heartofdakota.com

Hi! I'm looking for some recommendations for appropriate, wholesome chapter books for me to read aloud to my dd (almost 5) this summer. She LOVED Charlotte's Web and we've read Winne the Pooh and some of the Little House series. I don't want to read something that she'll be reading for HOD in the coming years. I'm frustrated b/c this week the book I got from the library for her looked so good - all about animals - but in the middle, the author had an old lady and old man live together w/o being married. I don't think my dd understood what happened, but it made me so frustrated that a book in the children's section could be so immoral. I tried asking a librarian for help choosing books and she did not understand what I meant. So, I'd love to hear some suggestions. We'll be doing LHFHG in the fall - so this would be extra free reads for the summer/school year. THANKS!!
Erin

There is a mystery series my DD8 loves called the Mandie Series- she reads this on her own, so I would assume it would make a goo read aloud for youngers. We have found them in the Christian book stores, and fortunately, our library has a whole set! I bet they didn't know the christian content My DD loves that when Mandie gets afraid, she says, "When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You." She ran in yelling like a crazy person to tell me about it. LOL She loves finding that sort of thing in books! There are SOOOO many books in the series too...I know at least 30-40.

ETA: I have made dd skip some just from the title, but it seems there has been no objectionable content to date. i.e. One is called the Ghost Bandits, but dd said there are not any ghosts, it's just something that seems to disappear when Mandie looks at them, but then the mystery is solved and the bandits actually....haha...not telling! LOL

http://www.firstclues.com/mandie.html

Oh, Grace and Truth has wonderful selections! (edited to remove link per board rules)

This site has very high guidelines. I haven't read any of their books yet, but you can read about how they choose their books. Most are older Christian books that have been reprinted. (edited to remove link to another company per board rules)

You could also use some of the HOD storytime books since there are several suggested for each genre...just make sure you have some to read with the lessons. I plan on squeezing a few of them in during breaks.

Probably not exactly what you're looking for but just in case it's useful (it's definitely wholesome) .. Jean Henri Fabre wrote a couple of chapter books but they're more than stories, they're a science education within a chapter book. It's just not the same as regular novel though. I don't know really how to explain it besides that my little guy (and his mom) get just as enthralled in the true stories of God's creation that the main character Uncle Paul tells as much as his niece and nephews within the book do. Reading a few chapters would give an idea of what it's like. The Story-book of Science is the one we have been enjoying. One of my favorite quotes comes from this book: "Compared with truth, fiction is but a pitiful trifle; for the former is the work of God, the latter the dream of man." His books are in the public domain and can be read free online (or downloaded as a PDF) so it's easy to check out. If not for general literature, it makes for a wonderfully gentle way to expand ones' science curric.

Here are a few more suggestions... I don't think there's anything questionable in these books but if there's a words we don't want our kids using in our home (i.e. stupid) I usually skip over it when I'm reading it aloud anyway. And if I read something about a character doing something questionable, we usually stop & talk about it just like we did this year with the animal stories by Burgess.

The Borrowers - by Mary Norton
Littles Series - by John Peterson
Funny Frank - by Dick King-Smith (he's written quite a few animal stories - My son enjoyed this story - about Hen who's son Frank wants to swim with the ducks and has a special swimming suit made for him!)
The Mouse & The Motorcycle, Runaway Ralph & Ralph S. Mouse - Beverly Cleary (My son really loved the first book! I'd suggest Ramona books, too, but I remember skipping over some things when I read them last summer to my son though I can't remember what exactly. I think it was words/situations I didn't want him copying.)
The Boxcar Children - Gertrude Warner

Thank you for all your responses! Now I just have to go to the library!
Erin

If you would like to pm me, I'll give you a link to a reprint of an adorable old book for kindergarten children. I want to get it to read to my 4 yo dd. It looks so sweet! I didn't want to post it here because I want to stay within the HOD discussion board guidelines.
Laura

mom2monkeys

Just wanted to say thank you for sharing about the Mandie book series!! I went to the library right away for some summer reads and have been placing holds on them for the past week! My girls love them! It's so wonderful to have wholesome books of learning that the girls really enjoy! Our library just so happens to have all of them clear up to # 40! Thank you again!!! This board is so awesome!

I read the Mandie books when I was little. I guess I was 12ish or so but I'd forgotten about them. Thanks for the reminder! Now I'll have to look for them for my little girl!

As for some books we've liked:
Mary Poppins books
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books
Any of the Paddington books
The poetry books written by A. A. Milne (I know you said you'd read Winnie the Pooh but I didn't know if you'd read these. We LOVE them)
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
Peter Pan
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Borrowers series

I'm know there are others but that's all I can think of at the moment. They were all wholesome. I am used to skipping over things we don't say and it's just a habbit now but I'm pretty sure that these are safe, at least in our home.

We've gotten some good suggestions from Honey for a Child's Heart, though there are a few we've chosen to skip. My new favorite "book about books" is Read for the Heart by Sarah Clarkson.

My daughter adored the My Father's Dragon, Elmer the Dragon, (and one other in the series) books when she was in K. We read them aloud each night and she still remembers them with great fondness 4 years later. It's a mystery type with a sweet little boy and his pet dragon. Don't let the dragon scare you off.

Amy

I just read a junior classic version of Black Beauty to my 4 year old. She loooved it because she's really into horses. Some parts may be sad for sensitive children though. I'm also looking for more chapter books for her, so this post will be a great reference.

I forgot about My Father's Dragon! Fabulous, sweet book.