Kids stuff...

[AZ-Stew]

Gentlemen (and women),

For the sake of attracting more readers and input on this topic, I'm going to post this here and in Humor an Off-Topic. I hope no one minds.

Does anyone know of any books or magazines that are oriented to the outdoors and/or shooting that are geared toward the reading abilities of 6-9 year olds? My grandson is a pretty good reader, but the materials I have are either a bit too hard for him to read or the concepts contained in them are a bit over his head.

Anyone have any clues?

Thanks,

Stew

[btroj]

I find many of the current gun rags to be written at about that level.

[MT Gianni]

As fa as books, the older one might enjoy Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of the Monkeys by the same author, Rawls?. I read the Nick Adams stories and Old Man of the Sea @ age nine but read far ahead of my class.

[82nd airborne]

I liked "Hatchet" when I was a little kid, I havent read it sense then. If I did I may change my mind, but I read it several times a year when I was growning up. Ill see what I can find around here.

[JJC]

Have you checked the NRA web site? I think they have reading as well as coloring books but I could be wrong. If you find some please let us know, I have a 4 and 6 year old

[KY_Camper]

It's probably towards the older end of your scale, but if you can find them, the Patrick Mcmanus books are good. My kids enjoyed them when they were young.

[82nd airborne]

louis lamour!!! I read all of his 120some-odd books as a kid.

[44fanatic]

louis lamour!!! I read all of his 120some-odd books as a kid.

I have no idea how many I read...but it was most of them.
I have the box in the attic and plan on digging it out once my grandson starts reading novels.

[Bent Ramrod]

I was reading (avidly) Russell Annabel's stuff in Sports Afield when I was nine. I think Safari Press has published all his stories in book form.

[KYCaster]

A couple that made a lasting impression on me....

The Long Rifle (Stewart Edward White, 1935) Disney made a movie of it.

The Hounds of Youth (Wilson Rawls). A three or four part serial in The Saturday Evening Post. A Google search turned up the conclusion...didn't try to find the rest.

And like KY Camper said...Patrick F. McManus. Anybody who spends time outdoors can relate to his humor.

Jerry

[c3d4b2]

You Might check out the J. M. Pyne Stories.

http://www.lautard.com/pyne.htm

To Order see the link below.

http://lautard.com/ordering.htm

[Arisaka99]

82nd, THAT IS MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME!!!! If you get them an Nra junior membership, they will recieve a youth geared magazine every month.

[captaint]

I read a book called "My Side of the Mountain" when I was in grade school. It's about a kid that runs away from home and lives up in the hills by himself for like six months. I liked it. Might not want to give the kid any ideas, though!! enjoy Mike

[canyon-ghost]

The NRA has a small book "The Marksmanship Primer" by James Casada. It's an excellent read for young guys. Has lots of coyote hunting stories, etc. to keep you entertained. Teaches a lot about shooting technique along the way.
Loved that book, it has it's own space on my shelf!
Ron

[AZ-Stew]

Thanks for the input, folks. I have some restrictions that weren't placed on me until after I posted. My daughter (my grandson's mother) doesn't want me to "push" guns on her son, though this family has always bee a "gun" family. What I'm looking for is outdoor adventure stuff, with guns intermixed, but not as the main topic. The suggestion of "Where The Red Fern Grows" is a good one, and pretty much what I'm looking for. Though it's a couple of years over his head, I'll keep it in mind for later. I read the somewhat poorly written synopsis on the Net and don't think he's quite ready for it yet. I think I remember someone suggesting it for reading when I was a kid.

I also found a book called "Owen Foote: Frontiersman", that shows promise. Found that one through the Tempe, AZ, Public Library web site.

Boy's Life is a good idea, too, but I think I'll have to have it delivered here so my grandson can read it in my shop. More thought required on that one.

"Hatchet" seems to be a bit over his head. I also don't want him to deal with the concept of divorce at this time.

I have a bucket load of McMannus books. I love to read them on long airline trips. I never fail to get odd looks when I laugh out loud at some of the stories. (BTW, I know EXACTLY where "Forgot The Salt Camp" is located.) Ill see if he is able to read them yet.

I'll also look for some of the others. "The Long Rifle" and "The Hounds Of Youth" also sound promising.

Others may come later. Anyway, thanks to all for the input.

Regards,

Stew

[Rockydog]

AZ-Stew, You might check out the N*** Jakes program. It's designed for kids under the age of 13. http://www.n***.org/jakes/about.html I think they have a monthly magazine. Lots of conservation related stuff. IIRC, Ducks Unlimited has a similar program. RD

[AZ-Stew]

Rocky,

Jakes has promise. I'll get him started on the web site. Thanks for the heads-up on that one.

Regards,

Stew

[Thumbcocker]

A book that was available when I was in 4th grade was "The Bears of Blue River" about frontier life in Indiana. Lots of boy type adventure and not too hard to read. You might check half.com for a used copy.

[HORNET]

[QUOTE from captaint]
I read a book called "My Side of the Mountain" when I was in grade school.

I remember that book. It must have been good since I can still remember the title after a few decades.
I re-read Ruark's 'The Old Man and the Boy' a while back and was quite impressed with it as well. Especially the quote about boys having endless energy that must be used up and that was the adults' responsibility that it be used up in a useful manner.

[cmkiefer]

"The Old Man and the Boy"
Robert Ruark

I read this over and over as a kid. It's about a kid and how his Grandpa taught him everything he knows about the outdoors.

[chuckbuster]

+3 on Pat McManus
Might start with "Kid Camping from AAIIIIGH to Zip"

[AZ-Stew]

My personal favorite is, "Never cry, SNAKE!"

