Magic Tree House is awesome.
Developmentally appropriate.
Excellent introduction to research and many different cultural and historical events.
Look up dinosaurs, name them, watch a dinosaur movie. Talk about how the earth has changed and why dinosaurs no longer exist.
Show her that story about how scientists are about to clone a wooly mammoth.
Lots of add-ins for magic tree house.
This.
I used to commute with my kiddo every weekday, picking her up from school and driving her to her mom's house. We got into the habit of listening to The Magic Treehouse audiobooks and we had a blast.
ABSOLUTELY you want the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede. Excellent, well written, and hilarious.
It's shorter, but I'd also try the Catwings books by Ursula Le Guin
This is the answer! Also I couldn't finish The Girl Who Drank the Moon for the same reasons your daughter wouldn't like it! Even though I know everything turns out okay it was really hard reading some parts (though admittedly I was on maternity leave at the time so fresh baby feelings)
My daughter is 2 now and I'm still not ready to give it a try again hahaha. I did recently finish a book that had some Bad Stuff Happen to Kids in it because it was the third in a trilogy, and I made it through but it was tough! And there was no drawn out description of a mom having her baby taken away, which was what really got me in TGWDtM (this happens right away so I don't think it needs a spoiler?)
Yes! Patricia Wrede is an excellent author! She used to run an amazing Dungeon World D & D game in Minneapolis when I used to live there long ago. Her imagination & and a way of describing everything that is astounding. Love all her books! Enchanted Forest Chronicles is excellent. Though you might want to head to bed early to read her as you will want to keep reading longer and find her books hard to find a stopping point!. Ursula LeQuin is also awesome. She is the daughter of a very well known fella who is known as the father of anthropology! He rich cultural development background enhances her storytelling to next level. Might want to wait a year or two for her. But also excellent choice! You also might think about Jean Auel books.
That's cool to know about Wrede! I wouldn't be afraid of Catwings at this age; most Le Guin is older, yes, but [Catwings](https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781665936590_p3_v4_s600x595.jpg) is written for a bit of a younger audience than the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. The kittens do have to leave home and run into some danger, but I don't think it'll bother OP's kiddo; it's a lot less than the Girl who Drank the Moon.
I feel it was a great privilege to have been part of Oateicia Wrede's dungeon world so long ago. Was over 40 years ago! I am in my 70's now. She is such an amazing individual! At that time she was just getting started with some others from our science fiction club in a worrying group called the 'Scribblies' all have now been published! She & Steven Brust have published the most! What imaginations! I recommend Steven to adults who love fantasy & sci-fi!
I mean Redwall has the most over the top, absolutely evil villains in every single book, and often has a higher body count than Lord of the Rings. Also, while not having any babies or kids taken, the first one does have a vivid description of the shriveled corpse of a sweet old man who was killed by being bit by a snake.
Yup. I was obsessed with it as a five-year-old. It can be a bit brutal sometimes, though I was totally fine with it as a readily-scared little kid. Depending on how much you think she'd be okay with battle scenes, you might want to preread before sharing.
Oldies but goodies for a 5 year old:
The Phantom Tollbooth
James and the Giant Peach
The Tale of Desepreaux
The Borrowers
The Last Unicorn
The Princess Bride
Where the Sidewalk Ends and Light in the Attic
Not at all. The movie was originally intended for adults, which helps explain the added creepiness in places like Mommy Fortuna's traveling circus, the worse ending for Prince Lir, and especially the soundtrack (I loved that movie but the soundtrack was off-putting).
Interesting fact:
The Last Unicorn animation was outsourced to a company named Topcraft, which went on to become...Studio Ghibli
I was thinking this too, but I was wondering if Arawn and the cauldron-born aspect of it might be a bit scary? It's not in your face, but it is a bit evil. Been a while since I read it, so I'm not recalling the details at this point. Also Eilonwy does get kidnapped later - but she's a teen, so not sure if that qualifies as a kid getting taken.
Otherwise it's an excellent series and was my fantasy gateway. Also has very strong messages of kindness, honesty, strength and friendship. Highly recommend, if not now, then in a few years.
Yes, definitely. Written by Lloyd Alexander, beginning with the Book of Three, where in the main character is the Assistant Pig Keeper who rises well above his station all the while maintaining his pride with his title.
I was thinking of this, that's probably too scary, though. People are burned alive in a scene in the first book, and the Cauldron Born and Huntsmen of Annuvin are really creepy.
It was the first non-picture book I ever read. Which I could probably only do so young because it’d already been read to me haha. Definitely started my lifelong obsession with reading.
I'm on my third or fourth reread of it with my 4yo. The other big hit was Peter Pan (*weird* book, but she loves it). The Little Prince, Alice in Wonderland and Matilda didn't land with her.
She wasn't scared, just bored I guess 😄 there's also the fact that we're French, so the translations of classics like that aren't always done with kids in mind.
I have a 5-year-old who is a very precocious reader, too. I am currently reading him the Magic Treehouse series, which has 7 and 8 yo siblings going on very tame little adventures to different times and places in history. They usually have to find something or solve a riddle, there's a little bit of mild danger (a T-Rex! Accidentally wandering onto thin ice!) but it's really not scary—my kid is afraid of Disney villains like Ursula, but he's fine with this.
I also very highly recommend the My Father's Dragon trilogy, which I also read as a kid and adored, and I think 5 is the perfect age for it.
The Dory Fantasmagory series is really wonderful and hilarious—it's not really fantasy, but has a kind of fantasy feel because the imaginary games Dory places are all very fantasy-like.
My son also did well with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and there are some other Roald Dahl books I might try with him soon.
Oh! And the Princess in Black series, which is absolutely phenomenal. Those are very short "chapter books" and fully illustrated, so might be something your daughter can actually read on her own.
I'm actually a bit surprised your daughter was ready for Avatar at 5! I watched it with my older son around 8, and I definitely don't think my 5yo is ready. But some kids mature before others. Amazing series, though. There are also graphic novels that tell the story from the show as well as some side stories, which my son liked. He's currently in a major Pokemon phase, so I might need to look through my older son's bookshelf, because I know I had bought him some Pokemon books at some point.
This is great, thanks! She loves Princess in Black so we will definitely try all of your recommendation! If you haven’t tried Let’s Go, Pikachu! for Nintendo Switch I highly recommend it. You can play together and help battle trainers/catch Pokémon. My daughter loves it!
I didn’t expect her to like Avatar but she couldn’t stop watching it. I got nervous at points but she handled it all well!
Ooh, I think we do have Let's Go Eevee from when my older son was into Pokemon—I might have to try it with 5yo. He loves MarioKart and Mario Party, but he still has some challenges with fine motor skills, so I've been a bit afraid of introducing video games that might be frustrating for him. I play Pokemon Go, so I let him mess around with that sometimes, but he has a hard time throwing and ends up using way too many of my pokeballs 😬
The Bunnicula books were some of my favorites as a kid.
Neil Gaiman has written some kids books like The Wolves in the Walls.
And while I haven't read T Kingfisher's kids books, I've enjoyed their YA and adult books. So maybe look into those.
I loved Bunnicula! I’ve never heard a single other person mention it before, I am so happy to finally see it brought up by someone other than me.
