Reading with your kindergartener is a chance to slow down, relax, and enjoy bonding time. The right books can make these special moments extra-educational and more fun for your little one.
At this stage, readers are starting to make their own decisions about their experiences and interactions with their environment. With new awareness of themselves, they’re absorbing information like a sponge, and putting together the puzzle pieces of their surroundings.
Their budding independence can be supported by reading experiences that put them in the driver’s seat. As they sound out new words and approach unfamiliar pages with greater confidence, the right books will provide just enough challenge to sharpen their skills and support steady progress.
So where do you begin? In the wide realm of great reads for kindergarteners, we’ve selected a few of our very favorites. These stories are the Goldilocks of books for four and five-year-olds: not too easy, not too difficult, and altogether fun!
Don’t Wake the Dragon
This adorable, interactive bedtime story is full of whimsy and fun for your little one. The book’s structure helps teach cause and effect as readers are challenged to keep the restless dragon asleep! While they sing sweet lullabies and make sure their page-turning doesn’t cause a door-slamming breeze, your mini-knight-in-shining-armor will delight in all of the cleverly hilarious instructions.
Color Blocked
In this vibrant and interactive picture book, there’s a problem afoot: the color is trapped! In the spirit of Press Here, readers will twist, tap, shake and turn this book to magically unleash the power of colors. Your little one gets to save the day while listening and responding to directions, while at the same time learning all about the wizardry of primary and secondary colors. This ultra-creative story structure gives your kindergartener room to experiment with imagination and color (All the fun; none of the mess!)
The Snatchabook
When the Snatchabook flies into town, bedtime stories begin to disappear! Thankfully, one book-loving bunny vows to stay awake to catch her town’s book thief. Can Eliza Brown save the day—and night—for a town full of passionate bedtime readers? This rhyming read-aloud shares a valuable message of friendship and acceptance, while developing your reader’s listening comprehension.
Moon’s First Friends
This inviting picture book tells the story of the Apollo 11 mission—and so much more—from the unique perspective of the Moon! As you share this adorable bedtime read-aloud, your little one can soak up tons of information about the history of our planet: from its majestic animals, to the revolutionary inventions that made space travel possible. Truly jam-packed with facts, this is a spot-on read for curious kindergarteners, that can offer a little perspective on the great big world around them.
Norman the Slug with the Silly Shell
In this sweet story, Norman the slug wishes he could be a snail—which means he’ll need a shell! Readers can follow along on Norman’s misadventures as he searches for the perfect “shell” to call his own (spoiler alert—it’s a doughnut). And while this book’s silly plot and glittery pages are sure to keep your kindergartener engaged, the real treat of this story is a lesson in self-acceptance at its center.
Though there are nearly endless possibilities when choosing books for your kindergartener, these top picks are a great place to start thanks to content that’s as fun and creative as it is educational. As your reader transitions into a classroom setting, books like these can help them advance towards new skills at the right pace for them.
With Literati’s award-winning kids book clubs, readers don’t have to move at the exact pace of the classroom, because every book is selected to fit your reader’s unique needs and interests. With fourteen skill-based reading levels, little ones can make constant progress with books they love.
As soon as you sign up for Literati, expert curators will get to work finding the most enriching and engaging books for your home library. Start by taking the personalization quiz, and help Literati find those just-right reads for your soon-to-be bookworm!
