by Sarah Powers
In our house, bedtime stories come in the form of a chapter book read aloud to the older two kids, ages 6 and 4. Last year we went on a big Magic Tree House series kick, which made choosing the next book easy since there are approximately 4837 in the series. We were nowhere near the end before needing a break and looking for something different.
Next came Roald Dahl, a huge hit. But as we neared the end of the last book in our boxed set of Dahl stories, we were at a loss for what to read next. We need stories that will keep the interest of the four-year-old (who doesn’t mind the lack of pictures or lots of dialogue but does prefer a story with lots of adventure) and satisfy the six-year-old’s sense of humor and love of all things silly. And of course, it really helps if mom or dad can enjoy the books too (a huge perk of moving beyond the board book phase, in my opinion).
So I asked you guys (or those of you who hang out on Facebook at least):
And as usual, you came through. The thread developed into a hugely helpful list of read-aloud chapter books that both kids AND grownups love. Since what happens on Facebook tends to get buried in other stuff that happens on Facebook, I thought I’ll pull from your comments on that thread and share a list of the titles that came up most often.
You can read all the suggestions on our Facebook page here (be sure to “Like” us while you’re there if you don’t already!), or keep reading for a list of the 15 most popular suggestions. We’re into The Indian in the Cupboard these days, and we’re also listening to the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle stories on audio book in the car – both of which I’d read as a kid but forgotten about until hearing from you all.
