Choosing the Right Books: Pre-Kindergarten Through 3rd grade
- Julie Feyereisen
- Dec 6, 2023
- 5 min read
Choosing the Right Books
Have you ever heard “The book was better than the movie.”? This is because the world's your child can create in their mind will always be far better than anything they will see on a screen. Nurture this love for reading and you will spark their imagination as well as the creative side of their lives.
Just as important as learning to read is the importance of choosing the right books. In the previous two blogs on the subject of books to choose, we talked about rhyming (100 of the Best Rhyming Books) & alliteration (An Awesome Arrangement of Alliteration Books). In this blog we will go into much greater detail to help you and your child choose the books which are best for them to read.
Remember, even when your child begins to read on their own, you should still read to them. It will continue to provide more bonding time for you and your child. Or, have them listen to audio books. This will benefit them in multiple ways:
It gives them the chance to hear more and more books which may be above their reading level.
It also gives them opportunities to hear more complex vocabulary that they might not encounter by reading books at their reading level.
It allows them to hear different types of readers for additional examples of voice intonation, and expression.
Most of all, it allows them to use their imagination! And this is where their love for reading will grow.
Choosing Beginner Books
If you have a student who is struggling to read, start by choosing books that are right for them. How do you know which are right for them? Here is an idea, start them at a grade below where they are. The books listed go from easy to more difficult. If some books are too easy, move on to books which will challenge and stretch your child’s reading ability. You and your child will know when a book is too easy.
BOB Books
BOB books are great beginner books for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade. They come in sets and go from simple to more complex skills. These skills build on each other. You may want to start at Set 1 depending on their reading level. If they move through the book quickly, go to the next one. The BOB website also has lots of workbooks and activities to go along with the books. They have pre-reader books.The illustrations are very basic and the story lines are simple.
I See Sam Phonics Books
I really like the “I See Sam Phonics Books", or as I like to call them Alan Books because of the author Alan Hofmeister. The idea of these books is to build on what your child already knows. The books get harder and harder as your child progresses through each set. I also like these books because the words and sounds are pre-taught. They go over the sounds and words your child will encounter in that particular story.
It is fine for your child to read a book over and over. This is actually a wonderful thing for them to do.
Sight Word Books
I would actually call these high frequency word books. Remember that a sight word is any word that your child recognizes by sight - automatically. So any book could be a sight word book. But for the purposes of finding these books, they go by the title - Sight Word Books. These books take all of the high frequency words and put them into stories for your child to read. The benefit of reading these books is your child can see the high frequency words over and over. It is a wonderful concept. My children liked these books because many times they had photographs and fun stories. You can check these out at the library or buy them online. Use the list of high frequency words your child may be learning and go find some books to help them recognize the words automatically.
You will find a lot of books made just for your beginning reader and beyond. These books are called many different things like Easy Reader books, Early Readers, Ready-to-Read books, or just Beginning Reader books. Whatever the title, you will find easy stories for your child to read on their own. Usually, the illustrations are fun and inviting!
Choosing Books by Grade Level
On the lists below, you will find more books for each grade level. You will see many BOB Books, I See Sam Phonics Books, and Sight Word Books. The reason you will see these books again is that as mentioned before, each set of books contains more complex skills that your child will know at that particular grade level.
Here are a few tips:
You may choose to read the story to your child first and then have them read it to you, then have them read it again on their own. The repetition helps build fluency.
Remember you can always uplift words even with these beginning readers. It will be wonderful for your child to gain more and more confidence as a reader!
Some of these books may be easier for your child to read than others. Keep reading until they find a level that challenges them without it being a negative experience.
