General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Oliver_Wendell_Ramone
So, oldest daughter turns 6 (gasp) this weekend, and it's time to buy presents. One of which will likely be a new chapter book for pre-bed reading. Any suggestions? We've been through E.B. White, lots of Dahl, an Oz book or two, one Beverly Cleary, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Dr. Doolittle, probably others that I'm not thinking of. Any childhood favorits coming to mind?

Also, any other inspired ideas for birthday gifts for a 6 year old girl would be appreciated.

Thanks all. Ollie

Have you read her Dahl's autobiographies? Boy and Flying Solo. Really really good.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by Oliver_Wendell_Ramone
So, oldest daughter turns 6 (gasp) this weekend, and it's time to buy presents. One of which will likely be a new chapter book for pre-bed reading. Any suggestions? We've been through E.B. White, lots of Dahl, an Oz book or two, one Beverly Cleary, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Dr. Doolittle, probably others that I'm not thinking of. Any childhood favorits coming to mind?

Also, any other inspired ideas for birthday gifts for a 6 year old girl would be appreciated.

Thanks all. Ollie

The Ramona series was the Wonk Princess's favorite when she was that age. She also liked the Fudge books. Judy Blume was the author of the Fudge series and Beverly Cleary wrote the Ramona books. Harriet the Spy was also a favorite.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by Oliver_Wendell_Ramone
So, oldest daughter turns 6 (gasp) this weekend, and it's time to buy presents. One of which will likely be a new chapter book for pre-bed reading. Any suggestions? We've been through E.B. White, lots of Dahl, an Oz book or two, one Beverly Cleary, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Dr. Doolittle, probably others that I'm not thinking of. Any childhood favorits coming to mind?

Also, any other inspired ideas for birthday gifts for a 6 year old girl would be appreciated.

Thanks all. Ollie

Six may be too young, but because I'll read anything penned by Niel Gaiman, I recently read Coraline, which I found to be absolutely wonderful in a Dahl sort of vein.

I'll second the Little House in the Big Woods suggestion, though. I absolutely loved that series and I probably read it a dozen times when I was a kid.

Is she riding a bike yet? The kids in my neighborhood seem to be around that age and spent pretty much all summer going up and down the sidewalks on their bikes.

[spookyfish]

Originally posted by Oliver_Wendell_Ramone
So, oldest daughter turns 6 (gasp) this weekend, and it's time to buy presents. One of which will likely be a new chapter book for pre-bed reading. Any suggestions? We've been through E.B. White, lots of Dahl, an Oz book or two, one Beverly Cleary, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Dr. Doolittle, probably others that I'm not thinking of. Any childhood favorits coming to mind?

Also, any other inspired ideas for birthday gifts for a 6 year old girl would be appreciated.

Thanks all. Ollie

For girls, I recommend any of the "Junie B. Jones" series by Barbara Park. My 9 y/o started reading these in kindergarten and still loves them. They're for the probably 6-10 y/o set and mostly silly, if she's into that sort of thing.

http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/junieb/

[Sparklehorse]

Originally posted by taxwonk
The Ramona series was the Wonk Princess's favorite when she was that age. She also liked the Fudge books. Judy Blume was the author of the Fudge series and Beverly Cleary wrote the Ramona books. Harriet the Spy was also a favorite.

I'd also recommend All of a Kind of Family books (about a Russian immigrant family with many girls living in NY's lower east side in the early 1900s), My Father's Dragon (there are sequels but they are not as good as the original), Pippi Longstocking books. I loved fairy tales when I was that age and you don't have to be limited to the Grimms Brothers and HC Andersen. I had a books of Indian and Japanese fairy tales that I just loved. Still have them on my bookshelf, actually. I also third the Little House books.

[tmdiva]

Originally posted by Sparklehorse
I'd also recommend All of a Kind of Family books (about a Russian immigrant family with many girls living in NY's lower east side in the early 1900s), My Father's Dragon (there are sequels but they are not as good as the original), Pippi Longstocking books. I loved fairy tales when I was that age and you don't have to be limited to the Grimms Brothers and HC Andersen. I had a books of Indian and Japanese fairy tales that I just loved. Still have them on my bookshelf, actually. I also third the Little House books.

Another vote for the Little House books, here. We read the first two last summer, and we're about half-way through Farmer Boy right now. The plan is to finish the whole series before starting Harry Potter. He has decided that six is old enough to start reading those, and I was hoping he'd wait until seven, so I'm just trying to hold him off as long as I can.

Other recent read-alouds chez nous were The Wizard of Oz and the Mouse and the Motorcycle trilogy by Beverly Cleary. We read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a couple of years ago, which was too early. I think we're about ready to go back to those.

