Wondering What to Read Aloud Next? How about Baby Dragons, Granny's Glasses & Horrid Little Boys? (Practical Mondays #22)

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It’s that milestone. 

That crucial milestone when you eagerly take the big leap from picture books to chapter books!

Yes! i.e. no more reading each book 96 times.

No more cutesy pictures and predictable endings.

No more getting bored to death and wanting to hide some really boring ones in the higher shelves.

No more piling up books on your bedside. 

One small novel neatly next to my iPad. 

& *Real stories* that are fun to read aloud! 

Scrap Paper BookMarks: All the thread work was done by meee! while he did most of the rest...
but why o why must he put a sticker on each!

The key to begin with chapter books is to find a book with at least one picture on the page. *Something* to look at while I read the whole page. I began with a few books last year, slow & steady. After a couple of those, he stopped being bothered by text-only pages. 


So I’d been looking for <150/200 page books online and purchased a whole bunch on the India site ( I *have* to say this, books in India are cheaper than anywhere else I’ve seen in the world!). We brought back a whole suitcase from our yearly vacation last month (wasn’t a big deal, we were travelling light!). 

We made some scrap paper bookmarks too, since one book typically takes three to four nights to read.  Simple stuff that he could spell out himself (more or less). The cutest was when I suggested “Books make me happy” he said, “No mama, let’s write books make me sleepy!”

So here are Book Recommendations for 4+ year olds!

THE HORRID HENRY (SERIES) By Francesca Simon

My son made my mum read it and she reportedly back “I didn’t like it one bit! What a horrid little naughty boy!” And I reminded her, what about Enid Blyton’s Amelia Jane books I read when I was a kid?

Books don’t always have to be righteous! It’s nice to have some fun too. Horrid Henry is not an ideal kid. Certainly not like his brother Perfect Peter. He gets into funny situations that end up hilariously! Each book has typically 4 short stories. 

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MY FATHERS DRAGON TRILOGY By Ruth Stiles Gannett 

YES! he’s hasn’t yet turned 5 and he has already read a Trilogy! A dragon one that too! It is a fantastic read for both adults and children! Elmer (“my father”) is an adventurous 9 year old boy who always stops to help out and befriend animals in need. Whether it’s an alley cat, canaries or a beautiful blue & yellow baby dragon! 

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THE CHOCOLATE TOUCH by Patrick Skene Catling

About a greedy boy John Midas, who only wants to eat chocolate for all his meals. What happens when he gets the chocolate touch? When everything that touches his lips, whether it’s toothpaste in the morning or trumpet in music class or even forks spoons in the cafeteria? What happens when even his darling mum turns into chocolate when he kisses her?

(It’s the book i’d party read when my husband was around. He was so curious about how it went that I’d to narrate the story all over again!)

THE GIRAFFE & PELLY & ME By Roald Dahl

Honestly, most of Roald Dahl’s books are a bit too long for his age so except for this short one: The Giraffe  & the Pelly & Me, I’m keeping them for the next few years.

BUT! I downloaded an app for his audio books! Our favourites are Magic Finger (Read by Kate Winslet!) And Fantastic Mr Fox. I think he has been getting into the habit of listening to these while finishing his dinner- but beats watching videos! 

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RUSKIN BOND: Getting Granny’s Glasses, The Blue Umbrella, Stories Short & Sweet

Getting Granny’s Glasses is his first Ruskin Bond, and unfortunately there aren’t many of his children books available for under 200 pages. This one’s fantastic! A beautiful tale of how the boy travels with his granny all the way from the hills to the city to get her eyes checked for a new pair of glasses. Not yet read the other 2.

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OTHER unexplored marvels on our book shelves:

SOCKS By BEVERLY CLEARY 

MOIN & THE MONSTER By Anushka Ravishankar

THE MINIATURE WORLD OF MARVIN JAMES By Elise Broach 

THE KINGDOM OF WRENLY (SERIES) By Jordan Quinn 

THE LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY (SERIES) By Cynthia Rylant 

GREETINGS FROM SOMEWHERE (SERIES) By Harper Paris 

HOLE BOOKS (SERIES): Something Fishy, Big Bully & M-Me, The Monster Hunters

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Practical Mondays Feature 

  Literary Cookbooks! 

 By Lit Mama Homeschool’s KT Brison 

You’ve loved their books, now here’s are cookbooks from 

The Hobbit, Winnie the Pooh, Harry Potter, Narnia, 

Green Eggs & Ham, Jane Austen & more! 

Some Rules: 

You are welcome to link up to 3 posts on kids activities, homeschooling, parenting, books, travels & expat life. (No other topic please! Not that I don't like a good recipe, a health tip or a uplifting religious inspiration, but this is just not the forum for it!)

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