Book recommendations for kids

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Peaceable

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We’re cutting my tv addicted kid (he only watches educational shows, but still…) off the internet, and he doesn’t understand why he can’t watch tv all day. Any recommendations for kids that explain why it’s important to work and not just be entertained all day? Books helping kids cultivate virtues? (Odd question, I realize). This is for a grade schooler.
 
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To show the importance of avoiding mindless entertainment, lead by example, not saying you don’t and I am confident you do.
 
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My husband always enjoyed the “Mad Scientist Club” books–lots of science. Also the “Danny Dunn” books–again, lots of science.

I would recommend Hardy Boys mysteries, but they’re probably too old-fashioned for a lot of kids these days. There are modernized versions, but don’t get them–they’re awful.

Is he a good reader? This makes a difference. Nowadays so many children, especially boys, do not read at grade level. If he reads above grade level, i heartily recommend the older Newbery and Caldecott winners. (The modern ones are rather “liberal” and I would recommend a parent reading them first.)

One type of book that we’ve always seen younger readers enjoy is comics–e.g., we have stacks of Garfield (the cat) books that many of our younger guests love! I’ve watched little ones take a whole stack and spend an hour or more laughing! We also have a lot of Peanuts books, and Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes, and others.

Just last week I watched a TV documentary about Calvin and Hobbes in which several people said that they loved these comics when they were little boys! In fact, all of the people interviewed said that they hated to read, but they read every Calvin and Hobbes comic (and eventually books compiling those comics) because they identified with Calvin. So you might want to give them a try–you can pick them up cheap at old bookstores and second hand shops. Or ask around your church if anyone has any to loan out–we do!

And take him to the library, get him a library card, and take him to the children’s section and allow him to choose a stack of books! If you just hand him books, he’ll probably turn up his nose. But if he chooses–he might surprise you. My daughter’s 7-year-old nephew likes to read non-fiction books about phones, electricity, weather, etc.–he’s not into fiction at all!
 
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Peaceable said:
Any recommendations for kids that explain why it’s important to work and not just be entertained all day?
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The Ant and the Grasshopper? That’s all I’ve got. I’ll keep thinking.
 
No, I could do better here. I don’t watch tv, but so much “work” is on a screen these days (office and home stuff)—- and it’s too easy to get distracted!
 
There has been an increase of juvenile Catholic fiction lately. As for recommendations, that would depend on how old he is.
If he is an older kid, he may like books like Mystic Informant, which is technically not released yet, but will be in the near future.
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Book for you as a parent would be Raise Happy Children, Teach Them Virtue by Mary Ann Budnik.

I think this is a message you will have to teach through action, not giving your child a book to read.
 
Maybe start to offer books on topics he likely to read. Or offer him to choose.

There is nothing more boring than reading something you don’t like. And more, most people will not do it.

Don’t judge the style of books as long as it stays decent. If it is comics, manuals, maybe audiobook, or books with almost nothing to read. He has to read only because it is a pleasant activity, not obligation.

You can bring him to the public library, or even the catholic one if there is any, where he can choose what he wants even something to heard. Or to the bookstore.

People who works with teenagers who don’t read think the helpfull think to do is to let them choose what they wants, even if it is book for young children without any judgment. And even to read to them if they wants.

Can he have a little sibling? If he likes to do thing with him, you can asks him he read books for him, such as every day before bed.

You can also create a schedule with screens off, where every family member have to read to relax.
 
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Just a couple of thoughts. 1, reading can be entertaining. 2. if you want your child to read more you need to let them read books they actually will like reading. the best way to turn a kid off from reading is to only give them books they will not enjoy. reading then becomes a chore which they will not want.
 
A few options that I, Hubby, and my kid have enjoyed at that age or close to it:

Geronimo Stilton series (about a mouse)
Enid Blyton books - Fabulous Five series
Hardy Boys
Magic Treehouse series - there are both fiction books and companion reference guides (e.g. book 2 is “The Knight at Dawn” and there is a companion guide on Knights and Castles)
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder - this is about Laura’s husband, Almanzo, growing up on a farm in New York State
The Five Little Peppers series - these would probably be more available as e-books. They’re about a family of five children, three boys and two girls, and their adventures.
Little Men and Jo’s Boys
Adventures in Odyssey series - Christian fiction
Sigmund Brouwer books - many of these are sports-focused and they are written by a Christian author
Kids at the Polk Street School series by Patricia Reilly Giff - these are older, but he may enjoy them. They’re about children in a Grade 3 class, I think it is. There are a couple of companion series, such as New Kids at the Polk Street school (about the younger siblings, who are in Kindergarten), and Polka-Dot Private Eye, but these are more about girls.
Bailey School Kids series - this is a humorous series about children who suspect that teachers and staff at their school are various sorts of monsters. For example, one book is titled “Martians Don’t Take Temperatures”. (All of the titles take the form of “[Monster(s)] Don’t (Doesn’t) do [X]”.)
Animorphs series - these are about a group of young people who are given the ability to “acquire” animal DNA and then “morph” into that particular animal, in a quest to save the world from invading aliens.
Nate the Great series - I enjoyed these when I was a child. They’re about a child private eye.
Encyclopedia Brown series - these are about a 10-year-old boy who solves mysteries, both as an assistant for his father, the chief of police, and for the neighbourhood children. Readers are given the opportunity to see if they can “solve” the mystery, using the clues provided, and then the solutions are at the back of the book.
 
He likes books—it’s just too easy to binge watch, even pbs shows…
 
I bought this and immediately loved it. Not in print though, got the ebook version. Sad there aren’t more gems like this in print—we need more!
 
Will definitely check this out. (I’m a huge Laura Ingalls Wilder fan— practically put the books on my baby shower registry—can’t start too early, lol!)
 
Be cautious. I feel it is better to teach children to be discerning in their selection of TV, music, movies. When something has that glamour of being “forbidden” it is soooooo natural to want to experience it. The kids I knew who grew up that TV or secular movies were taboo were the first to be completely “teens gone wild” the moment they went away to college.

For books, the Redwall series is great.
 
An oldie but a goodie, if you can find a copy: “TV Thompson” by Glendon Swarthout.

About a kid who watches too much TV and has crazy adventures being zapped in and out of TV shows.
 
One of the reasons I got interested in books as a kid was because my parents would either tell me bed time stories (from their imagination) or read books with me before bed.
Sometimes it would be only one chapter a day. After a while I would get so curious to know what happens next, that I’d open the book on my own during the day and try and find out. If your child is a little older, 4th or 5th grade you can read mystery books with him. They always keep a child intrigued.

My aunt used to use bed time stories as a way to tell me Bible stories, especially old testament stories and it worked! Faith formation right before bed 😃
Making this part of your daily routine gives you that extra quality time with your child and will give him somthing to look forward to before bed time.
 
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