I second the Tamora Pierce suggestion. Also definitely Gregor the Overlander! Suzanne Collin's lesser known series (she wrote Hunger Games). I recently finished reading (it's a 5-book series) and it was FANTASTIC. Just amazing. It's a YA series. The House of the Scorpion is also great, might be for your stronger readers. Eragon series is fun, and Dealing with Dragons is still one of my all-time favorite dragon books/series. Bruce Coville is a great author, and his work might be a little young but it's good to have a mix. I absolutely loved everything of his I have read, but especially Aliens Ate My Homework and the rest of that series. Most of these will appeal to the young men, hopefully.



When I was a young lady, I read pretty much anything, but I know a lot of boys like books with a boy main character. I really was a bit horse crazy, so here's some you might look into for your young ladies. The Saddle Club is a very long series about 3 girls and their horse-y adventures. It was really fun and it's great to find longer series because, if they like the first one, there's a lot to enjoy. (Oh a thought - you could always get the first one in a series, then just tell them to get the rest from the library or something, if there's budget concerns) I also liked the Thoroughbred Series and the wonderful Marguerite Henry horse books, especially the famous Misty of Chincoteague but really any of her books is a good read. My all time favorite horse series was and still is The Black Stallion by Walter Farley. Oh, how I loved that book.


There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom was fantastic the first time I read it, and I also like the "Wayside School" books which are both by Louis Sachar. Judy Blume is fun as is Beverly Cleary. Redwall gets a lot of kids into reading, you also might consider some high-level comics/graphic novels to reach a different audience. The Hobbit Graphic Novel has great illustration and I loved reading it so much when I found it one day in a store.


I found history pretty boring so avoided those books but I did enjoy The King's Swift Rider about Robert the Bruce and Scotland, might be the only vaguely historical book I remember reading around those ages. I tried to avoid mystery books more or less, but I loved Encyclopedia Brown (even though according to Amazon it's for younger ages). I enjoyed Harriet the Spy she was a pretty cool girl role-model at the time. My Side of the Mountain was absolutely fantastic and such a great adventure, though I enjoy everything Jean Craigshead George writes. I feel like Julie of the Wolves is pretty standard reading material, maybe not anymore, but what a great story. Oh my gosh, I just about forgot The Indian in the Cupboard, that was such a good story. Anything Roald Dahl is wonderful as is Jane Yolen, I especially recommend the Pit Dragon trilogy. The Golden Compass, So You Want to be A Wizard, Animorphs, Goosebumps, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Kiki Strike, Dinotopia, Song of the Gargoyle and The City of Ember.


I am sure that is way more than you need, but my mind started racing. It was hard to stop once I started -- thank you for that enjoyable tour through my past. Lots of great memories of time spent reading. Hope you find some of this helpful, at least.

I can't remember too much from my childhood in terms of things I read alone as my memory is terrible, but here are some books I loved when I was a kid :)

Little Dracula Goes To School - this whole series really, i found it in a box a while back and had loads of fuzzy feelings over it. Also good for a kid that's not too fond of going to school.


The Jolly Postman may be a bit English but this and its sequel The Jolly Christmas Postman are amazing. There's loads of little pop out bits and letters you can take out and read and right at the end of one there's like a concertina thing you bring out and you can look through the letterbox XD We must still have my copies somewhere but I think I shall have to add them to the list to get some less well loved ones heh

I had to consult mum on this one but Tales From Fat Tulip's Garden again might be a bit English (all these are best to buy used going by the prices!!) but it's hilarious. The main thing I remember is this greedy gardener has a feast in his shed and a load of animals sneak in and try to eat it. I remember a tortoise almost being mistaken for fruitcake/having to disguise himself when the gardener came back.

Little Bear's Trousers because cute.

Ok I think I need to stop before i get over sentimental haha plus they are the main ones that come to mind :)

Get those kids some books!

I'd like Measure For Measure if I win :) it's prime-eligible in UK but used is fine too if cheaper with shipping :)

I'm happy to share our own experience, but I very much believe that each child progresses best according to her own readiness, so if you're patient and consistent and not applying too much pressure, she'll just arrive one day at a breakthrough point, and it will be all downhill from there.

We both read to her from birth pretty much. We started novels at 3 years old. We both did Winnie-the-Pooh. We bought that big massive Illustrated Complete Works, which was an excellent transition into novel format because it's glossy paged like a picture book, and every page is illlustrated. But also, more importantly, because each chapter is its own independent story, so it was as much like reading a bunch of picture books as reading a novel. I read to her throughout the day; hubby did bedtime routine. Me in English, him in German. We moved on to other books, and that was the only one that we both carefully read in our respective languages within the same timeframe. Sounds like you're well beyond that.

When she was ready to start reading, which I wanna say was right around 4.5-5 years old (not early, not late), we started in English. She got the hang of that fairly well, and we while hubby continued to read aloud in German, we didn't ask her to decode in German until she was about 7. By then, she was reading novels in English, and German rules are so easy with their lack of exceptions, so she just picked it up. Once she was reading comfortably in German, hubby would give her chances to read aloud by "being busy with something" and needing her to take over the reading so the story could go on, and she fell for that.

In your case, if she's learning to read at school in German, then it's not too surprising that English would be going more slowly at home. I feel like it's a harder language to learn because the rules are a farce, especially from a spelling/decoding standpoint. I think you're probably doing everything right. Just be patient, stick with it, and read prolifically.