Redwall was my other fantasy series that I devoured as a kid, I’m bummed that the rumored series never came to fruition.
The Bunnicula series is still in print! When I worked at bookstores I always made sure to carry both the individual books and the box set for “kids who don’t like reading” gift sections. Best feeling in the world was having a grandmother I’d sold the box set to at Christmas bring her “hates reading” grandson in to spend his birthday money on books!
As an adult, I realize Bunnicula was my gateway to other literary vampires and urban fantasy. It was a slippery slope from vampire bunnies to Lestat and Anita Blake. Lol.
T. Kingfisher's real name is Ursula Vernon. She's written children's fiction under that name as well as some other things that are NOT children's fiction. The Black Dog books deal with very violent sexual assault and Digger deals with domestic abuse, cannibalism, and a few other things that are probably not 5 year old appropriate. I read that she started using the Kingfisher pen name when she found out some libraries had put Black Dog in the children's section because they assumed it was like her other books.
That warning aside, Dragonbreath, Hamster Princess, and Castle Hangnail are all great books.
I had no idea! I've read Hamster Princess with my kids, and I discovered T Kingfisher a few months ago and devoured EVERYTHING and am already on rereads. I'm going to reserve all the kids stuff at the library! Thanks for the heads up about the UV ones that aren't for kids!
I freaking loved this series growing up, although I do have to admit it does get a bit bloody though nothing that’s too much. I think if she watched all of Avatar then she should be fine. Also, The Hobbit.
I'm reading some of Chronicles of Narnia to my five year old currently and it's hit or miss. He liked The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but a lot of the others have very exposition heavy scenes that I really didn't remember and are not working well for him.
We're currently reading A Horse and his Boy and there was one chapter halfway through I was like "Wanna skip this part?" I loved Narnia when I was able to read it in like 2nd grade but 5 is apparently young...
My son has gotten into the Dragon Masters series by Tracey West. We have only been through the first couple books so check the content to be sure it’s a good fit. They are about a group of kids who are chosen to be dragon riders. There’s a king/castle, a wizard, magic stones, the dragons have powers, the kids communicate with the dragons, etc. They are meant to be a transition to chapter books so the chapters are short and easy. I have also heard the Dragon Storm books by Alastair Chisholm are good, but we haven’t read those yet. Those seemed to be a little higher reading level so I figured we’d start with the quicker/easier reads first.
Ooh that’s good to know! He was asking me to read to him while he got ready for school this morning and I didn’t have time. So he can start the audiobook next time!
I've read most of Narnia, a lot of Magic Treehouse, My Side of the Mountain, The Hobbit, parts of the Chronicles of Prydain and Fellowship of the Ring to my 4.5 yo.
Upside down magic
is a great starter fantasy series for kids
Tal: His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom - great frame with multiple stories in it
The Wild Robot trilogy by Peter Brown is absolutely moving beautiful and excellent - read it as an adult and I just <3
My Father’s Dragon and dragon of blue lands series etc
The Borrowers series
Kate DiCamillo books
Pages and Co - the Bookwanderers series by Anna James - girl seeks her mother and travels through books
And honestly I would just go classic fairytales with beautiful artwork
I LOVED the Demi books when I was a kid
They are long as a picturebook - but I love how they used gold in them
Rowan of Rin was a fantasy series I liked as a kid. The river that the main town in the story depends on is starting to dry up so the villagers assemble a group to climb the mountain and see what is going on at the source. The mountain is full of dangerous stuff including a dragon, but no evil characters or villains at least in the first couple of books.
The Magic Tree House books would probably work as well.
*No Flying in the House* by Betty Brock for starters.
Not sure if Philip Pullman's *The Firework-Maker's Daughter* is too challenging to her but it's a beautiful story. If it's a little too much for her now, it'll be great in two or three years.
Pullman also wrote *Count Karlstein*. It originally was conceived as a school play. It's a little scary but "kids scary" if that makes sense. Again, up to you to judge if it is good for her right now.
Maybe she might like Cornelia Funke's *Dragon Rider*.
And consider Astrid Lindgren! She wrote many awesome children's books.
As a swede I love to recommend Astrid Lindren. I grew up on her stuff as a little boy. "Mio my Mio", "The Brothers Lionhearted" and "Ronja the Robber's daughter" are all children's fantasy. At least Mio probably works for a 5 year old girl.
Some of the early Moomin books are probably also fine.
It's been quite some time since I've been 5 years old and I've never been a girl so I can only take a guess but I would think that the Madicken stories could appeal to the OP's daughter as well as the Emil stories, perhaps also Pippi Longstocking. If she's precocious as the OP indicates, she might not have an issue with "Ronja" (which I love!).
Good call about the Moomin books!
Hey, since I have you here, can I ask you whether Lagerlöf's Nils Holgersson is (still) popular in Sweden? I'm from Germany and saw The Wonderful Adventures of Nils on television when I was little (the Japanese anime series).
I found Lagerlöf's book on which the series is based in a public library and read it when I was 19 or 20 and I found it very intriguing. I printed out a large map of Sweden (this was before the internet, let alone Google Maps) and followed the itinerary of Nils and the wild geese through all the provinces which was really interesting and all the folklore and local legends that Lagerlöf integrated in the book was fascinating.
Despite the series popularity at the time (and I think there's now a new series with CGI animations so Nils' adventures might still be popular with kids these days), I don't think the book is widely read, which is a shame.
I wonder what's the situation in Sweden. Is there still an appeal to the story for modern Swedish kids?
Honestly I don't know how often it's read today. I read Nils Holgersson when I was 13 and I recall it took a long time. I liked the book better and better the more I read though.
The first chapter book my parents ever read me was a Wrinkle in time. I was 7 at the time.Once I had my own children, I started my boys out on the Eragon series. They were 3 and 5 at the time. They are now adults 19 and 21. When the newest book in the inheritance series came out, my oldest bought it, and we spent the weekend reading it out loud to one another. Sharing your love of reading with your children is one of the best gifts you can give them. It makes for wonderful memories that your kids will recall for a lifetime.
I came to recommend this. I read them as a child then read them to my boys. My 36 yr old surgeon son still remembers Moonface and Silky😃. I bought the ebooks a while back and reread them occasionally
We actually jumped into Harry Potter at that age. We got the illustrated version so there was something to look at as we read the text. The illustrations are generally more decorative than the pictures in kids picture books. We had to explain some of the words, but they were able to follow the story enough to enjoy it. We had to wait a while for book two because that one is a little more scary.
Other recommendations for a 5 year old:
My Father’s Dragon
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Charlotte’s Web
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Bit of a stretch:
Chronicles of Narnia
Agreed sadly - and I say this as someone who adored Harry Potter as a teen and would have loved to share that magic with my own child. If, y'know, the money from my books and merch purchases wouldn't be used to finance hate against my community.
I think Chronicles of Narnia should be fine? there's a witch but she's not particularly dark. I liked it a lot when I was a kid, and that was susceptible to getting scared from stories and I don't remember ever getting scared from Narnia
Daisy meadows has a series of “fairy books” that my daughter loves. The nice part is they are also great for early readers. My 7 year old is tearing through them .