Pre-Kindergarten Books
Book | Author | Link |
BOB Books - Pre-Reading Collection | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/fVH27wU |
BOB Books - Alphabet Collection | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/9Sif8ks |
BOB Books - Beginning Reader Set 1 | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/hYBzWcW |
BOB Books - More Beginning Readers | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/cDM2xNi |
BOB Books - First Stories | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/a5j2wke |
BOB Books - Rhyming Words | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/f72EWTZ |
I See Sam Phonics Books: Set 1 | Alan Hofmeister | https://a.co/d/cKa4zro |
Sight Word Readers | Scholastic | https://a.co/d/3P1Qewj |
Sight Word Stories - Level A | Liza Charlesworth | https://a.co/d/8QlyUau |
The Eye Book | Theo LeSieg | https://a.co/d/ghp65EN |
Kindergarten Books
Book | Author | Link |
BOB Books - Advancing Beginners | Lynn Salen Kertell | https://a.co/d/cR4wJFv |
BOB Books - Sight Words Kindergarten | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/eGy5rUW |
BOB Books - Animal Stories | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/fDDeD6v |
I See Sam Phonics Books: Set 2 | Alan Hofmeister | https://a.co/d/7lfP902 |
I See Sam Phonics Books: Set 3 | Alan Hofmeister | https://a.co/d/hHtCjBe |
Sight Word Stories - Level B | Liza Charlesworth | https://a.co/d/8et6iVw |
Sight Word Stories - Level C | Liza Charlesworth | https://a.co/d/fvs0zOT |
Princess Truly Series | Kelly Greenawalt | https://a.co/d/4KNY8ga |
Henry and Mudge Series | Cynthia Rylant | https://a.co/d/b5oUGvJ |
I Spy Fly Guy Series | Tedd Arnold | https://a.co/d/5tT3mDm |
The Foot Book | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/7dfIRnR |
The Ear Book | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/aSmPEbw |
Great Day for Up | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/cKFv6jV |
Bears in the Night | Stan Berenstain | https://a.co/d/dzbTjhc |
Inside Outside Upside Down | Stan Berenstain | https://a.co/d/h6Sps94 |
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb | Al Perkins | https://a.co/d/4RFxpI1 |
Go Dog Go | P.D. Eastman | https://a.co/d/3BtRY32 |
Old Hat New Hat | Stan Berenstain | https://a.co/d/0zZ7w18 |
Hop on Pop | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/7cDLNRS |
The Shape of Me and Other Stuff | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/aRxxM7b |
1st Grade Books
We purposely created lists of books in series. This is designed so your child can get hooked on characters they like and continue to read all the books in that series.
Book | Author | Link |
BOB Books - Sight Words 1st Grade | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/7TtwI7F |
BOB Books - Word Families | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/ccqgBnQ |
BOB Books - Complex Words | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/bGKs9Yu |
BOB Books - Long Vowels | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/75yV7CV |
BOB Books - Buddy to the Rescue | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/5yqF3ZX |
BOB Books - Cupcake Surprise | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/iNKN343 |
BOB Books - I can Ride | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/3yTisb2 |
BOB Books - My School Trip | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/5LFj1bd |
BOB Books - Outdoor Adventures | Lynn Maslen Kertell | https://a.co/d/dr1emUa |
I See Sam Phonics Books: Set 4 | Alan Hofmeister | https://a.co/d/dPc3obi |
I See Sam Phonics Books: Set 5 | Alan Hofmeister | https://a.co/d/4HZ8k0M |
Sight Word Stories - Level D | Liza Charlesworth | https://a.co/d/2zSUA9E |
Rainbow Fairies Books | Daisy Meadows | https://a.co/d/3vkDFnW |
Dory Fantasmagory | Abby Hanlon | https://a.co/d/hiN9XPq |
Marvin & James Series | Elise Broach | https://a.co/d/g6jJkFe |
Nate the Great Series | Marjorie Sharmat | https://a.co/d/1JKzxZ9 |
Unicorn and Yeti Series | Heather Burnell | https://a.co/d/fw1VyaO |
If You Had Animal... Series | Sandra Markle | https://a.co/d/ecZGJLI |
Owl Diaries Books | Rebecca Elliot | https://a.co/d/2SpgjiN |
Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/gPDi5FP |
The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree | Stan Berenstain | https://a.co/d/5EvwmHP |
Snug House, Bug House | Susan Schade | https://a.co/d/2LITssG |
Fred and Ted Go Camping | Peter Eastman | https://a.co/d/0DE2RPD |
Fred and Ted Like to Fly | Peter Eastman | https://a.co/d/0DE2RPD |
Wacky Wednesday | Theo LeSeig | https://a.co/d/cL5wn6Z |
Put Me in The Zoo | Robert Lopshire | https://a.co/d/0tbsIzy |
The Nose Book | Al Perkins | https://a.co/d/9RgDehU |
Green Eggs and Ham | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/idc0klF |