Out of curiosity, how old is she, and what are y'all reading together?

As the father of a beautiful, wonderful, intelligent, old soul of a daughter who loves science, math, and biology, I would recommend getting her in to sports. Team sports specifically.

My daughter has no interest in Disney princesses. She doesn't care for barbies. And has no use for dresses and hair ribbons, and doesn't put up with any Justin Bieber bullshit. She's happiest at the top of a tree, makes up songs about Nikola Tesla, recently aced both the math and reading portions of the state tests at school, is in love with her bearded dragon, recently learned to solder, and prefers William Hartnel over Matt Smith. She does have a number of American Girl dolls that she loves, but only because she loves the books. And books are one of her favorite things. She goes through about two of them a week. She's almost finished all the Roald Dahl books, almost finished all the L Frank Baum Oz books, and countless other books of all ilk. (including Hawking!).

As great as all that sounds, she's in third grade and it can be tough. She plays piano and loves to climb rock walls, but has never been interested in soccer or basketball or any other team sport. As a result, she has a hard time connecting with the other kids at school. She has one super good friend, and when he was recently out sick for a few days, she spent a lot of excess time alone because the other girls told her she was weird. It broke my heart.

We think that if we could get her to join a team sport, even just for the fun of it, she'd quickly learn how to work with the other girls. And being about 4-12" taller than every other girl her age, she'd hopefully have enough of a speed advantage to make up for a lack of initial skill.

Parenting can be so much fun, and so hard to do. Who knows if I'm doing it right? Who knows if anyone is? All we can do is try to react as quickly and adeptly as we can to what is happening to them day in and day out.

*Edit: Had to fix a spelling mistake. While I know how to spell Roald Dahl's name, my iPad apparently didn't.

I always recommend this each time this question is asked:

d'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths

https://www.amazon.com/Daulaires-Greek-Myths-Ingri-dAulaire/dp/0385015836/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

It’s sumptuously illustrated, comprehensive but not exhaustive, barely sanitized but reasonably adapted for younger readers while still being thorough and honest with its treatment of the characters for adults, weaving everything logically and chronologically from the creation myths all the way through the Trojan War.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It’s great for kids, and great on a coffee table, and it’s great on a night stand. Do yourself and spend the $20 for the hardback and enjoy the ever loving heck out this perfect introduction to Greek mythology.

If you’d like a slightly more comprehensive set of recommendations for primary tests (such as the partial lists recommended elsewhere in this thread) I’d be happy to do that too!

For your daughter, if you want to "fight" the heteronormativity and cisnormativity that she'll be exposed to, you can slip a couple story books on the shelf. Children aren't born prejudiced- they need to be molded into that by the people around them and by society. Heteronormativity means assuming everyone is straight (so think of how in every disney movie the princess always winds up with a prince, etc.) Casually reading a story book and making it just "not a big deal" will enforce in your daughter's head that we LGBT people are, well, not a big deal.

This one will be coming out in June and is about a trans teddy bear.

"And Tango Makes Three" is a famous story about two real life penguins.

"It's Okay to Be Different" talks about all sorts of differences.

Dr. Seuss's story about the "Sneetches" talks about differences and is a classic that is applicable to all sorts of prejudice.

And "The Different Dragon" has a main character with two moms.

I hope that helps- you sound like a great parent who wants your child to be accepting. Best to plant the seed now, while she's young, rather than waiting until she's older. Maybe if you plant the seed, she'll call out grandma for being "mean", which would be pretty satisfying, right?

Edit: if I had been read a story as a kid where it was ok for two women to fall in love, I probably wouldn't have repressed my bisexuality for over a decade. It's the subconscious/internalized/pervasive cultural stuff that really messes with our heads, and reading her picture books with characters of different colors, sexual orientations, etc. will help plant a seed to make her truly an accepting person deep down. Best of luck with your mother in law, by the way.

Late to the party here, but Our Family Tree and Life Story are both great evolution books for kids, as well as Born With a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story and the subsequent books in that series. Older Than the Stars and Big Bang!: The Tongue-Tickling Tale of a Speck That Became Spectacular are both good ones about big bang theory. For world religions/different beliefs, try What Do You Believe?, The Kids Book of World Religions, or maybe a collection of writings from different religions such as A Child's Book of Blessings and Prayers; a book like What Is God? or About God might also prompt some good discussion.

source: scientist who teaches 5-6 year olds every sunday at a Unitarian Universalist church

(if you have a UU church nearby, might be worth checking out - they can be a great resource for atheist/agnostic/multi-religion households trying to make sense of these issues!)

Here's a few that my almost 4 year old girl loves these days:

Sector 7 - Kind of like a beginners sci-fi picture book

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present - A simple little tale, beautifully told about a girl and a rabbit (Maurice Sendak illustrated)

Paddle to the Sea - Little boy carves a canoe and sends it off to the sea. This book follows its journey along the Great Lakes to the sea. Also a great NFB short film.

When Louis Armstrong taught me Scat - Cute story for music lovers.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble - A young donkey finds a stone that grants wishes.

Click clack moo - Cows find a typewriter and start making demands on the farmer. Kind of an introduction to collective bargaining.

I'm atheist, wife is agnostic/nonreligious. Her family is devout catholic, mine is baptist.

