Children who are beginning to read on their own and progressing rapidly experience one of the greatest accomplishments of their young lives. As they read, they begin to capture the images of storylines, which strengthens their imaginations and broadens their vocabulary. This is just the beginning of the many wonderful benefits that reading promotes. If and when your child begins to love reading, their brain power truly grows. I have gathered some wonderful new and early chapter books for kids in kindergarten through third grade.
New Readers
Rumble! Ready-To-Go! by Lola M. Schaefer, brightly illustrated by Kirk Parrish, is a delightful story about a rocket in space. It begins a reader series with a few repetitive words that rhyme.
Beep Bop Boop! Pre-Level One by Ethan Long, colorfully illustrated by Victor Davila, features three cute aliens who only say “beep bop boop,” leaving everyone confused. This reading level introduces a few more simple words.
I Am a Big Fish! Level One by Susie Lee Jin includes easy sight words and words to sound out, along with a simple plot in which a little fish proves he can save the day.
Bad Banana, Level Two by Michael Rex features longer sentence structures and simple chapters. When a banana becomes mushy and brown, he believes he is a bad banana, but soon discovers he can still be useful.
The Bob Books series by Bobby Lynn Maslen and John Maslen offers sets of twelve small, quick, and easy books for beginning readers. The sentences are repetitive and simple, starting with lines such as “Mat sat. Sam sat.” and gradually progressing in difficulty.
Early Chapter Books
Unicornia: Learning to Fly by Ana Punset, vividly illustrated by Diana Vicedo, begins a popular series. Claudia is about to start school at the Unicornia Academy of Magic, where she will finally learn to fly. The series is charming, with delightful illustrations on every open page.
Miriam’s Magical Creature Files: The Discovery of Dragons by Leah Cypress, illustrated by Sarah Lynne Raul, is part of a delightful series in which Miriam sets out to discover the truth about magical creatures. In this installment, she uses her detective skills to determine whether dragons are real.
Super Villains in Training: The Fantastic Freeze Ray by Kailey Pew, colorfully illustrated by Estrela Lourenco, is part of the Branches line of books geared toward children ready to read independently. This is the first book in a planned series about kids learning the art of villainy.
Hocus and Pocus and the Snowy Sorcery by A. R. Capetta, illustrated by Charlene Chua, follows two magical puppies who prepare to add their own magic to the town’s winter party, only to discover their spells might be a little too powerful.
Fairy Door Diaries: Eliza and the Hobgoblins by Megan McDonald, with full-page colorful illustrations by Lenny Wen, continues the magical adventures of Eliza, who keeps the secret of a tiny fairy entrance hidden in a crawl space under the stairs and must solve a problem with help from her fairy friends.
More Advanced Early Chapter Books with More Chapters and Less Pictures
Sir Edmund and the Wild West: Mystery in the Grand Canyon by Dusti Bowling, illustrated by Beth Hughes, begins a unique series based on historical facts about the Grand Canyon. The humorous story features Sir Edmund, a goldendoodle who works as a seizure-alert dog and joins Wild West Willy on a mystery-solving adventure at the canyon.
Marty Mouse: First Class Mischief by Claire Powell includes lively color illustrations and a playful storyline that keeps young readers engaged. Marty Mouse is the town’s newest mailmouse and faces plenty of challenges delivering the mail, but a friendly bunny soon becomes his greatest helper. The book is filled with clever wordplay and sound effects that add to the fun.
Catty Corner Lands on Her Feet by Julie Murphy introduces Catty, a second grader who writes in her journal about the challenges she faces at her new school. Catty has a special secret passed down from her mother and grandmother, she is half cat! Her adventures make for a clever and engaging story that many young readers will want to finish in one sitting.
