Pre-K
Growing Reader
The 50 Best Books for
5- and 6-Year-Olds
by Melissa Taylor
There’s so much happening with 5- and 6-year-olds. They’re learning to tie their shoes, practicing cutting out shapes with scissors, some are even ready to ride a bike. There’s a big continuum of development at these ages, and that applies to children’s reading development, too. Some kids are not yet ready to read, while others are reading independently. And that’s as it should be, according to both developmental and literacy experts.
No matter where your child is on this developmental continuum, here you’ll discover the best books to encourage their love of reading. Each book has been carefully selected by our group of experts.
Since we also think that finding books in a series is like discovering buried treasure, we’ve put asterisks next to the titles that are part of a larger series.
So whether your 5- or 6-year-old is building their reading foundation with picture books or reading chapter books on their own, here are our go-to books to entice, entertain, and educate.
Heading out to your local library or bookstore? You can download the full version of the list here.
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Shared Stories: Picture and Poetry Books
Sharing a story with your child is always worth it. Whether they can read independently or not, reading aloud is a special experience. It also helps to build their literacy foundations and keep them engaged with reading.
It’s a good idea to keep picture books in the mix even as your child’s reading skills grow, as they offer kids a greater variety of reading choices and have a strong visual appeal.
This list of picture books contains a variety of genres, kid-appealing topics, captivating illustrations, and diverse characters. Best of all, they’re well written and kids love them.
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Actual Size*
Also available from: -
Duck! Rabbit!
Also available from: Last Stop on Market Street
Also available from: Miss Nelson Is Missing
Also available from: -
The Paper Bag Princess
Also available from: Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes*
Also available from: Piggie Pie!
Also available from: Shark vs. Train
Also available from: -
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Also available from: Where the Sidewalk Ends*
Also available from: You Will Be My Friend!*
Also available from:
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First Books to Read Alone: Beginning Readers
It’s exciting when your child starts to read! Now they’re learning sight words, or words to know at a glance, and the books they’re reading contain these words. At this stage, it’s helpful for them to read books that map to their background knowledge or areas of interest.
Beginning reading books start with a few simple words or phrases per page. As your child grows in their ability, the difficulty increases. The phrases become sentences and eventually paragraphs. Start with the easier beginning books first and adjust as your child progresses.
If you’re curious about the specific reading level of a book, you can check its level here or ask your child’s teacher.
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Ballerina Dreams: From Orphan to Dancer
Also available from: Benny and Penny in Just Pretend*
Also available from: Bink and Gollie*
Also available from: Bathtime for Biscuit*
Also available from: -
Hi! Fly Guy*
Also available from: Fly Guy Presents: Space*
Also available from: Frog and Toad Are Friends*
Also available from: -
George and Martha*
Also available from: Go, Dog. Go!
Also available from: Good Night, Good Knight*
Also available from: Henry and Mudge: The First Book*
Also available from: -
Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!*
Also available from: May I Please Have a Cookie?*
Also available from: Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
Also available from: One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
Also available from: -
Penny and Her Marble*
Also available from:
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Reading Like the Big Kids: Early Chapter Books
Chapter books are the Holy Grail for growing readers. Kids want so badly to be like the big kids. But don’t rush. Joy can easily turn to frustration if your child isn’t ready. When they are ready, we think they’ll devour these books.
We’ve vetted our list to include books with boys, girls, robots, magic, diverse characters, and child-friendly topics. Even better, all of these books are in a series. So if they like one, your child has more to read by the same author.
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Baby Mouse #1: Queen of the World!*
Also available from: Bad Kitty*
Also available from: The Chicken Squad*
Also available from: Clementine*
Also available from: -
Dora Fantasmagory*
Also available from: EllRay Jakes Is Not a Chicken*
Also available from: Gooney Bird Greene*
Also available from: -
Mercy Watson to the Rescue*
Also available from: Nikki & Deja*
Also available from: Princess in Black*
Also available from: Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot*
Also available from: -
Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything*
Also available from: Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid*
Also available from: Violet Mackerel’s Remarkable Recovery*
Also available from:
Learn more about the experts behind this reading list.
Get the printable version of the list.
Explore our 50 Best series to get great recommendations for other ages.