Book Recommendations for a Five-Year-Old Boy

[Rhonda Dunaway]

Can anyone recommend a good series of books to get my five-year-old son started on? I'm looking for something we can enjoy reading together, perhaps like a mystery or adventure series (but not too scary). He tends to get stuck on one thing for bedtime reading, because he finds the familiarity comforting, and then it can be difficult to get him to move on. For several months now, he's been wanting to read Berenstein Bears books at night, which are fine in and of themselves, except that I am being driven crazy by reading the same books eight thousand times. Also, Mama Bear is such a perfect mother that she's giving me an inferiority complex. I used to experience a similar mingling of envy and resentment towards Caillou's mom when we read Caillou stories for months on end. I don't like to think too hard about what it means to go around feeling jealous of cartoon characters, especially cartoon bears who wear the same horrible polka-dot dress and hat combo day in and day out. So, I really hope we can switch to something else -- soon.

Rhonda Dunaway

[MomAC]

My 7-year-old loves the "The Magic Tree House" series by Mary Pope Osborne. A brother and sister are taken to different places via, well, a magic tree house! There are 38 in the series, but you don't have to go in order to read them. My daughter especially liked the ones about anceint Egypt, the moon, and Pompeii's Mt. Vesuvius. The books teach a little bit of history while being adventurous and funny.

The other series that my daughter liked in Kindergarten and 1st grade was The Magic School Bus. We could also check out these books, videos, and computer games from the public library.

We have also read a few Junie B. Jones books. It's not our favorite series, but some of the books are pretty funny. We have read a few Nate the Great books. They are mysteries solved by the boy next door.

Hope these help! Happy Reading!!

[Rhonda Dunaway]

Thanks, MomAC.

This is very helpful! I'm going to print out your reply so I have it with me the next time I'm in the bookstore or library. I think my son might have played some of those Magic School Bus games at his preschool. I've seen the Junie B. Jones books you talked about, but I think I'll have more luck with the Nate the Great ones. I don't know if it's starting kindergarten or what, but my son is suddenly going through this stage where he can't be associated with anything even remotely "girlie."

Rhonda Dunaway