Sarah0000 Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 What are some quality, complex picture books that PreK children like? We do read a lot of the standard picture books recommended for PreK, plus fairytales and nursery rhymes. However, we've worn out the Beatrix Potter tales and Winnie the Pooh and I can't find anything on a similar level to fill that niche. It doesn't necessarily have to be a classic, but it does need relatively complex sentences with a greater vocabulary range, and illustrations. I've looked at K-2 book lists and many of them seem beyond the comprehension or interest of my two year old; he'll listen but they aren't something he'll sit completely through such as for bedtime reading. Recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Do you have A Child's Garden of Verses? That might be something a little different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah0000 Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 Yes, and several other similar books. We already read those regularly at snack times. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Brambly Hedge 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 There is a book called Babies Need Books, by Dorothy Butler. She is more conscious of beautiful language than any other book advisor I have encountered, and she divvies up her recommendations by year (infants, ones, twos, threes, fours-and-fives). By the time I got to her recommendations for fours-and-fives, I stopped cross-checking them with other sources, and just ordered sight unseen, since her suggestions were so marvelously spot-on for the other ages. ANYWAY, here are some recommendations off the top of my head: * Animals at Maple Hill Farm & Year at Maple Hill Farm by the Provensens * Heckedy Peg by Audrey and Don Wood * Any and all folk tale retellings by Paul Galdone * Shirley Hughes books, especially Dogger and the Alfie books * Virginia Lee Burton books 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teneo Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Rainbow Fairy Book 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Robert McCloskey books. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 You could look at the Before Five in a Row booklist; some of the Five in a Row Vol 1-3 books would work as well for a 2 year old just to listen to. Frances books (Bedtime for Frances, etc), can't remember the author off hand. Dr. Seuss' longer books (Lorax, If I Ran the Zoo, Yertle the Turtle, etc) Bill Peet's books I second the Babies Need Books recommendation above. Look into The Read-Aloud Handbook as well. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 We love most of the Five in a Row booklist. We also read E B White quite frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lb20inblue Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I have had great success in locating quality literature picture books in the folktale/fairy-tale section of my library. For instance, last week, I picked Cinderella and found Yeh-Shen, the Egyptian Cinderella, and Ella's Big Chance to name a few. The illustrations and the story telling was amazing and the twins loved reading all five versions of the story every day last week. Just an idea that worked for us :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanikit Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 Blueberries for Sal, Make Way for Ducklings (Robert McCloskey) Paddington Bear (depends if your child can cope with chapter books or not though - I moved this far later for my eldest) Jane Belk Moncure books - these have very simple stories, but my 2 year old loved them Billy's Bucket The Enormous Crocodile (Roald Dahl) The Bee Tree Richard Scarry Books Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel Charlie and Lola books (there are many) Any of the Usborne First Reading series (despite being first readers the vocabulary is not as limited as one might think) Nick Butterworth (Percy the Park Keeper and others) Mick Manning (some of them) Dick King Smith - usually the early reader ones initially til they are more ready for chapter books) A good nursery story book - or fairy tale book Shirley Hughes Two is an interesting age - they develop very fast and what you can read one month changes very very rapidly. Most of the books I listed here are ones my children heard when they were late two, early 3 so your mileage may vary - if a book does not work or hold interest or comprehension then try again a few months later. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 He's not too young to start listening to quality chapter book audiobooks. A dear favorite read aloud of ours for that age is Teddy Robinson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nature girl Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 So many great suggestions here! I didn't see anyone mentioning Jan Brett...She's been one of our favorites for awhile, we've loved almost everything she's written. Beautiful language, interesting storylines and gorgeous illustrations... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 He's not too young to start listening to quality chapter book audiobooks. A dear favorite read aloud of ours for that age is Teddy Robinson. Oh that reminds me, we had a great time read this Stories for Under Fives collection--among other things there are a couple of Teddy Robinsons in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah0000 Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 Thank you everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I have been doing books from five in a row and the top 100 picture book list. The five in a row books have been good and the top 100 list has been mixed. I really like Patricia Polacco and Virginia Lee Burton so far. If I find an author I like I get more of their books. I will look at the Babies need books lists now to see what the recommend. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 In the same vein as Heckedy Peg Zelinsky has some nice fairy tale adaptations, Rumpelstiltskin and Rapunzel. Brett has a lovely version of Beauty and the Beast (we absolutely love the artwork in this one). St. George and the Dragon is quite wonderful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebbyribs Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I love the language in Scuffy the Tugboat although I don't care for the story. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I like Jan Brett (The Mitten & others), Don Freeman (Corduroy & others), Robert McClosky (Make Way for Ducklings & others), Loren Long (Otis). I like some Virginia Lee Burton books (Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel). The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is another favorite in our house. The Cricket in Times Square (can't remember the authors name right now) is a longer picture book that would work well for a two year old too. I tend to check out 20+ books at a time from the library and have found some real treasures that way. If you have a young 2 year old he may prefer repetition so he really gets to know the stories. My nearly 2 year old wants the same 2-3 books every day. My 4 year old rotates through several but still likes a lot of familiar stories too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Lots of our favorites have been listed. A few other picture books we enjoy at this age are: Lon Po Po The Big Brown Box Anansi stories The Dream Eater Harvey The Foolish Pig Bill Peet books The Stinky Cheese man SkippyJon Jones A Treeful of Pigs Lafcadio the Lion books by Kevin Henkes How Many Spots Does a Leopard have Fables The Little Engine That Could (the original!!! There's plenty of dumbed down versions) The original!!! Thomas the Tank Engine books. NOT the books that rehash the show. Longer readings from Just So Stories, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Alice in Wonderland, Abel's Island. Poetry books of all kinds--Edward Lear, Mother Goose, Sing a Song of Popcorn, Jack Prelutsky, TS Eliot... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marge Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 We're reading James Herriot's Treasury for Children...I remember it from my childhood and it is outstanding! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakpak Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 My DD enjoyed Charlotte's Web & Little House in the Big Woods at 2.5. We mostly read at meals so her hands were busy. I agree with a lot of the above recommendations as well. Thorton Burgess has a ton. We also enjoyed the Waldorf story book: The Tales of Tiptoes Lightly by Rex Down - very sweet little stories about a fairy and her gnome friends, among others. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nature girl Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Oh yes!! I'll second Tiptoes Lightly, it was one of our favorites at that age as well! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DhanyaCali Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Recommended in this thread "The Read Aloud HAndbook" and "Babies Need Books" both GREAT!! Checked them out from the library, they are both so good that I now feel I need to own them! Can't wait to read "Honey For a Child's Heart." May I specifically reccomend Carl Sam's and Jean Stoick series, rich vocabulary set to real life forest photography. Here's our fav http://smile.amazon.com/First-Snow-Woods-Photographic-Fantasy/dp/0977010864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398171727&sr=8-1&keywords=first+snow+in+the+woods 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nannyaunt Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 I know this is a bit late but I read a book called Kings and Things by H. E. Marshall. She wrote several history books that were used for decades in England. This book was designed to be read to children, but my copy was very nearly high-jacked by an advanced 10 y.o. boy who reads several grades above his current grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookaddict Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Hello, Great suggestions here. I can't wait for our next trip to the library. I was pregnant last year with my third child and was very tired in the latter trimester and needed something to keep 3year old and 2 year old occupied while mommy rested on the couch. We came across the Magic Treehouse Series which are short chapter books of about 50 pages. Let me tell you that BOTH my boy and girl loved them. We devoured these books and one year later are still reading them. We are on #34 out of 52!!. The author is still publishing new books in the series. My kids love them so much that many many times we have read and re-read all the books up till now and we have the audio book versions which they listen to daily. My two year old now three calls herself an author and constantly tells stories. Both my kids vocab and "writing/author" style are similar to Mary Pope Osborne. Her imagination is amazing and they are even interesting for the parent too plus oh so educational because each book is about a time in history or often about a mythological story. We also have been reading The Hobbit (with some editing for scary parts) which they love, and The Magicians Nephew (in the Narnia series was awesome). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I know this is a bit late but I read a book called Kings and Things by H. E. Marshall. She wrote several history books that were used for decades in England. This book was designed to be read to children, but my copy was very nearly high-jacked by an advanced 10 y.o. boy who reads several grades above his current grade.But this thread is for four year olds! ;) I also like Owl Moon, and And if the moon could talk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 The Burgess Bird Book for Children. They introduce lots of different birds and we supplemented by looking up pictures of each one and watching videos of them singing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teneo Posted September 6, 2014 Share Posted September 6, 2014 A complex vocabulary and beautiful fairy tale book find: Snow White by Wanda Gag. It was written in the 30s and the vocabulary is impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Condessa Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 So, you're looking for reccomendations for a two-year-old, not Pre-K? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah0000 Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 Yes, but he's advanced, and now is almost three. I just want to make sure he remains used to hearing complex language, and not just the simple words and sentences he's always reading in his superhero readers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 You may want to check the lists for Ambleside Online Year 0 and 0.5. AO has wonderful challenging reading lists for all ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanikit Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Here are some more: There are endless and I try to read my 3 year old not just books with complex language but also some that are fairly simple too so that she can hear both complex sentence structure as well as very simple sentences. However the ones that follow had good vocabulary in them. Hip Cat (Jonathan London) The art lesson (Tomie De Paola) Amazing Grace (Mary Hoffman) Angelina Ballerina Series - very girly though Ho! for a hat Billy's Bucket The story of Ping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue daisy Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Thank you to whoever recommended Brambly Hedge! We checked out a few from the library and my four year old and I adore them! Such sweet stories, with beautiful language and illustrations. I appreciate this whole thread actually - I made a list of books to check out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ummMohsin Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 Ambleside online year 0 has great suggestions, including some already mentioned. I love James Herriot's "Treasury for Children." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 I don't think I've seen this on the thread -- we've just begun L. Frank Baum's Mother Goose in Prose, and it is lovely with rich language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah0000 Posted August 6, 2016 Author Share Posted August 6, 2016 Its been almost two years and we are still enjoying the recommendations from this thread! My child is now four and he adores Thornton Burgess. There is a 26 book set on sale now, and Homeschool Giveaways has a 25% off coupon in case anyone is interested. We're going to try the Tales of Tiptoes Lightly next. Anyways, here's a bump to share all these great recommendations. And feel free to post more titles (always looking for more). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.