Can you help me find a boring book?

[stripe]

My kids still find many movies scary. And especially at age 5! One of mine cried in the theater about the film version of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, so, I sympathize.

 

I agree with Milly Molly Mandy and Brambly Hedge. The House at One End Street may work, too, but I'd have to reread to be sure, and it may be a bit hard to find.

 

I strongly warn against the Raggedy Ann book that takes place in Cookieland. My kids were TERRIFIED by the goblin that wants to turn them into noodle soup.

 

What about Jenny and the Cat Club series? And Flicka, Ricka, Dicka books and Snipp, Snapp, Snurr? Some of them have mild conflict such as burning the birthday cake, but many are pretty slow paced. Twig by Elizabeth Orton Jones?

 

Other picture book possibilities: Trip Back Home by Janet Wong, Not So Fast Songololo by Niki Daly, My Father's Shop by Satomi Ichikawa, Mama and Papa Have a Store by Amelia Carling, Elizabeti books by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, Home Field and Winter Wood by David Spohn, Mr Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotow.

 

I'll see what else I can find from my shelves tomorrow.

[mamaraby]

I wish I knew the name of the book that Dh still makes fun of.

 

Years ago I had a book out from the library about a cow. It was a calm book about the daily life of a cow. Dh couldn't stand it because it was so boring. He changed the text to be (It was similiar to this in content, just more poetic)

Is it perhaps "Buttercup's Lovely Day" by Carolyn Beck?

[nature girl]

We were having similar (albeit milder) issues, so I asked for suggestions of "cozy read-alouds" last spring and got some wonderful suggestions. Hope this will help!

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/515555-cozy-read-alouds/?hl=%2Bcozy&do=findComment&comment=5717356

[JanetC]

What about Jenny and the Cat Club series?

 

Oh, yes, my kids loved Jenny!

[Hunter]

Mr Putter and Tabby Stories tend to be very sweet for kidddos this age.

 

 I second this book. I just gave it to a student last week, that needed something easy to read while sitting with her dying brother.

 

I so know what you mean about conflict. When I first developed PTSD I couldn't stand most fiction. It was really tough for awhile. Stay far away from the movies Casper the Friendly Ghost and Beauty and the Beast!! A desperate friend tried both those movies on me and lived to regret it. One made me sob and one I had a seizure during. I forget which one did which, not that it matters. 

 

It's been awhile since I read it, but maybe The Sandman: His Farm Stories

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/36185/36185-h/36185-h.htm

or

http://www.mainlesson.com/displayauthor.php?author=hopkins

 

I'll keep thinking about this. I think I know exactly what you mean.

[Hunter]

Have you tried any poetry?

[Hunter]

These vintage alternative second and third readers are all about nature study and science. I've been reading them, because they are by the same publisher as a composition book and they appear to help prepare for the composition lessons. I think these are safe, although pretty much nonfiction, even though the children have names.

http://books.google.com/books?id=SZIAAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=aFoXAAAAIAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Emma+J.+Todd%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s

[Pen]

Little House in the Big Woods   ... pre read and skip over any specific part you think might be scary

 

Mercer Mayer's Little Critter books (skip ones that are about something like camping out and might be scary), but ones like "Just For You" might work. (Unless the Little Critter made up animal like character itself were frightening rather than comforting. My ds found it comforting.)

 

Non fiction biographies that are not especially scary, such as at that age my ds enjoyed one for children about Thomas Edison.

 

Also, if something has worked like Anne of Green Gables, rereading several times could be comforting. Little children like a same story over and over often. 

 

If Anne of Green Gables and or Little House work for him, you can go through the whole series reading each one several times--by the time you finish doing  that, he may be in 3rd grade and at a different stage.

 

For what it is worth, I was terrified by James and the Giant Peach at an even older age than he is, and my ds was frightened by The Sound of Music right from the opening since the swinging guitar carried by Maria looked threatening.

 

But, I think my first inclination upon finishing Anne of Green Gables would be to say, "That was a good book! Let's read it again!" and only look for something else new if he objects. 