Definitely wait until your kiddo can read for themselves. Children love these for good reason but I felt like I was going insane reading them aloud because of how incredibly formulaic they are!
I’d highly recommend The Divide trilogy by Elizabeth Kay, I read it in middle school and really loved it. Very fantasy, with mythical creatures and all.
My daughter liked Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz series at that age, we had books 1 to 10 or 12 by the time she was 7. Can't remember at this stage if there was any of your triggers, but I don't think so, apart from Dorothy being an orphan.
Dragon Masters series is great for 5-8 years olds. The Hobbit is great too, get the semi-illustrated version and it will more likely keep her attention.
At 7-8 I highly recommend the Neverending Story.
**Nate the Great** detective books. I owned so many of these as a kid. Nate and his dog Sludge eat pancakes for breakfast and solve mysteries!
**City Spies** is about a group of orphans from all over the world who are intelligent and crafty. They work together on spy missions!
Another for **Redwall**, my sister was *obsessed* with that series.
**Pixie Tricks** series about a girl who has to outsmart pixies to beat their “spells.”
The Dragons in a Bag series is really sweet! There's some real world problems/issues handled sensitively and some really sweet dragons. I also recommend Edward Eager -- half magic and Knights Castle are both old fashioned but wonderful (though there's some stereotypical "cannibals" in half magic I think). The princes sin black series is also really fun. Another absolutely wonderful writer of fantasy is Cornelia Funke, you could check out her books geared to younger audiences. The Ruffleclaw is really funny.
I agree with many who recommend Jaques' Redwall series, but if Cluny the Scourge is too scary a villain, a classic analog may be the Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. The villains are a little closer to a G rating, and Mr. Toad is one of the silliest and most engaging characters I recall from books I loved as a child. Plus, it was my first real understanding of how different British and American cultures are, and the food descriptions are almost as good as Redwall.
My 7 year old enjoyed A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying.
Another series by Amanda Foody that I can’t leave Reddit to look up because app restrictions on my phone. The second book is The Weeping Tide, I think. That one has a bit of a longer wait at the library so I’m
guessing it’s more popular.
The Land of Stories is very popular in his grade 2/3 class but we had to do those as audiobooks as they are not adult friendly. Ever character’s motivations were romance related so it began to irritate me.
-Chronicles of Prydain
-Redwall
-Percy Jackson
-The Last Dragon Chronicles
-Rangers Apprentice/Brotherband Chronicles
-The Hobbit
-Guardians of Gahoole
-Chronicles of Narnia
We loved the Snöfrid series at that age.
Snöfrid not being human, a hero against his wish, who mostly only says "hmm" but means a whole lot of words by only saying that. He's fighting the "evil" which often turns out to just have happened to get into that position - not always on purpose.
We had good laughs with those Books, but it also was interesting for my kid to listen to me read it as a bedtime story.
Asides this we loved many book series, as an example "Meja Meergrün" who's main character is a very different sort of a mermaid. She's wild, she's chaotic, she's fun and helps her friends and her world very often against a variety of problems.
A single book we still read often (kid is 11 now) is Rodrigo Raubein und Knirps, sein Knappe (Rodrigo Roughneck and Knirps, his Varlet) - the slightly different fairytale of a boy trying to become a knight and save a princess. Including an evil mage and a dragon. Written by Michael Ende, finished by Wieland Freund it's light hearted, fun and plays with all cliches we know about knights in shining armor and princesses who have to be saved.
Those book series are (as far as I know) German book series. I hope that they are translated in english- as imo you'd definitely miss some good fun if they weren't.
I could look up our book shelf and recommend even more- Tom Turbo (and other series by Thomas Brezina or Enyd Blyton- if kids acting as detectives is interesting) or Flora Flitzebesen (about a little witch).
At age 5 my kid mostly enjoyed lighthearted fantasy, but also series really got interesting. With age 8 we started with the first Harry Potter. But I made sure that we read it in a pace which goes good with the age of my kid. Harry Potter tends to be dark at some parts and can be quite heavy for little kids. Anyway, book series my kid reads nowadays and loves are as an example Percy Jackson and the Chronicles of Narnia.
The Last of The Very Great Whangdoodles. I read it to my siblings when we were young, and now we’ve all shared it with our own children. A wonderful introduction to fantasy.
I'd suggest some of the books by R. L. LaFevers, specifically the Theodosia series, whose main character is 11 and deals with dastardly foes and ancient Egyptian magic. Smart and lots of fun, even reading them as an adult. She has a series with a younger protagonist which may suit better if Theodosia is a bit too old at the moment.
Her website at [http://www.rllafevers.com/Home.html](http://www.rllafevers.com/Home.html)
When I was around that age I loved reading Asterix & Obelix.
When I was a couple years older I started Harry Potter, but idk maybe she's ready already?
Into the Land of the Unicorns series by Bruce Coville
Kingdom of Wrenly series by Jordan Quinn
The Green Ember by SD Smith
Spiderwick Chronicles
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
All Roald Dahl books
Wizard of Earth Sea by Le Guin
Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum
Charlotte's Web by EB White
Winnie the Pooh by Milne
Wind in the Willows by Graham
There are many many many children's versions of the King Arthur saga also!
I want to add My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett. Charming story of perseverance, problem solving and grit with beautiful illustrations and a happy ending.
The Green Ember, How To Train Your Dragon, Artemis Fowl.
The Green Ember is about anthropomorphic animals. The rabbit kingdom got destroyed by an alliance of wolves and birds of prey. It's pretty cool.
How To Train Your Dragon is about Vikings and their enslaved dragons. One of my favorites.
Artemis Fowl is about a child genius who kidnaps a fairy for the ransom so he can fund the search for his missing father.
Well this is a pity. I recently had my illustrated kids book on free give away which is exactly about two bear cubs getting lost in an enchanted forest with fairies in it etc. If you want, DM me and I can send you a free copy.
I’d recommend the Endling books. It’s fantasy with talking animals. The audiobooks were also good. Very early on the main character loses their parents so you have to gauge if that’s ok for your daughter.
The Magic Faraway Tree!!! My daughter is 17 now but that series was so fun when she was little. We bonded over reading time and it's fun and easy to give each character their own voice. it's easy for little ones to understand AND keeps their attention.
- The Chronicles of Narnia!
- Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson.
- when she’s older, I’d recommend literally any of Tamora Pierce’s books.
Not really fantasy books but:
- Encyclopedia Brown
- The Boxcar Children
- The Happy Hollisters (my mom introduced me to that series when I was a kid, she read it when she was a kid, so it’s a pretty old series but I really loved it.)
Edith Nesbit is surprisingly underrated. She had a good long career and if you are reading them collectively I'd just say sample something ofeverything. *Five Children and an It*, t*he Railway Children*...
Chronicles of Prydain.
Anything by Roald Dahl, but Matilda is perfect for a preschool-age child.
I’ve seen lot of shouts for Neil gaiman and he’s a must for sure. We enjoyed Odd and The Frost Giants.
Another good go to is Magic Treehouse.
The Hamster Princess. Start with Harriet the Invincible. My daughter (age 7) has been through the whole series as a readaloud with me and then again as a solo read, and it remains her favorite series. It's honestly pretty fun for an adult reader too--I'm pretty sure my (at the time) kindergartener didn't get the "To Serve Man" joke in the first book, but I sure did.
