearly a little bit lost in some of the elaborate descriptions. I am inclined to think that it's good to expose him to the new vocabulary and the writing style and that even if he doesn't understand everythng, he's still absorbing and learning from it, but my wife said that maybe it's too hard for him and maybe it might make him feel inadequate if he can't understand it all.

At the moment he's listening and he's not interrupting which he probably would do if he was bored, but when I ask him if he knows what's happening in the story he says no.

Here's an extract from the book which shows the style of writing


What are the opinions of everyone on here? Should I continue to read it and explain it as I go along or should I go back to something that is less complex and easier for him to understand by himself?

I think reading to your kids is probably the most important thing you can do for them after feeding them. I would put it ahead of clothing and love!!

I understand what you are trying to do but I think it's fair to say you're jumping the gun with the terry prachett, in fact you could do more harm then good it might turn him off Books.

I know it depends on the child but I should imagine for a 5 year old that's like have his bedtime story read to him in Russian. If all he likes to read are Thomas the tank engine books then that's fine read him them, it doesn't matter if he reads nothing else until he is 12 as long as he is reading.

Most avid readers, when looking back on there childhood and where their love of books came from will remember their favorite children books, be they Enid blyton or the ladybird series etc, I loved a series of books called the 3 detectives and I still remember reading the first one I got, from there I went on to fall in love with Sherlock Holmes first thought the ladybird books and then the originals.

If my father had started off reading the original books I would not have had a clue what was going on and greatly doubt I would have enjoyed it one bit.

silverharp

The first books we started reading to the kids was Dr. Seuss, it seemed to click fairly quickly and we moved on to the Astrosaurs series, at some stage they wanted to continue reading themselves. One memory of junior when he was 5 or 6 was reading one of the Astro books to himself and breaking into belly laughs , I knew he was hooked on reading then. they wouldnt have understood all the words but enough to enjoy the books and get the meaning. by 7 junior was going into 1st class with a harry potter book under his arm

December2012

My child of a similar age loves the Dr Seuss ones! And that vocabulary is mainly made up.

I think at five being read to should not require very active listening - it should be relaxing and entertaining and not like work - presumably your child does reading comprehension a bit in school, so this is like you doing paperwork for work before going to bed after already doing a days paperwork in work!

It's a noble idea, but the important thing is to foster a love of reading, not necessarily the content - that will come in time.

byhookorbycrook

I'm a huge Terry P fan, but really, the books are too complex for a 5 year old. Something like Winnie the Pooh (the AA Milne original ,not disneyfied rubbish)would be much more suited to that age group and has good vocab too.

January

I'm sticking to Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton for my girls at the minute. They love The Witches and The Faraway Tree series at the moment.

Actually I have been looking for a good list of things to read to my nearly 4 year old. I have found most books directly targetted at her age to be too basic. I have held on to a few like the "mog" books and some Dr Seuss and a few Q.Blake. But mostly not sure what to target at her age. As most parents likely do - but I am pretty sure of it - she is beyond her age at english use and comprehension. But like the OP I do not want to make the mistake of jumping TOO far ahead either.

The illustrated shorter versions of the Paddington Bear seem to be around the right level. Complicated enough story and language but not as much as the ACTUAL paddington books. I tried Peter Rabbit on her too which seemed about the right level but she just didnt really take to the story line.

So I guess I am looking for books targetted at the 5-6 age group.

Big Bag of Chips

I would worry that if he's not interrupting it's because he's not actually interested. Any books mine were interested in it could take a while to get through a few pages with all the questions and suggestions of what a character should do/probably would do!

I understand where you are coming from but at 5 he should be more active and interactive with his involvement in the story. Time enough he'll be in a corner reading books on his own. For now you need to make books fun so that he learns to enjoy them. Dr. Seuss has been mentioned. These are excellent, and colour coded for different stages and levels of reading. My 5 year old loves the accomplishment of having read a full book all by himself! And by reading the early stages books (words with 3 or 4 letters maximum) he really quickly progressed to the longer books, with longer words. His Junior Infant teacher has commented on his vocabulary and reading skills at various stages throughout the year.

What you are trying to do is very commendable. But you are jumping the gun a little. At 5 he should be reading to you/with you. And should be really excited about the book and the story. I understand not every 5 year old might be able to read yet, but even allowing them to make up their own story based on pictures in a book is good fun and gets them interested.

pwurple

For 4-5 year olds, I have a couple of favourites.

