Picture books will always have my heart and I treasure reading them to Lil’ CB and to my students. But there’s also something to be said for beautifully written chapter books that also beg to be read aloud. Plus, chapter books are great for building children’s comprehension as they hold on to the story from day to day and deal with more complex storylines and characters. While you can start reading chapter books to your children as early as you feel is right, I like to begin reading these longer stories to children when they are about 4 and a half or 5. At that point they have the cognitive ability to comprehend more and can understand more mature plots and details. It’s so fun to laugh together and discuss the story!
Here are some of my favorite chapter books to read aloud to early-mid elementary school kids:
1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: an oldie, but a goody! Keep in mind, though, that as with all Roald Dahl chapter books, there are some less-than-stellar adult characters and some mild language!
2. Clementine: I fell in love with Clementine from the very first chapter. That’s the thing about her — she gets into all sorts of trouble, but she is just so loveable. There are a few other titles in this series to check out!
3. Winnie-the-Pooh: your little one might be familiar with the animated Winnie-the-Pooh, but I bet he’ll also love the classic, original stories.
5. Beezus and Ramona: I am sure most of you are familiar with the wild and hilarious and sometimes annoying Ramona. This is the first book in her series, but if you and your LO like it, there are many other books that are a part of Ramona Quimby’s world!
6. The One and Only Ivan: I read this myself this summer and instantly loved this beautiful story. While it is a bit sad and tackles the idea of animal abuse, it really is wonderful. Plus, it’s based on a true story that you and your little one can research together!
7. The Tale of Despereaux: Kate DiCamillo is a genius and an amazing storyteller. I have yet to read a book written by her that I didn’t like. One the best things about her writing is the unlikely characters she comes up with. The star of this story is Despereaux, a mouse with very large ears, who, while meeting many other interesting characters along the way, becomes a hero.
8. Matilda: oh, how I loved this story as a child! It was so fun to read about a strong female character that outsmarts adults. Same Roald Dahl warning as above, though!
9. James and the Giant Peach: yes, another Roald Dahl classic (with the same word of caution). James is so sad at the start of the story, but with the help of some magic and some unlikely friends, James has the greatest adventure of his life.
10. Nate the Great: this one is a little easier to read, but is still fun to read aloud. A great introduction to the mystery genre!
11. Mr. Popper’s Penguins: can you imagine having 12 penguins live with you? Neither can Mr. and Mrs. Popper until they do! You can imagine all the penguin antics that follow!
12. Freckle Juice: what might be a classic story from our childhood, Freckle Juice is also a great lesson in being comfortable in your own skin. Literally.
13. Ivy & Bean: an introduction to this unlikely pair of best friends and their adventures — there are also several others in the series!
14. My Father’s Dragon: a fun, improbable, and silly classic adventure book told in the voice of child retelling his father’s adventures as a boy.
15. The Chocolate Touch: I’m not sure which I’d prefer more: the Midas touch or the Chocolate touch…read more about John Midas’ special touch and his journey to discovering if, perhaps, too much of a good thing is not such a good thing.
16. The Year of Billy Miller: this book was released this year, but it reads almost like a classic, similar to Ramona. A simple story about friendship, family, and life in the second grade.
17. Mercy Watson to the Rescue: Mercy Watson isn’t a regular ol’ farm pig — she’s a part of the Watsons’ family, which could sometimes cause trouble, especially when she snuggles into bed with them!
18. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle: I loved reading about Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and her magic as a child and decades after its first publication, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle continues to be a classic.
19. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane: the one is probably best for children that are about 7-8 or older…it is an unexpectedly beautiful story of little china rabbit and the lessons on life and love he learns along the way.
20. The Mouse and the Motorcycle: another Beverly Cleary classic — read about Ralph’s adventures on his tiny motorcycle!
What are your favorite chapter books?
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
We’re reading Charlotte’s Web right now! But Roald Dahl is really my favorite.
pear / 1696 posts
Bookmarking this for later when LO is a bit older!
pear / 1614 posts
Thanks for posting this! Love all the Roald Dahl. We read a lot of those when I was little. Magic School Bus has chapter books with a few pictures in them, we read one of these with my 3 year old for his first chapter book. He is obsessed with insects and they of course have lots of other great science topics to tackle.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
Great! I can’t wait to start these with my daughter. She likes to read to the end of stories right now (at 3) and doesn’t understand chapters so we’ll definitely wait another year to start. She is just starting to really enjoy stories, though and we have started laughing together at parts in her current books. Reading with kids is so fulfilling on both sides!
blogger / nectarine / 2043 posts
I can’t wait for chapter books!
cherry / 175 posts
I have a 3 and 5 year old. I know my oldest is ready for chapter books at bedtime but feel like then my 3 year old gets cheated out of some of the classics for younger kids! Now that I’m a stay at home mom I need to force myself to spend more time reading some of the simpler books with just her during the day! Maybe I can create some special time for just my oldest for the chapter books. (They sleep together and we do the nighttime routine with them together)
I will say Roald Dahl does need a warning! You forget what’s in these books that you read many times as a child until you start reading them through a Mother’s eyes. I started reading my son James and the Giant Peach because some friends had passed it down to us – WOW the beginning is REALLY HARSH!!
In that set of books we also received a ton of Magic Tree House books – He LOVES loves loves those.. and they are short enough we can read one in a week of bedtimes.
nectarine / 2210 posts
I definitely remember my parents reading both Ramona and Mrs Piggle-Wiggle too me. While my parents never read Roald Dahl I had several teachers that did. Other ones I have found memories of my parents reading are the all-of-a-kind family and Caddie Woodlawn.
blogger / nectarine / 2687 posts
@babycrz: i know, right?!! James and the Giant Peach was my favorite as a kid but I hesitate to read it to Lil’ CB since he was adopted and that beginning part could be extra traumatic to read! Right now we’re reading Matilda and I have to censor a lot of language…so many stupids, morons, idiots, etc…I just change everything to “silly” — ha!
grape / 85 posts
We just started the “Little House” books and I am appreciating the illustrations anew, since they really help my 4-year-old get into visualizing the story!
coffee bean / 46 posts
The best chapter book is ‘The Phantom Tollbooth’. It a weird book in that many people don’t know about it, but the people that do just love it!
blogger / nectarine / 2687 posts
@Mmsva: I read that book in fourth grade — I enjoyed it but think it’s a little more advanced than these titles and would probably hold off until kiddos can understand the complex story!
blogger / nectarine / 2687 posts
@theRoo: another great series!!
cherry / 175 posts
Duh! Sometimes my brain just doesn’t work! (I am blonde!) Personally I am not a ‘skim’ reader – I HAVE to read EVERY SINGLE word. Subbing out silly for the words we aren’t allowed to say (stupid, idiot etc) is brilliant! I’ll have to remember that!
My FAVORITE childhood book is The Trolley Car Family. It’s out of print now but I bought it on half.com YEARS ago (way before kids!). I remember checking that out of the library SO MANY TIMES. Can’t wait to unpack it and read it to my son. (We just moved across the country – so much is still in boxes!)