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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by All Done on August 4, 2006, at 14:57:19
Hi!
I know some of you have discussed children's books here before. Can anyone recommend some stories I can read to my 4-year old son? I'm just starting with easy chapter books. He likes them, but they have a few pictures. He gets fairly distracted if there are none.
What were/are all of your favorite books?
Thanks,
Laurie
Posted by mayzee on August 4, 2006, at 21:38:10
In reply to Reading to my son, posted by All Done on August 4, 2006, at 14:57:19
Just about anything illustrated by Maurice Sendak, especially the older books e.g.,
"Where the Wild Things Are"
"A Hole is to Dig"
"The Nutshell Library"
"Little Bear" (this is a series of books)
"In the Night Kitchen" a little bit more recent
"I'll Be You and You Be Me"
"Higglety Pigglety Pop!"Have fun!
Posted by sleepygirl on August 5, 2006, at 8:48:31
In reply to Re: Reading to my son, posted by mayzee on August 4, 2006, at 21:38:10
Personally I love
"Oh the Places You'll Go"
Posted by Racer on August 5, 2006, at 10:27:43
In reply to Reading to my son, posted by All Done on August 4, 2006, at 14:57:19
Mayzee hit on a lot of my favorites, so I'll have to go check both my bookshelves upstairs (where the children's books are) and my mother's box of her favorites from my childhood. (That might take a while -- I won't be going up there until my class ends, so if you don't hear from me, remind me, 'K?)
I know "Nutshell Library" is/was one of my very favorites. That's the one I get for all my friends when their kids get to nearly reading age. If you start now, maybe he'll be that much more motivated to read in another year? ("In January it's so nice, while slipping on the sliding ice, to sip hot chicken soup with rice. Sipping once, sipping twice, sipping chicken soup with rice..." I remember that from when I was your son's age! Can you tell that was read to me a LOT?)
"Caps for Sale" is another I liked, and another I get for people with boy-children. They like the monkeys... :-D
"Curious George" and "Babar" are classics that I loved. You know I was hit by a car when I was 4? Part of what made it an adventure to me, instead of awful -- I was hospitalized for a month, in traction, then casted for I don't know how long -- was that Curious George had been hit by a car and he broke his leg, too! {rolls eyes} And they're just plain Feel Good books, you know? (As for Babar, after reading that, I knew I wanted a chocolate eclair! Didn't know what they were, but pestered my mother for one for ages, until she finally said yes. Chocolate eclairs are still HIGH on my list of favorite treats.)
I was too old for it, but everyone raved about "The Velveteen Rabbit" when it came out, and they still seem to. I loved "Dance in the Desert," by our boon companion Madeline L'Engel.
OK, that's as much as my unfed brain can come up with right now. I'll check upstairs later, and at Mom's when my class is over...
Posted by Dinah on August 6, 2006, at 15:39:16
In reply to Reading to my son, posted by All Done on August 4, 2006, at 14:57:19
My son loved the Treasury of Thomas the Tank Engine books, the ones written by Reverend Awdry with the old fashioned drawings.
He also loved all the stories about truck drivers, mail carriers, and anything of that sort.
He loved "The Gas We Pass", "Everyone Poops", and especially "All About Scabs".
We memorized most of Dr. Seuss, especially "I had trouble in getting to Solla Sollew".
And I followed someone here's recommendation about "Roly Poly Pudding" I think it was, complete with rolling him up in the pie.
And he loved stories about Presidents. That might have just been him. Nothing special. Just the little beginning readers.
Ooooh. He might not be QUITE ready for it yet, but my son loved/loves Dav Pilkey's books. Captain Underpants might be a year or two too old for him (or maybe not) but I think Pilkey has some younger books as well. You might want to bring him to Barnes and Noble to take a look. I have to admit to loving Dav Pilkey myself. :)
Posted by Dinah on August 6, 2006, at 15:45:30
In reply to Re: Reading to my son » All Done, posted by Dinah on August 6, 2006, at 15:39:16
Whoops. Correction.
It wasn't "The Gas We Pass", it was "The Holes in Your Nose".
It was enormous fun to go to the zoo and see the hippo close his nose, just like in the book.
