There's nothing more satisfying that the rapt attention of a first grader listening to a great book! When you want some good first grade read alouds that spark imagination and , head to the library to check out the books on this list!
Parents and teachers in search of the perfect book to read aloud to their first graders at home or in the classroom can choose among the following chapter books and novels to instill a love of books in children.
Tips for Reading Aloud to 1st Graders:
- Reading aloud is essential for literacy development, and when choosing a read aloud book, look for titles that are slightly above your 1st grader's (generally 6 - 7 year olds) reading level. Research shows not only that kids' listening comprehension skills are higher than their reading level, but that improving listening comprehension, improves reading skills.
- First graders love read aloud books with rich vocabulary that are funny stories about friendship, animals and family, with plenty of surprises. Illustrations can also add to the joys of listening to a great book.
- Choosing a chapter book that is part of the series may also encourage independent readers to head to the shelves to finish reading the rest of the series on their own.
Note: this list contains Amazon and Bookshop affiliate links. Purchases made through these links may earn a commission for this blog. Bookshop also supports independent bookstores.
For picture book first grade read aloud books use this list: 30 days of diverse books for kindergarten and first grade.
Short(ish) Chapter Books
The first grade read aloud books on this portion of the list have short chapters, modern syntax, relatable characters, and plenty of humor. While reading aloud, have conversations about what young listeners are noticing in plot development, characters and scene settings.
My Father's Dragon (series) by Ruth Stiles Gannett
My Father's Dragon is my top recommendation for a first chapter book read aloud. Its short, engaging chapters, plentiful illustrations and unique characters will hook young listeners from the first page. Inevitably, when kids start reading chapter books on their own, they will want to revisit Elmer's adventures with the baby dragon again and again.
MORE: Kids who have trouble sitting still will benefit from being allowed to engage in one of these quiet time read aloud activities, while listening to a book.
McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm: Three Tall Tales (series) by Sid Fleischman
These three humorous tales can be read as stand alone stories, so they are perfect for 1st graders who may not have the attention span for longer novels, or those kids who can't stand pausing at the end of a chapter with a cliff-hanger! The hilarious stories full of wit and wisdom, feature McBroom and his eleven (!) children, bamboozling, tricksters.
MORE: Charming 2nd Grade Read Alouds
Emil's Clever Pig (series) by Astrid Lindgren
Find it: Amazon
Here's a rascal your kids will love. The author of Pippi Longstocking also wrote several books about Emil, a young boy who lives on a farm with his parents, a baby sister, a farm hand and a housemaid. Much to the delight of my then-6-year-old, who loves books about well-meaning troublemakers, Emil's grand sense of adventure and his natural goodwill gets him into all sorts of scrapes, but it is impossible to think badly of a boy who wants to help others so much.
Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Brian Floca
Princess Cora is bored! As heir to the throne she is supposed to follow all sorts of tedious rules and regimens, but what she really wants to do is get dirty and have wild adventures. She writes a letter to her fairy godmother and the result is the appearance of a questionably behaved crocodile! Loads of great illustrations, humor, and only 80 pages make this a great short read aloud!
Catwings (series) by Ursula K. Le Guin, illustrated by S. D. Schindler
Le Guin's classic fantasy adventure about winged cats is a short novel about 50 pages long. Four flying cats leave the city for the country, where they must overcome danger. Not to worry, all ends happily. Catwings novels make exceptional read alouds, especially for early elementary-aged children.
Dory Fantasmagory (series) by Abby Hanlon
Do you want your first graders to laugh themselves silly? Then this is the read aloud for you. Dory is a highly imaginative 6-year-old. Her older brother and sister invent a "Mrs. Gobble Gracker" in order to scare Dory into "not behaving like a baby," but Dory grabs onto the idea and her imagination manifests Mrs. Gobble Gracker in all sorts of scenarios. The way Dory's imaginary world and real world overlap is hilarious.
Juana & Lucas (series) by Juana Medina
Juana is a charming and plucky girl who narrates her experience living in Bogotá, Colombia. She has to learn English at school and she doesn't like it! But then her grandparents tell her they are going on a trip where English will come in handy and Juana discovers that learning English gets easier the more you practice. I love the mingling of Spanish and English in this book and Juana's way of expressing herself is wonderfully dramatic and charming.
