Hello,
My 4-year-old and I were given a copy of my father's dragon and its sequels. He absolutely loved it and we got in the habit of reading every night before bed because of it. I think part of the appeal was the content of the book, and part was that almost every page had pictures. I've tried other books that are kind of similar and have not have any luck. I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations for light-hearted adventures that would be appropriate for a toddler, that might have illustrations at least on every other page that he can look at while I read.
So far we've tried: the hobbit (Too many words we had to explain), Inkheart (same, but better, but no pictures), Charlotte's web (too scary with the people wanting to eat the pig, but might work if we try again). I'm hoping to try "The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart" because I think it would work content-wise, but don't remember how many illustrations there were. We have a nice copy of Grimm's fairy tales, but those were too scary. Similar thing happened with a copy of Norse Fairy Tales we have called "A Troll with No Heart in His Body." He liked them, liked the illustrations, but they got him too amped before bed. I'm not sure why "My Father's Dragon" didn't hit the same way, maybe because we know the boy survives to grow up and have a child?
I'm not interested in reading Harry Potter to him.
by UnitedSlip9544
4 Comments
I think they make illustrated versions of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, they might be abridged.
Not illustrated, but I loved the Magic Tree House books as a kid
Harriet the Invincible and the other Harriet the Hamster Princess books by Ursula Vernon. Lots of charming illustrations and a story line appealing to children and adults alike.
Dory Fantasmagory
Dragon Masters (I can’t remember how often they had pictures or what age range this is meant for…)
[The Silver Arrow](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/7c66b29c-0175-4f4a-8f45-02269322f989?redirect=true) by Lev Grossman might be a good fit!
[Voyage of the Frostheart](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/53a3c802-81b8-4dab-bd1d-58792f5fa7ba) written and illustrated by Jamie Littler is another one with regular illustrations, but it might be a bit too scary for your kiddo.