[Nanny32162]

Originally Posted by CFrance

My parents never read children's books to me. Amazing that I ended up as an English major.


What books are appropriate to read at bedtime to a three-year-old? I'd like something a little longer than, like, Goodnight Moon, that maybe we could start one night and finish the next or the next.


I read one of her "longer" books to her last month at her home, and she was very interested. It made me think she could handle something longer that might take more than one reading to complete.


Any help appreciated.

As a former school librarian I commend your reading to your grandchild; this is another perfect time to teach her owto care for books. It sounds as if she has the maturity for more complex stories. One of my grandsons, at 18 months of age, sat mesmerized while I read the original Winnie-the-Pooh by A A. Milne to him. I knew he understood the story when my daughter called to ask if there were something about Pooh and mud. I am a great fan of Winnie, as I found that as I grew older there was humor that I understood, and I found the philosophy of Pooh to be quite sophisticated. The Napping House, although a one-sitting book, is a great story with wonderful illustrations. I would also recommend asking this question at your local public library. The children’s librarian should be an excellent source of more recent titles than I’ve mentioned.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by PanamaKim

Good for you for wanting to read to your child - it is truly one of the best things a parent can do. Start the tradition now and continue it well past the time they can read on their own, because at older ages you can share books that are too cumbersome for their reading abilities, but the content is meaningful to them. If you don’t mind the suggestion: Please visit your local library. That way, you have access to thousands of books and you can check them out, learn what your child likes to read. Make a weekly trip to the library, check out lots of books, and enjoy! The children’s librarian will be helpful for finding age-appropriate material. While there, check out the programs for children. The local libraries are a wealth of information. As time goes on, you will learn your child’s favorite types of books and you can give the gift of books as treats for all kinds of occasions. I get so excited about this topic because now that my children are grown, I remember our reading times together as the best of times. And they’ve told me they do, too. You will bring up a reader if you read to your child now, and reading opens up the whole world to all of us. Have fun!

Thanks! It occurred to me last night after I posted that maybe our TV libraries have children sections where I can check out books to read for her. She lives in Australia, so I am also investigating how to send her a book along with a file of me reading it.


I don't have a clue how to do that. If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears.

[airstreamingypsy]

My favorite book when I was that age was Scuffy the Tugboat.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore

I just watched a video of someone reading this online, CNM. It seems long enough to break into two sessions. Thanks!

[Windguy]

Yes, that’s my favorite bedtime story. Samuel Jackson does a great reading of it:

Go the f**k to sleep, read by Samuel L Jackson - YouTube

[DonnaNi4os]

Good Night Moon.....of course! My 8 grandkids always loved it.

[seetshaw]

Beatrix Potter

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by CFrance

My parents never read children's books to me. Amazing that I ended up as an English major.


What books are appropriate to read at bedtime to a three-year-old? I'd like something a little longer than, like, Goodnight Moon, that maybe we could start one night and finish the next or the next.


I read one of her "longer" books to her last month at her home, and she was very interested. It made me think she could handle something longer that might take more than one reading to complete.


Any help appreciated.

i have a couple of ideas. i'm not sure if he/she is old enough for rush revere, but i've found you can read a kid anything as long as you have the right attitude. @ 3yrs she/he may enjoy the tone of your voice, or add character sounds which make 'boring' books fun. kind of like when richard burton recited the phone book on tv years ago, LOL. some of the discount stores offer tons of books to choose from for kids, maybe bring the tyke to the store to pick 1 out? sounds like a great chance to discover reading~!!

[retiredguy123]

"War and Peace". When you are finished, send her to college.

[champion6]

I highly recommend "Sylvester The Sneezing Whale" on Amazon, of course. The young children gleefully learn to "read" the word Achoo! which appears throughout the book.

[MandoMan]

I’m an English professor. I believe that a LOT of daily reading out loud to children is key to academic success. I believe that the American belief that three year olds should have books with vocabulary “suitable” for three year olds is wrong. I studied at Oxford, and my landlord read to his little girl books like “The Wind in the Willows.” It’s a wonderful book! Also “Winnie-the-Pooh.” “The Wind in the Willows” is delightful and charming for little children, but also introduces them to a large vocabulary and complex sentence structures. Even three year olds can enjoy it.

When my siblings and I were little, every night my mom read to us from a ten volume series of illustrated books by the British author Arthur S. Maxwell called “The Bible Story,” available on Amazon. The stories were wonderful, and they had a huge effect on us, both morally and intellectually. I later taught college classes in Biblical Literature, one called “The Bible as Story,” and much of what I taught was what I learned in those books. Books like this are the best path to high SAT scores,
https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Story-1...s%2C138&sr=1-1

[arbajeda]

30 years ago there were racks of “Golden Books” like The Pokey Little Puppy” at the grocery checkout lines and we bought one every trip to the store with our children. The Berenstain Bears is also an excellent one for teaching life lessons. A story every nite and they will become avid readers on their own.

[Alana33]

Originally Posted by CFrance

My parents never read children's books to me. Amazing that I ended up as an English major.

What books are appropriate to read at bedtime to a three-year-old? I'd like something a little longer than, like, Goodnight Moon, that maybe we could start one night and finish the next or the next.


I read one of her "longer" books to her last month at her home, and she was very interested. It made me think she could handle something longer that might take more than one reading to complete.
Any help appreciated.

Go to your local library.
Lots of amazing books as well as children's activities.
I love the Lady Lake Library.

[vherman]

The Very Hungry Caterpillar. by Eric Carle. ...
Llama Llama Red Pajama. by Anna Dewdney. ...
All by Myself (Little Critter) by Mercer Mayer. ...
The Little Engine That Could. ...
Dragons Love Tacos. ...
The Story of Ferdinand. ...
Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. ...

[Madelaine Amee]

We always read the Dr. Seuss books to our boys. Amazon has a collection :

Dr. Seuss's Beginner Book Collection (Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, Hop on Pop, Fox in Socks) Hardcover – Box set, September 22, 2009

I think we had as much fun reading them to the boys.

My Mother was a teacher, I cannot remember when we first started to read, but I still love to sit and read in the afternoon.