Best Books for Beginning Readers
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Learning to read is a complicated process! But it is one that should be fun. Setting up a child for success in reading can begin with exposure to language at birth. As children begin to develop their vocabulary and cognitive skills, they are also setting themselves up with the foundation they need for learning to read.
Once children begin to become familiar with the letters and the sounds they make, they can start their reading journey with Phonics Books. There are other types of beginning reader books that are great ways to create success when learning how to read. These are books that are decodable, books with sight words, and books with predictable text.
*Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some books have been gifted. All opinions are our own.
Decodable Books for Beginning Readers
Decoding words is an important skill for your child to learn on their path to reading. They will slowly sound out the words and put them together to make words. These decodable books are beyond phonics books. Those have entire books devoted to one sound or word family. Decodable books take all that practice and put it together.
Often, decodable books have more of a story than phonics books. Beginning readers read very slowly, so take your time and have fun. Sometimes, if my child was stuck, I would model how to decode the word and see if they could put the sounds together. Here are a few great books for learning decoding.
Yo! Yes
Author: Chris Raschka
Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Year: 2007
Genre: Picture Book
Age: 3-7
More info: Caldecott Honor
Plot
This Caldecott Honor book is a simple story of friendship that does not need long words to convey its meaning. The facial expressions and beautiful illustrations tell a beautiful story.
Why Jackie loves it
I love this book because it is such a great book to have success with reading. This book combines sight words with decodable words while telling a story of making friends. There is so much to talk about with this book.
Find this book in: Best Books for Beginning Readers
Cat Traps
Author: Molly Coxe
Illustrator: Molly Coxe
Year: 1996
Genre: Early Reader Books
Age: 4+
More info: Step Into Reading Level 1
Plot
Cat is hungry and wants a snack. He is going to try everything he can to get one. Will he succeed?
Why Jackie loves it
The simple sentences in this book make it easy to decode- especially with the funny pictures as an added clue. There is also repetition of the sentences: “Cat wants a snack. Cat sets a trap”. With the repetition, sight words, decodable words, and picture clues, this is a great beginning reader to build confidence.
Find this book in: Best Books for Beginning Readers
Go Dog Go
Author: P.D. Eastman
Illustrator: P.D. Eastman
Year: 1961
Genre: Classic Picture Book
Age: 3+
More info: Bestseller
Plot
This beginning reader uses 75 words in the entire book. It is a great combination of high-frequency words and words like “dog” that are easy to decode. Do you like my hat? is a running joke in my house to this day.
Why Jackie loves it
This is a classic for a reason. I love the hilarious story and the illustrations. With the limited number of words in the story, a beginning reader is set up for success.
Find this book in: Best Books for Beginning Readers
Sight Word Books for First-Time Readers
A beginning reader will also start to recognize high-frequency words, also known as sight words. These are words that do not necessarily follow the rules for decoding and occur often within a text (like the word “you”).
When my children were just beginning to read, I used to pick out a sight word like “the” and have my child see if they could find the word on the page.
Here are some great books for beginning readers with a lot of high-frequency sight words for your beginning reader.
Shark in the Park
Author: Phil Roxbee Cox
Illustrator: Stephen Cartwright
Year: 2006
Genre: Beginning Reader
Age: 5 – 6
More info: Part of the Usborne Phonics Readers
Plot
Fat cat, big pig and pup are all concerned that there is a shark in the pond at the park.
Why Jackie loves it
The Usborne Phonics Readers are some of my favorite books for developing phonological awareness. Not only do these books for beginning readers look at word families (like -ar), but the back of the book has a list of the sight words your child will need to know to read this book. There are so many books to choose from, and each uses a different word family. They are brilliant.
