Why 199 books? Why so many? If you're anything like me, you go through these beginner books quick. You need more than 10 books on a list – or on your bookshelf – when you're reading with an early reader. Haven't you ever gone through all ten books you got from the library thinking, “that's it?” Just knowing you got to turn around and go right back to the library for 10 or 20 more this time.
And it's variety. Kids love variety. Heck, I'm grown and still love variety. And that's where 199 books came from. From going through my own early reader books so quick, knowing I'm just gonna need more in no time. Plus, it beats reading the same book over and over – and over and over – again due to lack of variety.
So when you're teaching your kiddo how to read, you need a good list of books by some faved authors you can depend on. That's where these collections of author books came from – my need to gather some books on a list (this list) to help teach Scout how to read, or at least read the books with him that are for early readers. You'll find easy kindergarten books here from a few different author collections that serve the kindergarten reading level that we absolutely adore!
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Reading books with your child or listening to a reading lesson from your child is so beneficial for so many reasons! It introduces kids to new words, helps them with phonemic awareness, they get to see sentence structure of how the words are put together, and they can practice their phonics skills by reading an early reader with you! Young children start with a guided reading level so they can be introduced to all these wonderful things, and as they progress you can determine a developmental reading assessment as you listen to them reading all kinds of texts.
As you teach a child to read, there are a few things you can do. For instance, you can do a picture walk so as you read chapter books, your emerging reader will see what the words are compared to the picture. You can point out simple sentences and help them understand what they are, along with helping them with unknown words to broaden their vocabulary.
Pre-reading skills are just as important when you start your beginner readers off with reading! Just talking to them about their favorite book will get them excited about learning how to read. Knowing the ABC's and how to follow lines of text will also help with their literacy skills for reading simple words. All these points will help make your children strong readers through their primary grades.
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Quick Questions About Kindergarten Reading
Before we jump into the lists of books for kindergarten readers, I want to take a quick moment to answer some questions about reading for kindergarteners I've been asked a few times.
Q: What should a 5 year old read?
A: A lot of different things! But for the purposes of this post, easy kindergarten books are a great place to start. This list has a ton of them. Just simple books with beautiful colors and that are fun!
Q: What is an easy reader book?
A: An easy reader book is a book specifically written with beginning readers in mind. The text is usually simple and easy to read, and the illustrations often support the text or tell the story themselves.
Q: What should a kindergartener be able to read?
A: Kindergartners should be able to kindergarten reading books with easy words. But they may not be able to read every word yet. And that's okay! Just have them sound out the words they don't know and try their best. Keep in mind that kids learn to read at their own pace and in their own time, so this is just a general answer to a very vague question! If your child's not reading yet, not fuss. Just continue to read great books to them and they'll get there.
Q: How many sight words should a kindergartener know?
A: Research has shown that kindergarteners who can recognize a larger number of sight words have an easier time learning to read. While there is no hard and fast rule for how many sight words a child should know, most experts agree that between 200 and 300 is a good goal. Of course, some children will learn more quickly than others, so don't be discouraged if your child isn't hitting that target right away. The important thing is to keep working on those sight words until they're second nature. Start with them knowing a sight word or two and then build on that!
Q: What age should a child read fluently?
A: The age at which a child learns to read fluently is a hotly debated topic. Some experts claim that kids should be reading by the time they start school, while others argue that there is no rush and that children will develop reading skills at their own pace. So, what age should a child read fluently? Ultimately, it depends on the individual child. Little learners will learn to read at their own pace. Some kids may be ready to start reading early, while others may need a bit more time. However, most experts agree that there is no need to push kids to read before they are ready. So, if your child isn't reading by five or six, don't worry – they will probably catch up soon enough. In the meantime, just enjoy watching them explore the wonderful world of books.
FUN FACT: The average age when children learn how to read fluently is 8 years old according to research at NIH.
On to the fun book lists!
A Mix of 44 Easy Reader Books for Kindergarten
To save you the time researching and wading through titles, I've gathered together a list of 44 kindergarten reading books by some of our favorite authors. This selection contains books on the kindergarten reading level that are easy to read and have bright, colorful illustrations.