Hooper Humperdink? Not Him | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/bKpLzhQ |
Are You My Mother? | P.D. Eastman | https://a.co/d/aDQYHHc |
The Bike Lesson | Stan Berenstain | https://a.co/d/2bwKU8v |
A Fish Out of Water | P.D. Eastman | https://a.co/d/9EzwY8y |
2nd Grade Books
Book | Author | Link |
I See Sam Phonics Books: Set 6 | Alan Hofmeister | https://a.co/d/5pn2xRZ |
I See Sam Phonics Books: Set 7 | Alan Hofmeister | https://a.co/d/fUR8BNs |
I See Sam Phonics Books: Set 8 | Alan Hofmeister | https://a.co/d/ejNA6Ki |
A to Z Mysteries | Ron Roy | https://a.co/d/e5eSMpu |
The Paddington Bear Collection | Michael Bond | https://a.co/d/3xTedUy |
Calendar Mysteries | Ron Roy | https://a.co/d/0klhoPw |
Ivy & Bean Series | Annie Barrows | https://a.co/d/0CZFRtv |
J.D. and the Great Barber Battle | J. Dillard | https://a.co/d/aUxYf9O |
Magic Tree House Series | Mary Pope Osborne | https://a.co/d/0xRE2Hl |
The Rescue Princesses | Paula Harrison | https://a.co/d/hK5q2k9 |
Jada Jones Series | Kelly Starling Lyons | https://a.co/d/3Vygtrv |
Shelter Pet Squad Series | Cynthia Lord | https://a.co/d/cscAsw7 |
Stella Diaz Series | Angela Dominguea | https://a.co/d/hoWsE2R |
The Adventures of Sophie Mouse | Poppy Green | https://a.co/d/7btyFpL |
The Mysteries of Maisie Hitchins Books | Holly Webb | https://a.co/d/hbtVW3A |
The Tuttle Twins Series | Connor Boyack | https://a.co/d/bVkxcJX |
Ranger in Time Series | Kate Messner | https://a.co/d/6zRk1E9 |
Geronimo Stilton Series | Geronimo Stilton | https://a.co/d/ilo5mDz |
Flap Your Wings | P.D. Eastman | https://a.co/d/6sP2Bgj |
I'll Teach My Dog 100 Words | Michael Frith | https://a.co/d/g3ezSE1 |
Mrs. Wow Never Wanted a Cow | Martha Freeman | https://a.co/d/h1UzNWz |
The Bear's Vacation | Stan Berenstain | https://a.co/d/gluVJxu |
Dr. Seuss' ABC Book | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/5xSOxeQ |
Fox in Socks | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/hkDpnzb |
Have You Seen My Dinosaur | Jon Surgal | https://a.co/d/70Ddhdu |
I'm Not Going To Get Up Today | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/30fUPGd |
The Cat in the Hat | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/3RpOoKJ |
The Cat in the Hat Come Back | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/7pWNkUo |
The Tooth Book | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/auV9ohD |
There's a Wocket in My Pocket | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/jaoDFPp |
Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo | Rosetta Stone | https://a.co/d/88DIss5 |
I Can Read With My Eyes Shut | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/74ISmOn |
3rd Grade Books
Book | Author | Link |
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls | Elena Favilli | https://a.co/d/0PgrFMr |
Judy Moody Books | Megan McDonald | https://a.co/d/8T7MkPs |
The Stink Series | Megan McDonald | https://a.co/d/4WboJax |
Agatha Oddly Series | Lena Jones | https://a.co/d/calTa7l |
100 Dresses Series | Susan Schmid | https://a.co/d/cHPNzEX |
Origami Yoda Series | Tom Angleberger | https://a.co/d/e5UW4r8 |
Dr. Seuss' Sleep Book | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/f68Smtl |
Oh The Places You'll Go | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/9yK8QQW |
The Lorax | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/5W9UdxJ |
The Sneetches and Other Stories | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/dRb7890 |
Horton Hears a Who | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/bPJtzPG |
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/4c2nOCr |
How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/g7jbSHv |
Happy Birthday to You! | Dr. Seuss | https://a.co/d/48p54Ox |
5 Finger Rule for chapter books
When your child is ready to read chapter books, here is a simple way for your child to see if a chapter book is right for them. Have your child hold up five fingers as they read the first page of the book. If they come to a word they do not know, have them put down a finger. If they get to the end of the page and all five fingers are down, the book may be too hard for them at this time. If they get to the end and they still have some fingers up, it may be a perfect fit for their reading ability. When reading becomes fun and enjoyable for them, their world changes.
Don’t forget that while we have provided a growing list of books with links to purchase them online, most of these books can also be found at your local library. Every time you go to the library, make it a fun little field trip. You’ll make friends with the librarians, meet other families, and realize there are lots of other activities your family can engage in. Your reading journey has just begun and it’s endless.
Enjoy your journey!!! 🙂
Comments