Posted by wishingstar on August 7, 2006, at 16:30:10
In reply to Reading to my son, posted by All Done on August 4, 2006, at 14:57:19
I dont have any children myself, but I have taught in a 4-year-old preschool classroom for awhile now. My favorite book in my classroom right now is "I Love You, Stinky Face". The kids think it's absolutely hysterical and it is pretty cute. :)
Posted by All Done on August 9, 2006, at 13:18:17
In reply to Reading to my son, posted by All Done on August 4, 2006, at 14:57:19
Thanks, everyone! I added the books we don't already have to his wishlist. Problem is, I'm going to have to build an addition on to the house for his collection. ;)
He's currently bringing his "Flat Stanley" books to preschool everyday. It's so funny to watch him "read" them. He knows all the parts, though. One of his teachers said she used to do a Flat Stanley travels the world thing with her students. They would all get a Stanley doll before summer started and then take him on their vacations and write about what he did. She said Flat Stanley traveled to some pretty amazing places with her students. I told my son we'll get him one for our next trip. Hmm...I wonder where one gets a Flat Stanley??? Sorry...a little off topic.
My husband just found one of his summer reading lists from when he was about eight or nine. Every single book was about sports. Somehow, that doesn't surprise me, but I'm hoping for a little more variety for our son. So, thanks for all the great suggestions!
Laurie
Posted by Dinah on August 12, 2006, at 20:18:14
In reply to Re: So many good suggestions!, posted by All Done on August 9, 2006, at 13:18:17
Now he's older, my son rarely reads anything that isn't Star Wars, or at least science fiction, unless he has to.
I'd complain, but I have the embarassing suspicion that most of my books at that age had something to do with a horse.
Posted by karen_kay on October 5, 2006, at 12:49:10
In reply to Re: Reading to my son » All Done, posted by Dinah on August 6, 2006, at 15:39:16
just got back from my niece's book fair and bought the newest capt underpants to read to my boy!! (when he's jsut wearing his diaper i call him captain underpants!)
and laurie, what about "the foot book"? good pictures and it rhymes.
Posted by All Done on October 9, 2006, at 17:12:50
In reply to Re: Reading to my son » Dinah, posted by karen_kay on October 5, 2006, at 12:49:10
> just got back from my niece's book fair and bought the newest capt underpants to read to my boy!! (when he's jsut wearing his diaper i call him captain underpants!)
>
> and laurie, what about "the foot book"? good pictures and it rhymes.
>
>We've acquired about four of the Captain Underpants books. He loves them and I do too because I get to hear lots of belly laughs. He still doesn't understand why he can't bring them to school, though. Any my husband thinks I'm crazy for reading him anything about poopypants and wedgies. I told the man who only reads sports articles that he won't be complaining when we have an avid young reader on our hands in a few years.
Anyway...we do have "The Foot Book". Dr. Seuss is always fun. :)
P.S. Did I ever tell you about the time my brother-in-law left a pair of underwear on the shelf at Home Depot? They were clean, just stuck to his sweatpants because of static cling. He didn't realize until he was in the store. I guess he did the only thing he felt he could do - leave them for someone else to find. Lovely. We call him Captain Underpants.
Posted by Daisym on October 12, 2006, at 0:47:23
In reply to Re: So many good suggestions! » All Done, posted by Dinah on August 12, 2006, at 20:18:14
Nobody mentioned the Alexander books... I loved those and want them when I'm having a "very bad, no good day". Also Wayside School and Magic school bus books are great to read together.
4 is a great age for non-fiction books, especially about insects and dinasaurs and stars. I love how they think, and the questions they come up with when reading them facts are hilarious.
Posted by All Done on October 16, 2006, at 14:15:29
In reply to Re: So many good suggestions! » Dinah, posted by Daisym on October 12, 2006, at 0:47:23
> Nobody mentioned the Alexander books... I loved those and want them when I'm having a "very bad, no good day". Also Wayside School and Magic school bus books are great to read together.
We have the first Alexander book. I don't know who loves it more, me or him. Somedays he tells me he's "going to go to Australia today" and that's when I know we're in for an interesting day. :)
I'd never heard of the Wayside School books but they look really cute. I'm definitely going to keep them on my list for when he doesn't mind that the books don't have pictures on each page.
> 4 is a great age for non-fiction books, especially about insects and dinasaurs and stars. I love how they think, and the questions they come up with when reading them facts are hilarious.Yep. I thought we had every dinosaur book ever made until he found yet another one the other day. Unfortunately, I didn't do quite enough checking and it's more about the food chain than anything else. A bit too graphic for a four-year old. Hmm...what am I talking about? I think it's too graphic for me!
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