Children's Books discussion

Hi, I'm looking for recommendations to read to my seven year old daughter. She loves books featuring magic and especially talking animals. We've recently read 'Gobbolino' and 'Carbonel, Prince of Cats', which both feature talking cats, but we're happy to branch out into other species! We're in the UK. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks all.

I wonder if your daughter might be ready for Jill Murphy's The Worst Witch and its sequels, especially if you are reading aloud to her. They are a bit like a junior version of Harry Potter, but not as involved and as dark (but I still would suggest pre-reading the book just to make sure it is suitable, as there is some bullying and some of Mildred's teachers are pretty nasty).

And with regard to talking animals, Bambi might be a good idea or The Adventures of Maja the Bee.

Oh so many good ones; I'll have to think on it.
Off the top of my head:

The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes is an underappreciated classic, sweet and wise and funny.

Of course you're planning on reading The Chronicles of Narnia in a year or two.... :)

A search on Listopia reminded me of two that I loved: James and the Giant Peach and My Father's Dragon. Also I discovered (but of course have not yet read) Jennie by the wonderful Paul Gallico.

I agree with Manybooks that you'll want to choose carefully as she's young, but since you're reading together you'll have chances to use problematic elements as discussion opportunities. How wonderful that you're doing this with her! She'll thank you again, later, that she's not being pushed to read big books on her own.

Peter and Anneli's Journey to the Moon (the in my opinion pretty amazing English language translation of one of my favourite German language fairy tales ever, Peterchens Mondfahrt) is a lovely tale featuring a talking June bug who enlists the help of a brother and his sister to travel to the moon and retrieve his lost leg (highly recommended but I do not know how readily available it would be in the UK).

Oh that goes on my list!

Cheryl wrote: "Oh that goes on my list!"

I do very highly recommend it, even just for the absolutely amazing illustrations.

Thank you for your lovely suggestions, some I've heard of, others are new.
We've read a few Roald Dahl's, but not James and the Giant Peach, so will dig that out. (this reminds me that we took a trip to Great Missenden in the summer to the Roald Dahl museum and also visited the great man's grave at the local church- a beautiful day)

Cheryl- we've read a beautiful abridged version of the lion, witch and the wardrobe but will probably wait a while before we go for the full version! Thanks again--keep them coming.

I was going to suggest Matilda and James and the Giant Peach. My now almost 10 year old niece loved the movie version of Howl's Moving Castle Picture Book when she was younger. You might want to look at the picture book.

A lovely fairy tale in the talking cat tradition:
Papa Gatto by Ruth Sanderson

There’s a great series called “Kingdom of Wrenly.” I’m a librarian at an elementary school and they are checked out all the time.

The Lost Stone by Jordan Quinn for a link to one of them.

Sorry, had to delete self-promotion. We're very strict on that in this group; all must be in the Promotional thread as the rules do state.

My daughter is the same age, here is what we have been reading lately

Half Magic, Five Children and It, there is a series of magical adventures up a tree whose main characters are Moonface, Silky and Saucepan man but I can't remember the title....

Just So Stories have magic woven into them, The Jungle Book the original is light-years better than the Disney version. Granted not actually magic but plenty of talking animals, there is The Second Jungle Book to follow but it has droughts and mob killings so probably not appropriate (or skip these chapters they aren't vital to the overall story, Thealie was happy with me saying "After a while Mogli got tired of the humans and went back to the jungle").

The Creakers, Brain Freeze are magic happening to ordinary children type books, and of course Mary Poppins

She might be ready for Terry Pratchets junior books. Truckers: The First Book of the Nomes,Knights Of Madness

We have actually found The Worst Witch to very cathartic. Thealie is having a little trouble with bullies herself so to have the main character being bullied and having the best adventure any way has left her feeling a little less alone.

If she's up for a little tension then The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents is also fun at this age as long as you skip the mentions of rat cannibalism. Pre-read it before hand so you can safely navigate those parts, it's not a bedtime book.

At school the big class (9-11 year old) have been reading a series of Greek myths written by the same people who do horrible histories and horrible science. Thealie sneaks into the big class library at lunch time. By and large she has enjoyed them (minators, medusa, pegasus...) Defiantly needs and adult on hand to select the age appropriate stories as after one of the Zeus stories we ended up with a serious discussion as to why it is NOT ok for daddy's and daughters to have babies together!

Oh I forgot The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure

Edison: The Mystery of the Missing Mouse Treasure by Torben Kuhlmann

This is a cute story of two mice who build a submarine in order to search for a sunken treasure. Very appealing artwork as well.

The Clover's Luck was very cute and sweet. Lots of animals.

The Winterling series is nice, also. She may be a bit young yet, it's technically middle grade.

You could check out my shelf of First Read-Aloud Chapter Books many of which are magical. Some might be a little young, but most have a range that would still be good for 7.

This was written by an independent author who is also a GR friend (and no, she does not know I am going to be recommending the novel, I am simply recommending the book because I think it might fit the bill). Mandrake's Plot is short and engaging (and although I found it a bit undeveloped, it was a fast and fun reading experience that I enjoyed very much) and like The Worst Witch a bit like a junior Harry Potter boarding school story.