Some easy favorites, easy picture books, and easy readers are all included in this mix of easy kindergarten books for early readers. You'll find the remaining books of the 199 below this list within author collections!
- The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
- One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
- The Wheels on the Bus by Paul O'Neill
- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
- The Gingerbread Man by James Marshall
- The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
- Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
- Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
- The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
- Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
- Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell
- Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
- Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
- Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
- Corduroy by Don Freeman
- The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey
- Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
- Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
- May I Please Have A Cookie? by Jennifer E. Morris
- Silly Milly by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
- Big Shark, Little Shark by Anna Membrino
- Don't Worry, Bee Happy by Ross Burach
- See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog by David LaRochelle
- Bob Books Set 1: Beginning Readers by Bobby Lynn Maslen
- The Long Dog by Eric Seltzer
- Frank and Bean: Food Truck Fiasco by Jamie Michalak
- Do You Like My Bike? by Norm Feuti
- I Can Build It! by Kelly Greenawalt
- Hi, Jack! by Mac Barnett
- I Lost My Tooth! by Mo Willems
- Surf's Up! by Luke Flowers
- Sparkly New Friends by Heather Ayris Burnell
- Snowy Day! by Candice F. Ransom
- The Great Bunk Bed Battle by Tina Kugler
- A Magic Spark by Jessica Young
- Fish and sun by Sergio Ruzzier
- The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
- Ten apples up on top by Dr. Seuss
- At The Beack by Alexa Andrews
- It's Not Easy Being A Bunny by Marilyn Sadler
- I Will Race You Through This Book! by Jonathan Frenske
Ezra Jack Keats Books
These easy reader books for kindergarten by Ezra Jack Keats that I found and liked!
- The Snowy Day
- Whistle for Willie
- Pet Show!
- A Letter to Amy
- Goggles!
- The Trip
- Hi, Cat!
- Jennie's Hat
- Glorious Angels
- My Dog Is Lost!
- Skeletons
- Louise, the Zero Queen
- Hi, Red Fox
- One Day in May
- Drummer Boy of John John
- The King's Chessboard
- A Riddle for Puppies
- Sea Express
- My Dog Is Dirty
- Snowballs
- Six Little Ducks
- Flowers of Mezza Luna
- Kittens in the Park
- Blue Skies, Red Roses
- My Dog Is Fat
- The Big Max
- One Ballerina Two
- A Little Monkey Business
- How the First Letter Was Written
- Louie's Search
- Skates!
- Otis
- My Dog Rufus
- John Coltrane's Giant Steps
- The Red Bee
- A Journey with Papa
- Dancing the Charleston
- My Dog Is Lost!
- Six Little Ducks
- One Ballerina Two
- Flowers of Mezza Luna
- Kittens in the Park
Harold and the Purple Crayon Books
Ever heard of Harold and the Purple Crayon? Did you know there were a whole bunch more Harold books where that first one came from? I didn't either! Here are 50 more of those kinds of easy reader books for kindergarten!
- Harold and the Purple Crayon
- Harold's Fairy Tale
- Harold's Trip to the Sky
- The Birthday Surprise
- Camping Out
- Harold's Circus
- A Picture for Harold's Room
- Harold at the North Pole
- City Dog, Country Frog
- Dogs in the Dead of Night
- Dragon's Easter
- Dinosaur Hunters
- The Purple Crayon Underwater Adventure
- Harold Draws a Knight
- The Giant Crayon Mystery
- How to Make an Egg Stand Up
- Thanksgiving Surprise
- The Missing Mystery
- When Dinosaurs Sing at Christmas
- New Year's Mystery
- Valentine's Day Mystery
- St. Patrick's Day Mystery
- April Fool's Day Mystery
- Earth Day Mystery
- Mother's Day Surprise
- Memorial Day Parade
- Father's Day Adventure
- Fourth of July Fireworks
- Labor Day Weekend
- Columbus Day
- Halloween Mystery
- Election Day
- The Purple Crayon Thanksgiving
- The Nutcracker
- Christmas Tree Adventure
- New Year's Countdown
- Harold's Chinese New Year
- Washington's Birthday
- Patrick's Day Parade
- Easter Egg Hunt
- Cinco de Mayo
- Mother's Day Brunch
- Memorial Day Barbecue
- Father's Day Fishing Trip
- Fourth of July Camping
- Labor Day Road Trip
- Columbus Day Exploration
- Halloween Party
- Election Day Campaigning
- Thanksgiving Feast
Mo Willems Books
Who doesn't like Mo Willems? One of his books is even on the first list up above in the 44 books. Here are a few more worth mentioning:
- Elephant & Piggie by Mo Willems
- The Pigeon by Mo Willems
- Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
- Cat the Cat by Mo Willems
- We Are in a Book by Mo Willems
- Time to Pee by Mo Willems
- Nanette's Baguette by Mo Willems
- Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
- The Cookie Fiasco by Mo Willems
- My New Friend Is So Fun by Mo Willems
Eric Carle Books
I love this dude. All his books are awesome and we have quite the reading collection at home of these kindergarten reading books. If you have a young reader at home, chances are you've read an Eric Carle book. Some of his books are thick, but then you'll find a little book to read as well through his collection. But I love them all!