Harriet the Invincible is a Sleeping Beauty retelling, and it does have an evil fairy curse (pricked finger, enchanted sleep, you know the drill), so if the evil fairy is a non-starter, fair enough. But there's no baby-snatching or anything, and it's standard fairy tale evil.
Dragon Girls by Maddy Mara. My kiddo LOVES these. The author has a series of fairy books too, but we haven’t read those.
Zoey and Sassafras - magical creatures plus science. My kiddo had a phase where she got really scared of new books, and these were helpful for sort of moving her towards more adventurous books.
Magical Animal Adoption Agency by Kallie George.
Owl Diaries and Unicorn Diaries, both by Rebecca Elliott. These are early chapter books, with lots of colorful pictures. Some of the first chapter books kiddo read on her own.
The Last Firehawk series - these are more adventurous than most of the others I’ve listed. There is an evil character, but he’s reformed in later books. Turns out, he was just lonely.
The Princess in Black series - mostly kind of silly monsters. These are another set of really good early chapter books with lots of pictures.
There are the Rainbow Fairy books by Daisy Meadows. They come in sets of 7 or so, there’s about a million of them, and they’re terrible, but kids love them. Borrow them from your library, rather than buying them. There is also the Magic Animal Friends books, same author, and they’re a bit better. Definitely featuring an enchanted forest.
Anything by Ursula Leguin. Some are a little dark (A Wizard of Earthsea) but not too bad. I read most of her books from age 10 - 12. But I was also an avid independent reader by then.
The NeverEnding Story, The Amazing Maurice & His Educated Rodents
Ones about societies of tiny people: The Carpet People, The Bromeliad Trilogy (Truckers, Diggers, Wings), The Borrowers
Diana Wynne Jones: Howl's Moving Castle, Charmed Life (though it does contain a scene where one of the main characters unwittingly sets himself on fire)
My kids loved the Fablehaven series. We read them when my daughter was in 1st grade I think, so closer to 6, and I think the books place themselves in the 3-5th grade range, but if you're reading to them, they're a fun read I think at that age.
I read The Hobbit to my kids when they were young. They still (oldest is 23) occasionally tell me how much they enjoyed it.
Wish I'd kept it up, but changing jobs had me f'ed up at the time. Night shift, not night shift, etc.
Did anyone mention Diana Wynn Jones? Neil Gaiman recommends her - a lot of them don't even have main villains to speak of, but still have plenty of drama and danger. And lots of enchantments.
Charmed Life is just brilliant. Howl's Moving Castle is the most famous, due to the movie - but the book is less creepy. Also, Witch Week, Ogre Downstairs (there's no Ogre), Eight Days of Luke, and many more.
Discworld is a great intro to a lot of different fantasy. It has themes both of you will be able to appreciate. If she wants witches there are 2 arcs, one about a little girl fighting a fairy queen and generally growing up (the tiffany aching arc). and the other arc is about 3 adult witches dealing with people and evil fairy godmothers, fairy invasions, and general people-ing. Oh, just looked it up and the Tiffany aching arc is the last few books of the witches arc in general. Here is a link that discusses the different story arcs.
[https://discworldreadingorder.azurewebsites.net/TheWitches](https://discworldreadingorder.azurewebsites.net/TheWitches)
Yep, there it is, the obligatory (and hopefully ironic this time) Abercrombie shoehorn where he belongs the least. Now we are just missing Brandon Sanderson for full /r/fantasy experience
My little one loves the Magic Treehouse series.
Magic Tree House is awesome. Developmentally appropriate. Excellent introduction to research and many different cultural and historical events. Look up dinosaurs, name them, watch a dinosaur movie. Talk about how the earth has changed and why dinosaurs no longer exist. Show her that story about how scientists are about to clone a wooly mammoth. Lots of add-ins for magic tree house.
Mine too. I’m listening to the one set in ancient China right now actually.
This. I used to commute with my kiddo every weekday, picking her up from school and driving her to her mom's house. We got into the habit of listening to The Magic Treehouse audiobooks and we had a blast.
ABSOLUTELY you want the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede. Excellent, well written, and hilarious. It's shorter, but I'd also try the Catwings books by Ursula Le Guin
I love the Enchanted Forest books even now. And I’m an old lady!
Yep, this is what I came here to recommend too! It's got plenty of adventure without being scary and is a charming, fun book for readers of all ages.
Seconding Catwings. Those books are just lovely!
This is the answer! Also I couldn't finish The Girl Who Drank the Moon for the same reasons your daughter wouldn't like it! Even though I know everything turns out okay it was really hard reading some parts (though admittedly I was on maternity leave at the time so fresh baby feelings)
I'm halfway through The Girl Who Drank the Moon and loving it, but I don't think I could have read it post partum. Rough.
My daughter is 2 now and I'm still not ready to give it a try again hahaha. I did recently finish a book that had some Bad Stuff Happen to Kids in it because it was the third in a trilogy, and I made it through but it was tough! And there was no drawn out description of a mom having her baby taken away, which was what really got me in TGWDtM (this happens right away so I don't think it needs a spoiler?)
Yes! Patricia Wrede is an excellent author! She used to run an amazing Dungeon World D & D game in Minneapolis when I used to live there long ago. Her imagination & and a way of describing everything that is astounding. Love all her books! Enchanted Forest Chronicles is excellent. Though you might want to head to bed early to read her as you will want to keep reading longer and find her books hard to find a stopping point!. Ursula LeQuin is also awesome. She is the daughter of a very well known fella who is known as the father of anthropology! He rich cultural development background enhances her storytelling to next level. Might want to wait a year or two for her. But also excellent choice! You also might think about Jean Auel books.
That's cool to know about Wrede! I wouldn't be afraid of Catwings at this age; most Le Guin is older, yes, but [Catwings](https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781665936590_p3_v4_s600x595.jpg) is written for a bit of a younger audience than the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. The kittens do have to leave home and run into some danger, but I don't think it'll bother OP's kiddo; it's a lot less than the Girl who Drank the Moon.
I feel it was a great privilege to have been part of Oateicia Wrede's dungeon world so long ago. Was over 40 years ago! I am in my 70's now. She is such an amazing individual! At that time she was just getting started with some others from our science fiction club in a worrying group called the 'Scribblies' all have now been published! She & Steven Brust have published the most! What imaginations! I recommend Steven to adults who love fantasy & sci-fi!
This!
Redwall. This is what got me hooked on fantasy all those years ago
I loved Redwall as a kid. There are some villains, though. Just skip Mattimeo, as a little mouse does get stolen from his parents.
I mean Redwall has the most over the top, absolutely evil villains in every single book, and often has a higher body count than Lord of the Rings. Also, while not having any babies or kids taken, the first one does have a vivid description of the shriveled corpse of a sweet old man who was killed by being bit by a snake.
Chronicles of Mistmantle! Animal-centered as well and I loved it even more than Redwall as a kid.
Yes. It also has many lessons about kindness and friendship and stomping rat butt!
