When kids are just beginning to read it can be tricky to find them good books to read. You know the only way for them to get better is to practice their skills, but which early readers should you be supplying them with? Hopefully this post will help give you some good ideas.

When kids are starting to read repetition is a very good thing. I know it can feel like cheating at times but really, a lot of the reading we do is memorization, we know how to read the word read because we’ve memorized it after reading it over and over again, we don’t need to sound it out every time.

I’ve tried to keep this list in a good reading order, so the easier ones are the the beginning and they get a little longer and harder as they progress. Also, while I am only sharing ten books here many of them are a part of a series and if you find you like the one recommended definitely check out the other ones in that series!

 

OUR FAVORITE EARLY READERS

Usborne First Reading

We used this set of books when our daughter was first reading. It is unique in the fact that the adult reads one page and the new reader reads the other side, that way you still can get a good story and have the child’s part limited to the sounds and words they know.

Hi! Fly Guy

Boy and fly meet and so begins a beautiful friendship. Er, and so begins a very funny friendship.

The Cat in the Hat

A family favorite for toddlers and preschoolers as well as the early readers. The rhyme and rhythm help younger kids know the words that are coming next, which is a great helping tool for those learning to read.

Green Eggs and Ham

“Do you like green eggs and ham?” asks Sam-I-am in this Beginner Book by Dr. Seuss. In a house or with a mouse? In a boat or with a goat? On a train or in a tree? Sam keeps asking persistently. With unmistakable characters and signature rhymes, Dr. Seuss’s beloved favorite has cemented its place as a children’s classic.

A Fly Went By

A fly is followed by a menagerie of characters in this humorous cumulative tale edited by Dr. Seuss. When a young boy sees a frantic fly buzzing past, he asks where the fly is headed—and with that, a chase begins. The fly and the frog, the cat and the dog, the pig and the cow, the fox and the hunter . . . who is causing all the fuss?

Up, Up, Down

In this zany story, Anna likes to climb on the refrigerator and her dresser and go “up, up, up” even though she falls down “ow ouch!” When her parents protest, she goes outside, where it’s okay to climb, and climbs the highest tree she can find.

There Is a Bird On Your Head!

Gerald is careful. Piggie is not. Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can. Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to.

I Was So Mad

Mercer Mayer’s very popular Little Critter stars in a picture book about feeling angry. With minimal text and funny illustrations to spell out every new situation, the book shows the Critter family saying no to everything Little Critter wants to do. He can’t keep frogs in the tub. He can’t help paint the house. Finally, mad at the world, Little Critter announces he will run away. When pals come by and ask him to come and play baseball, our young hero’s mood quickly changes. He grabs his bat and heads off for the game, telling himself he can run away another day if he is still so mad.

Penny and Her Doll

Penny loves her new doll. The doll is absolutely perfect, from her head to her toes. But Penny’s doll needs a name. What should Penny call her?

Henry and Mudge – The First Book

Henry, feeling lonely on a street without any other children, finds companionship and love in a big dog named Mudge.