I am probably going to fail professionally here. My knowledge of books for 4 year olds is mostly limited to books that read aloud well to a mixed ability group of 3 and 4 year olds. I go for picture books with a lot of interaction, noise and leaping around. However, reading alone at home is rather different, and allows books that are longer, and quieter. Since I've not worked on a library counter for years, I don't get to see what real children are actually borrowing day to day - though I know that anything by Julia Donaldson leaps off the shelf, for Gruffalo-related reasons.
There are quite a lot of new series aimed at very early readers - books designed for home use, and not as part of a boring school reading scheme. They're far more interesting than the old Peter and Jane readers, but still, of course, have a very limited vocabulary. It is far far better for children this age to sit and listen to a a wonderful story read aloud with a rich vocabulary than struggle through a dull story told with a 50 word vocabulary.
Children this age don't tend to have favourite authors, but they often get attached to illustrators, although they don't realise it. (Anything at all illustrated by Nick Sharratt just flies off the shelf, for example.) If she has an old favourite picture book, it could be worth seeing if that illustrator also illustrates some stories that are ever so slightly longer. A familiar style of pictures can be a way in.
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Date: 2007-07-06 04:00 pm (UTC)There are quite a lot of new series aimed at very early readers - books designed for home use, and not as part of a boring school reading scheme. They're far more interesting than the old Peter and Jane readers, but still, of course, have a very limited vocabulary. It is far far better for children this age to sit and listen to a a wonderful story read aloud with a rich vocabulary than struggle through a dull story told with a 50 word vocabulary.
Children this age don't tend to have favourite authors, but they often get attached to illustrators, although they don't realise it. (Anything at all illustrated by Nick Sharratt just flies off the shelf, for example.) If she has an old favourite picture book, it could be worth seeing if that illustrator also illustrates some stories that are ever so slightly longer. A familiar style of pictures can be a way in.