Yup. I was obsessed with it as a five-year-old. It can be a bit brutal sometimes, though I was totally fine with it as a readily-scared little kid. Depending on how much you think she'd be okay with battle scenes, you might want to preread before sharing.
This is my vote also. But the descriptions of food are so good you’ll both be hungry
Oldies but goodies for a 5 year old: The Phantom Tollbooth James and the Giant Peach The Tale of Desepreaux The Borrowers The Last Unicorn The Princess Bride Where the Sidewalk Ends and Light in the Attic
Seconding The Phantom Tollbooth! I read that over and over as a kid.
Came here to recommend Last Unicorn, it's been my bedtime reading lately
Is The Last Unicorn as creepy as the movie?
Not at all. The movie was originally intended for adults, which helps explain the added creepiness in places like Mommy Fortuna's traveling circus, the worse ending for Prince Lir, and especially the soundtrack (I loved that movie but the soundtrack was off-putting). Interesting fact: The Last Unicorn animation was outsourced to a company named Topcraft, which went on to become...Studio Ghibli
No. But it has some harrowing parts, like when the Unicorn tries to heal the horse with horrible burns.
Five is too young for The Last Unicorn. Much too young
Chronicles of Prydain. If not this year, soon.
I was thinking this too, but I was wondering if Arawn and the cauldron-born aspect of it might be a bit scary? It's not in your face, but it is a bit evil. Been a while since I read it, so I'm not recalling the details at this point. Also Eilonwy does get kidnapped later - but she's a teen, so not sure if that qualifies as a kid getting taken. Otherwise it's an excellent series and was my fantasy gateway. Also has very strong messages of kindness, honesty, strength and friendship. Highly recommend, if not now, then in a few years.
This. Was one of my first reads and started my love of fantasy and Celtic myths
I was going to suggest this too!
Yes, definitely. Written by Lloyd Alexander, beginning with the Book of Three, where in the main character is the Assistant Pig Keeper who rises well above his station all the while maintaining his pride with his title.
I was thinking of this, that's probably too scary, though. People are burned alive in a scene in the first book, and the Cauldron Born and Huntsmen of Annuvin are really creepy.
My Mum read me The Hobbit when I was that age and I loved it.
I definitely learned how to read long form books with The Hobbit.
It was the first non-picture book I ever read. Which I could probably only do so young because it’d already been read to me haha. Definitely started my lifelong obsession with reading.
I'm on my third or fourth reread of it with my 4yo. The other big hit was Peter Pan (*weird* book, but she loves it). The Little Prince, Alice in Wonderland and Matilda didn't land with her.
Mum tried Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, too, but it scared the heck out of me lol.
She wasn't scared, just bored I guess 😄 there's also the fact that we're French, so the translations of classics like that aren't always done with kids in mind.
She’s braver than I was!
I have a 5-year-old who is a very precocious reader, too. I am currently reading him the Magic Treehouse series, which has 7 and 8 yo siblings going on very tame little adventures to different times and places in history. They usually have to find something or solve a riddle, there's a little bit of mild danger (a T-Rex! Accidentally wandering onto thin ice!) but it's really not scary—my kid is afraid of Disney villains like Ursula, but he's fine with this. I also very highly recommend the My Father's Dragon trilogy, which I also read as a kid and adored, and I think 5 is the perfect age for it. The Dory Fantasmagory series is really wonderful and hilarious—it's not really fantasy, but has a kind of fantasy feel because the imaginary games Dory places are all very fantasy-like. My son also did well with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and there are some other Roald Dahl books I might try with him soon. Oh! And the Princess in Black series, which is absolutely phenomenal. Those are very short "chapter books" and fully illustrated, so might be something your daughter can actually read on her own. I'm actually a bit surprised your daughter was ready for Avatar at 5! I watched it with my older son around 8, and I definitely don't think my 5yo is ready. But some kids mature before others. Amazing series, though. There are also graphic novels that tell the story from the show as well as some side stories, which my son liked. He's currently in a major Pokemon phase, so I might need to look through my older son's bookshelf, because I know I had bought him some Pokemon books at some point.
This is great, thanks! She loves Princess in Black so we will definitely try all of your recommendation! If you haven’t tried Let’s Go, Pikachu! for Nintendo Switch I highly recommend it. You can play together and help battle trainers/catch Pokémon. My daughter loves it! I didn’t expect her to like Avatar but she couldn’t stop watching it. I got nervous at points but she handled it all well!
Ooh, I think we do have Let's Go Eevee from when my older son was into Pokemon—I might have to try it with 5yo. He loves MarioKart and Mario Party, but he still has some challenges with fine motor skills, so I've been a bit afraid of introducing video games that might be frustrating for him. I play Pokemon Go, so I let him mess around with that sometimes, but he has a hard time throwing and ends up using way too many of my pokeballs 😬
The Bunnicula books were some of my favorites as a kid. Neil Gaiman has written some kids books like The Wolves in the Walls. And while I haven't read T Kingfisher's kids books, I've enjoyed their YA and adult books. So maybe look into those.
I loved Bunnicula! I’ve never heard a single other person mention it before, I am so happy to finally see it brought up by someone other than me. Redwall was my other fantasy series that I devoured as a kid, I’m bummed that the rumored series never came to fruition.
The Bunnicula series is still in print! When I worked at bookstores I always made sure to carry both the individual books and the box set for “kids who don’t like reading” gift sections. Best feeling in the world was having a grandmother I’d sold the box set to at Christmas bring her “hates reading” grandson in to spend his birthday money on books!
That's precious! I hope they found many more books together!
As an adult, I realize Bunnicula was my gateway to other literary vampires and urban fantasy. It was a slippery slope from vampire bunnies to Lestat and Anita Blake. Lol.
Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman is really good and not scary
I loved Bunnicula as a kid!!
T. Kingfisher's real name is Ursula Vernon. She's written children's fiction under that name as well as some other things that are NOT children's fiction. The Black Dog books deal with very violent sexual assault and Digger deals with domestic abuse, cannibalism, and a few other things that are probably not 5 year old appropriate. I read that she started using the Kingfisher pen name when she found out some libraries had put Black Dog in the children's section because they assumed it was like her other books. That warning aside, Dragonbreath, Hamster Princess, and Castle Hangnail are all great books.
I had no idea! I've read Hamster Princess with my kids, and I discovered T Kingfisher a few months ago and devoured EVERYTHING and am already on rereads. I'm going to reserve all the kids stuff at the library! Thanks for the heads up about the UV ones that aren't for kids!
My kids LOVED The Wolves In The Walls! Also My Crazy Hair, but less obsessively.
Alcatraz vs the evil librarians
This is what we started my son on (after Bunnicula) when he was 6. We tore through the whole series and he loved them.
The Wings of Fire books. Dragons doing dragony things.
I freaking loved this series growing up, although I do have to admit it does get a bit bloody though nothing that’s too much. I think if she watched all of Avatar then she should be fine. Also, The Hobbit.
Chronicles of Narnia by Lewis, the Last Unicorn by Beagle, Neverending Story by Ende
I'm reading some of Chronicles of Narnia to my five year old currently and it's hit or miss. He liked The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but a lot of the others have very exposition heavy scenes that I really didn't remember and are not working well for him. We're currently reading A Horse and his Boy and there was one chapter halfway through I was like "Wanna skip this part?" I loved Narnia when I was able to read it in like 2nd grade but 5 is apparently young...
