An opportunity for indoctrination

[carbonel]

My six-year-old niece is (with her father) reading the Oz books and The Trumpet of the Swan.

What other SF and fantasy can I recommend to her? Just about everything I can think of is either hard to find (the Mushroom Planet books) or a bit beyond her reading comprehension (The Phantom Tollbooth).

Suggestions?

Comments

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Not too early for Dr. Suess. At about that age, I remember the My Father's Dragon (http://www.amazon.com/Fathers-Dragon-Ruth-Stiles-Gannett/dp/0394890485) books fondly.

[carbonel]

Actually, it's on the late side for Dr. Seuss. I think I'm asking more about chapter books.

But the dragon ones sound interesting.

[guppiecat]

The My Father's Dragon books are wonderful.

You can read it for free here.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

"Too late for Dr. S"? My, she's growing fast. Dr. Dolittle (http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Hugh_Lofting/The_Story_of_Doctor_Dolittle/) is good, though the second book remains my favorite. They came too late for me, but Jane Yolen wrote a lot of children's books at that age level (when her kids were growing up).

I'll generically toss out Beverly Cleary and third Edward Eager. Maybe Pippi Longstocking, Just So Stories by Kipling or (if you think she's up to it) Flatland.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Robin loved Ursula Vernon's Nurk, which is about a shrew. But we also found the Mushroom Planet books for him. Lloyd Alexander's Prydain books were favorites of mine at that age, too.

[carbonel]

Thanks -- more good ideas.

[xinef.livejournal.com]

My husband read The Hobbit to our two around that age.

[carbonel]

The Hobbit is perfect! Thanks -- that's just the sort of thing I had in mind.

[movies-michelle.livejournal.com]

I don't know if this is a little too old for her, but how about Dragon and the George (http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-George-Gordon-R-Dickson/dp/0345350502/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219256227&sr=1-5)?

[carbonel]

I remember it fondly, but I think it's too old for her.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

What kids can understand and enjoy at what ages is *so* highly variable, and then there's what their parents will try on them on top of that.

[carbonel]

True -- which is why I gave examples of stuff that I knew was working.

[guppiecat]

If I read the post right, the request is for books that the child can enjoy with her parents. That opens up the world tremendously.

[tanac.livejournal.com]

Thing's that've worked for us:
-A Wrinkle in Time / L'Engle
-Cricket in Times Square
-Any of the Edward Eager books
-Winnie the Pooh (might be a big young)

Things we haven't tried yet but might work well:
-anything by Ruth Chew
-Tripods series by John Christopher (starting with White Mountains)
-Green Knowe books
-anything by E. Nesbit
-The borrowers series (actually, we tried this one but the attention span wasn't there yet)
-Cushman's books (Catherine called Birdy, perhaps - tho that's historical fiction rather than fantasy per se)
-Ella Enchanted

So many wonderful books... top recommendations from that list would be the Nesbit and Eager books, she's enjoying the Baum.

[xinef.livejournal.com]

I'll second the Green Knowe books. She's probably at a great age (young end, but ok), for them. I loved those books. Got a set a few years ago and reread them all.

Stuart Little is another good classic.
Charlotte's Web.

[alexfandra.livejournal.com]

I second "The Cricket in Times Square" (George Selden, who has lots of other good children's books, too, some a little older, some for younger readers, e.g. Harry Cat's Pet Puppy).

Also ditto Edward Eager and Edith Nesbit.

Esther Averill's "The Hotel Cat" et al ("Jenny and the Cat Club", "Jenny Goes to Sea"), have been re-issued by NY Book Review in very nice hardcover editions.

Possibly Mary Poppins? I assume she's been through "Alice"?

Kate DiCamillo's "The Tale of Despereaux" is wonderful, as is her even better "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane".

Tove Jansson's Moominland books are delightful; I'd recommend "Moominland Midwinter" as a good starter.

Frances Burnett's "The Little Princess" and "The Secret Garden."

Pippi Longstocking (Astrid Lindgren).

Hope this helps!

[marydell.livejournal.com]

Andrew Lang's fairy tale books.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Narnia.

We have a pile of kids books we're getting rid of at the moment. Look through it while you're here.

[hawkida.livejournal.com]

Presumably given your username Barbara Sleigh's The Kingdom of Carbonel doesn't need a recommendation?

[daedala.livejournal.com]

John Bellairs is marvelous.

Er, Enchanted Forest Chronicles?

Weirdstone of Brisingamen was the book I voted Most Likely to Induce Claustrophobia, but might still be good reading, ditto the sequel Moon of Gomrath.

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

I remember in maybe first or second grade the teacher read from some book with Mrs. Piggle Wiggle or some such in the title. I enjoyed it enough I tried to find it at a library book sale but was disappointed to not see it. I never got around to actually reading those books myself, but I still remember being really interested in them.