jillian Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 my dd ADORES the movie Matilda....likes ADORES it and could watch it all day long repeatedly in a row (we dont' but she asks) and the first thing she asks for in the morning while eating breakfast is "watch 'tilda--she doesn't quite get the Ma part of Matilda. We usually put it on while I am making lunch and through lunch time but after that we shut it off. I want to read the actual book version of it too her but wonder if at 2 1/2 she's too young to enjoy me reading it to her. Obviously she wouldn't understand the concepts in it but she loves the movie story and think this would be a good book to undertake for afternoon story time. Has anyone else read Roald Dahl to their younger child. This is also the child who asked me to teach her to read last month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 My dd insisted that I read Matilda (she was 4) and loved it. She likes to pretend she is Matilda (with hair ribbon) and I am Miss Honey. I'd say give it a try. There is also an audio recording from Audible.com that you could listen to in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted June 2, 2010 Author Share Posted June 2, 2010 awesome i will check out the audio recording too. I think I will check it out. Also any other Roald Dahl books you think would be okay or age appropriate enough? She is not easily frightened at all--she loves Nightmare Before Christmas too (she's a weird child lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 There are some that are better for younger children. The one I remember is The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me. You used to be able to get it as a large-format picture book. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairytalemama Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to my daughter when she was 2 or 3 and she loved it. We're in the middle of James and the Giant Peach right now (she's nearly 5 now) and she begs me for another chapter all the time. It all comes down to your child's sensitivities. If she's already seen the movie, then the chokie (sp?) in Matilda the book probably won't scare her whereas that may trouble another child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Food4Thought Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 We've read James and the Giant Peach, and both of my kids (6 & 4) loved it. There were a few minor passages I had to paraphrase (that centipede is a character!!) but I enjoyed it as well. I'm glad to see some other recommendations - I think I'll pick up a few more Dahl books. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted June 2, 2010 Author Share Posted June 2, 2010 Thanks everyone!!!! I have never read The Giraffe, The Pelly and Me so I might check that one out at the library first and go through it before I buy it. I always try to get books on the "gift" list for dd since we have toys coming out of our ears already so we really don't need anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forty-two Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 (edited) I started reading Matilda to my 3.5yo a bit ago, b/c she pulled it off the shelf and asked me to. Dd had no trouble comprehending it, but, wow, I turned out to be really uncomfortable reading it to my dd (at this age, anyway). My dd is so sensitive - I really didn't want to get into why Matilda's parents were so horrible to her. And dd was too young to really discuss the ethics of revenge (she is very much in the black/white stage) and I was uncomfortable with just reading about Matilda's pranks without any commentary. (On a more minor note, there were all sort of new insults for dd to learn :tongue_smilie:.) So I quit reading it - maybe in a few years we'll pick it back up. ETA: Also, the book has a very sarcastic tone, which I happen to love (I *do* own the book, after all), but my dd is too young to really get sarcasm, and I would NOT want her to take it at face value. Edited June 2, 2010 by forty-two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 The only way you'll know is to start reading it. :) FWIW, we start with The Enormous Crocodile, The Twits and Fantastic Mr Fox, then move to The BFG and James and the Giant Peach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 I think DS was 3 the first time I read The Twits to him. He loves that book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debdebdebby13 Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 We have listened to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on CD in the car and DD really loved it. This was after we'd watched the movie several dozen times. She also loves Matilda in movie form though I hadn't thought of reading it to her yet. We've read other children's classics though, or rather listened to them in the car. We've been through The Secret Garden, it didn't hold her attention very well, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, she like it pretty well, Charlotte's Web, probably her favorite so far, Ellen Tebbits, which she also enjoyed and a few others that I can't remember right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 DD didn't like The Secret Garden either--we tried it earlier this year. She asked to be read to but it didn't hold her attention. I've heard wonderful things about Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. I'm looking to get Charlotte's Web on cd so we can listen to it in the car. I've never heard of Ellen Tebbits. I will look up a lot of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 my dd ADORES the movie Matilda....likes ADORES it and could watch it all day long repeatedly in a row (we dont' but she asks) and the first thing she asks for in the morning while eating breakfast is "watch 'tilda--she doesn't quite get the Ma part of Matilda. We usually put it on while I am making lunch and through lunch time but after that we shut it off. I want to read the actual book version of it too her but wonder if at 2 1/2 she's too young to enjoy me reading it to her. Obviously she wouldn't understand the concepts in it but she loves the movie story and think this would be a good book to undertake for afternoon story time. Has anyone else read Roald Dahl to their younger child. This is also the child who asked me to teach her to read last month. We read several Roald Dahl stories to my son as a preschooler. He *LOVED* them. If she enjoys it, go right ahead! I think the fast pacing of these books make them really work for younger kids. My son wanted action and a cliff hanger in every chaper. James and the Giant Peach was excellent too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debdebdebby13 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 DD didn't like The Secret Garden either--we tried it earlier this year. She asked to be read to but it didn't hold her attention. I've heard wonderful things about Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. I'm looking to get Charlotte's Web on cd so we can listen to it in the car. I've never heard of Ellen Tebbits. I will look up a lot of these. Ellen Tebbits is a Beverly Cleary book, the same author as all the "Ramona" books which we are about to start. She also has many other good books for children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 (edited) DD didn't like The Secret Garden either--we tried it earlier this year. She asked to be read to but it didn't hold her attention. I've heard wonderful things about Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. I'm looking to get Charlotte's Web on cd so we can listen to it in the car. I've never heard of Ellen Tebbits. I will look up a lot of these. Mrs. Frisby is better for an older