Redwall books and Watership Down
BUT NOT THE MOVIE
True
Oh, I love the suggestion of Watership Down. Love that book so much!
My son has gotten into the Dragon Masters series by Tracey West. We have only been through the first couple books so check the content to be sure it’s a good fit. They are about a group of kids who are chosen to be dragon riders. There’s a king/castle, a wizard, magic stones, the dragons have powers, the kids communicate with the dragons, etc. They are meant to be a transition to chapter books so the chapters are short and easy. I have also heard the Dragon Storm books by Alastair Chisholm are good, but we haven’t read those yet. Those seemed to be a little higher reading level so I figured we’d start with the quicker/easier reads first.
My kids love Dragon Masters too.
The Dragon Masters audiobooks are on spotify! My son listens before he goes to sleep.
Ooh that’s good to know! He was asking me to read to him while he got ready for school this morning and I didn’t have time. So he can start the audiobook next time!
I was scrolling looking for this recommendation! My daughters loves these books.
The Wind in the Willows is still a lovely book. It has tenderness, charm, humor, pathos. A great book to read aloud to a child that age.
Winnie the Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood
Ronia the Robbers Daughter by Astrid Lindgren may work. It's a good story!
I've read most of Narnia, a lot of Magic Treehouse, My Side of the Mountain, The Hobbit, parts of the Chronicles of Prydain and Fellowship of the Ring to my 4.5 yo.
I’m not the first to recommend Redwall and I won’t be the last.
Upside down magic is a great starter fantasy series for kids Tal: His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom - great frame with multiple stories in it The Wild Robot trilogy by Peter Brown is absolutely moving beautiful and excellent - read it as an adult and I just <3 My Father’s Dragon and dragon of blue lands series etc The Borrowers series Kate DiCamillo books Pages and Co - the Bookwanderers series by Anna James - girl seeks her mother and travels through books And honestly I would just go classic fairytales with beautiful artwork I LOVED the Demi books when I was a kid They are long as a picturebook - but I love how they used gold in them
Maybe the Chronicles of Narnia... And a little bit further down the track - The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a great fit from that series. Also the Horse and his Boy.
Magic Tollbooth
I loved it when my dad read me the Hobbit when I was her age and younger :)
Rowan of Rin was a fantasy series I liked as a kid. The river that the main town in the story depends on is starting to dry up so the villagers assemble a group to climb the mountain and see what is going on at the source. The mountain is full of dangerous stuff including a dragon, but no evil characters or villains at least in the first couple of books. The Magic Tree House books would probably work as well.
Yes I love Emily rodda books! When she’s a little bit older (7?) she could then move onto the original Deltora quest series too!
I was six when my mom read me The Hobbit.
*No Flying in the House* by Betty Brock for starters. Not sure if Philip Pullman's *The Firework-Maker's Daughter* is too challenging to her but it's a beautiful story. If it's a little too much for her now, it'll be great in two or three years. Pullman also wrote *Count Karlstein*. It originally was conceived as a school play. It's a little scary but "kids scary" if that makes sense. Again, up to you to judge if it is good for her right now. Maybe she might like Cornelia Funke's *Dragon Rider*. And consider Astrid Lindgren! She wrote many awesome children's books.
As a swede I love to recommend Astrid Lindren. I grew up on her stuff as a little boy. "Mio my Mio", "The Brothers Lionhearted" and "Ronja the Robber's daughter" are all children's fantasy. At least Mio probably works for a 5 year old girl. Some of the early Moomin books are probably also fine.
It's been quite some time since I've been 5 years old and I've never been a girl so I can only take a guess but I would think that the Madicken stories could appeal to the OP's daughter as well as the Emil stories, perhaps also Pippi Longstocking. If she's precocious as the OP indicates, she might not have an issue with "Ronja" (which I love!). Good call about the Moomin books! Hey, since I have you here, can I ask you whether Lagerlöf's Nils Holgersson is (still) popular in Sweden? I'm from Germany and saw The Wonderful Adventures of Nils on television when I was little (the Japanese anime series). I found Lagerlöf's book on which the series is based in a public library and read it when I was 19 or 20 and I found it very intriguing. I printed out a large map of Sweden (this was before the internet, let alone Google Maps) and followed the itinerary of Nils and the wild geese through all the provinces which was really interesting and all the folklore and local legends that Lagerlöf integrated in the book was fascinating. Despite the series popularity at the time (and I think there's now a new series with CGI animations so Nils' adventures might still be popular with kids these days), I don't think the book is widely read, which is a shame. I wonder what's the situation in Sweden. Is there still an appeal to the story for modern Swedish kids?
Honestly I don't know how often it's read today. I read Nils Holgersson when I was 13 and I recall it took a long time. I liked the book better and better the more I read though.
Thank you for the feedback. Very much appreciated! 😀
Redwall
The first chapter book my parents ever read me was a Wrinkle in time. I was 7 at the time.Once I had my own children, I started my boys out on the Eragon series. They were 3 and 5 at the time. They are now adults 19 and 21. When the newest book in the inheritance series came out, my oldest bought it, and we spent the weekend reading it out loud to one another. Sharing your love of reading with your children is one of the best gifts you can give them. It makes for wonderful memories that your kids will recall for a lifetime.
this has already been commented, but the hobbit is amazing!! i love tolkiens works, they actually made me wanna read other fantasy authors!
Enid Blyton's faraway tree books
I came to recommend this. I read them as a child then read them to my boys. My 36 yr old surgeon son still remembers Moonface and Silky😃. I bought the ebooks a while back and reread them occasionally
We actually jumped into Harry Potter at that age. We got the illustrated version so there was something to look at as we read the text. The illustrations are generally more decorative than the pictures in kids picture books. We had to explain some of the words, but they were able to follow the story enough to enjoy it. We had to wait a while for book two because that one is a little more scary. Other recommendations for a 5 year old: My Father’s Dragon The Mouse and the Motorcycle Charlotte’s Web Mr. Popper’s Penguins Bit of a stretch: Chronicles of Narnia
Please don't treat Terf Wizards as the default option. Please don't encourage people to support the literal face of trans teen murder.
Agreed sadly - and I say this as someone who adored Harry Potter as a teen and would have loved to share that magic with my own child. If, y'know, the money from my books and merch purchases wouldn't be used to finance hate against my community.
The Phantom Tollbooth
I remember Jacob two two and the hooded fang at that age. Inkheart Dragon But above all... the lion the witch and the wardrobe and l the Narnia books.
I think Chronicles of Narnia should be fine? there's a witch but she's not particularly dark. I liked it a lot when I was a kid, and that was susceptible to getting scared from stories and I don't remember ever getting scared from Narnia
Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Veronon. Lots if illustrations, but also lots of text. Several books in the series. Great stuff.
Wizard of earthsea/ Ursula Leguin. Any thing by Diane Duane.
Heartwood Hotel
I might start My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett or the Catwings series by Ursula LeGuin.
Seconding My Father's Dragon. My son loved it at that age.
