30 Chapter Books to Read Aloud to Preschoolers
Since the launch of Raising Readers, the question I get most often (aside from “is my child old enough to start audiobooks?“) is “I think I’m ready to start reading chapter books to my child – what’s the right age and what books should I start with?”
It depends, of course, on your child. Some three-year-olds might be ready to start and others might be nearer to five when they can handle a longer book.
There’s no gold star for reading chapter books instead of picture books, so if your child is struggling to listen to a chapter book, keep on keeping on with the picture books – you want reading to be fun, not something they dread.
In our case, I started reading chapter books to Ella just after she turned three, but I felt like she didn’t REALLY get the hang of it until she was about 3.5. And age four was when it really got fun and she would just beg and beg for another chapter.
Ani started listening in to chapter books around the time she turned three, and around four is when she really caught the bug as well.
Also, last year, I wrote a post with some tips for reading aloud chapter books, so if you’re looking for a little more guidance in making the jump, these might help you out!
Once you ARE ready, here are 30 books that I’ve found to be really good for that 3-6 crowd – hopefully one or ten of them will be big hits at your house too!
Mercy Watson series by Kate Dicamillo.
This is the perfect introductory series, with full-color illustrations and about 80 pages each (for reference, a standard picture book is 40 pages long). Plus, they’re just so darn funny.
Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Paul Zelinsky.
The first one is the best, but we read all three and they are all excellent, about three beloved toys who live with a little girl. They’re around 150 pages with a lot of illustrations, so they’re a nice place to start with chapter books.
Babe the Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith.
I love all his books, but this is the best. Ella fell asleep during the last chapter on a road trip, and Bart asked me to finish reading it. I need to read this one to Ani now!
The BFG by Roald Dahl.
I mean, you just can’t go wrong with Roald Dahl. This one has his trademark silliness, plus a plot that moves right along.
Wayside School by Louis Sachar.
I have to admit that I found these a little too wacky as a child (I was basically born 50 years old), but my sisters were obsessed with them, and my girls have loved them too, about a school where instead of being one story with 30 classrooms, it’s 30 stories high with one classroom on each level. Of course, on the 13th level, things are always pretty crazy! I think Ella has listened to these on audio at least 5 times.
Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
I read this to Ella when she was in kindergarten and we thoroughly enjoyed the first three. I actually like Farmer Boy the best!
The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling.
I read this when I was little and I still remember it so clearly – the idea of everything you touched turning into chocolate is so exciting. Ella loved it too.
A Cricket in Times Square by George Selden.
This one is a classic, but I’d never read it until Ella and I read it together when she was four. It’s sweet and little old-fashioned. And it has illustrations by Garth Williams, so of course I was all in.
All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor.
This was one of my FAVORITE series as a child, and one of the reasons I hoped for all girls (never mind the fact that they eventually get a brother after five girls). Reading it to Ella was a dream come true – it’s so charming and makes me want to hide pennies for my girls to dust for.
Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobol.
The mysteries in this are very episodic, which makes them great for reading here and there, rather than having to get all the way through. And my girls love trying to solve the mystery without reading the answers in the back.
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.
For me, this one is just a leeeeeettle on the verge of too weird, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Roald Dahl. We read this one while we were in Europe, but then we went back and listened to the audio this year, and I liked it better with a professional reading it to me.
Ramona series by Beverly Cleary
This is probably my #1 read-aloud series. I just LOVE Ramona (especially after Ramona the Pest, when I find her a little too obnoxious). We’ve listened to this series on several road trips and I love the narrator a lot. I just think Beverly Cleary is a masterful writer of ordinary children’s lives – decades later and they are still so honest and real feeling. (We love love loved Mitch and Amy too).
Poppy by Avi
I love Avi, but this series was new to me when I read it to Ella a couple of years ago. It’s got all your classic story elements – a brave little mouse, a scary owl, and a journey only a hero can make.
Mr. Poppers Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater.
I’d read this one as a child, but couldn’t remember a darn thing about it except that he gets a penguin in the mail. It was so fun to watch this story play out when none of us knew how it was going to turn out.
