If there was ever something I loved, it’s a book list.
And planning what books I’m going to read next with my girls is one of my favorite things.
We don’t always stick perfectly to my list, but at least it gives us a good place to start and so that as we near the end of one read-aloud, I can make sure we have another book ready to go.
My girls are currently (almost) 5, 7 and 9 and I generally choose books that are aimed more at the two older ones, but I’m always amazed at how much my third daughter picks up.
Here’s what’s on my tentative list for this year.
11 children’s books To read aloud
- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I have been waiting so long to read this to my girls and I can’t wait to start off the year with it! It’s been decades since I read this.
- The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich. This book has been recommended to me a bunch of times in the last six months and I’d never even heard of it. My girls love Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books, so I’m looking forward to reading this with them, set in the same time period and general area, from a Native perspective.
- The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. I love this book so much and have been looking forward to reading it with my girls since before I even HAD children. (Full review here)
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM by Robert C. O’Brien. Reading this book with my sisters when I was a child is one of my strongest memories and it’s been years since I read it. I hope my girls love this fantastical tale of super smart rodents as much as I did.
- Holes by Louis Sachar. This is one of my favorite books and since my girls already know and love Louis Sachar, I think they’ll get a big kick out of this one. I anticipate that it will be a bit too much for Star, but the other girls I think will love it.
- Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigen. One of the women in my children’s literature book club runs the Battle of the Books program at her school and mentioned that this was on the list. I haven’t thought of this book for years, but I probably read it at least 5 times as a child and I’m looking forward to reading this WWII book with my girls.
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. I’ve owned a copy of this book for a decade and love the other Grace Lin books I’ve read, so I’m excited to finally dive into this one. Also, because it’s based on Chinese folklore and two of my girls are in our school’s Chinese immersion program, I think it’ll be extra fun.
- Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. One of my life goals is to read all the Newbery winners (I’m not even CLOSE) and I want to make sure my girls have read a lot of the better ones (there are plenty I’m not at all anxious to revisit).
- Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede. I read this YEARS ago as part of Tell Me What to Read and I know my girls would LOVE it. I like to read the first book aloud and then let them continue on themselves (unless it’s Harry Potter, in which case you better believe I’m reading them ALL).
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. When I was young, my mom would let us rotate choosing a book for her to read aloud and I think Merrick picked this one three times in a row. How could I let my children grow up without knowing this classic?
- The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke. My girls love Cornelia Funke and have listened to many of her books, but I won’t let them listen to this one without me. The narration is so good that we might listen to this one rather than have me read it aloud – Bart and I listened to it together when we were in grad school and Bart loved it so much, he suggested the name Prosper ever time we were trying to name a baby (before we knew they were girls).
And if you’d like a printable copy of this list that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!
I’d love to hear what’s on your read aloud list or ones you’ve read aloud recently that have been hits!
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a fantastic read aloud. My 7 year old and read it this fall and it was a delight for both of us. I haven’t thought about Thief Lord in years, but I bet he’d really like that one. I love this list, thank you!
Such a great list. I also read my daughter Heidi around the same time as these books and she still talks about going away to live with the goats. She keeps a copy of that and Anne of Green Gables on her Kindle to read when she is between other books.
Okay, that is so cute!
We’ve tried Holes twice for my 7 year old and it’s been too much for him.
I have two questions…
First, how does one find a children’s literature book club? That sounds delightful.
Second, what is Tell Me What to Read?
Thanks!
Oh, I love this list Janssen, thanks! Homeschooling Grace this year has made me search for books she would like (she doesn’t always love my choices). Thanks for suggesting some great ideas. Miss you friend!
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is fantastic! We are living in China right now and my 4 year old and I just finished it a few months ago. It’s one of my favorite read aloud books ever.
My kids and I have read all these books. Great choices! I’m especially excited for you to read The Birchbark House series.
We just read aloud Pie by Sarah Weeks and it was very delightful and sweet! Plus a pie recipe on every chapter!
My kids are 10,8,6, and 4. We have done the Anne books, which went over better with the older ones, and it was a couple of years ago. We also did Mrs. Frisby last year and they all loved it. We also have done Goose Girl, big hit and we’ve read it a second time last year. Wind in the Willows was harder to get into. My oldest was probably the same age as your oldest, and she enjoyed it. The others dropped out and it ended up being just the two of us for most of it. Recently, we read a lot of more current books (Wildwood series with the olders, Princess Academy, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane all come to mind), so we now are doing some classics. We are currently reading The Swiss Family Robinson, and I want to do Mary Poppins and Around the World in 80 Days next. Thanks for suggestions.
I just read Holes with my 9 and 6 year old and they were so into it! With the short chapters it was easy to keep going for “just one more.” We finished it on Wednesday night and they are excited to watch the Disney version for movie night tonight.
I’m so excited for you & the girls you are reading Dealing with Dragons! This was our favorite read aloud this year! Both my kids choose characters from this book for their Halloween costumes! Hope you all LOVE it as much as we do!