The Best Books for First-Graders, According to Educators
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your account’s‘Saved for Later’section.
Comment
In first grade, mostchildrenare starting to learn to read on their own. But because their abilities and interest in reading at this age can vary like crazy, Leigh Fox, a children’s librarian with theBrooklyn Public Library, “highly encourages” parents and caregivers to continue to read aloud to their first-graders, even as they learn to flip through pages themselves. When reading aloud, Fox suggests incorporating a “variety of stories and formats,” including longer chapter books, nonfiction, graphic novels, andpicture books, “to best excite them aboutreadingand make it a positive experience.”
When it comes to books the 6- and 7-year-olds in your lifereadon their own, Carly Lemire, head of youth services atBlackstone Libraryin Branford, Connecticut, recommends using the “five-finger test,” rather than grade level, to more accurately choose titles that help instill confidence in young readers. Conducting the five-finger test is simple, she explains: “Open a book to any page and have your child read that page. If there are five or more words that they have difficulty with, then that book is a little too hard for them,” in which case you should either pick something a little easier or read it aloud to them until they are ready to read it themselves.
In terms of subject matter, our experts generally agreed that the best books for any first-grader are the ones they love the most — no matter how silly the story may seem. “Any book that a kid likes to read is one that is going to help make them a lifelongreader,” explains Maggie Levine, a children’s librarian with theBoston Public Library. And no matter how well-stocked their school library might be, it’s never too soon to expand their horizons even further by choosing books that depict children of many different ethnicities and cultures, says Kazz Alexander Pinkard, executive director ofHit the Books, an after-school nonprofit in Harlem. “I think that that level of exposure is really important,” he says.
To help narrow the field, however, we talked to Fox, Lemire, Levine, Pinkard, and five other librarians and educators about their favorite books for kids in first grade. Read on for their picks, which include books to read together, easy-reader books, early chapter books, and even some of the most popular titles as determined by actual 6- and 7-year-olds.
Best books to read to a first-grader
New! You can now save this product for later.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
Four of the people we talked to — Lemire; Faith Ward, a middle-school librarian at Baltimore’s Gilman School; Rouhama Garelick, the director ofWalder Education; and Emily Levitt, VP of education atSylvan Learning— specifically recommend Willems’s picture book about a grumpypigeonas one to read aloud to a first-grader. Levitt loves how the pigeon’s behavior mirrors that of many kids at this age, and how the bus-driver character breaks the fourth wall to involve the reader. “I love it for this age because the concept iszanyand the story is hilarious. Both parent and child will relate to Pigeon’s pleas to drive the bus. It has all the necessary ingredients for a winning first grade children’s book.” Although only half of our experts chose this specific title, nearly all of them recommended reading something written by Mo Willems aloud, raising this to the top of our read-aloud list. Lindsy Serrano,a librarian atSt. Francis Schoolin Kentucky, credits Willems’s use of catchy graphics paired with minimal text in different sizes “to display different emotional levels.”
New! You can now save this product for later.
Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
Andrea Beaty’s picture book about a burgeoning scientist is the third in her series of best-sellingSTEM-themed children’s books and, like the Willems title above, also came recommended by four of our experts as a wonderful read-aloud book for any first-grader. “Ada questions everything and experiments constantly,” says Levitt, who told us she appreciates the book’s “up-close view of the scientific method and excellent representation of children of color engaged in STEM.” Lemire; Brooklyn Public Library librarian Yesha Naik; and Mollie Welsh Kruger, a professor at theBank Street College of Educationwho teaches a course in children’s literature, all suggestedAda Twistas well. If that’s not enough to convince you, Netflix recently released an animated series inspired by Ada Twist, making the character a celebrity in many kids’ eyes.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
Also recommended by four of our experts — Naik, Ward, Lemire, and Serrano — is this story about a boy who lovesmermaids. Naik loves the book’s “fluid, colorful illustrations,” and Serrano says she uses it during story time because of the way it “defies male expectations and stereotypes.”
New! You can now save this product for later.
‘Dog Man: The Supa Epic Collection,’ From the Creator of ‘Captain Underpants’ (‘Dog Man’ Nos. 1–6 Box Set)
For 6- and 7-year-olds who are fascinated by anything for older kids, theDog Manseries by Pilkey — the author of the wildly popularCaptain Underpantsfranchise — is a great set of books to grow into, according to Lemire, Serrano, Fox, and Lisa Goldstein, another librarian with the Brooklyn Public Library. They all say first-graders loveDogManbecause of its big-kid feel and subversive humor. Even though these books are probably a bit too hard for most first-graders to read on their own, graphic novels like these are really popular at this age, according to Serrano, and are generally a fun way to excite young readers. Goldstein agrees, calling theDogManbooks “an exciting boundary-pusher for younger kids.”
New! You can now save this product for later.
The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
Another book first-graders find hilarious isThe Book With No Pictures, which was written byThe Officestar turnedkids’ author B. J. Novak and came recommended by Levitt and Serrano. Devoid of illustrations and designed to be read aloud or in groups, this book is popular because it’s full of onomatopoeia and alliteration, forcing the person reading it to say silly things. Levitt likes that it teaches vocabulary while encouraging children to use their imaginations. Serrano says that when she reads it at story time, “kids are rolling on the floor laughing.”
New! You can now save this product for later.
