Kids' books suggestions, please

Christmas is coming, and I’m looking for presents for my nieces, aged 4 1/2 and 7. I’ve decided that, in keeping with my status as the Eccentric Uncle, I want to give books for birthdays, Christmas, etc. Unfortunately, it’s been a while since I was that age myself, so I don’t know what good books would be. Any suggestions from Doperland?

For 7, there’s a series of Junie B. Jones books that are very popular. If she like’s mysteries, Encyclopedia Brown is still around, listed as ages 8-12. The Boxcar Kid’s and The Magic Tree House series are popular, too. (My daughter, 7, has been devouring Mary-Kate & Ashley mysteries, but they’re no longer in print. Yes, they featured the Olsen twins. . .)

For 4 1/2, Maisy the Mouse books, Arthur, Clifford the Big Red Dog, almost anything by Rosemary Wells. At that age my daughter loved flap books and ones with stickers.

Also probably both of them would love the Richard Scarry books that are still available today, The Best Word Book Ever, Busy Busy World, etc., etc. (The Best Word Book Ever has, unfortunately, been abridged and politically corrected.)

Animalia for the 4 year old.

The Eleventh Hour for the 7 year old.

At least I liked them around that age.

I gave 365 Penguins to a couple of kids about 4 year’s old last year. They and their parents loved it. One had an 8 year old sibling who also liked it on a higher level. Little kids love penguins of at least they did last year. Another one they liked was Your Personal Penguin

I also sent these to my 4 and 8 year old girly girl nieces last year.

A Princess Primer for the 8 year old

And Fairyopolis to the kidlet.

Seven might be old enough to start on Narnia or Little House books. I read Narnia when I was younger than that and Little House when I was much much older, so I’m not sure. A couple years older and I’d have all sorts of suggestions!

For the seven year old you might look for Cam Jansen books by David Adler. Also the Fourth Floor Twins series by the same author.

For the little one, maybe Little Critter by Mercer Mayer. Or Berenstain Bears.

We just did this.

I would definitely check with the parents to see what level the kids are reading at. I just started working as a second grade TA at the beginning of the school year and was surprised to see kids ranging from a first grade reading level to a fifth grade reading level all in one class of seven and eight year olds. That being said, Cam Jenson and Junie B. Jones books are both very popular in my class along with Geronimo Stilton and Magic Tree House books. Personally, I think that Dr. Seuss is great for any age.

That thread was for 8, 9, and 10 year olds. This thread is for a 4.5 yo and a 7 yo. The same books don’t work for both threads.

My girls loved the Olivia books, they are about right for a 4 year old.

I second the Junie B Joness books for the older child.

Also, most kids like looking at pictures, so if they have a favorite animal, dog, cat, horse etc, a book about animal breeds with lots of pictures might be nice.

A great picture book for a four year old girl is Alice the Fairy.

My kids both LOVED the Captain Underpants stuff - starting at four (when I read them) and they still get pulled out now that they are eight and nine). They are “boyish” but still very good.

My daughter loved Besty-Tacy at seven - but it may be hard to find a copy as it went out of print a year or so again.

I agree that reading level is important, unless they are a read aloud family.

Don’t forget Shel Silverstein! Where the Sidewalk Ends, and The Giving Tree have stayed with me all my life.

Oh, don’t worry, I think they’ve had those since an age of about -8 months.

I’ll definitely be looking into the other suggestions, though. And I’m not too worried about their reading level-- if anything, I’d probably prefer to aim higher. They are related to me, after all :). If I should hit low, though, the books can just shift down to the next younger kids as they grow into them (they also have a toddler).

I did not like the Junie B. Jones books at all. Junie is an ill-mannered brat and I was constantly telling my son that her behavior is really not appropriate. It could be that he was too young but he thought it was funny that she was so rude.

I know he likes the Magic Tree House series because he’s always telling me about them, meaning he’s reading them on his own. He’s 5 so I’m not sure if the stories would be interesting to a 7-year-old.

I do the same thing, albeit for the kids of a friend of mine (they each get a book and a toy every year for Christmas and birthdays) and I tend to go with the classics, and political correctness be damned. I second the Silverstein (one cool cat, that) and the Chronicles of Narnia, albeit the latter for the seven year old. Encyclopedia Brown was good, but I don’t know that it has aged very well. I remember quite enjoying The Mad Scientists Club books; are those still in print? One of my favorites from second grade–and I’ll freely admit to having purchased recently and reread it several times–is Ellen Raskin’s The Westing Game. This is probably my favorite children’s book, and I wish I could find it in hardback so I could give it to the eldest.

For the four year old I suspect that illustrations are going to be as much or more important than the story, so I always look for a book with vibrant illustrations. The Babar stories were a big hit when I got those one year; another book I got for the youngest last year I can’t remember the title, but it’s about a kid who finds a camera on the beach and had some of the most amazing illustrations I’ve ever seen. (The cover has a big fish eye…damn, I wish I could remember the name now.)

I wouldn’t worry too much about reading level; assuming the parents read to them it shouldn’t be a problem, plus I think most kids are capable of reading above their nominal level if they’re challenged just a bit, and kids have an impressive ability to memorize what has been read to them, and then learn as they read back. I think it best to find something that will picque their interest rather than stay rigidly inside of a specified age range. Of course, I fondly remember reading my way through Alfred Hitchcock anthologies the summer between second and third grade, which probably scared me for life, or at least gave me this Patricia Highsmith obsession.

Good luck to you,

Stranger

I should have suggested the Spiderwick books. There’s a movie coming out next year. (Edited to add: Some of the imagery might be a bit scary for a really sensitive kid.)

Also the Angie Sage books, starting with Magyk. Not sure about them reading either on their own, but I think the 7 yo should be able to handle the Sage soon at least. I haven’t read the Araminta Spookie books yet, but I have high hopes for them as well.

Brilliant book.

Yes, yes it is. I like the way that it sets up each of the characters as being some kind of archetype (the career-minded judge, the agressive restauranteer, the social climbing doctor’s wife, the vapid fiancee, the insensitive jock, et cetea) and then gives every one of them a twist that gives depth. It also neatly sets up several red herrings, allowing the true reveal to be both surprising and yet logical.

Also, “Veronica Mars” fans should note that in the first series they make a brief allusion to it (a minor character in one episode is reading it) which presages the entire first series story arc, in that almost no one is quite what they seem and that the story won’t end they way you think it will.

Stranger

Just got off of the phone with my mom, who’s both a retired elementary school teacher and frequent babysitter of my nieces. It looks like I’ll be going with The Eleventh Hour, Cam Jansen books, The Fourth Floor Twins, Animalia, Maisy the Mouse, Rosemary Wells books, 365 Penguins, and Olivia. Most of the others, they either already have, or she said they would be over their level. Despite being related to me, neither of the girls are quite at a 6th-grade reading level in 1st grade.

Thanks for all of the suggestions, everyone… Most of them, Mom knew, but there were a few there that were new even to her.