4 year old reading at 5th grade level... Need appropriate book ideas

[Guest marbleeyez]

Hello,

I have a four year old son that started reading at 2. Currently, he reads on a beginning 5th level. Only problem is that chapter books at this level aren't always appropriate for his age and discuss topics that we don't consider necessary to introduce or use a harsher language than what we'd care for our kid to use (name calling, bullying, kissing, etc.)

 

I'm looking for advice and recommendations for books that may fit. Does anyone have suggestions? Fiction, non fiction... Just nothing scary that may cause nightmares.

 

Are there any gifted reading programs for his age out there? I definitely want to encourage his appetite for literature, reading and all that follows.

[LTBernard]

Following! 
My DS5 also started reading at 2.  We have allowed him to read the first 2 Harry Potter books and he was fine with those.  He was in the process of reading book 3 and then got distracted.  I told him that he could not go past book 3 at this point due to it getting darker and more mature content.  He is currently reading easier chapter books b/c he is wanting to read as many books as possible this summer to try to win a prize from our library's summer reading program.  The books he is reading now are Arthur books and they are somewhere around reading level 3.  He reads one of those in about 30 minutes.  I just keep a list on hold at our library and switch out every couple of days.  While these are not pushing him at his current reading level they do  interest him and are not too heavy.  Also just having him love devouring books makes me happy :)

[Kareni]

I seem to recall that Chinaberry used to have a list of good books for young advanced readers.  I tried to search for the list but no luck.  The only one that I remember being on the list is

 

The King of Ireland's Son by Padraic Colum

 

 

ETA: I just remembered another book from that list:  

 

The Wind Boy by Ethel Cook Eliot

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jackie]

My just-turned-four year old is at third grade reading level and I sympathize. Since we're a bit behind you, I don't have personal experience but I do have a couple resources that I've been scoping.

 

The Mensa reading list has lots of great titles, some of which aren't on every list out there, many of which are above the level of the list they're on: http://www.mensaforkids.org/ReaderAward/all.pdf

 

This listopia list for gifted young readers isn't well sorted, but has lots of good titles to pick through: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/47468.Gifted_Young_Readers

 

The best advice I've ever gotten is to check lists for read alouds for the age of the child (so check read alouds for kindergarteners) and then give those books directly to the child. They're typically on read aloud lists because they're written at a higher level but content-appropriate.

[Laura Corin]

I have an Amazon list that might be helpful:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-for-five-year-olds-reading-at-a-5th-grade-level/lm/2ELAACG95P3SC/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full

 

L

[snowbeltmom]

The Laura Ingalls Wilder series was popular in my house at that age.

[Tanikit]

My DD is older but here are some of the books I feel have worked recently and should be mild enough for a 4 year old: Many of these are very girly since I only have girls.

 

1. B is for Betsy

2. The Children of Noisy Village

3. Socks

4. Emily's Runaway Imagination

5. Pippi Longstocking 

6. Sophie's Adventures

7. Other Dick King Smith books - The Invisible Dog, The Sheep Pig, Dodos are faorever etc

8. The Boxcar Children series

9. My naughty little sister series

10. Dolphin Adventure (this one does have some emotional content but it all works out ok in the end)

11. Meindert De Jong Books (these vary from easy and short to quite difficult and while some cover advanced topics and could be used for literature analysis in middle school they will not harm a 4-5 year old and I suspect the deeper issues will be glossed over by a young child who is just enjoying the story) - The last little cat, The Wheel on the School, Along came a dog etc

12. The Hundred and One Dalmations and its sequel/s - could be scary though

13. Mary Poppins and its sequels

14. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and some its sequels (again could be scary depending on the child - my DD loved this at age 3)

 

At this age though do not forget about all the wonderful picture books that are available - many of them have at least a 5th grade reading level as they are aimed at 4 year olds with an adult reading them - they will be perfect for a child who is reading at that level that young. For boys you can also get them reading non fiction passages on topics that interest them - many boys prefer non fiction to fiction and there are numerous books available at all levels.