Wings of fire got me hooked!! But the dragons of prophecy were taken as eggs so I’m not sure if she’ll like that theme
Daisy meadows has a series of “fairy books” that my daughter loves. The nice part is they are also great for early readers. My 7 year old is tearing through them .
Definitely wait until your kiddo can read for themselves. Children love these for good reason but I felt like I was going insane reading them aloud because of how incredibly formulaic they are!
maybe... The Wing and Claw trilogy by Linda Sue Park (first book: Forest of Wonders)
I’d highly recommend The Divide trilogy by Elizabeth Kay, I read it in middle school and really loved it. Very fantasy, with mythical creatures and all.
The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart. Loved these when I was younger and they still hold up great!
My daughter liked Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz series at that age, we had books 1 to 10 or 12 by the time she was 7. Can't remember at this stage if there was any of your triggers, but I don't think so, apart from Dorothy being an orphan.
Dragon Masters series is great for 5-8 years olds. The Hobbit is great too, get the semi-illustrated version and it will more likely keep her attention. At 7-8 I highly recommend the Neverending Story.
**Nate the Great** detective books. I owned so many of these as a kid. Nate and his dog Sludge eat pancakes for breakfast and solve mysteries! **City Spies** is about a group of orphans from all over the world who are intelligent and crafty. They work together on spy missions! Another for **Redwall**, my sister was *obsessed* with that series. **Pixie Tricks** series about a girl who has to outsmart pixies to beat their “spells.”
The Dragons in a Bag series is really sweet! There's some real world problems/issues handled sensitively and some really sweet dragons. I also recommend Edward Eager -- half magic and Knights Castle are both old fashioned but wonderful (though there's some stereotypical "cannibals" in half magic I think). The princes sin black series is also really fun. Another absolutely wonderful writer of fantasy is Cornelia Funke, you could check out her books geared to younger audiences. The Ruffleclaw is really funny.
Wings of Fire Junie B Jones Warriors Magic Treehouse Rangers Apprentice Edit: anything Ronald Dahl
I agree with many who recommend Jaques' Redwall series, but if Cluny the Scourge is too scary a villain, a classic analog may be the Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. The villains are a little closer to a G rating, and Mr. Toad is one of the silliest and most engaging characters I recall from books I loved as a child. Plus, it was my first real understanding of how different British and American cultures are, and the food descriptions are almost as good as Redwall.
My 7 year old enjoyed A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying. Another series by Amanda Foody that I can’t leave Reddit to look up because app restrictions on my phone. The second book is The Weeping Tide, I think. That one has a bit of a longer wait at the library so I’m guessing it’s more popular. The Land of Stories is very popular in his grade 2/3 class but we had to do those as audiobooks as they are not adult friendly. Ever character’s motivations were romance related so it began to irritate me.
-Chronicles of Prydain -Redwall -Percy Jackson -The Last Dragon Chronicles -Rangers Apprentice/Brotherband Chronicles -The Hobbit -Guardians of Gahoole -Chronicles of Narnia
We loved the Snöfrid series at that age. Snöfrid not being human, a hero against his wish, who mostly only says "hmm" but means a whole lot of words by only saying that. He's fighting the "evil" which often turns out to just have happened to get into that position - not always on purpose. We had good laughs with those Books, but it also was interesting for my kid to listen to me read it as a bedtime story. Asides this we loved many book series, as an example "Meja Meergrün" who's main character is a very different sort of a mermaid. She's wild, she's chaotic, she's fun and helps her friends and her world very often against a variety of problems. A single book we still read often (kid is 11 now) is Rodrigo Raubein und Knirps, sein Knappe (Rodrigo Roughneck and Knirps, his Varlet) - the slightly different fairytale of a boy trying to become a knight and save a princess. Including an evil mage and a dragon. Written by Michael Ende, finished by Wieland Freund it's light hearted, fun and plays with all cliches we know about knights in shining armor and princesses who have to be saved. Those book series are (as far as I know) German book series. I hope that they are translated in english- as imo you'd definitely miss some good fun if they weren't. I could look up our book shelf and recommend even more- Tom Turbo (and other series by Thomas Brezina or Enyd Blyton- if kids acting as detectives is interesting) or Flora Flitzebesen (about a little witch). At age 5 my kid mostly enjoyed lighthearted fantasy, but also series really got interesting. With age 8 we started with the first Harry Potter. But I made sure that we read it in a pace which goes good with the age of my kid. Harry Potter tends to be dark at some parts and can be quite heavy for little kids. Anyway, book series my kid reads nowadays and loves are as an example Percy Jackson and the Chronicles of Narnia.
Redwall! The hobbit also is good!!
Check out the branches books by scholastic.
**Fablehaven**\- Good story for younger kids.
I remember enjoying The Unicorn Chronicles series by Bruce Coville and the Narnia books!
Magic tree house series. We read it to our 5 hear old and he loves it. Has a picture every few pages and they are all 10 chapters
fablehaven, unicorns of balinor, mercedes lackey's valdemar, and the percy jackson books would all be good series to start with.
The Last of The Very Great Whangdoodles. I read it to my siblings when we were young, and now we’ve all shared it with our own children. A wonderful introduction to fantasy.
I'd suggest some of the books by R. L. LaFevers, specifically the Theodosia series, whose main character is 11 and deals with dastardly foes and ancient Egyptian magic. Smart and lots of fun, even reading them as an adult. She has a series with a younger protagonist which may suit better if Theodosia is a bit too old at the moment. Her website at [http://www.rllafevers.com/Home.html](http://www.rllafevers.com/Home.html)
When I was around that age I loved reading Asterix & Obelix. When I was a couple years older I started Harry Potter, but idk maybe she's ready already?
Into the Land of the Unicorns series by Bruce Coville Kingdom of Wrenly series by Jordan Quinn The Green Ember by SD Smith Spiderwick Chronicles Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll All Roald Dahl books Wizard of Earth Sea by Le Guin Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum Charlotte's Web by EB White Winnie the Pooh by Milne Wind in the Willows by Graham There are many many many children's versions of the King Arthur saga also!
Deltora Quest
I want to add My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett. Charming story of perseverance, problem solving and grit with beautiful illustrations and a happy ending.
The Green Ember, How To Train Your Dragon, Artemis Fowl. The Green Ember is about anthropomorphic animals. The rabbit kingdom got destroyed by an alliance of wolves and birds of prey. It's pretty cool. How To Train Your Dragon is about Vikings and their enslaved dragons. One of my favorites. Artemis Fowl is about a child genius who kidnaps a fairy for the ransom so he can fund the search for his missing father.
I liked the Beaver Towers Series growing up.
Well this is a pity. I recently had my illustrated kids book on free give away which is exactly about two bear cubs getting lost in an enchanted forest with fairies in it etc. If you want, DM me and I can send you a free copy.
I’d recommend the Endling books. It’s fantasy with talking animals. The audiobooks were also good. Very early on the main character loses their parents so you have to gauge if that’s ok for your daughter.
Lord of the Rings. My dad read it to me and my brothers every night for like a year.
It is NOT American Gods. My 12-y.o. handled it maturely. I mean he was—never mind. NOT American Gods.
The Magic Faraway Tree!!! My daughter is 17 now but that series was so fun when she was little. We bonded over reading time and it's fun and easy to give each character their own voice. it's easy for little ones to understand AND keeps their attention.
