31 of the Best Level 1 Books for Early Readers

by Melissa Taylor

Photography by Seana Williamson

Growing readers want to read the best level 1 books — books with great stories and information that will keep them excited about reading. That’s why we’ve put together a master list of level 1 reading books for children. Here you’ll find excellent, engaging early reader books for your beginning readers.

These level 1 reading books feature short sentences, big type, and supportive picture clues. Often, you’ll see repetition in sentence structure as well as rhyme, both of which help the reader predict and decode new words.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2022.