This past year my daughters (ages four and two) have started to love chapter books being read to them. Before bed each night my kids each get to pick out two books to read and inevitably one of the girls always picks a chapter book. Depending on the length of the chapters we read one or two chapters a night and then we put a bookmark in to hold our place.
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Reading chapter books to young children is a great way for them to practice recall. Read a few chapters one day and then the next day ask your child what they remember about the story from the day before.
If you start reading chapter books aloud to your kids and the books aren’t holding their attention yet – that’s okay! It took much longer for my oldest to enjoy chapter books than my toddler. Two is young to love being read chapter books to but my toddler loves them!
When selecting chapter books to read aloud to your child consider the following; Are there enough pictures? Is it funny? How long are the chapters? Are the words easy to understand?
We have tried a number of chapter books that are not on this list because they didn’t meet one or more of the previous qualifications. Here are the chapter books my kids have really enjoyed;
I would 100% recommend starting with this series. My girls LOVE the Mercy Watson books. There are six books in this series. You certainly don’t have to read them in order but I would because different characters are introduced in each book and will reappear in the following books.
Mercy is a pig who lives with a couple and Mercy loves buttered toast. The pig gets into shenanigans and one neighbor, in particular, is not a fan. This is an easy series to give funny accents to each character.
We read My Father’s Dragon early on when starting chapter books. At the time I was surprised how much my daughters liked these books but they are a classic for a reason.
A young boy goes on an adventure to save a captive dragon on an island of wild animals. He has to outsmart many animals to try and set the dragon free.
If your child likes this book there are two sequels; Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland. We read all three!
Boo’s Dinosaur is about a little girl who has a pet dinosaur. Unfortunately, she’s the only one who can see the dinosaur. Her older brother tries to connect with her and tell his little sister about the imaginary friend he had when he was little. But is Boo’s dinosaur imaginary?
This book is very short, simple, and cute. Follow it up with Boo’s Surprise.
There are 19 books in this series! These stories are cute, easy to understand, and have wonderful moral lessons for children. The Adventures of Sophie Mouse books feature young animal children who go to school and play with their friends.
To be honest The Princess in Black books are not my favorite BUT my young children are so excited every time we get one and beg to get all the rest in the series. There are eight books total. We are currently on book six and my girls are insisting on reading each one.
Princess Magnolia is secretly the Princess in Black who fights monsters. I find the books a little lame but it isn’t about me. If my kids like these books we will keep getting them.
We LOVE the Zoey and Sassafras chapter books. Slightly more advanced, they introduce science in very simple ways. Zoey is a girl who can see magical creatures and these creatures come to her for help with their problems (such as a monster growing mold on its fur).
Zoey often does experiments and writes down her notes in her science journal. Sassafras is her cat who comes along on her adventures and her mother helps out as well. Great for introducing STEM, especially to girls.
You don’t have to read this series in order but I would recommend it as some characters reappear in later books. There are nine books in the series.
Although not a chapter book, both of my girls are OBSESSED with the Danny and Darla books. They are a “choose your own adventure” type of book with 8 or 9 different endings. These books are all about the power to choose and making good choices in your daily life. Absolutely fantastic, these books also make great gifts!!
I hope to add even more books to this list over time. I would love your recommendations! What chapter book should we read aloud next?
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