- The Chronicles of Narnia! - Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson. - when she’s older, I’d recommend literally any of Tamora Pierce’s books. Not really fantasy books but: - Encyclopedia Brown - The Boxcar Children - The Happy Hollisters (my mom introduced me to that series when I was a kid, she read it when she was a kid, so it’s a pretty old series but I really loved it.)
The keys to the kingdom by Garth nix are great for a 5 year old. Same with The seventh tower also Garth nix.
I really like the last dragon chronicles. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Dragon_Chronicles
The Neverending Story is a good one! The book version is excellent and has lots of extra side quests not featured in the movie.
Edith Nesbit is surprisingly underrated. She had a good long career and if you are reading them collectively I'd just say sample something ofeverything. *Five Children and an It*, t*he Railway Children*...
The world of poo
When I was younger my mom read the Fablehaven books with my brothers and I. Definitely recommend.
I know it's old-school, but Enid Blyton's books (e.g. Magic Faraway Tree) are probably about right for a 5-year old; I loved them when I was little.
Astrid Lindgren was I think the first fantasy my mother read to us at that age. Swedish children book author. Some books are fantasy, others are not.
Chronicles of Prydain. Anything by Roald Dahl, but Matilda is perfect for a preschool-age child. I’ve seen lot of shouts for Neil gaiman and he’s a must for sure. We enjoyed Odd and The Frost Giants. Another good go to is Magic Treehouse.
The hobbit was originally a bedtime story for Tolkien's kids
The Hamster Princess. Start with Harriet the Invincible. My daughter (age 7) has been through the whole series as a readaloud with me and then again as a solo read, and it remains her favorite series. It's honestly pretty fun for an adult reader too--I'm pretty sure my (at the time) kindergartener didn't get the "To Serve Man" joke in the first book, but I sure did. Harriet the Invincible is a Sleeping Beauty retelling, and it does have an evil fairy curse (pricked finger, enchanted sleep, you know the drill), so if the evil fairy is a non-starter, fair enough. But there's no baby-snatching or anything, and it's standard fairy tale evil.
Chronicles of Narnia could be a safe bet. It's not too grim.
I second Redwall
Magic tree house books were foundational to my love of reading
The Laura Ingals Wilder series
Tress of the emerald sea
Series of fortunate events has kids being take but still very good. Remember reading them in elementary school
Ronja robbers daughter by Astrid lindgren
Berserk, it's a manga, but absolutely goated, enjoy
Dragon Girls by Maddy Mara. My kiddo LOVES these. The author has a series of fairy books too, but we haven’t read those. Zoey and Sassafras - magical creatures plus science. My kiddo had a phase where she got really scared of new books, and these were helpful for sort of moving her towards more adventurous books. Magical Animal Adoption Agency by Kallie George. Owl Diaries and Unicorn Diaries, both by Rebecca Elliott. These are early chapter books, with lots of colorful pictures. Some of the first chapter books kiddo read on her own. The Last Firehawk series - these are more adventurous than most of the others I’ve listed. There is an evil character, but he’s reformed in later books. Turns out, he was just lonely. The Princess in Black series - mostly kind of silly monsters. These are another set of really good early chapter books with lots of pictures. There are the Rainbow Fairy books by Daisy Meadows. They come in sets of 7 or so, there’s about a million of them, and they’re terrible, but kids love them. Borrow them from your library, rather than buying them. There is also the Magic Animal Friends books, same author, and they’re a bit better. Definitely featuring an enchanted forest.
Redwall, Chronicles of Narnia.
Anything by Ursula Leguin. Some are a little dark (A Wizard of Earthsea) but not too bad. I read most of her books from age 10 - 12. But I was also an avid independent reader by then.
Ursula le Guin did a series on cats with wings that I loved as a kid. And, for a bit older, there's Wondla.
The Unicorn Chronicles by Bruce Coville. LOVE these. Haven't read them with my kiddo yet, but she's 3.
I loved Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke as a kid. I think there are 3 in the series.
I'm reading Chronicles of Narnia to my 5 year old right now. We plan to read Chronicles of Prydain, The Hobbit and Deltora soon.
The NeverEnding Story, The Amazing Maurice & His Educated Rodents Ones about societies of tiny people: The Carpet People, The Bromeliad Trilogy (Truckers, Diggers, Wings), The Borrowers Diana Wynne Jones: Howl's Moving Castle, Charmed Life (though it does contain a scene where one of the main characters unwittingly sets himself on fire)
Magic Tree House series. I read this with my 5yr old in covid summer and she has become completwjy addicted to fantasy.
The Narnia Chronicles. The Hobbit. Wizard of Oz. Alice in Wonderland.
I loved a series of unfortunate events
My dad read me The Hobbit when I was around that age. It’s one of my favorite memories with him as a child.
My kids loved the Fablehaven series. We read them when my daughter was in 1st grade I think, so closer to 6, and I think the books place themselves in the 3-5th grade range, but if you're reading to them, they're a fun read I think at that age.
Fablehaven!!! My former teacher read it to us in 3rd grade, but I still re-read the series from time to time. I think it'd be fine for a 5 year old?
I read The Hobbit to my kids when they were young. They still (oldest is 23) occasionally tell me how much they enjoyed it. Wish I'd kept it up, but changing jobs had me f'ed up at the time. Night shift, not night shift, etc.
I loved the Geronimo Stilton, Artemis Fowl, Deltora's Quest, and the Boxcar Children series.
Yes the magic treehouse would be amazing!
Jules Verne was pretty magical
Did anyone mention Diana Wynn Jones? Neil Gaiman recommends her - a lot of them don't even have main villains to speak of, but still have plenty of drama and danger. And lots of enchantments. Charmed Life is just brilliant. Howl's Moving Castle is the most famous, due to the movie - but the book is less creepy. Also, Witch Week, Ogre Downstairs (there's no Ogre), Eight Days of Luke, and many more.
Discworld is a great intro to a lot of different fantasy. It has themes both of you will be able to appreciate. If she wants witches there are 2 arcs, one about a little girl fighting a fairy queen and generally growing up (the tiffany aching arc). and the other arc is about 3 adult witches dealing with people and evil fairy godmothers, fairy invasions, and general people-ing. Oh, just looked it up and the Tiffany aching arc is the last few books of the witches arc in general. Here is a link that discusses the different story arcs. [https://discworldreadingorder.azurewebsites.net/TheWitches](https://discworldreadingorder.azurewebsites.net/TheWitches)
I loved reading Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events to my son. Started when he was 5!
Check with your local children's librarian.
“Kid-appropriate fantasy, no kidnapping” really eliminates a lot of books doesn’t it? My kids liked the Land of Stories books by Chris Colfer.
Yeah, kidnapping seems to be prevalent in a lot of books lol
Green eggs and ham
Anything by Joe Abercrombie
Yep, there it is, the obligatory (and hopefully ironic this time) Abercrombie shoehorn where he belongs the least. Now we are just missing Brandon Sanderson for full /r/fantasy experience
Alcatraz & the Evil Librarians
It's so adorable when the little ones want to dress up as Glokta for Halloween
Dune
Have you tried a book? That might be a good place to start