[kiwik]

ds7 cried at the end of George's Marvellous Medicine because he thought George's mum would be upset about her mother shrinking to nothing.

 

Teddy Robinson?

[stripe]

How Mama Brought the Spring by Fran Manushkin

Winnie the Pooh and House at Pooh Corner by AA Milne

Our Animal Friends at Maple Tree Farm by the Provensens

The Day of Ahmed's Secret by Heide and Gilliand

Barbara Cooney books

Our Apple Tree by Naslund (I love this book!)

Bigmama's by Donald Crews (there's a chicken destined for dinner, but if that's fine, it's basically a description of a family reunion)

Just a Little Bit by Ann Tompert

The Hello, Goodbye Window by Juster

Books by Ann Morris about children around the world

Many counting books are possibilities or alphabet books because there's no plot at all

[ThursdayNext]

 

 

Betsy-Tacy series

 

Spoiler alert!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skip the part where Tacy's baby sister dies. Our family listened to it on audiobook in the minivan and we're not prepared. My husband and I were crying and crying in the front seat.

[Incognito]

Hoberman has a nice poetry book - Llama in pajamas (or something like that).  I think it would suit you and your son very nicely.

 

The Usborne See Inside flap books are interesting, informative, and have no plot. :)  We like Math, Science, Inventions, Your Body...

 

This may seem like a very odd suggestion, but D'Aulaire's Greek Myths have been good for us.  There are problems and conflict, but no emotion.  Very little suspense.  Also, the issues are not realistic ones.  You can look inside on Amazon and see.    

 

Does your therapist think you should be avoiding the things that bother your son?  I ask only because we have some of the same issues (but to a lesser degree), and meeting the tension in small doses/encouraging our child to power through the feelings has been the advice we have been given.  We do a lot of avoiding still (and our child is also older now), but it is a tricky balance to try to keep in mind.  

 

We have done a lot of coaching on how people develop stories - they make a problem to make it interesting, for instance.  Have you done this as well?  It doesn't fix the problem, but it does help give some context.

 

FWIW, I am sure it feels like a frustrating burden now, but just think of how compassionate and tender your child is!  It will be a real gift for him when he is older and able to channel it and handle it with maturity.

 

 

 

 

[domestic_engineer]

Lots of good suggestions, I will add:

 

My Father's Dragon series

Toys Go Out, Toys Dance Party

Berenstain Bears series (may need to preread since series covers some scary things, but Mama Bear explains the world very well to her cubs)

 

While we love My Father's Dragon & Toys Go Out & Toys Dance Party ... I am not sure they would meet OP needs.  All of these books kept my LOs on the edge of their seat in suspense.  And I get the impression that that suspense is what needs to be avoided.

 

What about some Fractured Fairy Tales?  If he already knows the original tale, would he be able to find the humor?

 

The Eensy Weensy Spider Freaks Out (Big Time) by Troy Cummings

Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal  (Little Hoot is similar)

Previously by Allen Ahlberg

[stripe]

Yes, and as my posts with listed books suggest, there are many rather unemotional portrayals of a typical day or vignette in the life of some kid somewhere else on earth that have loads of description of mundane daily activities and objects without really delving into their inner life. The secret in The Day of Ahmed's Secret is that he has learned how to write his name, for example.

[wendyroo]

Does your therapist think you should be avoiding the things that bother your son?  I ask only because we have some of the same issues (but to a lesser degree), and meeting the tension in small doses/encouraging our child to power through the feelings has been the advice we have been given.  We do a lot of avoiding still (and our child is also older now), but it is a tricky balance to try to keep in mind.  

 

Right now we are in a bit of a holding pattern.  He is going through a bunch of psych testing and evaluations; it seems likely that pretty soon ASD and ADHD and perhaps OCD will join anxiety on his list of diagnoses.  Everyone agrees that we need to get him on an anti-anxiety medication, but first we have to get through all the testing so we know which team will be handling his case.  It is a very slow process - we have been waiting 7 months to get the evaluations done and I doubt he will be started on any medication before the new year.

 

For now the therapist advises trying to avoid unnecessary panic attacks, but always be pushing him right to the edge of his current comfort zone so that he does not lose ground and start to fear even more things.