Find this book in: Kids’ Books About Sharks / Best Books for 5-year-olds / Rhyming Books / Best Books for Beginning Readers
Green Eggs and Ham
Author: Dr. Seuss
Illustrator: Dr. Seuss
Year: 1960
Genre: Classic Books for Kids
Age: 3+
More info: Bestseller
Plot
Sam I Am is trying to introduce green eggs and ham. But his friend is reluctant to try them. Will he give it a try?
Why Jackie loves it
This is a classic book that is perfect for beginning readers. Not only are there only 50 words in the entire book, but there is a tremendous amount of repetition and predictable text, which is so perfect for beginning readers. The high-frequency sight words provide practice reading in this hilarious book that your child will learn by heart.
Find this book in: Best Books for Beginning Readers
Where is the Green Sheep
Author: Mem Fox
Illustrator: Judy Horacek
Year: 2004
Genre: Picture Book
Age: 3+
Plot
There is a ton of repetition in this book that asks “where is the green sheep?”. The reply is almost always the same: “here is the …. sheep”. The pictures provided great contextual cues, and the book itself is fun to read with silly sheep basking in the sun.
Why Jackie loves it
The repetition and sight words in this book make it a perfect book for beginning readers.
Find this book in: Best Books for Beginning Readers
Books with Predictable Text for Beginning Readers
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See
Author: Bill Martin Jr.
Illustrator: Eric Carle
Year: 1996
Genre: Board Book
Age: 0 – 3
Plot
Brown Bear, Brown Bear is a classic for a reason. It uses Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle’s signature style to teach about colors and animals. The repetitive pattern is addictive.
Why Jackie loves it
It’s a great introduction to colors and animals. There are so many activities that can be done with this great book for toddlers. But the colors and pictures are perfect for even the littlest reader.
Find this book in: Color Books / Newborn Books / Best Board Books / 2-year-old Books / Classic Kids Books
Going on a Bear Hunt
Author: Michael Rosen
Illustrator: Helen Oxenbury
Year: 1989
Genre: Picture Book
Age: 1 – 4
Plot
I loved reading this book to my kids. There is something about the family adventure that was so much fun. We would go over pillows, under the table, upstairs, and through chairs in our search. Not only was this the perfect way to learn prepositions, but it also made the book interactive.
Why Jackie loves it
This book is filled with repetition which is also good for child language development. It is filled with onomatopoeia- the best words to convey sounds and sensory input that I just love: squelch, squerch; swishy swashy; etc.
Find this book in: Best Books for 3-year-olds
There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
Author: Simms Taback
Illustrator: Simms Taback
Year: 1997
Genre: Picture Book
Age: 2-5
More info: Caldecott Honor Book
Plot
This is a hilarious and completely ridiculous story about an old lady who eats whole animals. Crazy? Absolutely, but because it is so absurd, the story is so much fun to read and is a perfect sequencing book.
This Caldecott Honor book has amazing, die-cut illustrations that make this book interactive as well.
Why Jackie loves it
I love reading this book and singing the song. This is also a fantastic book to read to practice sequencing
Find this book in: Sequencing Books / Best Books for Beginning Readers
Tips for Reading with a Beginning Reader
- It is really important to remember how much new information a beginning reader has to process. You and your little reader may want to take turns reading.
- You can take turns by each reading a page, a line, or any way that makes reading a fun and meaningful time together. I often used the time between turns to ask questions and make sure that my child understood the story.
- And finally, make sure your little one knows how proud you are.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Beginning Reader?
A beginning reader can identify the letters and the sounds they make. This skill is very important and one they will continue to work on while they become a more proficient reader.
We have some great books in our post on reading readiness that help with this skill.
Why Are Books for Beginning Readers Important?
Children who are beginning readers may not know all the rules for reading, but they are beginning to learn. The best way to practice reading is to actually read books!
The pride that children get at this age when they can sound out or read pages in a real book is priceless. The more they practice the skill, the more confident they will be. This, in turn, will make it easier and more fun to get them to read long-term.
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Epilogue
Did you find any books for beginning readers to add to your home library? Let me know below!
