Chapter Books About Girls In Kindergarten or First Grade

It's not really similar to the ones you've just finished, but Christopher Robin is definitely a child of kindergarten/first grade age, so I would really recommend AA Milne.

(I'm curious as to why you're limiting her to such similar books - it's a time when she could be flying around reading all kinds of things, so why restrict her? Or is it the case that she knows what she wants and won't be guided?)

It is not "restriction" at all, actually, but a very formal structure imposed by my daughter, in which bedtime stories are to consist of one chapter each from three books:

(1) a book about a "girl just like me" (e.g., Junie B. Jones);
(2) an "adventure" book (what she calls mysteries, currently Jigsaw Jones -- no relation apparently), and
(3) a "fairy" book (what she calls fantasy books. We've read all of the Magic Tree House Books and similar ones).

Mystery and Fantasy are broad enough that we have had no problem switching from, for example, "Magic Tree House" to "Wizard of Oz" or "The Secrets of Droon".

"Girl like me" is a much narrower category, however. Of course, she doesn't care that one of her three categories isn't a well-defined book genre like the other two are. I tried "Tooter Pepperday," but that went over like a lead balloon, as Tooter was too old, so not really like her at all.

She sounds very smart. Maybe instead of reading other people's stories about girls like her, you could get her to tell you stories about girls like her, and record them for when she's older.

Do they need to be American? I used to enjoy Flossie Teacake, which were 'girl like me' with a bit of fantasy thrown in. Or more current is Jacqueline Wilson.

You might try the Mrs. Piggle-wiggle books, by Betty McDonald. While each chapter is not necessarily about a girl, each is about a child in that age range - generally a stubborn, willful, naughty child whom Mrs. Piggle-wiggle sets straight. My favorite tale was about a girl who refused to bathe. Her mother sent her to Mrs. Piggle-wiggle, who encouraged her to continue not bathing, until enough topsoil had formed on her person to support growing radishes. By the time the radishes were ready to harvest, the girl was clamoring for a bath.

These might send the wrong message, now that I think about it. But I dearly loved them.

Yes, and the important thing to remember is that Mrs P's dearly departed husband was a PIRATE who hid bits of PIRATE GOLD around the house for her to discover on a rainy day, and on several occasions she enlists the help of neighborhood children to find the hidden stashes. And the house in question was built for Mrs P by DDH according to her very specific wishes for a house in which everything would be UPSIDE DOWN, so you walk on the ceilings etc although the finer points are never properly explained. I really do like Mrs Piggle-Wiggle very much.

Or the Pippi Longstocking books by Astrid Lindgren, in which the main character (the very same Pippi) is 9 yr old but I believe her friend Annika is younger (can't find her specific age just now). These are a little what you might call magical-realism-for-tots (as is Mrs Piggle-Wiggle) but both series are set in perfectly normal suburban neighborhoods, it's just that THINGS keep happening, odd little THINGS that couldn't possibly.

I know there are more, I'll think on the way home.

Okay, having searched my own collection I'm happy to offer these:

THE SATURDAYS by Elizabeth Enright. Features a family of 4 children, the youngest is 6 and a boy so I don't know if this will wash for you, but I'd put it on your list so you don't miss it later (the girls' ages are 13 and 10). Wonderful, warm stories about roughly one year of independent Saturday adventures among the children, set in New York City of 1940s. Good for bedtime reading b/c it's somewhat episodic though the overall story arc does hold from beginning to end. A much-loved classic.

STRAWBERRY GIRL by Lois Lenski (Newbery Award winner). Main char is 7-yr old Birdy, one of the settlers of Florida known as Crackers in the 1910s-ish. This is a note-perfect little story of the lives & dialect of that rather odd group of third generation Anglo-Saxon immigrants living in what was essentially a frontier state.

DAUGHTER OF THE MOUNTAINS by Loise Rankin (Newbery Honor winner). Main char is 4-yr old Momo (tho a year or so passes over the course of the book), who lives in the high Himalayas in the last years of British rule. She runs away from her tiny mountain home to search for her beloved dog, who's been kidnapped by an unscrupulous trader (b/c the dog is a Lhasa terrier, sacred to Buddhists and therefore valuable). Her pursuit of the wagon train takes her through the mtns and all the way to Calcutta. Charming historical fiction in a rare time & setting for this age group, specific geographic & cultural observations establish the setting very astutely.

THE T.F. LETTERS by Karen Ray. "Alex knows just how wonderful it will be when her first tooth comes out." Alex is 7, so maybe a little old for your purposes, but the point is that losing her first tooth starts Alex on a series of correspondences with the Tooth Fairy (who is, of course, her own mother). Very sweet, great, smart mother figure who uses the letters to broach sensitive subjects with her daughter (moving, new friends, sibling rivalry, etc). Light without being frivolous. Alex doesn't figure out that the TF is her mother, but the story is rather leading and your daughter may realize as she goes along, so hold off if you actually want her to believe. Or read it yourself and see what you think.

Hm, actually there's not a ton of fiction featuring girls at that age, most characters are at least 7-10 yrs, as I'm finding. Your daughter sounds sharp and savvy and wonderful. Of all these 4, the TF LETTERS is the only one with a contemporary setting so maybe your girl'll reject the others but they're all regular historical fiction, no fantasy involved. Do you think she'd be more receptive if you explained that little girls of the past were very similar to her in inner lives/emotional concerns even though their daily lives varied? Good chance to explore the historical side on the sly; I know I read most of these books (and others) while growing up and I had definite impressions of periods & places around the world even if I couldn't reel off the encyclopedic facts or figures as an adult.

Aw man, I want to go round to Laurel's and read children's books with her!

Ah, now it makes sense.

I remembered last night two series of books my younger sister used to love, which were the Milly-Molly-Mandy stories by Joyce Lankester Brisley and the My Naughty Little Sister stories by Dorothy Edwards.

Heh, I was thinking about Milly-Molly-Mandy yesterday too. Possibly she would seem a bit pious and old-fashioned nowadays though.

And wow yes the My Naughty Little Sister books are great! They were illustrated by Shirley Hughes, who also writes/draws her own beautiful books for youngish children. They always rang very true to me. 'Dogger' would still make me cry in a second I'm sure.

Thanks for the great suggestions. I'll check them out. I will keep checking back, too, if anyone else has any good ideas.

I think the main problem is that kids seems to enjoy reading about characters who are just a little bit older than themselves. (The reason you never see 17 year olds reading "Seventeen" magazine.) Since kids generally learn to read in Kindergarten or First Grade, they want to read about second and third graders. That leaves the kindergarten characters stuck in the world of picture books (to be read to the pre-schoolers).

I would think that the success of the "Junie B. Jones" series would show that there is a market for more books about girls in kindergarten/first grade, though.

My son went through a big Horrible Harry phase at that age, which could be right up your daughter's alley. Also, if she likes adventures, the Andrew Lost series might be just the thing. Andrew is ten-ish and invents shrink-rays and time machines and what-not. His older cousin Judy is always part of the adventure, so there's a girl involved . . .