crowd. Jim Trelease recommends it for grades 4-6 as a read aloud. Secret Garden is also a bit tough for the younger kids. Trelease recommends that for grades 2-5 as a read aloud. There are so many fabulous books for the preschoolers. Don't rush it. DD7 and I are currently pouring through Dahl books. She just can't get enough! We are about to finish Fantastic Mr. Fox. We read Enormous Crocodile, George's Marvelous Medicine, James and the Giant Peach and listened to the fabulous audiobook for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She loves them all. Next on the list is Giraffe and the Pelly and Me Edited June 3, 2010 by lisabees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 Dd just seems to want to be read to from which ever novel we are reading from and pulls them off our bookshelf to flip through so i think maybe a chapter book of her own to look at and be able to hold and enjoy might up her alley for our afternoon reading time, she gets really sniggly and wants to just sit on one of our laps and read constantly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Jill, Another big hit was anything written by William Steig. His stories are delightful and off the wall with advanced vocabulary. A favorite read aloud for my (little) kids is "Dominic" and I would place that at about the level of "Matilda." Steig also has many wonderful picture books. Also try the George and Martha books by James Marshall. They are much easier to read but have that wonderful humor that appeals to both kids and adults. I read aloud quite a bit -- and my rule is that I have to enjoy it too. Dana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 I didn't read all your responses but my kids LOVE Dahl too. We have read The BFG, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, Danny Champion of the World and more. I would go for it :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melenie Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Like PP's have said, give it a try. My 3 year old has been listening to Dahl for years along with my 6 year old and she loves them just as much. They laugh at the funny parts and act the books out during their play times together. I am sure that she does not get the full story, but the vocabulary is great and she gets enough of it to enjoy it along with her sister. PP mentioned some of the great, shorter stories. Georges Marvelous Medicine is a short and very funny one as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 PP mentioned some of the great, shorter stories. Georges Marvelous Medicine is a short and very funny one as well.This is the only Dahl I dislike, though I don't recall DD the Elder minding it. His stories are almost all built around a childlike revenge fantasy, but this one I found to be simply mean-spirited with none of the sense of fun of his other works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 Thanks everyone. I am making her "book gift list" for her birthday and christmas this year already (our families buy throughout the year) so I appreciate all the suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holiztic Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 I desperately love Roald Dahl and I also love the movie Matilda (which I saw and then bought for the first time at 12). However, I am going to be seen as very conservative (something I am generally not!) when I say that I would never let my child see the movie (or read the book) before 6 or so. (most) Roald Dahl is dark, and I don't believe that there is a safe place for that kind of view in a toddler or preschooler's ethos. I do not see any good in my 3 year old knowing that there are family dynamics like that at this age, nor knowing of (and especially seeing!!!!) the sadism exemplified by Ms. Trunchbull. I DO, however, think that there is a lot of beauty in the relationship between Miss Honey and Matilda AND I believe that the 'dark' side of such stories has a beneficial place for a child of 6 or more (depending on sensitivity and emotional age). We plan to read the real Grimms tales because they involve the dualities of good and evil (actually meant to represent the duality in each individual--not a good guy and a bad guy). So this comment does not come from someone who believes in squeaky clean fairy tales with no conflict! But I do believe that a child with so little world experience will generally be disturbed by too early an introduction to the darker side of humanity (even if she 'seems' fine and even likes it!) Probably an unpopular opinion, but mine nonetheless! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Girl Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 I like My Father's Dragon and the others in the series, Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland for first chapter books. My DD also enjoyed the original Mary Poppins and several of the sequels at about age 3. A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner are good at this age as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphabetika Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 My all-time favorite Dahl book is Danny, the Champion of the World. She may not be ready for it now, but please don't skip it when she is ready. I find many people have not heard of this one, but it's wonderful. Also, (not sure if this has been mentioned as I haven't read all responses) be sure to read the first book in Dahl's two-book autobiography, Boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 We read Dahl at a young age. My boys' favorite is Danny Champion of the World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 The Enormous Crocodile was a favorite first chapter book for dd14 and dd7. It's short, pretend-scary (but not really scary), and has a lot of repetition--nice for early readers. Our local bookstore has a copy of The Eejits, which is apparently The Twits translated into Scots. I have no idea what the audience for that book is supposed to be. I think I will have to obtain some copies before we leave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Our local bookstore has a copy of The Eejits, which is apparently The Twits translated into Scots. I have no idea what the audience for that book is supposed to be. I think I will have to obtain some copies before we leave. We have the Sleekit Mr. Tod: Fantastic Mr. Fox, in Scots: 'Boggin and Boonce and Beek; Yin a sumph, yin a scrunt, yin a streek. Thae scunnersome tykes, Though they're no look-alikes, Are equally mingin and seik.' That's whit the bairns roond aboot used tae chant whenever they saw them. There's also Geordie's Mingin Medicine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmacnchs Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 I read The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda to my daughter when she was 2 or 2.5. She enjoyed it (though I think she would enjoy it even more now) - we mainly read it b/c someone gave a set to us. I had to replace some words in ALL of the books. I was really disappointed b/c that means she will have to be WAAAY older for me to let her read them by herself :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 'Boggin and Boonce and Beek; Yin a sumph, yin a scrunt, yin a streek. Thae scunnersome tykes, Though they're no look-alikes, Are equally mingin and seik.' That's whit the bairns roond aboot used tae chant whenever they saw them. There's also Geordie's Mingin Medicine. Aaaaaaigh. That's exactly the sort of thing that's making Waverley take weeks to read. I'm so glad our landlady here is English. She translates for her Scottish husband.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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