[geniusmom]

My son at that age just read whatever he was obsessed with.  I cannot more highly recommend taking him to the library and teaching him to search for books based on interests.  Because of a disjunction between ability and emotional maturity, I tended to steer him towards his non-fiction interests.  I recall checking out a lot of Bill Nye the Science guy (videos) and any books on weather and tornados (he was obsessed with them). He also love geography and we found a couple of geography books which had a lot of info but were very visually beautiful too.  At 5 he became obsessed with the Presidents, so we checked out and bought many books and workbooks on the presidents, even an electric board game which he held in his lap and it recited facts.  I would focus on interest more than ability, and then fill that up with books, videos and games by topic.  That is what worked for me.  

[SierraNevada]

There are so many great books out there that don't have that mature content. Oz books are wonderful-- though they are on more of a 6-7 grade level. Older books (+50-75 years) seem to be more appropriate. Oz, Mary Poppins..etc. --Stuff or that era and fantasy type. Sometimes seemingly innocuous books like the Romona series still deal with social situations that are too advanced. Even though we loved Roald Dahl, he has a lot of anti-authority sentiments and name calling. I love the goodreads list linked above. It has books that every child should read at some point on their journey.

[Korrale]

My son just finished reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, over and over. He doesn't usually read a novel once, he reads it many times. Good thing is that there are many more Oz books to come.

We also have many abridged classics for him to devour. Stepping Stones, Great Illlustrated Classics series. And once again he reads the same book over and over again.

There are many picture books that have advanced language that my 4 year old loves so don't feel like you need to limit him to chapter books. James Herriot, Robert McClosky and Virgina Lee Burton are a few authors my son loves. He also loves the Babar books. Beatrix Potter books have some great vocabulary. It is fun to see my husband stumble over words like soporific and superfluous and having my 4 year tell him the meaning and how to pronounce them.

We try to find book series, that way we can get more out of them. My son loves some of the early chapter book series like Greetings for Nowhere, Nancy Clancy, Horrid Henry, Mysteries by Ron Roy. He flies through those books rapidly reading several in an hour but he is enjoying himself. And he will read the books several times before returning them to the library.

For reading challenge we use non fiction. We have several young encyclopedia sets but we also just browse the non fiction section in the library and let my son pick out what interests him.

 

I think we might Read the How to Train Your Dragon series next. Those 12 books might keep him occupied for a while. I ding know about the level of the content yet. Maybe someone else knows.

[bakpak]

My 4-yr-old and I are reading How to Train Your Dragon right now. It's pushing the limits of what I like her to be exposed to, but she's doing fine with it and loving it. She thinks the names are a riot (Snotlout). Some older books she's been pouring over (& over) lately are Charlotte's Web, Little House books, and Cricket in Times Square. On my to-read list for her are: Indian in the Cupboard and Robin Hood.

 

Otherwise, it is true there are tons of picture books at 5th grade level. They're lovely! I browse both the Early Reader and the Junior sections at the library and find all sorts of gems.

[songsparrow]

What about:

* The Trumpet of the Swan

* Stuart Little

* The Wind in the Willows

* Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

* A Wrinkle in Time (might be a little scary for a sensitive child) (and its sequels although my girls didn't like the sequels nearly as much)

* The Phantom Tollbooth (I haven't actually read this one myself)

* Magic Tree House series

* Sisters Grimm series

* Tale of Despereaux

* The Magician's Nephew (from the Chronicles of Narnia) (might be scary)

* The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories (silly stories about "interesting" things that happen to the Armitage family) (I didn't read all of the stories, so I don't know if any are scary, but the ones we read were mostly silly)

[abacus2]

I would look for suggested read-alouds for the K or 1st level. These will be at a higher reading level, but appropriate for young children.

[ThoughtfulMama]

Look for classics published in the 50's or earlier.  There are lots of great books with more gentle themes.  Some of our favorites are:

The Littles (some are out of print, but easy to find in used bookstores)

The Borrowers

Stuart Little

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series

Mr. Popper's Penguins

My Father's Dragon trilogy

 

And a couple modern ones he likes:

Geronimo Stilton (various series)

The Secret of Droon series

The World According to Humphrey series

Pet Hotel series

 

Also, National Geographic non-fiction

[Guest marbleeyez]

You all have been amazing! Thanks for the wonderful insight! I can't wait to get these titles. Keep the suggestions coming!