The Sheep-pig by Dick King Smith... This is the book that Babe the film was based on. Small big that becomes famius by herding sheep.

Charlie and the chocolate factory by roald dahl. The BFG is great too. I remember I was scared by The Witches when I was small, so i hate reading it now!

The adventures of captain underpants - dav pilkey. Loads of slapstick in this, kids find it hilarious.

Alice in wonderland - lewis carroll. My 3 year old loves this, and i've no idea why, because there are no pictures and the language is difficult.

Enid blyton i love as well, but you need to have a quick look through some of them before you read them.. Some are kinda dated. I got some Noddy and Big Ears books from our library and made the mistake of reading them to her without reading them myself. Golliwogs etc. it's over her head of course, but wouldn't be one I'd prefer.

Sligo1

I adored Roald Dahl when I was quite young. My all time favourite was 'The Twits'. Liked 'Matilda' and all his other stuff aswell. Rudyard Kipling was great aswell. Reading is such a gift. My dad read to me every night. It's one of my fondest memories of him.

sillysocks

Kind of an aside but thebookpeople.co.uk often have a special on collections of 10/15 Roald Dahl books. I got I think 15 of them for £15 sterling as a present for someone.
My little one is younger so can't comment on what books are good for that age!

byhookorbycrook

Farmer Duck" and other books by Martin Waddell.
"Hooray for Bread" and other books by Allan Ahlberg.
"The Lange Family" A collection of books by Jilll Murphy.
The "Elmer "series by David McKee.
"We're Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen.
“Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak.
"Dear Zoo" by Rod Campell.“
Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
“Operation Alphabet” by Al MacCuish and Luciano Lozano .
“ Hippos Go Berserk” by Sandra Boynton.
“Winnie the Witch” series by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul.
The Cat in the Hat”, “Green Eggs and Ham” and other books by Dr Suess.
“Room on the Broom” “The Gruffalo “ “A Squash and a Squeeze” and other books by Julia Donaldson.
"The Tiger Who Came to Tea " by Judith Kerr.
"I Love You, Blue Kangaroo" by Emma Chichester Clark .
"Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain" by Edward Ardizzone .
"Bread and Jam for Frances "by Russell Hoban.
“Curious George” by Margaret Rey.
“The Babar Collection” by Jean de Brunhoff.
“What Do People Do All Day?” by Richard Scarry .
“ The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business” by Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbruch .
“ Lost and Found” by Oliver Jeffers.
“The Adventures of Mrs Pepperpot” by Alf Proysen
“Monkey and Me” by Emily Gravett .
“Father Christmas” by Raymond Briggs .
"Hairy MacLary From Donaldson Dairy" by Lyndsey Dodd would be good for pre-schoolers.

For 5/6 year olds:
O'Brien's "Panda" series.
"Hodgeheg," "The Sheep Pig" and other books by Dick King Smith.
"Mad Grandad "series by Oisín McGann. (Part of the "Flyers" series, for children who like longer stories)
"Milly Molly Mandy’s Schooldays" by Joyce Lankester Brisley.
"Mr Majeika" series by Humphrey Carpenter.
"Penny Dreadful is a Record Breaker " by Joanna Nadin.
"The Pirates Next Door" by Jonny Duddle.
"The Great Rabbit Rescue" and other books by Katie Davies.
"Captain Valiant and Me: Revenge of the Black Phantom" by Adam Britten
"The Great Rabbit Rescue" and other books by Katie Davies.

Mr Viking

I think the David Walliams books are a great read for kids. They are a bit controversial and some might say the content can leave you with a red face and some explaining to do. Having said that they really teach kids some good values like we are not all the same in life and it's ok to be different

Big Bag of Chips

We have gotten a few David Walliams' audio books from the library and we listen to them in the car.

I have a 5, 7 and 9 year old. They love them.

December2012

Just today I saw my eldest "reading" Horton Hears a Who by looking at the pictures and remembering the story! 😊😊

Then she "read" a baby book to her little sister. She's only in Junior Infants so is learning to sound things out.

It makes me feel great to foster a love of stories and reading in her.

It also makes me feel better about the money I spend on their books!

househero

Why don't you read some of Boards.ie to him, he will learn just how messed up adults are... could be a valuable non fiction life lesson :-)

Qualitymark

Most fives won't find Terry Pratchett that much fun; his books rely on a complex series of layers of cultural references. Try a mix of simple stories - The Story of Ferdinand, for instance - with stronger stuff - say, Irish Fairy Tales http://sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/ift/index.htm (my favourite of these is The Story of Bran, the best dog story ever written).