Mouse and the Motorcycle series by Beverly Cleary
Have I mentioned that I love Beverly Cleary? This one is just as good as any of her other books, but totally different, with a little mouse who meets a boy staying at his hotel and starts riding his toy motorcycle.
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
I have to admit this one is not my favorite (I didn’t read it until I read it aloud to Ella and I found it SO PAINFULLY BORING), but I’m including it here because it’s a total classic and many many people are rabid fans.
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
I read these aloud to Ella and then she went back and listened to the audio versions at least a dozen times in the past three years. Note that these books have very long chapters and sometimes we broke them in half so I wasn’t reading until nine o clock at night.
Hank the Cowdog series by John R. Erickson
These are laugh-until-you-cry funny and I HIGHLY recommend the audio versions. I think Ella has listened to at least 50 of them.
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
This was our first read-aloud and you better believe I sobbed through the whole last 15 pages.
The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
This is actually my very favorite E.B. White book and I’m pretty sure I read it at least five times as a child.
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Andrew Clements is just a master of the school story, and this is his most popular one, about a boy who wants to get his whole school calling pens “frindles.”
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
I think this is his best one. It was the first book where Ella was just on the edge of her seat, and I loved every magical, crazy second of it. It was just as good the second time, when I read it to Ani.
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
We tried this one as a read-aloud a few years ago, but it somehow didn’t click. This year, we listened to the audiobooks and our whole family was completely absorbed.
Bunnicula by Deborah Howe
This series was WILDLY popular at my elementary school libraries and when I finally read it to Ella, she was just as absorbed as they had been. Ani, at 3, found them too scary, but Ella at 5 was delighted.
B is for Betsy by Carolyn Haywood.
This was the first book where Ella was actively asking me to read one more chapter. They’re just so sweet and old-fashioned.
Ivy and Bean series by Anne Barrows
I always love a good series for this age – you can read the first one together and then let them loose with the audiobooks.
Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
I’m pretty sure Kate DiCamillo is a miracle worker. This book, with gorgeous illustrations, is a perfect classic story about a beloved china rabbit who, as sometimes happens to even the most loved toys, gets lost.
The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren
This is the same author as Pippi Longstocking, but it doesn’t have that same wild exuberance – it’s funny and sweet, but much more toned down, and we loved every chapter.
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Bart read this one aloud to Ella when she was about four and a half, and they both loved it. It was one of my childhood favorites too, but Bart had never read it, so it was fun to watch him experience it for the first time.
Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Lovelace
We only read the first one together, back when Ella was about 3.5, and they really are better I think for more like 4 or 5. Super delightful and old-fashioned.
I’d love to hear about your favorite read-alouds! What titles have been popular for your preschooler or kindergartener?
I was a nanny for many years and one of the 4 year old boys loved the “Junie B.” Series. It narrates from a young kid’s perspective so it was fun to read out loud and I didn’t mind them as well ? lots of books in the series as well, plus they were chapter books so it was easy to pick up where we left off if we read for a half hr or so everyday.
This is such a fantastic list! Thank you! I start chapter book read alouds around 3 as well. We’ve read several of these but I’m excited for all of the new titles I see! My kids are currently loving the original How to Train Your Dragon series. We’ve also read some of the Mary Poppins original series, but I think those are easier for older than 6/7 to follow.
My son has really lived the Digby ODay series – like Mercy Watson, they are a great bridge between picture books and the longer chapter books.
My daughter loves the Captain Underpants books. They are a little silly for my taste, but she and her dad really enjoy reading them together. She also loves the Princess in Black books. Again, not MY favorites, but she has a lot of fun with them. And, like Mercy Watson, each series has lots of vivid illustrations, which are still important to my not-quite-five-year-old.
Thanks for putting this list together. We tried the audio version of Hank the cow dog on Audible and the background music was so distracting.