I do recommend though that parents pre-read the novel as it does feature thematics of curses and indeed murder but pretty much geared down and not too scary (but still, I want to leave the caveat).

Elspeth wrote: "Oh I forgot The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure"

Ha, ha, ha! The first time I got my hands on that book, I spent hours trying to do research until I realized that all of this was basically satire. How typical of me!

*author self-promotion deleted. Authors, please keep mention of your books to our author's folder. Thx.

Elspeth wrote: "Oh I forgot The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure"

This is a great book, but I would not recommend it for 7-year-olds. I think it's really for adults, although teens certainly enjoy it.

I agree absolutely that Princess Bride is for teens and adults.

MG, say ages 9 up, will probably enjoy a book I just finished: Castle Hangnail, by Ursula Vernon, author of the Dragonbreath series. It might not be inappropriate for age 7, but probably a little too complex, and long.

Cheryl wrote: "I agree absolutely that Princess Bride is for teens and adults.

MG, say ages 9 up, will probably enjoy a book I just finished: Castle Hangnail, by Ursula Vernon, aut..."

I enjoyed Castle Hangnail.

I really liked Castle Hangnail, also.

What age do you two think that Castle Hangnail is for? It's been so long since I interacted with children, or even families, that I just don't know, and am only going by the age of the main character and the understanding that school-age children tend to read 'up' by 2-3 years.

She'll love The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, by Jill Tomlinson.

Hmmm, Castle Hangnail yes probably around age 9-10. I suppose some seven year olds might enjoy it but it would depend on their personality. As I recall it does have some rather sophisticated vocabulary and a few parts that might be a bit scary for young or very sensitive readers.

The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark does look like a special book, but I'm not seeing mention of magic in the description...?

Kathryn, it might fit your desire for more like Winnie the Pooh, though....

I recommended it because the person mentioned her child likes "talking animals." :)

Thanks, Cheryl :-)

Guilherme wrote: "I recommended it because the person mentioned her child likes "talking animals." :)"

Ah, I see. Thank you!

Anne wrote: "Elspeth wrote: "Oh I forgot The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure"

This is a great book, but I would not recommend it for 7-year-olds. I th..."

Fair enough.

Manybooks wrote: "This was written by an independent author who is also a GR friend (and no, she does not know I am going to be recommending the novel, I am simply recommending the book because I think it might fit ..."

I'm going to recommend this one to friends, it looks perfect for those who have finished the worst witch but aren't yet old enough for Harry Potter.

Elspeth wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "This was written by an independent author who is also a GR friend (and no, she does not know I am going to be recommending the novel, I am simply recommending the book because I t..."

I enjoyed it but it also was not perfect, but yes, perfect for the intended age group (although there is what turns out to have been a murder, but it is not shown, it happened before the start of the book).

Maybe consider William Steig books, author who provided the inspiration for Shrek and Hugh Lofting's Dr. Dolittle (ages 8-12) one of my children's fav and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-Scholastic Press version By Quentin Blake, Roald Dahl for Grades. 3-5, 6-8 R. Many folk and fairy tales have been published in recent years in graphic and modern adaptations and illustration as well.

Yes! William Steig is a good choice. I'd say DOCTOR DE SOTO and SYLVESTER are the best of his "animal + magical" books.

I love THE AMAZING BONE, but that thing is an odd beast. And my favorite is BRAVE IRENE, not exactly magical and no animals, but highly recommended.

Plus: Arnold Lobel. The frog, the toad, the owl, the elephant. Every animal. He's great.

William Steig and Arnold Lobel are great classic recommendations... I'm so glad to see them getting some love!

I just discovered the trilogy of Rhianna, first book The Girl, the Dragon, and the Wild Magic. It's perfect for 7-10, independent readers or families together, and good for boys too.

The themes of finding your own path and of being courageous, honorable, and responsible are not subtly hinted at, but rather obvious, as Rhianna does have a lot to learn about her special powers and she thinks about these things. But neither are they didactic books, rather, they are full of life and adventure, and even a little mayhem, and even some humor.

Dave Luckett is a talented craftsman, to engage so many great ideas into such small, and relatively easy, books. I would have adored them when I was a child. Heck, I'm enjoying them as an adult....

Sounds wonderful! Thanks!

I know this is an older post, but adding here for those still looking: The Zoey and Sassafras series blends fantasy elements with STEM education. It's an excellent series! The first is, Dragons and Marshmallows.

Thanks Kathryn! Younger nephew is turning 7 and his sister is super into fantasy/magic. Maybe she'll be more willing to read to him if the story captures her attention.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Thanks Kathryn! Younger nephew is turning 7 and his sister is super into fantasy/magic. Maybe she'll be more willing to read to him if the story captures her attention."

Oh, I hope so! :-)

Has your nice or nephew tried the Kingdom of Wrenly books? (First book is The Lost Stone) I'm not a huge fan myself but they sure seem popular with the kids. My own seven-year-old is always eager for more from the library and each book has several holds on it at a time.