Bed time books for a three year old.

[Tetedelacourse]

Eh? In what way? Ok, they have an old fashioned charm, and there are elements of realism, like Peter's father being put in a pie, but 'un-PC'?, I really can't think how you think that. Even the Two Bad Mice are redeemed in the end. And I don't know the story of Pigling Bland as well as the others. but I don't think the black Berkshire turns out to be a drug dealer or anything.

The 3 year old daughter of a friend of mine likes the Hairy Maclary books - I read several to her last week and quite enjoyed them myself. They have just the right level of stretching in the vocab, and a nice rhythm and rhyme to them...

http://www.mallinsonrendel.co.nz/hairybooks.asp

Off the top of my tete, Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny get a good whipping from Mr Bouncer for going in Mr MacGregor's garden, and Beatrix delightfully illustrated Peter crying whilst Benjamin got his share!

Lynley Dodd went down well with ours too. A bellicose bark and a blustering bounce etc Particularly the one with the duckling that follows him everywhere.

 

[cisamcgu]

Giraffes can't dance. There are others by the same author, my daughter loved them when she was three, and still does now.


Andrew

 

[Tetedelacourse]

My dad found a large book of bedtime stories from yonks ago, which our kids like, and one of them is "Pervy the Pig"

He's so-called because he's a perverse little pig in that he goes against the flow all the time (of course!!).

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

Another vote for Gruffalo, We're Going on a Bear Hunt, I Love You This Much. They've all been firm favourites. As have the "Daisy" books: Eat Your Peas is one of them.

Of course, absolutely anything by Dr Seuss. Our two have also loved "Complete Milligan" or something like that: all the poems he wrote for his own (grand)children.

And Winnie the Pooh (proper, original AA Milne) is a good one to read. I always feel like it was written to be read aloud (which is not true of other books) 'cos it just flows so well. I suppose AA did write it all for Chrisopher Robin .. I dunno, it just works when read aloud. And Eeyore is just great.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Peter Pan...always a goody that one.

 

[Blackandblue]

All of the Julia Donaldson/Axel Schaeffer books are good with particular mention for Squash and a Squeeze, Room on the Broom and Gruffalo.

Paddington Bear also goes down well in our house.

 

[Maz]

I've read and re-read the The Farmyard Tales ("Appletree Farm") series of books to my kids on many many occasions. A firm favourite.

 

[cchapman]

You don't actually need a book.
Just make up a story as you go along.
I did this with my 3yo. The favourite was the series about Blackie, a mischievous little dog who would chase seagulls, sneak into school classes and be petted by the other kids, etc. There are at least two other advantages. You can lower you voice to an hypnotic murmer as you say "....... ans so the day drew to a close, the baby birds snuggled together in their nest and closed their eyes as the watchful daddy-bird kept a protective eye over them.
The second advantage is that once the childs stories are refined thay can be repeated ad nauseum, while reading your choice. Just don't get the stories mixed up/

 

[LLB]

Mickey's day on the Farm - Rhyming reader style book with a clever play on words.

Brilliant book for a young mind. My eldest made me read this so many times as a youngster, I still know the words off by heart now. Out of print, but can still be got through Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Mickeys-farm-Disney-rhyming-reader/dp/B000725HZ4

 

[meenaghman]

Have most of the books mentioned so far
a few more my 3 soone to be 4 yr old has
"my dad" and "my mum" by Anthony Browne
Fix it duck and other books in the series by Jez Alborough
All afloat on noahs boat tony Mitton/Guy Parker-rees
Many nursery rhyme books .. loves doing the rhymes.
.. my wee fella still into tractors so he has Farmers buying guide magazines.. a sort of autotrader for tractors and enjoys counting how many John Deeres / new hollands / massey fergusons etc.

 

[Arch]

Off the top of my tete, Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny get a good whipping from Mr Bouncer for going in Mr MacGregor's garden, and Beatrix delightfully illustrated Peter crying whilst Benjamin got his share!

I dunno. Teaches kids about the consequences of misbehaviour. I'd hardly call it un-PC myself, and I certainly wouldn't think it a reason not to read it to a kid. Very good way exploring feelings too - "Why do you think Peter is crying?" - there's guilt, fear, regret...

Anything by Quentin Blake - Sixes and Sevens is good - some repetition, but a lot of nice unusual names. I'm all for kids being stretched in terms of vocab. I learned the meaning of 'soporific' from the great Miss Potter.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

I dunno. Teaches kids about the consequences of misbehaviour. I'd hardly call it un-PC myself, and I certainly wouldn't think it a reason not to read it to a kid. Very good way exploring feelings too - "Why do you think Peter is crying?" - there's guilt, fear, regret...

Anything by Quentin Blake - Sixes and Sevens is good - some repetition, but a lot of nice unusual names. I'm all for kids being stretched in terms of vocab. I learned the meaning of 'soporific' from the great Miss Potter.

Q: Why do you think Peter is crying?
A: Because Mr Bouncer just ripped into him with a whip!



I suppose it's debatable whether hitting kids is PC or not. You are right though, in that there are a lot of qualities to her books. And as I say, ours love them.

 

[ChrisKH]

You don't actually need a book.
Just make up a story as you go along.
I did this with my 3yo. The favourite was the series about Blackie, a mischievous little dog who would chase seagulls, sneak into school classes and be petted by the other kids, etc. There are at least two other advantages. You can lower you voice to an hypnotic murmer as you say "....... ans so the day drew to a close, the baby birds snuggled together in their nest and closed their eyes as the watchful daddy-bird kept a protective eye over them.
The second advantage is that once the childs stories are refined thay can be repeated ad nauseum, while reading your choice. Just don't get the stories mixed up/

"Dad, Dad can you tell the one about when you chopped your brothers finger off with a spade......."

"What, again?"

 

[Arch]

Q: Why do you think Peter is crying?
A: Because Mr Bouncer just ripped into him with a whip!



I suppose it's debatable whether hitting kids is PC or not. You are right though, in that there are a lot of qualities to her books. And as I say, ours love them.

For the record, I'm not in favour of hitting kids - although there were times I got a swift smacked bottom when I was little, and deserved it, and it didn't hurt me in the long term. I just think it's unfair to label Potter un-PC because of stuff she was writing which would have been acceptable at the time. Maybe it's just the term PC I don't like.

Anyone hear "Listen Against" last night on R4? Ended up with Martin Jarvis reading the Haynes Manual for a Mercedes, in the style of a Book at Bedtime. Hilarious. Just goes to show, it's the tone that counts half the time.

 

[Arch]

A bit older than 3, but once I could read for myself, I had a book of stories from Listen with Mother - many of which were about Little Brown Bear (who tended to get into scrapes by being careless) and his friend the sea captain, who generally had to come and sort him out. Once he painted himself into a corner of a room, painting the floor, while the bath overflowed, and another time he got on the wrong ship and ended up going round the Isle of Wight instead of on holiday to Africa. Lord knows if you could find them now.... Funny how stuff stays with you.