[Black-eyed Suzan]

I haven't seen the Paddington series mentioned.

[zenjenn]

Some of the books recommended are more a 2nd-3rd grade level, but that is *just fine*. Do remember just because he's reading at a 5th grade level, doesn't mean he *has* to read 5th grade level books. 

 

The problem really arises when they are in middle elementary grades and they've now burned through all the best children's lit and want to start reading young adult. That gets REALLY tough, because even though gifted kids often end up with mature minds, there is an emotional cap when it comes to the *adolescent barrier*, So I advise letting him enjoy sweet, whimsical children's literature in the K-3rd grade levels as long as you can get away with it. 

 

Another diversionary tactic is to shift the child over to nonfiction as much as you can. In nonfiction, you don't have to worry about the emotional tenor of the reading material nearly as much. A lot of young early readers just LOVE reading books of facts and lists and details about rocks, dinosaurs, planets, etc. Of course fiction enjoyment is very important too, but by diving into the nonfiction you can really spread the love a bit. USBorne or DK Eyewitness encyclopedias might become your son's best friend. 

 

Trust me - you DO get to the point where everything the librarian suggests, your child will say "I've already read that." And these voracious readers get picky as they get older too. There's a lot of mediocre kid lit too and they learn to recognize it earlier than most. Not trying to be holier than thou - my child read the entire Harry Potter series by fall of 2nd grade and the Hunger Games trilogy in 4th grade - but that was WITH me trying to hold her off as much as I felt was reasonable. And gosh you have a boy? The kid-lit choices are thinned out substantially.

 

Nonfiction!

[ThoughtfulMama]

Some of the books recommended are more a 2nd-3rd grade level, but that is *just fine*. Do remember just because he's reading at a 5th grade level, doesn't mean he *has* to read 5th grade level books.

 

Yes, this! There are tons of good books we would have skipped if I tried to keep him supplied at his reading level. And mine still loves picture books too - because he's a LITTLE KID :) So I have a reading list that I maintain of books that I think he would like/should read, but I also let him browse the picture books at the library and pick out a few he wants. Yes, he usually reads them all in the car on the way home, but he usually re-reads later and looks at the pictures too.

Oh, and I make sure he also gets all the "essential" classic picture books, even the simple ones. Let's face it, I'm an adult, and I don't want to do all my fun reading at my reading level either - give me some occasional chick lit or young adult books and I'm happy too.

[calihil]

Aren't there like 50 Boxcar Children books? Should keep him busy for awhile, haha. I loved those books as a kid.

[Kareni]

Don't forget Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson.  Or you could splurge and get  The Complete Calvin and Hobbes [bOX SET]!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Rachel]

Many picture books really are written at a higher level, we check out 30-40 at a time. For some reason my son doesn't mind reading picture books multiple times either. Sometimes reading books at a lower level is fine because the books are fun. My 6 year old loves the animal books by Dick King-Smith, they are really easy for him but he loves the characters. In fact he taught himself how to use the library's online catalog to find more of them.

 

Non-fiction really helps with the maturity issue but still challenges reading ability. Find a children's encyclopedia and then check out additional books on topics your child shows an interest in. You may want to check out Ambleside year 1 books too, the books are older but many of them can be found free for your Kindle.

 

Make friends with your children's librarian, she/he can be a great resource. Good luck!

[EKS]

Older works. 

 

Also, picture books that are intended for adults to read to children are frequently written at about a 5th grade level.  Look for picture books that have lots of words on each page, like a good paragraph of text rather than a sentence or two, as these seem to be the ones with the higher reading level.

 

ETA:  If I had actually read the responses, I would have seen that others have had the same brilliant suggestion! :D

[Mumjustmoved]

You can use scholastic book wizard to search for grade level 5 and interest level prek-k. Makes finding library books easier for me. Also, my four year old read Tale of Desperaux today and tells me she liked it as much as Charlottes Web (the highest praise she can give!).

[Jackie]

Mostly picture books and a bit lower level but here's a list of third grade level books for preschoolers: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/62452.Preschoolers_at_Third_Grade_Level

[Kerileanne99]

Lots of great lists here and suggestions.

