If your child clearly enjoys longer stories, you may want to introduce him to the next stage of books: those with chapters and simple line drawings on some pages rather than colourful pictures on every page. Some children - particularly if they have older siblings - are ready for books of this sort by the time they are about three and a half, whereas others still prefer pictures books until they are five or six.  There is no reason to introduce longer books before your child is ready - just read whatever he enjoys!  A child who learns to read independently at a young age may still like reading picture books for himself, of the type described in the section for younger children, but will like listening to longer books such as those listed below.   Don't make the mistake of thinking that once your child can read for himself, you should stop reading aloud.  For many years he is likely to understand stories read aloud at a much higher level than those which he can read for himself. You can find more examples of books for sharing with younger children at The Bookbag.

It is probably best to start with books which have each chapter complete in itself rather than one where one plot is covered in several chapters.  There are no ‘cliff-hangers’ or uncompleted sections which might leave a young child frustrated and confused.  But once he is enjoying these, you can experiment with books described in the section for 7-10 year olds.

Good books for starting are:

Mrs Pepperpot series

Stories about a little old lady, ordinary in every way except that sometimes she suddenly shrinks to the size of a pepperpot, much to her husband’s embarrassment. This always happens at the most inconvenient times but she is a resourceful old lady and always escapes in the end

Dick King-Smith - Sophie’s Snail, others in same series

A delightful series about a small but determined girl who is determined to be a lady farmer when she grows up. Teased by her older twin brothers, she plods through life adopting more and more pets, learning to ride, and developing a special relationship with her great aunt.

Michael Bond: Paddington Bear series

Now a classic series about a bear from Peru left on Paddington Station in London, and adopted by the Brown family.  Paddington quickly becomes part of the family, but his mind works in unusual ways; although he always means to be helpful, he finds himself getting into trouble.

AA Milne - Winnie the Pooh, House at Pooh Corner

The classic stories about the Bear of Little Brain who lives in 100 acre wood with his friends Piglet, Owl and Eeyore. The stories work around the different personalities of the characters, and should preferably be read before seeing the animated Disney variations!

Beverley Cleary - Ramona series

An American series about a small and independent girl called Ramona who is considered a pest by her older sister.  These books have more recently become popular in the UK, and show through the series how Ramona starts to grow up and think about other people as well as getting into mischief.

Alison Uttley - Sam Pig books

Stories about the Pig family: the responsible Bill, Anne who looks after them, and Sam, who is carefree, fun-loving and irresponsible.

Enid Blyton - The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree, The Folk of the Faraway Tree

Stories about three children who discover an enormous magical tree in the forest near their house. The tree has many unusual residents, and different lands at the top which the children visit.