MORE: Read Aloud Books for 7 Year Olds
Hockey Night in Kenya by Danson Mutinda and Eric Walters, illustrated by Claudia Dávila
Set in modern day Africa, this book about boys dreaming of playing ice hockey is an inspiring read. Two boys, Kitoo and Nigosi, learn about Canadian ice hockey from a book they check out from the library. They are determined to play this intriguing sport, despite the lack of snow and ice in their home country. It's a wonderful, positive story about friendship, problem solving, and perseverance.
Indian Shoes by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Indian Shoes is a collection of six funny stories about a contemporary Seminole-Cherokee boy and his grandfather. The title refers to one of the stories in which Ray trades his sneakers for a pair of moccasins to give to his grandfather. Other stories include coping with a blackout on Christmas, a disastrous haircut and night fishing.
George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl
Here's another book that my son's first grade teachers read aloud. This is Dahl's quirky tale about a boy who mixes a concoction to turn his horridly grumpy grandma into a sweet old lady. The mixture, however, makes her grow enormously tall. Unable to recall the exact ingredients, George and his father try to recreate the medicine with decidedly hilarious and Dahl-esque results.
Bobby the Brave (Sometimes) (series) by Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat
Bobby Ellis-Chan struggles with the fact that he is not interested in football even though his dad is a retired professional. "The Freezer," as his dad is known, is now a stay-at-home dad and while the siblings have their usual back-and-forths, it is a functional, loving family. Bobby's family is bi-racial and his friends come from diverse backgrounds.
Aven Green, Sleuthing Machine (series) by Dusti Bowling
I adored Bowling's middle grade novel, Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, and its heroine, Aven Green, is now the star of her very own early chapter book series! Green is a third-grader born without arms, and has a penchant for solving mysteries. A funny series with a unique and tremendously likable protagonists.
Mercy Watson to the Rescue (series) by Kate DiCamillo
Everyone loves Mercy Watson! DiCamillo's quirky and amiable pig loves buttered toast and creates all kinds of chaos in the neighborhood. It's hard not to laugh at these stories, no matter your age. This short chapter book doesn't take long to read, and has full color illustrations.
Longer Novels
The following novels make great read aloud choices for parents of first graders who want to spent bedtime reading a chapter or two at a time. They are also great for classroom teachers looking for read alouds to books their students' listening comprehension skills. All of these books are suitable for 6 and 7 year olds and books either I or my children's first grade teachers read aloud.
Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant
My son's teachers read this heartwarming story to my son's first grade class and my 6 year old loved it so much he wanted me to read again it at home. So of course I did! This charming story follows the adventures of a bat with a taste for junk food, a kind dog and a wise hermit crab as they try to save their friend Stumpy the Squirrel and her new babies.
Detective Gordon: The First Case (series) by Ulf Nilsson
Detective Gordon, the local crime stopper, has more of a penchant for tea and cakes than he does for police work. He gains a small but enthusiastic assistant when he meets a young mouse, who he mistakes for the criminal in a case he has to solve. Together they concoct a plan to discover the real thief, who has stolen all of Squirrel's nuts. The lovely, colorful illustrations are a wonderful accompaniment.
Little Dog Lost by Marion Dane Bauer
Little Dog, Lost is an utterly charming story written in verse. Three plot points: a boy who needs a dog, a dog who needs an owner and a neighbor who needs friends come together in an extremely satisfying story. For me, the cadence of the free verse made this book easier to read aloud than prose. The story is heartfelt and engaging while still providing kids (and parents!) the opportunity to contemplate and discuss ideas like the importance of community and companionship. I read it aloud to my 6 and 10 year olds and we all throughly enjoyed it.
Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
My son loved this classic book about a boy who saves up for a puppy (one whole dollar!). Once Ginger Pye is part of the family, he mysteriously disappears and the kids are convinced he’s been stolen. The whole neighborhood gets in on the action to look for him. A classic, heartwarming tale that is good for kids experienced with sitting through lengthly chapter books.
The Year of Billy Miller (series) by Kevin Henkes
The Year of Billy Miller is a pitch-perfect account of the year in the life of a second grader. Billy has a stay-at-home dad, school projects that present problems, sibling rivalry–in short, all the typical family and social situations that children must learn to navigate as they grow up. Billy handles it all with aplomb and good humor. There's something very gentle and "old-fashioned" but timeless about this book.
MORE: Contemporary children's books with old-fashioned flair.
