This is the age when reading gets really interesting for both you and your child. Children have greater confidence at this age and are often reading to themselves rather than out loud. However, it would be a shame now after all the years spent reading together, to loose that closeness that books provide.

Try introducing books from your childhood, re-reading them with your own child will create wonderful memories.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Walker, £14.99)
A very modern "Alice" for the modern child that dusts off the Victorian fustiness of the book. Some adults will regret this approach and the passing of the dark Tenniel drawings but this is a perfect introduction to the story for younger readers and while Oxenbury's fresh as a daisy illustrations make the story completely accessible they certainly don't Disneyfy it in any way.

The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley (Puffin, £3.99)
Abridged - and all the better for it - version of the classic Victorian tale of chimney sweeps featuring Mrs Do As You Would Be Done By and other morality figures. Of course it is stiff and old-fashioned, but there is also a kind of enchantment about it that survives changes in life and attitudes.

Thunder and Lightnings by Jan Mark (Puffin, £4.99)
Victor was the oddest boy Andrew had ever met. How could he be so dim in school, and yet know so much about aeroplanes? But then, as Andrew starts to slowly appreciate, appearances can be very deceptive indeed and we all have our own strategies for survival. Smartly written, very enjoyable story about friendship and the differences between us all. Particularly good for boys.

The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo (Mammoth, £4.99)
Gwyn's granny gives him five strange birthday gifts including a twisted metal brooch. Gywn gives the brooch to the wind and in return is sent the snow spider who weaves a silken web. Inside the web sits a girl who Gwyn knows but cannot place. Nimmo's book deftly mixes magic and mourning, the ordinary and the other-worldly in this story of a lost sister, a battle of good against evil and the value of knowing the place where you belong.