Chapter Book Ideas for Reading Aloud

There are some great suggestions here! I also suggest The Fire Cat, The Hotel Cat, and any Jenny Linksky books by Esther Averill. They are so delightful for us parents as well. :) Have fun!

i'll throw in another vote for Beverly Cleary's Ramona books- they are great. Ramona gets into lots of fun trouble and some of the stories involve pets. My mom also used to read them aloud and both me and my younger sister enjoyed them many times over!

I started Chapeter books with my son when he was 3 and he always loved Magic Tree House. There are so many expressive words in them he loved them,

I'm a retired English/Reading teacher -- and I just love the challenge of recommending books for people of all ages. I truly have hundreds of suggestions, but will start with a few that I have read aloud to my many classes of eager (and sometimes not so eager) young people. I'll give title and author when memory permits. :) Please feel free to keep in touch, as I call to mind more from my vast store of wonderful reads. I recommend that you start with the Bunnicula series. It's such fun.

Wind In The Willows

Bunnicula
The Celery Stalks At Midnight (you will belly laugh through this one)
Howliday Inn all by James Howe.
There are more by James Howe, but the first three are wonderful.

The 17th Swap

Mrs. Fish, The Ape, and the Dump Queen, Me

The Rats of Nimh

Magyk
Flyte
Physik
Queste all by Angie Sage

Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson

Perloo the Bold by Avi

Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo

All 5 of the Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DeTerlizzi

The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis (these are real treasures

Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne

Redwall by Brian Jacques -- and all that follow

Curse of the Blue Tattoo by LA Meyer (not bloody mayhem as it sounds)

And this is just the tip of the iceberg!!! LOL They are a variety of styles and levels; my recommendation is for you to read them yourself, and approach them as read alouds as your daughter evolves as a reader and listener in her own right. The stories you read aloud don't have to be simple stories, as I've found, children can understand much, and respond to character, emotion, cadence, and nuances of the language as you read. My philosophy as a teacher is based on research that proves beyond a doubt that children who are read to develop language better and faster, and that readers are better students across the board. Thanks for the chance to share my passion, and thanks for doing such a good job of opening the world up to your child.

Sincerely
P. Gonzales

Frog and Toad/Wind in the Willows

Perhaps when she is closer to 4 1/2 you could read The Secret Garden and A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Also, check out your local library. Children's librarians are underutilized and FULL of wonderful suggestions! They might even have age-appropriate lists available.

I'm also an English teacher, and I think your daughter is blessed to have grown ups who want to read to her and challenge her! Wonderful!

H.-
Can I just start by saying thank you for reading to your child everyday?! I am a teacher and I am here to tell you that that is the trump card to give to your child!
There is an amazing book called "The Read Aloud Handbook" and in it is has a glossary of many books of various levels and will help you choose books will rich writing and good levels. You can find it at most book stores, I even saw it at a used one in downtown Salem.
Other than that I would recommend Peter Pan and all of the Dave Barry Peter Pan books- Peter and the Star catcher and the others. Magic Tree House is good and so many options although I think you may feel like it lacks the good literature quality that you have found from EB White and from Despereaux (which is so wonderful isn't it?!).
Good Luck and again thank you for doing the best thing you can for your child!

These were some of my favorites, and I think they are ones you could continue to read to her or that she will want to read on her own for a several years:

Kipling's Just So stories -- beautifully imaginative and fantastic illustrations by the author.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary -- this is along the lines of The Trumpet of the Swan, but will probably be even more fun for a younger person. Really charming.

Stuart Little by E.B. White -- another terrific book whose main character happens to be a mouse. It's light, but has some complicated themes woven in. And the imagery of both city and country are great. Garth Williams draws such sympathetic illustrations.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White -- this might be a little heavy towards the end... I'm not sure, will depend on your little girl's sensitivities and reading levels. Garth Williams also illustrated this.

Non-chapter books that are worth grabbing for their artwork and originality:

The Rainbow Goblins

Father Fox's Penny Rhymes (my dad used to read from this and Just So Stories and they are two of my favorite reading memories)

almost any book by Maurice Sendak

One Monster after Another by Mercer Mayer -- very sweet little story about a stamp collecting trollusk and a little girl who posts a letter to her friend

Ramona the Pest, and the rest of the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary are excellent. The illustrations may seem a bit dated, but the stories ring true. As your daughter gets older, you'll enjoy the rest of Cleary's books.

Superfudge, by Judy Blume is very good, too.

Try Charlotte's Web and Winnie the Pooh... Sorry if they were already mentioned. I didn't have time to read the other posts. Feel free to send me a private message if you don't get enough ideas here... I can look through the sea of books in my classroom this week and come up with titles for you. Have fun!

I love all of the Roald Dahl books. They are not only fun for the kid but they are entertaining for the adult too. Try "James and the Giant Peach" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". I buy a lot of our chapter books at the Goodwill or other thrift stores. We also love the library. Excellent question - I am taking notes for us too. Thanks

We have found some that are Care Bears and Blues Clues but i do not remember what store. Shopko. Walmart or walden books.
Have fun
Paula

Have you tried the Pooh books by A.A. Milne or the earlier books in Laura Ingalls Wilder's series? "Rent a Third Grader" was another favorite of mine, and the language isn't too complex. I suppose she's a little young for Narnia yet or Wonderland. Another option is long children's books that aren't actually chapter books but are long enough to stimulate an advanced listener like your daughter. Sid Hoff writes a bunch of them -- Sammy the Seal, Danny and the Dinosaur -- and there are others in that vein like Morris the Moose, Francis the Badger and such. I used to love those when I was a kid.