We just got home from vacation where we had to hit bookstores for new books for my dd4 reading at a very high level. She thoroughly enjoyed 'The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet'.

It is a series and is about 2 young boys who build a rocket ship for their space adventure. Very fun, great language, and the first one at least is fine as far as content:)

Book Wizard gives it a 4.9 grade equivalent.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/wonderful-flight-mushroom-planet#cart/cleanup

[Porridge]

My daughter's favorites at around that age included

 

Black beauty

Roald Dahl 

EB White

Laura Ingalls Wilder

My Father's Dragon Trilogy

The Water babies

My Side of the Mountain

[Eyesoflyte]

Following. Same situation with my newly 5 year old daughter.

[Tanaqui]

I have said it before, and I will say it again: Because the idea is that you read them to your children, many many picture books are written at a third, fourth, fifth, sixth grade or higher level. Stick with picture books.

[kiana]

Lad: A Dog and other books by Terhune

Horse books by Walter Farley (he wrote more than just the Black Stallion)

[Dmmetler]

My DD was reading post high school at age 5, but even at age 9 is still very emotionally sensitive. Sonlight's read-aloud lists for the early grades were a good place to start, as was reading any level of non-fiction (but being careful about topics-she didn't need to read about elephant poachers, for example).

[historically accurate]

I had this problem with my oldest who learned to read at age 3.  Here are some she enjoyed when she was 4-5 years old.  She also read almost the entire section of our library's biography section, as well as the pet care section.  I would start her on a series so I could "vet" the series, and then turn her loose to read the next 5-25 books.  

 

 

Charlotte's Web

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Catwings series

My Father's Dragon Series

The Boxcar Children series

Half - Magic series

The Mouse and the Motorcycle series

The Indian in the Cupboard series

The Doll People series

Betsy - Tacy first few in the series

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

James and the Giant Peach

The Littles  series

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The Trumpet of the Swan

Owls in the Family

Capyboppy

The BFG

Animal Heroes

Pollyanna

Rabbit Hill

Ribsy series

Ramona Quimby series

Little House series

American Girl series  

The Cricket in Times Square

Esio Trot

 

 

Edited to put stops in the list of literature.  Don't know why it came out in a big paragraph.

[Crimson Wife]

I agree with the recommendation to look older books but do watch out for unelightened attitudes towards racial/ethnic/religious minorities and be prepared to discuss them with your child. I can remember being appalled that my then 6 y.o. referred to Barack Obama as a "half-breed" rather than biracial and it turned out she'd learned the term from one of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books.

[CrunchyGirl]

Aren't there like 50 Boxcar Children books? Should keep him busy for awhile, haha. I loved those books as a kid.

 

19 originals, another 118 written later plus 21 "special" books.

 

Should keep him/her busy for awhile :)

[acurtis75]

I agree with the recommendation to look older books but do watch out for unelightened attitudes towards racial/ethnic/religious minorities and be prepared to discuss them with your child. I can remember being appalled that my then 6 y.o. referred to Barack Obama as a "half-breed" rather than biracial and it turned out she'd learned the term from one of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books.

Yes, I can't remember the specific terminology because it has been a while but we had a similar issue after reading The Secret Garden. I just try to discuss them with her so she knows what is no longer appropriate/acceptable.

 

Like dmmetler I also have a daughter who is extremely sensitive. We've read a lot of the suggestions here. A few that I remember being upsetting for her:

 

Either the 2nd or 3rd Oz book had a twist at the end that really upset her. Something about a boy being a girl or vice versa.

The Girl Who Could Fly - she was in tears because the girl had to live away from her family because of her gift

 

She also liked Magic Treehouse at that age. I know the reading level isn't that high for them but there are a lot of them and dd enjoyed them. I never really paid much attention to reading levels because dd could read anything I put in front of her by the time she was 5. I always mixed in good classic literature (like many of the books listed already in this thread) with stuff she enjoyed reading like the Magic Treehouse books and I believe it contributed to her love for historical fiction.

 

ETA: We also did LOTS of picture books. She's probably read hundreds of fairy tales, books on mythology, etc. We've probably had 10 different picture books with various cinderella stories from different cultures. She still reads her D'Aulaire's (sp) Greek myths and Norse myths books over and over again.