A couple of years ago I gave my copy of "The Grasshopper Trap" to a friend of mine for Christmas. Last weekend I finally found a replacement copy in the used book store. I think I have all his books again.

Regards,

Stew

[man.electric]

It is best to wait a few years on Hatchet, even though it doesn't really push the divorce issue. I must have read that book 20 times when I was a kid and until you mentioned the divorce part of the book, I would have never thought it. Where the Red Fern Grows is still my favorite book of all time. As a grown man I still read that book every couple of years for the sake of nostalgia. I named my first dog Ann due to Rawls' words and she will always be the best bird dog that I ever owned.

I spent a good portion of my time at that age pawing through old copies of Fur, Fish and Game magazine from my grandfathers collection. The year I turned 12 my picture was published in FFG with my first trapping seasons take(wtih grandpa's help) including an XXXL mink that is still my biggest to date.

What your are doing to help your grandkids pursue life in the outdoors is priceless. My grandfather gave me my first air rifle when I was three and got me shooting at cans(with his watchful help) the same year. He passed away three months ago at 93 years of age and will always be held with the highest respect that I hold. A few weeks back, I had to pull out that old air rifle to dispatch a stray cat that was living in our back garage and I know that grandpa would have been proud to see another cat bite dust.

[OutHuntn84]

Here is another vote for the my side of the mountain series! I read it about once a year since I wasabout your grandsons age. Easy reading has a few pictures and even though he runs away it still pushes strong family values and passion for the outdoors. Summer of the monkeys is another good book. My grand mother used to read it to me, along with hatchet and other books, when I as little. later I read them to her!
The Fox Fire series would be a great one for you two to read together!

[skeet1]

I remember when I was a boy I got a magazine called "Boys Life", it was geared toward Boy Scouting but had a lot of outdoor articles. I don't know if it is still in print but for a young boy it would be good.

Skeet1

[Lars Wife]

Hey there i am totally new to forums ect so bear w me !!

I am Lar45's wife and we do BSA Scouting with our son and when boys are young and 'cubs' they can do bb guns a the camps- we run the WEBELOS overnight camp here in town and we give out the Jr USA patches to boys who qualify and they can also earn the CS Belt Loop and Pin for shooting!

once they are 10 with the arrow of light or 11 or graduated the 5th grade they can join Boy Scouts where they can shoot real guns - .22 uaually taught in a safe enviroment ect...
They can earn many awards including the Rifle Shooting and Shootgun Shooting Merit Badge. At camp last summer there was a Shoot Gun shoot off-- anf Lar and I participated-- he came in 2nd or third i cant remember and I took 1st for the women Scout Leaders! But it did get the boys all fired up...!!

In the Boys life magazine there are stories about it also and we have used the Eddie Eagle Program with our NRA certified Instructors...

Just thoughts ...
Have a great one !
Lars Wife

[dale2242]

Patrick McMannus gets my vote.....dale

[steg]

First book I read was Swiss Family Robinson, around age 11 or 12, couldn't put it down, and I've been hooked on reading ever since. I always wondered if I would ever have read so much if my first book hadn't been as good as that, for the longest time I was averaging 1 to 2 novels a week, so try and make the first one a good one for him ..........................................steg

[DeanWinchester]

If he's like any other kid with an inordinate amount of time racked up behind the XBox, Tom Clancy would be right up his alley. Heck he helped develop many of the shooter games.

[starmac]

I don't know what you have available in your area, but cub scouts, boyscouts or even 4H leaves a kid with much that stays with him for life. You could also be a part of it with him.

[Dannix]

Subscribed. Lots of good-looking recommendations here.

The only thought I had would be for an older boy. There was an author on the back of the Outdoor Life Magazine, maybe 8-10 years ago? (I don't read magaines in general, but I got a free one-year subscription then). I forget his name, but he has some hilarious content that I think even a younger boy would appreciate. I'll never forget his article called "The Shoes", I believe. I have it ripped out and squirreled away somewheres...

[AZ-Stew]

A book that was available when I was in 4th grade was "The Bears of Blue River" about frontier life in Indiana. Lots of boy type adventure and not too hard to read. You might check half.com for a used copy.

I don't remember whether I mentioned this earlier, but when I was in 3rd grade (1958) our teacher read that book to us. I had always wanted a copy. A several years ago I mentioned it to my father in law and promptly forgot I had said anything about it. The following Christmas he sent me a new copy that was a re-print done by one of the Indiana universities. It's on my bookshelf.

Regards,

Stew

[Bad Water Bill]

I was reading (avidly) Russell Annabel's stuff in Sports Afield when I was nine. I think Safari Press has published all his stories in book form.

There is a name I haven't seen in many a year. He always told interesting tales, The older kids should enjoy his stories.:popcorn:

[insanelupus]

I'd vote for My Side of the Mountain by Jean George as well. One of the few books from my childhood I can still pick up and read to this day (Where the Red Fern Grows was another good one).

These are giving me a few to look at in the future for my children as well! Great thread.

[Bad Water Bill]

And some people wonder why we call this site home.

Where else can you mention your pain and get prayers,sympathy and help?
Mention your wants and get amazing offers.
Ask about KIDS books and get so much info.

Oh yes you can also get TONS of information about casting and gun related stuff from some of the most knowledgeable, generous, etc people you may never have the privilege to meet but still freely given. Thanks Ken and staff:coffeecom

[RayinNH]

Not really the area you were looking for Stew, but the "Hardy Boys" kept me busy for a long time. Another very good read was "Johnny Tremain"...Ray