Yes, we love "Magic Tree House" and "Magic Shcoolbus". Try those.

Have you looked at the Junie B. Jones series? They're written in the way that a child would talk, so if you can get past the occasional incorrectly used word, they're cute books. When I was growing up, my mom did the same thing - reading to all of us until we were well into elementary school. We couldn't wait until bedtime to hear the next chapter! They're probably too old for her now, but I definitely recommend The Wrinkle in Time series by Madelein L'Engle (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, An Acceptable Time). You could probably take a trip to Barnes & Nobles just to peruse the chapter books section to get an idea of some books that you and your daughter would enjoy together. Kudos to you for reading to your daughter!

The Magic Tree House Series may be a good fit. They are simple, follow a pattern and are slightly educational. Mary Pope Osborn is the author, I think.

Hi H.-

I loved Charlotte' Web and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You could even watch the movies together when you are done reading. It is a fun way to talk about how the book was better.

Annemarie

We've read to our girls before bed every night, too. They think we're punishing them if we say "No stories tonight." Usually the only reason is if it's too late.

Anyway, we have always read their Bible story of the night, then follow up with a chapter of something. It might sound crazy, but we've been through The Tales of Narnia twice (books 1-4), and the girls are only 4 and 7! We thought they'd be over their heads, but we explain anything they ask about, and otherwise they're just entertained by them. Let's see - Charlotte's Web, the Little House series, when they were younger we read some great books by Janette Oke. They are each from the perspective of an animal. I'm trying to remember the names - Spunky's Diary, Ducktales, Prairie Dog Town, A Cote of Many Colors, New Kid in Town . . . there are others. Those would be great for your daughter's age!

Blessings!

Have you tried the Disney Fairy books...the ones about Tinkerbell and all her friends? I have seen them at Wal-Mart and my 4th grader (with a below grade level reading skill) loves these books.

The Magic Tree House series is great. Have you tried Charlotte's Web?

I suggest the original Winnie The Pooh books. They are written in chapter form, and they come in a set of 3 or 4. This is a story she should be alble to follow and not get bored with.

What about Charolette's Web. And maybe The Little House on the Prairie series. Maybe Animal Ark series...but please don't read her any of the Junie B. Jones books. In my opinion, they're an insult to childrens' intelligence plus they're hard to read because the grammer is so terrible

How about "My Father's Dragon" trilogy? At 3 1/2 some fairy tales, also Reg Downs wrote about 4 sweet books with chapters the first being "Tales of Tiptoes Lightly" and the last " The magic Knot". The original wizard of Oz series is fun to read. Winnie the Pooh too.

There are plenty! The Little House books are great! My mother read us The Adventures of Holly Hobbie, There are also the Grimm Fairy Tales and soooo many more! Have fun!

You already have some great suggestions (I was going to mention Winnie the Pooh) but I wanted to turn you on to a website for very cheap books.

www.sortfloorbooks.com

They have TONS of childrens books for $1.75-$6, most of them brand new or new with a small scratch or tear. I have ordered a lot from them and only once was the book actually damaged (the push button was dead) and when I looked at the packing slip they didn't charge me for it! You can barely get books at a thrift store for these prices. Also, if you order $15 or more the shipping is free, and right now you can use the code "june2009" for 10% off $25 or more. I order from them, then as my daughter has grown out of the books I donate them to the library or pass them on to a friend. They also sell other books, not just kids books. I know a few people that have gotten school workbooks for 1/4 the price of a regular store.

Since they get the factory damage, seconds and discontinued stuff their stock changes a lot too so I go in once a month or so and see what they have. Right now they have all of the Clifford the Big Red Dog books for $1.75 each. I ordered a few last time and they are perfectly new, nothing wrong at all. It helps to have Amazon.com open to see what each book is since all the sortfloorbooks site has is a picture of the cover, no real description.

My son liked the Tinkerbell books when he was 3 (would make me read all day long until I finished one). Another chapter book that he makes me read all the time is "The Railway Children." I think the one we have might be an abridged version (still has chapters) because I just looked for it online and the one I found seems more detailed. He's been captivated by the book ever since we picked it up last Christmas when we road the Santa Train in Snoqualmie. He had just turned 3 when we started reading that one and is 3 1/2 now.

The Magic Treehouse series is wonderful for early learners. They are engaging enough to be interesting for parents too.

Animal Stories Collection and Old Mother West Wind and 6 other Stories by Thornton Burgess. These are stories set in the forest. They are amazing. My older brothers read them to me and when I learned to read, I couldn't wait to read them by myself. Now my 3 1/2 year old loves the stories with characters such as Peter Cottontail, Grandfather From, Reddy Fox...And talk about classic, they were published in the early 1900's. In the 1990's they were reproducted by Dover. Great fun! You can get them at Amazon.

You could try some books by the same authors. My daughter enjoyed "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane." "Stuart Little" might be fun, too.

Frog and toad
Stone soup
toddler bible

I would like to second the Esther Averill books (the Cat Club), which have been reprinted and are charming. Also the Thornton W. Burgess books. The L'Engle series is way too mature and dark for such a young child but I have heard good things about My Father's Dragon. These are older series, but that means the vocabulary is richer.

My primary suggestion would be to check with your children's librarian. They are very familiar with what's best-loved for every age and stage.

My second suggestion would be to stay away from branded/merchandise-based stories such as Disney and TV-related stuff. She's going to be exposed to that anyway; no need to reinforce it. Also, a series written by one masterful author such as E.B. White or Beverly Cleary has more consistency and character development than a "product by committee" line.

How about "The Magic Tree House" books. They're well written and not too long. Each book has ten chapters.