 

Wendy

[Korrale]

He actually doesn't care about death. He doesn't understand why people find it sad or scary...it is other people's emotions surrounding the death that he can't deal with. At the beginning of that chapter, I just stated matter of factly who had died and then skipped past all the mourning. He was actually much more concerned about the hair dying than the actual dying.

 

Wendy

Sounds like my boy. He too was distraught over Curious George. He could not handle the naughty monkey. But he did okay when I read Babar. The mother gets shot by hunters.

But I certainly understand the need for very plain books. Farm like stories were good. As are very ordinary events in a child's day

One morning in Maine by Robery McCloskey was much better received here than Blueberries for Sal.

My son also likes the books by Virginia Lee Burton.

Little House makes sweet picture books that my son did well with also. Little House in the Big Woods was good because it was basically an instruction manual. There are things to skip. But you can pre read those. I wouldn't go beyond the first book though.

 

There is this amazing book farmyard tales. The stories are so simple and boring but my son and I have gone through it many times over. He almost wore the book out. I had to tape the spine back together. This book was a huge stepping stone for getting my son to read more picture books.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Farmyard-Tales-Usbourne/dp/0794509029

[ElizabethB]

Oh, Babar! Boring descriptions of government, no big drama, lots of Babar books, great vocabulary, might be a good choice.

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

Little Bear books

The Poky Little Puppy

Berenstein Bears

Frog and Toad

some of the Little House books, Farmer Boy, in particular doesn't seem to deal with any scary events that I can recall.  Maybe Little House in the Bog Woods

Maybe try an anthology of classic stories where you can pick and choose

Raspberries!!

I took the Moon for a Walk

Wynken, Blynken and Nod

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

Dr. Seuss (some)

 

I know how challenging it can be to have a sensitive child sometimes.  You never know what will set them off.  My son is that way with movies.  Perfectly fine with some movies like Journey to the Center of the Earth, but then a scene in a Herbie movie freaks him out.  Much sympathy!  Good luck!

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

Oh and Paddington Bear too.

[wendyroo]

There is this amazing book farmyard tales. The stories are so simple and boring but my son and I have gone through it many times over. He almost wore the book out. I had to tape the spine back together. This book was a huge stepping stone for getting my son to read more picture books.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Farmyard-Tales-Usbourne/dp/0794509029

 

I bought this book almost a year ago after you mentioned it in an easy reader thread.  All my boys love it.  A couple of the stories are too scary for Peter, but the rest of them are perfect.

 

Wendy

[Hunter]

I love farmyard stories. Losing the family farm lifestyle was a national loss.

[Amethyst]

Milly-Molly-Mandy! And my boys never thought of it as a girls' book at all.

[Pen]

Oh, Babar! Boring descriptions of government, no big drama, lots of Babar books, great vocabulary, might be a good choice.

 

But it also could be scary for a child who gets scared by things.

 

I had a fear of  mushrooms for some time because someone in a Babar book got sick from one. (and I suppose a child inclined to fears might worry about other foods too) Otherwise, I recall loving Babar books. My ds had a Babar yoga book that he liked. But he liked more realistic and cozy things like Little House on the Prairie type books much better.

[Kalmia]

Nope not that one. I remember the cow being brown and it being lovely watercolors. (mind you this was long ago so I could be wrong) and even the paintings had a boring calming effect.

 

Is it this one? Not watercolors but gorgeous paintings.

 

Cow

Malachy Doyle

http://www.amazon.com/Cow-Malachy-Doyle/dp/068984462X/ref=sr_1_69?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411573830&sr=1-69&keywords=%22Cow%22+picture+book

[Korrale]

But it also could be scary for a child who gets scared by things.

 

I had a fear of mushrooms for some time because someone in a Babar book got sick from one. (and I suppose a child inclined to fears might worry about other foods too) Otherwise, I recall loving Babar books. My ds had a Babar yoga book that he liked. But he liked more realistic and cozy things like Little House on the Prairie type books much better.

I did recommend this book but I had completely forgotten about the mushrooms! The king died by eating a bad one. My son would not touch a mushroom for a very long time.