I'm pretty strict in my atheism. I don't flaunt it, but I don't suffer fools either. So there have been discussions when I see family attempting to indoctrinate my son's trusting mind.

Early on, we decided not to sacrifice relationships over this. But instead of focusing on staying away from Christianity, we've flooded him with all the legend, myth and story we can shovel into him. I'm a b ig fan of Irish Myth, and the Cuchalain stories are fantastic. I was also recommended In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World in this forum and D'aulaire's Book of Greek Myths which is his favorite book right now.

Our tact will be to make him drink from a firehose so that it's all just stories and nothing will have the opportunity to take hold until we can better explain the virtues and pitfalls of dogmas.

The Epic of Gilgamesh was discovered (but not deciphered) by an Assyrian archeologist, Hormuz Rassam who was the first non-European archeologist from the Middle East.

I recently read the Epic of Gilgamesh, and I highly recommend it if you haven't read it already, I really enjoyed this edition by penguin classics. Although the side material in this translation was also nice.

It's also a great gift to give to someone, and for kids I recommend this trilogy (just make sure to buy all three) by Ludmilla Zeman. It is beautifully illustrated with many pictures and was appreciated by the kids.

Edit: Haha, seems like a Chaldean hardliner has changed Hormuzd Rassam's wiki page and now it says Chaldean, it used to say Assyrian.

Seven Chinese Brothers is an all time classic. I bought it for my girls. Younger but fun.

Sideways Stories from Wayside School used to be pretty short, but I think someone's turned it into a series now? Still super fun.

Miss Nelson is Missing is another classic. Bought this again for my kids too.

For slightly older, The Three Investigators was my go-to. Read everything a few times. Chapter book.

The Boxcar Children is another neat series of mysteries I loved as a young boy. Chapters also, IIRC.

Some of our favorites:

The Rainbow Goblins

The Knuffle Bunny Trilogy

City Dog, Country Frog

Short and sweet Angela Johnson Books

Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me

Night Shift Daddy

If I Were a Lion

As well as countless other staples that you'll surely receive as gifts (Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Are You My Mother?, Dr. Seuss, etc..).

But really, just read to your kid and he/she will learn to love books. Sometimes my daughter gets hung up on the dumbest books in history but I have fun with it. Like the Biscuit books for instance which you can read while thinking about other things. Another that comes to mind is this one which I've grown to love:

[I Love Colors] (http://www.amazon.com/Love-Colors-Hello-Reader-Level/dp/0439192889)

Thank you for this contest.

I'm not sure what your budget is, so I'll play on both? High and end lower end?

Adela - Kindle for kids?

Isla Leap pad?

And now for some lower end (But still great!)

Adela - Already reading, how about a Dr.Seuss box set? The Seuss!

Isla - AND AND AND, how about a Dr Seuss box set? Though a totally different one from her bigger sister, but still awesome, so she can mimic and get on the reading wagon too!


As you can see, I linked two of pretty much the same, but totally different items. I only have 1 kid, so I don't know the turmoil that some parents face. My sister has two boys, and one year I saw the jealousy go rampant. Then, my sister bought them similar, yet different items. The younger one liked having his own thing, but also enjoyed how similar it was so he could mimic in the shadows. He ended up learning a lot quicker like this.

Some parents don't have this turmoil though. I hope you don't!

Happy birthday, Kiddos!

I think the funniest book I've ever read was a parodic fantasy: A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears by Jules Feiffer (who also illustrated The Phantom Tollbooth, another children's comic fantasy, though the focus there was more philosophy than humor). You can get through it in an hour or two if you want ideas. It took tropes and cliches that were noticeable even as a kid (of course the prince needs to save the maiden! Oh wait, that didn't work?) and was just generally irreverent with them. Solutions to problems didn't have to make sense on all levels of logic, but if you squinted right... e.g. The forest gets deeper as you walk forwards - better walk backwards to escape!

With an older audience that reads a lot of fantasy, you can probably drop a bunch of small details from books and it will probably be funny to someone (e.g. braid tugging intensifies, the only music available is Queen, etc).

If you just want to poke fun at a bunch of common tropes, TVTropes or The Fantasy Novelist's Exam might be good starting points.

BOX O' BOOKS!

I've got an infant at home, and he gets REALLY into books when I read them to him all animatedly. I open my eyes WIDE and make funny voices, and these cardboard Dr. Seuss books are the best! This set would be wonderful, and they're reasonably priced.

Thanks for thinking of the book lovers in the world! I'm going to bring my son up loving reading.

I got these shoes for Christmas, although I think technically I'm supposed to be surprised:

http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=464226002&cid=&mlink=5050,12413545,gapproduct2_rr_3&clink=12413545

I also am getting an Audrey Assad CD and Ron Chernow's book on George Washington as my Christmas present from my husband. Ha, we're bad at surprising each other. I got him some homemade sriracha sauce I found, mustard made with stout beer, and a "tea to go" mug that will brew the tea while he drives to work so it's ready when he gets there. I also plan to sneak out and buy him some actual surprise! of his favorite tea when he's not around.

My toddler is getting a big kid-sized art easel and a bunch of art supplies from Santa, and then Ada Twist, Scientist from us:
https://www.amazon.com/Ada-Twist-Scientist-Andrea-Beaty/dp/1419721372

We have the Rosie Revere book already and love it.