Just in case you aren't aware, Eric Carle didn't just stop at The Very Hungry Caterpillar. His books really help kids with reading comprehension because this great resource gets kids so excited about what they just read! On top of that, you can find tons of reading materials to accompany several of these books!
When Scout and I started reading together, the perfect book to begin was always an Eric Carle book. And you know how kids love to read and re-read or watch and re-watch their fave books and movies, so we really did get our money's worth with all our Eric Carle books!
I love how they have imaginary friends, beautiful book covers, and holds a child's interests so well throughout all his children's books. Here are my faves (and Scout's faves) so far:
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- The Grouchy Ladybug
- The Very Busy Spider
- The Very Lonely Firefly
- The Table Setter
- The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse
- Mister Seahorse
- The Very Quiet Cricket
- The Mixed-Up Chameleon
- The Very Clumsy Click Beetle
- The Hat
- 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Easter Egg Hunt
- Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?
- Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
- Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You See?
- Build Your Nest
- The Very Lonely Firefly Light Up the Sky
- Draw Me a Star
- My World
- A House for Hermit Crab
- From Head to Toe
- The Very Busy Spider's Web Site
- The Napping House
- The Tiny Seed
- The Very Brave Worm
- The Grouchy Ladybug's Life Cycle
- The Napping House Wakes Up
- Rooster's Off to See the World
Cynthia Rylant Books
These easy reader books for kindergarten are good books, similar to the Stepping Into Readers books you might have seen before. I highly recommend these for your little one to read on his grade level:
- Henry and Mudge
- Mr. Putter and Tabby
- The Relatives Came
- When I Was Young in the Mountains
- Blueberry Shoes
- All I See
- All I Need
- Waiting to Waltz
- A Fine White Dust
- The Relatives Came
Use Dr. Seuss For kindergarten reading books
All the great readers started off on Dr. Seuss. Even the most earliest readers are aware of his and quippy word chunks delivered throughout his books! His books are quite perfect as easy reader books for kindergarten with simple text, short sentences, of course beloved characters like The Cat In The Hat and The Lorax. Each of those is a great book, by the way!
And Dr. Seuss has so many more books than this kindergarten book list below, I know. These are just some of the children's books our little readers will love that I put down here, and perhaps they'll start a love of reading from these Dr. Seuss books.
I didn't want to unintentionally inflate the number of books in this blog post by listing ALL his books. That number would jump from 199 to 599 quickly! (Exaggerating, but you know what I mean.)
I would recommend reading these books (and others as well) in silly voices. A child’s imagination is immeasurable and a picture book is a great way to start an emergent reader, with nursery rhyme and fairy tales and a funny story – all of which are in Dr. S's books!
Here is a list of the best books by him that include so much fun not just for kindergarten students but also for all the family members to enjoy together!
- The Cat in the Hat
- One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
- Green Eggs and Ham
- Hop on Pop
- Fox in Socks
- The Foot Book
- Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?
- I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!
- Oh, the Places You'll Go!
- The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
199 Easy Kindergarten Books For Early Readers That We Adore!
So, if you are looking for great books to read with your kindergartener that will help them develop early reading skills, you got these kindergarten reading books right here now! We adore this list of fun books for kindergarten readers and we think your little one will love them too. Happy reading!
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