Bedtime stories for 5-6 year olds on the iPad

[Landlord]

Hello,

I'm looking for recommendations for books/apps that I can use to read to/with my boys at bedtime. They currently read the books they've had since they were babies and it's boring for them and me.

My eldest is 6 but has a reading age of nearly nine (I know, best "my boy's a genuis" thread etc.) so I'd like something that will challenge him but still be of interest to him. He likes Police and Super heros at the moment.

His brother is 5 and probably has a commensurate reading age. This is part of the motivation to get more engaging books - he's every bit as smart as his brother but has a lower attention span and we've, to our chargrain, got out of the habit of reading to them in favour of 10 minutes of DVDs at bedtime.

So - anyone have any suggestions of books or apps that will suffice? I'm not an IT numpty but really haven't explored and am not familiar with the Apple Bookcase or whatever it's called. Plus, loads of books/apps look great but it's difficult to know how good they are in use. Are there books out there that kind of follow the curriculum in terms of levels/topics and so on?

Thanks one and all for your interest. You are great, great people.

[Fas1975]

Kindle app on the ipad, thousands of titles to choose from

[Landlord]

Fas1975 said:

Kindle app on the ipad, thousands of titles to choose from

Good point. Hadn't thought of that... despite having a Kindle as well as everything else!

Any recommendations on books/publishers of good repute?

[ali_kat]

Kindle app & Enid Blyton or Malcolm Saville boys own adventure type stuff

[Mobile Chicane]

What about the books we were gripped by as kids?

Stig of the Dump
All of Roald Dahl
The Wind in the Willows, etc

[Fas1975]

Landlord said:

Good point. Hadn't thought of that... despite having a Kindle as well as everything else!

Any recommendations on books/publishers of good repute?

I have a 9 year old boy, he's into the Percy Jackson series at the moment, I read them too and they're great. Also, the Harry Potter series, the boy loves too.

Look here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/childrens-ebooks-kindle/b/...

Scroll down and you'll see authors and books per age range

[Fas1975]

Mobile Chicane said:

What about the books we were gripped by as kids?

Stig of the Dump
All of Roald Dahl
The Wind in the Willows, etc

Could not agree more. I've got the kids reading the same Enid Blyton stuff that I read as a kid. Everything from the Magic Faraway Tree series through to Famous Five / Secret Seven stuff. Easy to read, easy to understand and does trigger the imagination

[Gusanita]

I don't know what kind of things you do read or have read but have you read them stories on mythology (greek, roman, viking, etc.) and religion? Just a different story each night followed by a chapter or something from a more serious book (I would recommend classic children's stories).

I'm doing this with my 4 year old as I think the short stories are a good background for her knowledge.

[Landlord]

Mobile Chicane said:

Stig of the Dump

Good shout! I remember loving that. "The Machine Gunners" too...

[Landlord]

Gusanita said:

I don't know what kind of things you do read or have read but have you read them stories on mythology (greek, roman, viking, etc.) and religion? Just a different story each night followed by a chapter or something from a more serious book (I would recommend classic children's stories).

I'm doing this with my 4 year old as I think the short stories are a good background for her knowledge.

Interesting idea. I used to love mythology so perhaps my boys will too.

[valais]

Avoid an ipad. Emitted light is a stimulant.

Kindle could work - reflected light...

[Landlord]

valais said:

Avoid an ipad. Emitted light is a stimulant.

Kindle could work - reflected light...

I had wondered about that but they do like illustrations, which the Kindle is comparatively useless at.

[TheExcession]

Mobile Chicane said:

What about the books we were gripped by as kids?

Stig of the Dump
All of Roald Dahl
The Wind in the Willows, etc

Exactly this. Books... this is they key thing here, BOOKS!
To me half the interest is actually holding a book, not some bit of technology where every page looks the same as the last.

Turning pages! Being able to quickly flick ahead/back a few pages or stop to look at a picture, the excitement of wondering what is/might be on the next page....

Go to a charity shop and grab a few books off the shelf - costs pennies but as the old Mastercard advert said - Priceless.

[valais]

TheExcession said:

Exactly this. Books... this is they key thing here, BOOKS!
To me half the interest is actually holding a book, not some bit of technology where every page looks the same as the last.

Turning pages! Being able to quickly flick ahead/back a few pages or stop to look at a picture, the excitement of wondering what is/might be on the next page....

Go to a charity shop and grab a few books off the shelf - costs pennies but as the old Mastercard advert said - Priceless.

^^^ What he said.

And have them read the story to you (at least the elder one).

You can do the actions.

[ClaphamGT3]

Our six year old has just finished The Fantastic Mr Fox and loved it. She's on a bit of a Roald Dahl
Hl kick at the moment so is trying Danny Champion of the World but finding it a bit of a stretch. I'm also reading Swallows and Amazons to she and her 4 year old sister as we're teaching them to sail at the moment and its helping to stimulate their interest

[Landlord]

valais said:

TheExcession said:

Exactly this. Books... this is they key thing here, BOOKS!
To me half the interest is actually holding a book, not some bit of technology where every page looks the same as the last.

Turning pages! Being able to quickly flick ahead/back a few pages or stop to look at a picture, the excitement of wondering what is/might be on the next page....

Go to a charity shop and grab a few books off the shelf - costs pennies but as the old Mastercard advert said - Priceless.

^^^ What he said.

And have them read the story to you (at least the elder one).

You can do the actions.

You're both assuming that a) I have the opportunity to go shopping with or without the boys and b) I have space to keep the books. Neither of which I have. Not disagreeing with you both, just your suggestions don't fit with my lifestyle unfortunately. Thanks for you input though!

The convenience of them being able to browse and buy a book within minutes outweighs the "pleasure" of holding a book to me. As for turning the pages, they're pretty adept at unintentionally turning a few at a time and us all being puzzled as to why the story doesn't flow!

[ClaphamGT3]

Also, a key part of learning to love reading is making mistakes. Picking the wrong book is often a great way for a child to learn what they genuinely do like

[Landlord]

ClaphamGT3 said:

Also, a key part of learning to love reading is making mistakes. Picking the wrong book is often a great way for a child to learn what they genuinely do like

Good point.

[valais]

Landlord said:

You're both assuming that a) I have the opportunity to go shopping with or without the boys and b) I have space to keep the books. Neither of which I have. Not disagreeing with you both, just your suggestions don't fit with my lifestyle unfortunately. Thanks for you input though!

The convenience of them being able to browse and buy a book within minutes outweighs the "pleasure" of holding a book to me. As for turning the pages, they're pretty adept at unintentionally turning a few at a time and us all being puzzled as to why the story doesn't flow!

You should make space for books. Real books. A few don't take up much space; you can buy used on Amazon if you cant get out with them and then donate them to charity afterwards. A real book is very, very important - as is them making errors.

[Landlord]

valais said:

You should make space for books. Real books. A few don't take up much space; you can buy used on Amazon if you cant get out with them and then donate them to charity afterwards. A real book is very, very important - as is them making errors.

Fair shout. Though, I'm not convinced with by the real book argument. It's a bit like saying listening to LPs with their tactility and tangibility is more important than listening to MP3s from the ether.