I'm buying just about everyone a shirt from Alley & Rae this year I LOVE THAT COMPANY. Their shirts are insanely soft and super cute. And yes I'm linking a referral link because they have a rewards program and I want more T-shirts from them, damn it. SO. EFFING. SOFT. http://i.refs.cc/cN7FJlyA

Loved the show, loved the books. They're I Can Read Books, so they're awesome for learning, helped me to do so. It was great. Plus, they're cheap and they're just cute little stories. Get those kids some books! Any of the books on my list will be awesome. That books, plus others are on there!

Also, look into Amelia Bedelia, one my fave characters from when I was little. They're so cute and silly.

My parents bought me this book when I was a kid: http://www.amazon.com/Life-Story-Virginia-Lee-Burton/dp/0547203594/

It's somewhat out of date scientifically, but the overall theme is still good. It's the entire history of life on Earth in book form, with good illustrations, designed for kids to understand. It's one of those things that helped me see that everything was interconnected, grand and glorious, and made religious teachings seem so small.

Although not really a compilation of myths, I read [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Gilgamesh-King-Trilogy-Ludmila-Zeman/dp/0887764371/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413947341&sr=1-3&keywords=Gilgamesh) Gilgamesh trilogy with a couple of my students interested in that era and they really dug it. It's an Uruk myth, of course, but pretty prevalent in Mesopotamia in general.

That actual source material (or rather translations of it) is pretty fascinating as well if you've never read it, though not so kid-friendly.

The very first chapter book I remember my father reading to me was The Wonderful Flight to the
Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron, It's a children's scifi story about two boys who built a spaceship out of tin and scrap and fly off to a tiny planet where they must solve a distressing mystery.

Once we finished, he helped my brother and I "build" a spaceship in the backyard just like the protagonists, which was a very fun extension of the novel and probably why I still remember it so vividly years later.

Good cliffhangers, perfect for stopping each night and leaving your daughter wanting more!

Here's an amazon link to a paperback reprint
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316125407/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_t1_9kZQCbQCRMAYR

No, but I still fondly remember the Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron.

Very good books for kids. Although.... interesting to look at now.

すばらしい! コンテストに参加させていただきます。:B

私わこの本がほしいです。

i have actually been looking at this book for awhile now. i have an interests in japan's myths and legends (one of my animations is based off the BAKU.) and would actually like to start a series of illustrations on a few 妖怪. there are probably tons of them that i still don't know about, so i thought this book would be helpful. PLUS, it's illustrated by mizuki shigeru, author of gegege no kitaro <3.

i'm a big fan of japan and am actually really into ukiyo-e art, like hokusai and hiroshige. (my first amazon link choice was actually on one of their books.) i also like takashi murakami, osamu tezuka etc etc. japanese art was a hugeeee influence to me and it motivated me to go into the art industry.

i also like 華道, 茶道 and 嵐. :P my japanese is mostly self taught and i usually translate stuff for a fansub group when i have the time.

also, i live in singapore, so shipping would be cheaper for you. :D

I highly recommend any collections illustrated by Ivan Bilibin, like this Russian Fairy Tales. The stories are pretty well-known, so it should give you the introduction you're looking for, plus the art is really magnificent. There are also collections like this that have a ton of stories in them. If you want some sort of history/analysis/criticism to go with it, you could take a look at this one about the Russian folktale or this one about Baba Yaga specifically.

Books for Young Children

• Good Night, Sam
  
• Skippyjon Jones
  
• Skippyjon Jones in the Doghouse
  
• Those Darn Squirrels
  
• Oh the Thinks You Can Think!
  
• Bad Kitty Does Not Like Dogs
  
• The Itsy Bitsy Snowman
  
• The Littlest Elf
  
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
  
• The Good Dinosaur
  
  I Can Read - Books
  
  
• A Kiss for Little Bear
  
• Little Bears Friend
  
• Amelia Bedelia
  
• Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia
  
• Eloise Visits the Zoo
  
• Eloise Throws a Party
  
• May I Please Have a Cookie?
  
• Pete the Cat: At the Beach
  
• Mac and Cheese
  
• Splat the Cat
  
  Books for Older Kids
  
  
• Disney Fairies, The Never Girls Collection
  
• Ivy + Bean’s Secret Treasure Box
  
• The Ramona Collection
  
• Pippi Longstocking
  
• Mr Popper’s Penguins
  
• The Chocolate Touch
  
• Magic Tree House Boxed Set
  
• Girls Think of Everything
  
• Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids
  
• Owl Diaries
  
• 5,000 Awesome Facts
  

GO WATCH OR READ IT AND USE THE BEST BUY CREDIT CARD, YOU'RE NOW PAYING 1 CLICK FOR 2 CARDS/EFFECTS TO DESTROY. MOST LIKELY HIS NAME WILL GET MENTIONED MORE NOW.

