Favorite Books for Boys and Young Readers Ages 4 to 8
Favorite Books for Boys, A List for Young Readers, Age 4 to 8
For boys ages 4 to 8, you want to find books that tell stories of adventure. Classic stories about Dinosaurs, Pirates, Vikings, Cowboys and Explorers are good. If you read these regularly to your children, you'll find that they start reading earlier on their own.
Boys also love books that make them laugh: gross stuff like dirty, stinky people, stories about underwear, funny superheroes.
My Father's Dragon, by Ruth Stiles Gannett
What a great adventure story - a boy dreams of flying on a dragon, and his cat lets him in on the secret of fulfilling his dream. This story seems absurd to an adult, but for a 5 year old boy, it just seems fantastic. This story from the 1940's was a Newberry honor book. The hero is named Elmer Elevator, and he ingeniously uses a collection of items, like lollipops, combs and tangerines to deal with obstacles like lions and alligators before his reaches the dragon. The dragon is unique, as well - just like everything else in this wonderful book!
Ruth Stiles Gannett continues the adventure in two follow-on books. Once you start this series, you will want to read all three:
Roald Dahl's books - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and many more!
Roald Dahl created a treasury of stories that boys will love. The elements are all there: absurd, gross, adventurous people and animals with very subtle lessons and morals that resonate even today. Of course, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a must read, and it's not too long or arduous, an 8-year old can work through it by himself. Since a movie version is scheduled to come out in late 2005, it's definitely worth re-discovering in book form.
Another classic book is James and the Giant Peach. An adventure of a boy who finds a giant peach in his Aunt's garden. He uses it to escape, and meet fantastic life-size insects who help him fly away from his wicked aunts.
However, you may not be aware of Roald Dahl's collection of shorter stories. These have reccently been published in a series of affordable paperbacks by Puffin Books. Each story is fascinating, both for children and adults. Little boys get wide-eyed with wonder, and laugh at the crazy adventures. Here are some of our favorite Roald Dahl books:
Farmer Boy, Laura Ingalls Wilder
Our boys love this tale of life back in the 1840's, which details the self-sufficient ways of a farm. The adventure is in the daily story of Almanzo, who handles a lot of responsibility as he helps his family grow crops, raise cattle, and pigs while he dreams of being able to train his family's beautiful horses. The book spans a year in the life of the family, from the hard winter of upstate New York to some playful days in the summer when the children are left alone on the farm (they make their own ice-cream, and eat watermelons while their parents are away!)
It's just a wonderful book to read in this day and age, and understand how a farm worked back when America was new. Boys ages 6-8 will really pine for the freedom and adventure of life on the farm.
Wind and the Willows
A true classic, following the adventures of the irascible, indefatigable toad. A very English approach to an adventure story - and a book that is full of lovely prose. Even though many words are beyond the vocabulary of a 6 year old, it's a treat to read, and boys and girls love this book. The illustrations are beautiful, and give a real sense of character to Toad, Mole, Rat and Badger as they venture about, escape jail, drive motorcars, impersonate washer-women, and fight a grand battle for Toad's ancestral house. Just great for nighttime reading!