Usually, the listening level is much higher, because children have more aural recognition vocabulary than they actually use.

For a 5-year-old, I wouldn't get away from picture books just yet. Many picture books are not in any sense beginner readers; their concepts and vocabulary are quite high. They are written in the expectation that an adult will share the book with a child.

In this category, put Robert McCloskey (Make Way for Ducklings, Burt Dow, Deep Water Man), Patricia Polacco (Thunder Cake, Mrs. Katz and Tush), Steven Kellogg (Johnny Appleseed, Best Friends) and Rosemary Wells (MacDuff and the Baby, Bunny Cakes).

Polacco's work draws on the experiences of her family. She has done some real stunners of picture books for older kids and adults too, including Pink and Say, about two Union soldiers, one black and one white, trapped behind Confederate lines, and The Butterfly, about a French woman who hides Jews fleeing from the Nazis, unbeknownst to her young daughter until a little Jewish girl comes out of the hiding place one night. So with her, I'd look first. Some things are hard to explain to a 5-year-old.

Since she's interested in dance, see if you can find anything by Rachel Isadora. Isadora does exquisitely detailed books about physical activities, including dance. The Lili books follow a little girl through her preparations to appear in "The Nutcracker". Lili Backstage, Lili Onstage, Lili at Ballet, My Ballet Class, Opening Night, Max (about a boy who finds out that his sister's ballet class is a great way to warm up for baseball), Not Just Tutus, and On Your Toes: A Ballet ABC will all hold her interest.

For chapter books, well, you've already hit Ramona. I hate to tell you this, but there is no end in sight for Junie B. Jones. It's a continuing series of over 20 volumes now. Junie B. is now in first grade. (I have to tell you, though, I like Junie B. She's got spunk.)

You might want to try the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. Jack and Annie discover that the tree house in their back yard has been magically endowed by Morgan le Fey to allow them to travel through time and space, where they have all kinds of adventures. So: Buffalo Before Breakfast takes them to a Lakota Sioux encampment, Carnival at Candlelight to 17th century Venice, and so on. They encounter magical persons like Morgan and Merlin along the way. Also a continuing series -- I think we're up to #33 or something. These are about the same length as Junie B.

Owen Foote, Second Grade Strongman, by Stephanie Greene, is the first in a short series that follows a normal boy through regular adventures of childhood. Sort of like Ramona. He's an engaging little guy, and the stories feature a strong family, even though we spend most of our time with Owen and his friends. Also reasonably short.

Marc Brown has come out with a series of short chapter books about this long based on his popular Arthur picture books (the inspiration for the cartoon TV series). They, too, are good, but only if you like Arthur. I do.

A new series of short fiction that kids have been asking for is Andrew Lost by J.C. Greenburg. Andrew invents a shrinking machine, which sucks him into it (along with his cousin Judy) and the two of them wind up lost in various parts of the house, trying to return to the machine. Yes, like the movie. But it's fun, and without the teenaged angst. On the Dog, In the Bathroom, In the Kitchen, In the Garden, and so on.

Beverly Cleary has written more than Ramona. Henry Huggins, Ralph S. Mouse (star of The Mouse & the Motorcycle trilogy), and others are around. Henry lives in Ramona's neighborhood. His friendship with Beezus is how we meet Ramona's family.

If you want to encourage the non-fiction, try Gail Gibbons, Anne Rockwell and Seymour Simon.