LUMA DOESN’T MEAN SOMEONE WHO DISAGREES WITH THE AUTHOR SAYING "NAH SHE WAS ALWAYS FRIENDLY AND THEIR FLAT BREADS WERE SO GOOD BECAUSE THEY WERE RIDICULOUSLY NICE. ONE TIME HE EVEN READ CAJUN NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS TO THE WHOLE SITUATION. HE SAID THIS IN ANOTHER POST BUT EVEN WITH EQUIVALENT CATCH RATES IT'LL BE BETTER THAN ITS PREDECESSOR — COSTS JUST $150 MILLION PER LAUNCH, NOT A PREDATOR. SHE DOESN'T LOOK VERY ACCURATE AS TO WHERE WE'RE GOING AT FIRST "DO YOU GUYS USE IN THE 1ST PLACE."*

*" I AGREE, NO POINT IN ARGUING WITH SOMEONE. AFTER MY MOST RECENT FAVS. BUT AMAZON PRIME IN GENERAL STREAMS A LOT OF CITIES YOUR HOSTEL ALONE WILL BE BETTER. COMBOING IS PRETTY MUCH OVER THOUGH. BUT SHE MIGHT HAVE PREPARED A SAFE-HOUSE TO STAY IN 16:10 ASPECT RATIO.

(IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE OR YOU ARE WRONG I AM FOR ATTENDING PRIVATE SCHOOL

LOL, HE'S IMPLYING THAT I'D RATHER HAVE TANNEHILL BIG BEN IS PAST HIS PRIME, IT EVEN DOES SELL. THE CASO REPORT CONTRADICTS THE GARBAGE YOU'RE TRYING TO HIT YOU."

IT REALLY SEEMS TO CLOSE HER MOUTH AND STAY OUT OF POLITICS THE GOVERNMENT DISPENSES BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO US STUDENTS BUT REST OF MY TIME BUT I JUST GIVE MY 360 CONTROLLER A TRY TO SAVE SOMEONE’S ARGUMENT FROM THAT GOD AWFUL INTRO AND THE GUEST IS THAT'S USUALLY THE NEWEST CHAPTER BY DEFAULT. NEVER CHANGED THAT.

NOW ITS NATURAL BECAUSE NOW ITS WHAT WE DO IN THE DETROIT / METRO AREA. ONCE ON MY MAIN, BUT TRAPS JUST AREN'T REALLY MANY SPOTS IN WESTERN KANSAS THAT HAVE TREES LIKE THAT. EXPORT YOUR TICKETS BEFORE DOING THE DLC. WHAT A SMALL MAN FIGHTING FOR ATTENTION. YOU'RE NOT BEING PROACTIVE, YOURE BEING THE ANTITHESIS OF THE IMPRESSION THE ENGINEERS UNDERSTOOD THEIR TECH AND REGARDED THE CREATION OF LIFE,BUT DAMN WE SHOULD HAVE AN 'ANNOUNCEMENT' (A POST THAT STAYS ON ALL NIGHT. LAST YEAR GA GOT YOU FLOOR + STANDS.

Here's one you actually may not have heard of/considered: A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears was my favorite book when I was an ickle teense. I thought it was pretty much the funniest thing ever written.

Not sure how old I was, but I'm pretty sure I was single digits.

My most recent trip: Me and two friends who hadn't dosed in a really long time. The spot was my house, (nice trees outside, chill neighbors so loud music at 5am isn't a problem.) Small amount of pot, beers, cigarettes (if you smoke, get far more than you need. You'll hardly even smoke them but if you run out you'd rather not go to the store for them) Listened to RJD2, tool, aerosmith, random stuff outside of the punk rock we usually listen to. Look at this and this. Draw and write down hilarious things you say. Good times. Oh yeah, turn off the phones for sure. We even went so far as to trade and hide them from each other.

These are for older kids but I love this series - Rosie Revere, Engineer, Iggy Peck, Architect, Ada Twist, Scientist

They are really well written rhyming books, I find so many kids books painful to read but these are great.

Don't feel like you need to 'challenge' him with hard stuff. If it's interesting, he'll read it. A few books I remember reading between age 10 and 14 that were enjoyable were:

• The Giver by Lois Lowry is great for young adults.
  
  
• Farenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
  
  
• Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls
  
  
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (though to be honest, a lot went over my head the first time through - still loved it)
  
  
• The BFG, by Roald Dahl
  
  
• Boy - Roald Dahl.
  
  A lot of my friends at the time loved the Redwall books by Brain Jacques. I didn't get into them, but your son might.
  
  

• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, about an angel and demon dealing with the apocalypse when the Antichrist is accidentally raised as a perfectly normal 10-year old human.
  
• The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, which gets fairly philosophical.
  
• A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears by Jukes Feiffer, the illustrator for The Phantom Tollbooth, about a prince who makes everyone around him burst out laughing.
  
  Would also second David Sedaris' humorous essay collections.

All awesome ideas thank you. Look at this book set I found on sale for $15! Maybe I will get this for a future gift:

The Little Blue Box of Bright and Early Board Books by Dr. Seuss https://www.amazon.ca/dp/030797586X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6jKoDbDXEV9R6

Congratulations!

There's a book called Ada Twist, Scientist about a little girl named Ada Marie who has tons of questions and does experiments to figure out the answers. It's a great book, one of three (so far, I think) about kids in a particular second-grade class. If you don't already have it (I see you have two other kids already), I highly recommend it along with the other two.

Go watch or read it and use the best buy credit card, you're now paying 1 click for 2 cards/effects to destroy. most likely his name will get mentioned more now.

Luma doesn’t mean someone who disagrees with the author saying "nah she was always friendly and their flat breads were so good because they were ridiculously nice. One time he even read Cajun Night Before Christmas to the whole situation. He said this in another post but even with equivalent catch rates it'll be better than its predecessor — costs just $150 million per launch, not a predator. She doesn't look very accurate as to where we're going at first "do you guys use in the 1st place."