With all of my girls the biggest first chapter book read alouds have been Roald Dahl books (specifically The BFG and James and the Giant Peach) and the Little House on the Prairie books. My son is 3 now and I’m interested to see what will hook him. We also love the Mercy Watson books – even though my girls are beyond them in their reading levels, they still love to listen to them. Actually, me too!
The Betsy-Tacy series was one of my very favorite so I’m so glad to see them mentioned. The entire Moffat series by Eleanor Estes is wonderful too. My mom actually begged the librarian to let us know of they were ever getting rid of them and then, wonderfully, they came back into print!
We love the Faraway Tree (enchanted wood) series! My kids never want me to stop reading! Check them out if you haven’t already.
Yay! This post is coming at the perfect time for my family! We have read a handful of these together already and loved them so I’m excited to check out those we haven’t yet read.
We read Frindle, BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach with Jay last year, and he loved all of them! These are also books that I don’t mind buying vesus getting from the library because they’re classics, and we can read them now, and then the books on the shelf when they’re ready to read them on their own later!
We just tried the Zoey and Sassafras books by Asia Citro and we really have liked the first two books. My daughter is 5 and really likes the magical creatures and Zoey’s use of science to solve her problems!
Oh my goodness, I LOVE this! I was just starting to think about reading chapter books with my (almost 5 year old) son, thinking of the Ralph S. Mouse and Roald Dahl I have in the basement but now my head is spinning and I want to read ALL the books with him. Hahaha (which I won’t). Now it’s just fitting in a chapter book with all the picture books I want to read him! How many books is too many books to read him a day…hum…
I feel like this would be a great reading list for me! I have such good memories of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Sideways Stories from Wayside school, I just dashed into my office and found my old copies of those, plus Charlotte’s Web, Ramona the Pest and Mary Poppins. I hope my son is interested, and if not I know what I’ll be reading!
My 4 year old loved Wizard of Oz. We read it together, then he listened to it on audio a dozen or more times. From this list, Pippi and Children of Noisy Village were both big hits too. Children of Noisy Village is one I hadn’t read before, but I love it too! Such a wonderful childhood story.
Wr are loving the Tumtum and Nutmeg series by Emily Bearn!
Thanks for the recommendations. We have read and loved many of these. One series my kids loved are the Dory Fantasmagory books by Abby Hanlon. Funny, short, and lots of illustrations.
These are great recommendations. We have read a lot of them, but I am always surprised by the books I forgot from my own childhood. Thank you!
We are currently reading The Hobbit to our five-year-old daughter. And we are just waiting for her to say it’s too boring. But every night she wants to read more about “the adventures!!!” But I think *I* am ready for something lighter when this is done. So I will definitely be checking out some on this list.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM is a favorite of mine, though my 5 year old was struggling to keep track of what was going on. So maybe I should try again in a year or so.
I teach kindergarten and my kids are loving the Magic Tree House books. They really get into the adventures that Jack and Annie go on.
Thank you for this! I am starting chapter books with my 3.5 year old and my biggest concern is introducing concepts that, at her age, are too scary or behaviors that I don’t want her to emulate (insecurity, rudeness, violence, defiance, etc). My Father’s Dragon, for example, started the first chapter with the child defying the father and the father beating him as a result(!). We loved the Violet Mackerel series and are on Charlotte’s Web now (also borderline for her age I think but we’re feeling it out).
A favorite when my kids were around 10 was a book by Avi: the true adventures of Charlotte Doyle. Such a fun, good book
My 4-year old son LOVES the Henry Huggins stories by Beverly Cleary too. I think he identifies with Henry’s adventures!
Have you ever read Bruce Coville? My children LOVED his books, we started with “The Worst Fairy Godmother Ever” and when my daughter started reading herself she loved “Into the World of Unicorns” My son really liked his “My Teacher is an Alien” and “I Left My Sneakers in Dimension X”…great for readers but Mr. Coville’s books really come alive when you read them aloud…so very funny!
The Lighthouse Family by Cynthia Rylant is perfect for young listeners. It’s about an animal family that adopts each other and lives in a lighthouse. Each story in the series tells how they encounter new friends near the lighthouse.
