From Roald Dahl’s bestselling Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch, The Guardian’s Julia Eccleshare picks her top reads for 5-7 year-olds.
charlie and the chocolate factory: roald dahl
You are reading: Best books for 5 7 year olds
willy wonka’s chocolate factory is one of the most tempting places in fiction and charlie balde’s adventure is a delicious roller coaster. Along with four other kids, Charlie wins a golden ticket to be shown around. As Charlie blossoms into the journey, all four of her companions come to suitably sticky and disgusting ends as punishment for her disgusting behavior. Mr. Willy Wonka dispenses prejudiced and violent justice, which children love.
the pig-sheep: dick king-smith
Brave boy, born as a little pig, who is taken to the farm to fatten up, cheats his fate by learning new skills from his adoptive mother, the fly, the herding dog. Babe’s skills in working with sheep are all her own and soon her unique technique of speaking respectfully to sheep earns her fame and saves the Hogget farmer’s sheep from harm. funny and touching.
the legend of captain crowtooth: eoin colfer
The sometimes horrifying but always fascinating way the brothers treat each other lives on in this hilarious story of how Will’s older brother, Marty, scares him with a terrifying tale of the deadly pirate Captain Raven. The idea of what the bloodthirsty pirate might do sets off a chain reaction of disaster for Will, but also a just and delicious comeuppance for Marty.
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The Adventures of Captain Underpants: Dav Pilkey
Cartoon illustrations, a bulky format, and title pants make this an easy choice for new readers. superhero captain underpants rushes through adventures, eliminating all kinds of opposition from aliens and the rest. Lots of slapstick humor to enjoy in the visuals, as well as easy-to-read speech bubbles to support the longer story.
the worst witch: jill murphy
It’s hard enough being hopeless at any school, but when spells go wrong, the results can have unpredictable consequences. New girl Mildred Taylor hasn’t quite mastered some of the magical tasks set out at Miss Cackle’s Academy of Witches. the resulting chaos is delightful and hugely satisfying.
the adventures of the plate and the spoon: mini grey
everyone knows the plate ran off with the spoon, but in this bittersweet rags-to-riches picture-book tale, we now know what happened next. The couple sails to New York. here they make a lot of money as glamorous stage stars, but then lose it all and take up a less glamorous life as criminals. Sophisticated and glorious illustrations make this a visual treat.
flat stanley: jeff brown
crushed when a billboard falls on him, stanley lives a deliciously wacky new life, going on vacation (much cheaper than a plane ticket) and flying like a kite.
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Mr. Gumball and the Cookie Billionaire: Andy Stanton
Mr. Bubblegum is tirelessly obnoxious. he hates children, animals and even fun. but there is something he loves: money! so when he finds someone with lots and lots of cash, he’s determined to get his hands on them. Mr Gum’s anarchic and outrageous behavior has much to recommend it.
ug: stone age boy genius: raymond briggs
Like all children, ug questions everything. and with good reason. Briggs Stone Age is solidly stony. ug wants a soft ball to play with, cooked meat, not raw. Most of all, Ug craves soft pants. (The stone ones are so much fun.) A brilliant book on how to ask why.
iron man: ted hughes
From its terrifying opening in which a strange creature crashes into a cliff and then struggles to rebuild itself from body parts that are scattered all over the beach, this mythical tale is rich with unforgettable imagery. Beneath them, Hughes raises all sorts of questions about how people respond to anything new.
finn family moomintroll: tove jansson
Moomin stories have a timeless charm. fantasy and reality delightfully merge; The strong family feeling of the Moomins and the charming details of their domestic life sit comfortably alongside the magic that surrounds them. Here, Moomintroll and her friends have a wonderful set of adventures with a magic hat when they wake up from their long winter sleep.
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