" I agree, no point in arguing with someone. After my most recent favs. But Amazon Prime in general streams a lot of cities your hostel alone will be better. Comboing is pretty much over though. But she might have prepared a safe-house to stay in 16:10 Aspect Ratio.

(If you have experience or you are wrong I am for attending private school

Lol, he's implying that I'd rather have Tannehill Big Ben is past his prime, it even does sell. The CASO report contradicts the garbage you're trying to hit you."

It really seems to close her mouth and stay out of politics The government dispenses billions of dollars to US students but rest of my time but I just give my 360 controller a try to save someone’s argument from that god awful intro and the guest is that's usually the newest chapter by default. Never changed that.

NOW its natural because now its what we do in the Detroit / metro area. Once on my main, but traps just aren't really many spots in western Kansas that have trees like that. Export your tickets before doing the DLC. What a small man fighting for attention. You're not being proactive, youre being the antithesis of the impression the Engineers understood their tech and regarded the creation of life,but damn we should have an 'announcement' (a post that stays on all night. Last year GA got you floor + stands.

No, it's not about feeling awkward reading Christian literature. I read Christian literature all the time. What has happened to me, though, is that I've read books as a kid and not realized the ideological agenda that they were trying to push on me-- not that I've ever actually been convinced of an ideology by children's literature-- and then later, coming back and reading it, it always feels a little disappointing. I trusted certain authors to provide creative stimulus and a rich imaginative world, and they used that to try to influence my little kid brain to buy into their ideology.

Now, every book has some kind of ideology, certainly. But going back as an adult and re-reading something like The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet doesn't give that same sense of disappointment.

There is actually 3 children's books that are pretty much written for 5 year olds. They're pretty amazing.

I loved This Winnie the pooh book when I was a kid, I think I still have it around here somewhere. And I loved every thing Dr. Seuss, I had a giant book of Dr.Seuss stories I just read over and over.

Get those kids some books!

I've got a book wishlist, surprise me :D

That book is about Greek and Roman mythology, with a little section about Norse mythology at the end. It's a good book, but it doesn't have anything to do with Russian mythology.

There isn't any comparable book available for Russian mythology, because so much less has been preserved. If there is any book out there that presents Russian mythology the way Hamilton presents Greek mythology, it is relying on an enormous amount of conjecture and should be considered as a work of fiction, rather than as any kind of record of the past. I suggest you look at the wikipedia article on Slavic mythology, especially the section on sources of information. There might be books describing in detail what can and can't be known from those sources, but I'm not an expert in the area.

However, I can suggest a good book of Russian folklore: Russian Fairy Tales, from the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library.

Something else that might be of interest is The Song of Igor's Campaign, a medieval epic that was translated into English by Nabokov.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: http://smile.amazon.com/Shigeru-Mizuki-Youkai-Daihyakka-Edition/dp/4062560496/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
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|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|
|Japan|www.amazon.co.jp||
|Canada|www.amazon.ca||




To help add charity links, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

We just got Life Story by Virginia Lee Burton, the same lady who wrote and illustrated The Little House. It's AWESOME! It's a tiny bit dated (Pluto is still listed as a planet, Apatosaurus is still listed as Brontosaurus, and the "modern" portion is... yeah... not modern), but man, is it beautiful, and each page has so many facts and details. Take a peek!

I've adored Tintin ever since I saw that Nickelodeon cartoon as a kid. Matter of fact, my girlfriend's birthday present to me last year was this boxset.

SO AWESOME.

Yes! There are several different 7 volume and 8 volume 3-in-1 compact editions available to choose from, for Egmont or Little, Brown, such as this and this, and maybe this , this or this.

Tiny, sure, but worth it for the portability. :)

I remember those books! I think they were "The Jolly Postman", I adored them as well.

Is this it?

I grew up reading Paddle-to-the-Sea - a children's book that tells the story of a hand-carved wooden Native American figurine that makes its way through the entire Great Lakes system. It's a wonderful read, check it out: https://www.amazon.com/Paddle-Sea-Sandpiper-Books/dp/0395292034

Paddle to the Sea. Also here.

edit: looks like you can also watch it here. Thanks for reminding me of this great story, even if this isn't what you were talking about! :)

Oh man!!! I love Tintin and Snowy....and the Captain. I recently bought these for a friend for his birthday. He wasn't as excited as I was...matter of fact, I doubt he even will crack the cover. Oh well.

The Jolly Postman It was about a mail man delivering letters in a storybook kingdom, and some of the pages were envelopes, and you could actually take all of the letters out and read them. It was awesome.

The Sneeches and other tales. This was hands down my favorite book as a child. I loved the story of the pale green pants. It's a Dr. Suess book so it's fun to look at and to read. Probably not as long as the one you just finished, but it's good.

First, I think it's important to avoid the trap of saying we know. We don't know yet, but we're finding out. In fact, if she studies hard, she might be the person to find out!