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
This book, by award-winning author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins, came recommended by Welsh Kruger and Lemire.We Don’t Eat Our Classmatesis also one of the four 2019 winners of the Irma Black Award, an honor determined by an annual vote cast by first- and second-grade children from around the world. Welsh Kruger says that in the past few years, humorous books like this and Novak’s have had “a bit of a winning streak, because kids at thatageparticularly like humor.”
New! You can now save this product for later.
New! You can now save this product for later.
For first-grade readers, Pinkard always recommendsThe Day the Crayons Quitand its sequelThe Day the Crayons Came Homebecause they have wonderful, diverse characters that reflect different personalities. “I love the idea of the crayons and the rainbow reflecting the differences between people and attitudes and roles in society,” he says. In addition, the text switches between multiple fonts, which has real-world applications: The more often kids see the same words written in cursive and print, the better they’ll become at reading with fluency.
New! You can now save this product for later.
‘Gaston,’ by Kelly DiPucchio
Levine told us that she loves the illustrator Christian Robinson, and that this picture book and DiPucchio’s sequel entitledAntoinette— both of which feature Robinson’s artwork — are her favorite books to give as gifts. Serrano also recommendsGaston,which tells the story of aFrench bulldogand a poodle switched at birth, because it has sparked interesting conversations among her kindergarteners about what makes a family.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Pinkard is a huge fan ofWalter, a book about a mischievous dog who runs amuck in New York City. “I love all books about New York City, and I thinkWalteris a perfect book for students to learn vocabulary, but also to learn about the city sounds and how to describe them,” he says. These city onomatopoeia like “screech, honk, and splash” are fun to read aloud and help children sound things out. According to Pinkard, remote schooling during the pandemic has created gaps in early reading development for things like phonemic awareness among kindergarteners and first-graders. One way to help kids catch up is by focusing on books likeWalterthat depict elements of life they can relate to, while helping them with the phonics and word recognition necessary for them to move forward.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Both Ward and Lemire recommend Maurice Sendak’s classic title as one you should still make space for on your kid’s bookshelf. Ward likes that it shows how children and parents sometimes disagree and how, using his imagination, protagonist Max finds a way to escape when angry. But, in the end, when that anger has passed, he just wants to be backhome.
New! You can now save this product for later.
‘Hair Love,’ by Matthew A. Cherry
“I see many of our young boys and girls running to books likeHair Lovebecause they feel like it depicts them,” says Pinkard. The book, which was made into an Oscar-winning movie, tells the story of a Black father who has to learn how to give his daughter an extra-special hairstyle for a big day. “One of our students, who is in second grade this year, literally jumped up when she saw this book and said, ‘I love this book, it’s about me and my dad.’”
New! You can now save this product for later.
The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family
Pinkard also recommends the award-winning picture bookThe Proudest Blueas a great read-aloud book to help first-graders and their families learn more about Muslim heritage and culture. The vibrantly illustrated book by Olympic medalist and social-justice activist Ibtihaj Muhammad follows two sisters on their first day of school — and one’s first day of hijab.
Best fiction books for first-graders to read
New! You can now save this product for later.
‘Frog and Toad Are Friends’ by Arnold Lobel
Fox, Lemire, Levine, and Welsh Kruger all recommendFrog and Toad Are Friendsfor children starting to read alone. Welsh Kruger told us that this book, and the wholeFrog and Toadseries, were part of a study that she and a colleague conducted on the best books for early readers. “We were trying to see what makes earlyreadersworthwhile; in the end, this book seems to have hit the nail on the head.” Levine calls theFrog and Toadseries an “absolute classic” and says that she loves how the gentle adventures play out across several short stories, which helps encourage beginner readers who might feel overwhelmed by longer chapter books.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Another early-reader series that stars a memorable duo is Mo Willems’sElephant and Piggie books. Fox, Lemire, Serrano, and Levine told us that these books, which have no more than ten words per page, are easy and incredibly popular titles for new readers. Lemire says she can’t keep them on the shelves, and Fox says kids love the “fun-filled antics between the beloved Gerald and Piggie.” Serrano specifically recommended this book from the series because it’s designed to introduce all kinds of good reading habits to kids, including predicting outcomes and the concept of reading a book more than once — therefore encouragingreadingfor pleasure. LikeFrog and Toad, these familiar, funny characters and their recurring adventures make learning new words less scary to first-graders, according to our experts.
New! You can now save this product for later.
According to Jacob Cohen, a teacher in Brooklyn, theFly Guybook series is crazy popular among first-graders (and some second-graders too) these days. “They’re very competitive about collecting the whole set,” he says. This easy reader series is full of funny drawings and slapstick scenarios, and it’s perfect for independent reading time.
Best nonfiction book for first-graders
New! You can now save this product for later.
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
Levine, Welsh Kruger, Fox, and Lemire recommended this title by Steve Jenkins, an author they say is known for his nonfiction children’s books. Fox saysActual Sizeis the perfect mix of attention-grabbing story andSTEMconcepts “such as size comparison and animal behavior.” Levine adds that “Jenkins’s books make animals and bodies accessible to kids.” Welsh Kruger recommends this book for animal lovers in particular because of its “beautiful, ripped-paper collage” illustrations.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Cohen says this giant illustrated encyclopedia about all things under the ocean (and underground) is among the books that first-graders are constantly drawn to. The book is reversible, so from one side you can explore double-page spreads about submarines and deep-sea life. Turn it around, and you’ll get pages upon pages about volcanoes, burrowing animals, and man-made tunnels.
The Strategistis designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the bestacne treatments,rolling luggage,pillows for side sleepers,natural anxiety remedies, andbath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
