Chapter books for a 4 year old?

I know it sounds a little crazy, but I think I want to start reading chapter books to Julia. My nanny and I were having a great discussion this morning about kids who read, and I was recalling the evenings of my childhood when my mother read to me from books that were beyond my own reading level, but which completely captivated me as a listener -- the kind where you beg for just one more chapter.

Julia and I read lots of books together, and while she loves it, sometimes I wonder if she could handle longer more complicated storylines. (And I sure wouldn't mind that myself!) A couple of the recent books my mom has dropped off (Amelia Bedelia and The Case of the Scaredy Cats) have been a little longer than the typical picture book, and, confirming my theory, Julia has LOVED them, wanting them read over and over again.

So I started doing some research online. I came across this Amazon discussion thread from a guy looking for chapter books to read to his 4 year old. The replies confirmed what I suspected, which is that many 4 year olds (depending on the kid, clearly) can enjoy being read to from chapter books that require multiple nights to get through. I found lots of suggestions here, many of which I well remember from my own childhood.

Examples:
Stuart Little
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Little House on the Prarie
The Wizard of Oz
Junie B. Jones
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
My Father's Dragon
Pippi Longstocking
Ramona the Brave

Most of these are either the first book of a series, or from prolific authors who have other similarly great titles. This goes without saying, but there is such a richness out there to share with Juila (and later Andrew.) I can't wait to try one on her. I'm thinking about starting with My Father's Dragon or maybe Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. (Mom, do you still have a copy of that?)

Any other suggestions? Many of the books above feature boys as the title character, and I'd love to find a few more with girls in the lead role.

(Susan, if you are still looking for birthday gift ideas for Julia, perhaps a title from this list or your own childhood memories would be a great option!)

McElligot's Pool

Every once in a while I will come across a children's book that I didn't know we had. My mom comes by every other week to visit the kids and she often brings a book or two she has saved from my childhood. I don't always see them when she brings them, but I'll discover them a day or two later. Most of them are instantly familiar and bring back good memories.

Last night I was putting Andrew to bed and out of the bookcase popped McElligot's Pool by Dr. Seuss, which my mom must have dropped off. We read it together, and what a great book. (Interesting how much longer my old childhood books are than the new books I buy my kids these days. Speaks to our shortened attention span.) Anyway, I don't think it is one of Dr. Seuss's more famous ones, but I'm not sure why not. It has such a nice message of optimism and the virtues of patience, as well as a sense of wonder and possibility. What a nice little gem. Thanks Mom! : )

Infidel

My book club is reading Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and I just finished tonight. Wow. I did not know much about Islam before reading this book, and this was quite an eye opener. I know she has been controversial, and there are intelligent reasonable people who disagree with her (I'd love to read something by someone like that... anybody have a suggestion?), but it is truly hard to imagine how to view it another way after reading this book.

She paints a stark and unflattering picture of Islam. The religion, she says, is based on oppressive beliefs and a value system that celebrates submission and obedience above all, particularly of women who have no rights whatsoever. They are trained to have no self-will, and are completely ruled by their families, who are completely free to maim or even kill them for the slightest infraction, with the cooperation and encouragement of the government. The horrors she describes make me want to shut my ears and not think about it. Which is of course exactly what she doesn't want me to do... and she succeeded.

A great read, I recommend it highly.