My kids also love Gooseberry Park, also by Cynthia Rylant. She writes such vivid characters. Who knew a hermit crab could be so wise?
The Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems is precious. It tells how two animals become friends and become brave in very different ways.
My daughter and I have also loved Esther Averill’s book Jenny and the Cat Club. https://g.co/kgs/iVs6pw
This is a great list! Thanks! My little boy, who’s 5 loves The Wizard of Oz. We are currently reading it for the second time.
Everyone is talking about so many great books! I am ready to head to the library. Another one is Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson, for animal lovers.
I’m a book lover, retired teacher, mother, grandmother, avid reader. I have to confess that it makes me sad when parents read aloud their favorite books…from 12 years old…to their preschoolers. I assume they just can’t wait to welcome their kids into a favorite literary world, but I wonder if it isnt for our
own enjoyment when we do this. It makes me sad that our children miss the joy of having parents read aloud from much loved books written for young children. There are so many! As adults we have to remember that just as the pace of Mr Rodgers and Sesame Street are created for young children, so are the best books that are written for them. I know. I know. Believe me. It is hard to wait! But since we aren’t in it for the bragging rights, but for the wonder of walking hand in hand into the world of books with our children, to ignite in them the joy reading, we can explore with them the exciting cache of books written for them. After all, if we dont read Now We Are Six to a five or six year old, when do we read it? Just my 2 cents. Happy reading!
I loved the Nate the Great series as a kid and I’ve been reading them to my 5-yr-old son. He loves them too!
I am a 2nd grade teacher, and my class (as well as my 5 year old) love the Dragon Masters Series as well as the Last Firehawk series!
Great book suggestions! We also have LOVED “The Princess in Black” series and my kids giggle like crazy with the Paddington series. Have you tried either of those with your girls?
Yes! We are big Princess in Black fans. We’ve only read a little bit of Paddington, but maybe we’ll give them another go!
I loved The Wild Robot, The Wild Robot Escapes, and the entire Dimwood Forest series by Avi. Start with Ragweed and then move to Poppy (that is the way they happen chronologically although Poppy was written first). My students always loved those- but you have to promise to do the voices!!
I, too, loved the Ramona series. I loved reading them aloud to my kids (both girls and boys). Classic books about growing up.
My boys are 4 and 5. We have been going through the magic treehouse book series! They love them and we can generally finish a book in 3-4 nights because they are short and engaging. They love the drawings in each chapter. There are people on youtube that read them as well as a nice intro to audiobooks.
Thank you so much for this list! I’ve started going through it and reading with my 4 yr old daughter. We’ve read about 6 of the recommended books , plus the series of it was part of one. She’s already asking me to re-read a couple of them!
I love Frog and Toad! They are such great friends even though they are so different.
Thank you so much for the list. My daughter is only 4 months old but I’ve been reading for her since before she was born. When I’m in the car I pop on an Audiobook and she loves listening to it she starts kicking and moving excitedly especially when I put on My Father’s Dragon. It has helped me get through errands a few times already, since she just hates her car seat.
Lovely list. I would add Understood Betsy, by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. A big favorite with both my kids when they were young.
Thank you for sharing your list of literary delights for young listeners. You and each of the commenters: a neighborhood of likemindeds.
A note about saving some books for ‘later’—
Once upon a time in 1986 I phoned Baltimore’s best children’s bookshop to ask for a copy of Mrs. Pigglewiggle to read to my 5-yr-old. The wise owner Joanne F. declined to sell me this paperback. She had not met me but on the phone she urged “Please—don’t spoil the happy fun that your child will experience if you WAIT and let him read it to himself at age 7.”
True also for the merriment in the Wayside School series—which brought joy and hysterics to my child as a 7-yr-old reader [per those Paul Simon lyrics “I fall on the floor and I laughing”].
Since you mentioned Frindle, I thought you would be excited to hear that there is a new Frindle book being published posthumously:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/543980/the-frindle-files-by-andrew-clements/