A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
A Bear Called Paddington left both my boys (ages 5 and 9) in stitches. Oh the scrapes Paddington gets into! For weeks my 5-year-old could not take a bath without referencing the way Paddington flooded the Browns' house. During the final chapter, he was literally jumping on the bed with laughter as Paddington bumbled through his magic show.
Toaff's Way by Cynthia Voigt
Toaff is a very curious squirrel who has a year long adventure learning about the world and making his new home. He meets new animals and learns about dangers and enemies. A fun read with gentle humor that focuses on the natural world.
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
This well-known classic, awared-winning book is on nearly every book list of first novels to read aloud to young children. To be honest, I can't say it's my favorite choice (although it's a great book) and I think it's better appreciated when kids are older; parents with very sensitive 6 and 7 year olds may want to avoid it.
AMB says
Great list! My twins just finished first grade. They've read some of these books, but not all of them, and we're always looking for new selections. My youngest is 4 and has yet to experience these treasures. It's exciting to share books like these with them!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks! I hope you enjoy the books!
Rachel says
Thank you so much for curating another wonderful list of books! I have pinned almost every single list you have made over the years and I refer to them often when putting books on hold at the library. I so appreciate the time and energy it takes for you to do this and it is a resource I value greatly. Some of our favorite books of all time have come from your suggestions (Journey and Quest being #1 and #2). My rising second grader has never read any of these books but now I know what to add onto next week's library list!
Have a wonderful and restorative July and we will all be waiting for your return in August. 🙂
Erica MomandKiddo says
I'm so glad you enjoy the lists, Rachel and thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a comment and let me know. It really made my day.
Jeanette Nyberg says
Oh, good! I was starting to look for some more good books to read with Beckett this summer. I'm also discovering I can peel my 12 year old off of Minecraft for a few minutes to read to him, too. Double win.
Becca says
Thanks for the list. My son is going into first grade, and I am trying to get more books that he will be interested in.
And, I have to disagree with the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It's a great movie,simply because Dick Van Dyke is in it. It may stray from the original story line, but, who can resist him?!
Erica MomandKiddo says
True, Dick Van Dyke is quite entertaining! 🙂
Emma says
This list could not have come at a more perfect time! My daughter heard that 1st grade means reading chapter books and is terrified at the idea. I'm definitely be checking these out at our library. Thanks for the ideas!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Fantastic! Glad the list is useful.
Lise says
What a great list! We've read a few of these, but there are many here I haven't tried (and that's hard--I'm a kids' bookaholic!). And I loved "The Boxcar Children" and "The Enormous Egg" as a child, but I read them myself when I was older; hadn't considered them yet as read-alouds for my 6-year-old. Thanks for the terrific suggestions.
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks, Lise. Happy reading!
Lise says
"Little Dog Lost" arrived in the mail today, and all the kids, 3-8, got excited about it and asked for it to be our next naptime read-aloud. And I began "The Enormous Egg" with my 6 year old at bedtime two nights ago, and she's hooked. Thanks!
"Little Dog Lost" has to wait until we finish our current read, which everyone's loving, so I thought I'd share-- "Little Pear and his Friends." I'd been read the first book when I was a girl and loved it, but didn't realize there was a second book until recently.
Erica MomandKiddo says
I hope you enjoy Little Dog Lost, We all loved it so much! I've not heard of Little Pear, I'll have to look for a copy. Thanks for the suggestion.
Lise says
Oh, good...so glad to suggest one you don't know! It's sweet and old-fashioned and has interesting cultural details, and the illustrations have stayed with me for 40 years so when I opened the book it was a wave of wonderful nostalgia.
Mary says
While I recognize that the movie and book are quite different from one another, I have always loved the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang movie, as well, since it was brand new.
Erica MomandKiddo says
Maybe I should watch it again. I just remember comparing it to Mary Poppins as a kid and it came up short.
Kerry S. says
Doesn't nearly everything come up short compared to Mary Poppins?
Erica MomandKiddo says
Hmmm, well I do like Mary Poppins, but I can't totally agree with this statement. 🙂
JJ says
My family loves Chitty Chitty Bang Bang movie - it something we can all watch, sing along with, and is not too scary for the littlest ones, adventurous for the middle ones, and funny enough for the adults! Since you wholeheartedly dislike it, I doubt we would appreciate the same books either.
Erica says
I admit it seems strange to me that our difference of opinion on one movie means we can't appreciate the same books. It sounds like your family really enjoys the movie together and that is great.