Will Ruth Bader be in kindergarten, or did you manage to get her in to first grade? That may make a difference.

tm

[Oliver_Wendell_Ramone]

Originally posted by tmdiva
Another vote for the Little House books, here. We read the first two last summer, and we're about half-way through Farmer Boy right now. The plan is to finish the whole series before starting Harry Potter. He has decided that six is old enough to start reading those, and I was hoping he'd wait until seven, so I'm just trying to hold him off as long as I can.

Other recent read-alouds chez nous were The Wizard of Oz and the Mouse and the Motorcycle trilogy by Beverly Cleary. We read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a couple of years ago, which was too early. I think we're about ready to go back to those.

Will Ruth Bader be in kindergarten, or did you manage to get her in to first grade? That may make a difference.

tm

Kindergarten, part of our effort to save our (very good) neighborhood school; I've mostly come to terms with her being the oldest in the class. We've been through the Ralph Mouse books as well; I forgot about those. I'm with you on delaying Harry Potter as long as I can (I love the books, but they rapidly get too heavy for young kids, I think). Looks like the Little House books are a good call, though I kinda feel like I should make mom read those. We already have all the Narnia books, and I have been thinking about diving into those.

[Sparklehorse]

Originally posted by Oliver_Wendell_Ramone
Kindergarten, part of our effort to save our (very good) neighborhood school; I've mostly come to terms with her being the oldest in the class. We've been through the Ralph Mouse books as well; I forgot about those. I'm with you on delaying Harry Potter as long as I can (I love the books, but they rapidly get too heavy for young kids, I think). Looks like the Little House books are a good call, though I kinda feel like I should make mom read those. We already have all the Narnia books, and I have been thinking about diving into those.

If fantasy with religious themes is appealing (Narnia, Harry Potter) then you should also check out The Golden Compass. It is part of a trilogy. I was a little disappointed with the third book but maybe it's because I read it while I was studying for the bar.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by Sparklehorse
If fantasy with religious themes is appealing (Narnia, Harry Potter) then you should also check out The Golden Compass. It is part of a trilogy. I was a little disappointed with the third book but maybe it's because I read it while I was studying for the bar.

Someone on the FB jarred a memory, and I felt compelled to come over here and mention that I really liked A Little Princess and the Secret Garden when I was that young. They're both good chapter books.

I also thought that the movie version of A Little Princess directed by Alfonso Cuarón was very good. I would have adored it when I was six.

[Sparklehorse]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
Someone on the FB jarred a memory, and I felt compelled to come over here and mention that I really liked A Little Princess and the Secret Garden when I was that young. They're both good chapter books.

I also thought that the movie version of A Little Princess directed by Alfonso Cuarón was very good. I would have adored it when I was six.

They're good ones too. I loved a number of books that had some connection to India. See the Indian Fairy Tales reference above as well as my love of The Just So Tales.

Did you ever read Little Lord Fauntleroy? It's by the same author. As a child at least, I found the protagonist nauseating -- he called his mother "Dearest"!

[ltl/fb]

It creeps me out when mothers refer to their sons as "my little man."

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
It creeps me out when mothers refer to their sons as "my little man."

I think your injecting your own context here. It's simply an expression of pride that their son is growing up. The same is true of fathers who call their daughters "a fine young lady."

[tmdiva]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
It creeps me out when mothers refer to their sons as "my little man."

Hmm. I frequently call Thor "little man," but only to his face, and never "my little man" when referring to him with someone else. Partly because he looks sooooooo much like his daddy (no, not Rutger Hauer or Dolph Lundgren).

I seem to recall calling Magnus that as well, but only as a baby. And he doesn't look like his father, he looks like me.

But I'll agree with you that "my little man," when talking to someone else about the kid, is a bit creepy.

tm

[ltl/fb]

Originally posted by tmdiva
Hmm. I frequently call Thor "little man," but only to his face, and never "my little man" when referring to him with someone else. Partly because he looks sooooooo much like his daddy (no, not Rutger Hauer or Dolph Lundgren).

I seem to recall calling Magnus that as well, but only as a baby. And he doesn't look like his father, he looks like me.

But I'll agree with you that "my little man," when talking to someone else about the kid, is a bit creepy.

tm

I agree -- I think it's the possessive that creeps me out.

Originally posted by Oliver_Wendell_Ramone
So, oldest daughter turns 6 (gasp) this weekend, and it's time to buy presents. One of which will likely be a new chapter book for pre-bed reading. Any suggestions? We've been through E.B. White, lots of Dahl, an Oz book or two, one Beverly Cleary, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Dr. Doolittle, probably others that I'm not thinking of. Any childhood favorits coming to mind?

Also, any other inspired ideas for birthday gifts for a 6 year old girl would be appreciated.

Thanks all. Ollie

Socks (by Beverly Cleary, no?), anything Ramona, the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books, The Littles (yes, I know, but she's only six, she'll love them), the Shoes series (Ballet Shoes, etc.).

I think Harry Potter, Narnia. etc. is too much for a 6yo, personally.