Samsgirl

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt is brilliant for 3+
My 18 month old & her nearly 3year old sister love Polly Dunbar's Tilly & Friends. There are six books in the collection & each book focuses on one of the six characters from the books.

mrsbyrne

My daughter adored The Faraway Tree series and I read it and other books to her long after she could read herself. Her all time favourite book at 5/6 though was "The Party in the Lift" by J Wilson.
She loved Enid Blyton , Dr Seuss, Ronald Dahl. She loved The Lives of the Saints. With Blyton the ,"preacher" the better! Happiest days of my life reading to her.

mrsbyrne

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Farmer Duck" and other books by Martin Waddell.
"Hooray for Bread" and other books by Allan Ahlberg.
"The Lange Family" A collection of books by Jilll Murphy.
The "Elmer "series by David McKee.
"We're Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen.
“Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak.
"Dear Zoo" by Rod Campell.“
Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
“Operation Alphabet” by Al MacCuish and Luciano Lozano .
“ Hippos Go Berserk” by Sandra Boynton.
“Winnie the Witch” series by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul.
The Cat in the Hat”, “Green Eggs and Ham” and other books by Dr Suess.
“Room on the Broom” “The Gruffalo “ “A Squash and a Squeeze” and other books by Julia Donaldson.
"The Tiger Who Came to Tea " by Judith Kerr.
"I Love You, Blue Kangaroo" by Emma Chichester Clark .
"Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain" by Edward Ardizzone .
"Bread and Jam for Frances "by Russell Hoban.
“Curious George” by Margaret Rey.
“The Babar Collection” by Jean de Brunhoff.
“What Do People Do All Day?” by Richard Scarry .
“ The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business” by Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbruch .
“ Lost and Found” by Oliver Jeffers.
“The Adventures of Mrs Pepperpot” by Alf Proysen
“Monkey and Me” by Emily Gravett .
“Father Christmas” by Raymond Briggs .
"Hairy MacLary From Donaldson Dairy" by Lyndsey Dodd would be good for pre-schoolers.

For 5/6 year olds:
O'Brien's "Panda" series.
"Hodgeheg," "The Sheep Pig" and other books by Dick King Smith.
"Mad Grandad "series by Oisín McGann. (Part of the "Flyers" series, for children who like longer stories)
"Milly Molly Mandy’s Schooldays" by Joyce Lankester Brisley.
"Mr Majeika" series by Humphrey Carpenter.
"Penny Dreadful is a Record Breaker " by Joanna Nadin.
"The Pirates Next Door" by Jonny Duddle.
"The Great Rabbit Rescue" and other books by Katie Davies.
"Captain Valiant and Me: Revenge of the Black Phantom" by Adam Britten
"The Great Rabbit Rescue" and other books by Katie Davies.

Some of these are from my own childhood.
Add Fungus the Bogeyman to Father Christmas.
My daughter had me read Father Christmas last Christmas Eve. She's nearly 17. "Another bloom in Christmas".

hereford

I have a short story I wrote down on paper and I read it to my son I have two more stories also .dont know how to progress with them

Qualitymark

It's important to read kids books that reflect their own experience, and their own legacy, and gives them nice ideals. I was astounded when I went to a huge bookshop in New York looking for a book to get for a friend's kid, who's 3/4 Caribbean 1/4 Irish - the only 'black' kids' fiction related to slavery or gangs.

pwurple

Qualitymark wrote: »

It's important to read kids books that reflect their own experience, and their own legacy, and gives them nice ideals. I was astounded when I went to a huge bookshop in New York looking for a book to get for a friend's kid, who's 3/4 Caribbean 1/4 Irish - the only 'black' kids' fiction related to slavery or gangs.

I dunno, there are about a bazillion books about african wildlife anyway, that's for sure! You can barely turn a page without hitting a giraffe!

I worked in a (tiny) children's bookshop in new york when I was a student, we had a big section on children's multicultural stories.

For children with an african heritage maybe try
"Why mosquitos buzz in people's ears"
"Masai and I"
"To everything a season"
"Anansi the spider"

Qualitymark

What I was looking for was a simple book for a small child with a black heroine her own age doing interesting stuff. Got her one eventually online, but I was just gobsmacked that New York wasn't awash with them!