[stripe]

Oh and Paddington Bear too.

Paddington Bear is always getting into sticky situations. My kids find them funny, but I don't know if they would make some kids nervous.

 

The Richard Scarry books that are just diagrams of things with a minor plot might be good. I forgot if those have been suggested.

[ElizabethB]

Yup. That is the book my Dh made so much fun of. The kids had him read it again and again, but using his own words, "The cow ate, and ate, and ate...."

That looks nice and boring, LOL!!

[kiana]

Is it this one? Not watercolors but gorgeous paintings.

 

Cow

Malachy Doyle

http://www.amazon.com/Cow-Malachy-Doyle/dp/068984462X/ref=sr_1_69?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411573830&sr=1-69&keywords=%22Cow%22+picture+book

 

ROFL at the 1-star reviews! 

[Incognito]

Paddington Bear is always getting into sticky situations. My kids find them funny, but I don't know if they would make some kids nervous.

 

The Richard Scarry books that are just diagrams of things with a minor plot might be good. I forgot if those have been suggested.

 

Yes, Paddington might be a good "stretching" book for one with anxiety.  We did the audiobook and my anxious kid found it hard.  We made it through, but there was push back about it.  Paddington keeps on doing the wrong thing and getting into trouble.  

[Korrale]

ROFL at the 1-star reviews!

Fraud! Lol.

[ktgrok]

Little house in the big woods?

 

I was going to say this was too scary, because of bears, or what not, but you could skip those parts, and the parents are always SO calm about EVERYTHING that it's almost not natural. So that would probably be perfect. 

[ElizabethB]

ROFL at the 1-star reviews!

Maybe the OP needs to be looking for books with many 1 star reviews!! 😀

[Korrale]

I absolutely love this book!

http://www.amazon.com/Going-Sleep-Wendy-Cheyette-Lewison/dp/0803710968/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411603338&sr=1-1&keywords=going+to+sleep+on+the+farm

 

How does a cow go to sleep? Tell me now, how does a cow go to sleep?

 

A cow lies down on the soft sweet hay in the barn at the end of a day. That is how a cow goes to sleep moo moo. That is how a cow goes to sleep.

 

Then it goes through all the animals.

 

It has been a few years since I read this book so I am not sure it I got that entirely accurate. But it makes me want to pull it out and read it to my son tonight.

[stripe]

I loved the one star review of the cow book!!!

 

What about Judy Dunn's books about animals with photos, like The Little Duck? Those are pretty gentle.

[Hunter]

Is it this one? Not watercolors but gorgeous paintings.

 

Cow

Malachy Doyle

http://www.amazon.com/Cow-Malachy-Doyle/dp/068984462X/ref=sr_1_69?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411573830&sr=1-69&keywords=%22Cow%22+picture+book

 

I like the 2nd person POV in Cow.

 

I like boring books. Maybe someone could make a LOT of money creating a homeschool guide of boring books for anxious children.

[domestic_engineer]

We recently read The Big Snow by Berta & Elmer Hader, and immediately I thought of this thread!  It's just about animals preparing for winter.  It's a longer picture book and won the Caldecott Medal in 1949.

[Hunter]

I love it when threads like this pop back up. :lol: This was one of the classics!

[The Princess and the Jedi]

Monica Wellington's books are charming and simply describe a day in the life of someone. All of my kids like Apple Farmer Annie.

 

The Foot Book By Dr. Seuss is the only one of his I can think of with no silly conflicts.

 

The Let's Read and Find Out Series teaches science in a storybook format. No conflicts.

[Sarah4boys]

My mom recently brought some Flicka, Ricka and Dicka books for my kids, and Snipp, Snapp and Snurr.  Sweet Swedish triplets that have mild adventures.  In Flicka, Ricka and Dicka go to market,  the girls grow a garden to buy bikes for school.  In Snipp Snapp and Snurr and the buttered bread, the boys want butter for their bread, but the cow isn't giving milk.  The sun likes the boys, so he shines and the grass grows and the cow becomes happy, and the boys eventually get their butter.