I haven't read these, and they're for ages older than her by a few years, but you can start to get a sense of the age of the universe.

http://www.amazon.com/Georges-Secret-Universe-Stephen-Hawking/dp/1416954627/

http://www.amazon.com/George-Big-Bang-Georges-Secret/dp/1442440058/

A sense of scale of time is the best critique of religiosity. Can you walk her along a time line? Invent one in your city? One million years per foot? This is now, at our front door. When did people first start writing? Here. When were the first multicellular animals? Here. First life? Here. Planet formation. Our star forming. And 2/3rds of the universe of stars forming and dying before that. With a little real perspective, human-centric universes are absurd. Let her ask questions and plot them with little flags. Making a trip back to the big bang once in a while, some place in town you visit often, should cement how long ago that was.

I believe it was this book.

It also had a bit where they tried to prevent the students from bumping into each other by telling everyone to walk on the right hand side going up the stairs and the left hand side going down...

We are currently enjoying this classic: D'aulaire's Book of Greek Myths. My daughter especially likes the story of Perseus (includes medusa, princess andomeda and pegasus)

You should check out this book by Shigeru Mizuki, I'll give you a link. Basically, they're just stories of Japanese 妖怪 and an illustration along with the story. 1-2 pages for each story. I love it so much. :)http://www.amazon.com/Nihon-Yo-x304-kai-Taika/dp/406281126X/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397410859&sr=8-1&keywords=nihon+yokai+taikan This is the one I got. There is also a part one which is longer. But they are all just different stories so you don't have to worry about getting the first part. Here is a link if you want the first part. http://www.amazon.com/Shigeru-Mizuki-Youkai-Daihyakka-Edition/dp/4062560496/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=03DCYXBVNA4XVF4CG6V6

Took a class on Russian mythology, folk tales, and whatnot in college. Dug up the old syllabus, and found some book titles for you:

Russian Fairy Tales by Aleksander Afanasev

Russian Folk Belief by Linda Ivanits

First is a compilation of folk tales, fairy tales, and myths, collected from across Russia and most of them are pretty entertaining. Second is a more academic look at Russian folk tales.

Not sure if this is really what you are looking for, but hopefully it will point you in the direction you wanna go.

Only a few bucks on amazon! WOO!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0064441555?pc_redir=1406514512&robot_redir=1


Nostaaaaalgia

>Do the kids value the books more by owning them, even though they ultimately only get a few a year?

What if those few books are the only ones you own? The meaning behind book ownership is proportional to the number of books you own. More than half of the students come from low income families.

For my parents' generation growing up, my aunt has told me how she wrote her name inside every book and treasured the few she owned. That idea, of claiming a book as your own, survives today. Kids still write their names in books.

This week was our grand re-opening after a month-long overhaul of the room. A teacher told me about a first grader new to the school who began crying as the teacher explained about their upcoming visit. The student said, "I don't deserve a book." I don't know her background, other than that she has a troubled home. You do deserve a book. You've earned this book. This bookstore exists because you are worth it.

>What sort of impact does this idea have compared to just having a library?

Our school library is essential for obvious reasons. A kid gets far more books from our library than the bookstore. Kids don't have to fret that the last copy of The BFG is gone and it's unknown when another copy will come along. The BFG will be in next week; would you like to reserve it?

Last year, there was a battle over parent funding of the library (which is sad, but yes, parent groups now raise money to cover basic salaries). I vowed to stop the bookstore if the library closed, which kind of shook things up. The right people got involved and we still have a library for 4 hours a day, just enough for every class to visit every week and to be open during lunch recess.

> Does it influence the parents in the area at all?

Influence how? The parents who have seen the bookstore like it.

One kinder family this year chose our school over another because their daughter is a book lover and she wanted the school that gives away books. That's important because the reform movement is always thinking up new ways to draw students away from traditional public schools. The bookstore exists only because we have empty classrooms that were once filled with students (e.g., no empty classroom = no place for a bookstore).

Sideways Stories at Wayside School
...i think i read those when i was 9-10.
SO GOOD.

For real??? Girlsplaywow is a jerk, but she isn't.

I'd probably wet myself if we got this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Adventures-Tintin-Collectors-Gift/dp/0316006688/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=P246KANUX04L&coliid=IG0A3G6RB0529

Kiddo and I love Tintin.

Edit: and congrats on the race, I can hardly run down the block! I'm jealous of people who can run any distance.

These aren't exactly hard to find, they're the illustrations from the original books which can be found quite easily.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Tales-Poems-Winnie-Pooh/dp/0525467262

Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Man, I forgot how much I loved that...

Then perhaps a book about Russian folk/fairy tales? I haven't read it myself, but it's got good reviews.

Sure sounds like the guy. He's been training other drivers a lot lately so he gets to just ride along, and sometimes he brings in old kid's books to show us. One time he even read Cajun Night Before Christmas to the whole bus.

The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet - Eleanor Cameron

and

Stranger from the Depths - Gerry Turner

My dad used to read this to me around Christmas. It would be a perfect fit.

Big Friendly Giant?

A barrel of laughs, a vale of tears?

Not related to evolution, but if he's interested in science in general, George's Secret Key to the Universe. Says ages 9+, but take that as you will.

http://www.amazon.com/The-BFG-Roald-Dahl/dp/0142410381

It's possible I have my books mixed up, I'll have to check my copy for those lines, LOL

The Rainbow Goblins!!! best for a slightly older child, but a must have and I don't see it up there.

How about Holes, or maybe Sideways Stories from Wayside School, both by Louis Sachar. I think Holes would be a fun read.

Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came To Be.

https://www.amazon.com/Evolution-How-Living-Things-Came/dp/1554534305/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Life Story - a history of Earth and you.


https://www.amazon.com/Life-Story-Virginia-Lee-Burton/dp/0547203594/ref=pd_sim_14_1


I find introducing evolution through childrenś books the best way to counter religious propaganda.

Rainbow Goblins

One of my all-time favorites!

Steven Hawking and his daughter wrote some children's books on physics. For a five year old they would be good.

http://www.amazon.com/Georges-Secret-Universe-Stephen-Hawking/dp/1416954627

http://www.amazon.com/Georges-Cosmic-Treasure-Hunt-Hawking/dp/1416986715

Yep, I remember reading those! This is the set I'm talking about: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Tintin-Collectors-Gift-Set/dp/0316006688/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468812340&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=tintin+slipcase+set

I wasn't able to find a single series that I liked. The one that comes up first on Amazon is the National Geographic "Treasuries" series, but those bring a strong western bias, talks down about the 'barbarians' who believed those things, and ultimately tried to reconcile the myths of other cultures with Christianity. Which totally defeats the purpose of teaching mythology in the first place. So I ended up curating my own collection of books that were a bit more objective and unbiased.

Here's a couple that I settled on:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0763663158
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0689868855
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385015836
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0804838070
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1573060798

I found this. Seems like there are quite a few people complaining that the books are too small, though. Not a bad price.

Another redditor recently referenced the Mushroom Planet books, some of the earliest science fiction I ever read, around the age of your daughter. I didn't think that they were still around, but used copies are available on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/The-Wonderful-Flight-Mushroom-Planet/dp/0316125407/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396535650&sr=8-1&keywords=mushroom+planet

No - Big Friendly Giant

They're on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Sideways-Stories-Wayside-School-Sachar/dp/0380731487

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Adventures-Tintin-Compact-Editions/dp/1405278455/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1485408859&sr=8-2&keywords=tintin+complete

https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Tintin-Collectors-Gift-Set/dp/0316006688/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485408859&sr=8-1&keywords=tintin+complete

OMG [The Rainbow Goblins] (https://www.amazon.com/Rainbow-Goblins-Ul-Rico/dp/0500277591). I was obssessed with this book as a kid! ... That probably means something in hindsight.

relevant

Might it have been this?
http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Tintin-Collectors-Gift-Set/dp/0316006688/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1310362155&sr=8-2

Sideways Stories from Wayside School

Mine was The Rainbow Goblins by Ul de Rico.

You've got to get this book!

That's an Ul de Rico Rainbow Goblin made pumpkin!

Cajun Night Before Christmas

For me, that would be The Complete Tales Of Winnie-The-Pooh.

Library will have a ton. You can also get them a little cheaper in this format:
https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Tintin-Collectors-Gift-Set/dp/0316006688?crid=3010OLJTPOUUX&keywords=tintin&qid=1537661574&sprefix=tintin&sr=8-2&ref=mp_s_a_1_2

Wow, I didnt realize this was an actual book

Here you go, assuming you're in the US.

They also sell the volumes individually.

Life Story by Virginia Lee Burton
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Story-Virginia-Lee-Burton/dp/0547203594

Dr Seuss once wrote a book called, "The Sneetches", it applies.

I'll just leave this here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddle-to-the-Sea

https://www.amazon.com/Paddle-Sea-Sandpiper-Books/dp/0395292034

Russian Fairy Tales!

I signed up for that class because I wanted to share an elective with my zoology major friend (I was an econ major). It satisfied a Humanities credit. Not to mention, we were both interested in Russian culture for various reasons.

And HOLY SHIT that was an interesting class. We learned how the early Russian pagans adopted the names of Eastern Orthodox Christian deities and Saints and just plastered them onto their old gods (it would remind you of the Roman Catholic/Voodoo merger). And their folktales are hilarious - it's almost like reading TVTropes, where you start to see the same themes repeated over and over. There's this one character, Ivan the Fool who is always doing stupid shit and getting beat up by his brothers. There's Princess Vasilisa and Prince Ivan (different Ivan) who are always seeking after the mysterious Firebird. There's always a bitchy stepmother sending her daughter off to the dangerous witch, Baba Yaga, who lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs. There are tons of quest items buried inside of an egg, inside of a duck, inside of a rabbit, in a silver chest, underneath an oak tree (this oddly specific nonsensical situation happens A LOT, I don't know why).

If you're ever interested in reading Russian folktales, I recommend this book (it was essentially our textbook for the class). I guarantee hours of entertainment and WTF moments.

have them all --read them all through childhood which may have lead to my unfortunate 'knickers and trenchcoat' phase. Available in 3 volume sets via Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Tintin-Collectors-Gift-Set/dp/0316006688/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267913793&sr=8-1

This reminds me of reading this book as a kid, which has a story in it about the fabled 13th floor and how it was full of all sorts of awful and nasty things (I don't remember exact details, it's been well over 10 years since I read it)

I really liked The Monster at the End of this Book, The Poky Little Puppy, Persnickety, Corduroy, Where the Wild Things Are, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, The Rainbow Fish, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, The Stinky Cheese Man, Miss Nelson is Missing, Go Away Big Green Monster, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Stone Soup, Frog and Toad, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, and, of course, every Dr. Seuss book.