{"id":2737,"date":"2025-05-27T05:00:40","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T09:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/?p=2737"},"modified":"2025-06-03T14:22:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T18:22:03","slug":"the-50-best-books-for-5-and-6-year-olds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/the-50-best-books-for-5-and-6-year-olds\/","title":{"rendered":"The 50 Best Books for
5- and 6-Year-Olds"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s so much happening with 5- and 6-year-olds. They\u2019re learning to tie their shoes, practicing cutting out shapes with scissors, some are even ready to ride a bike. There\u2019s a big continuum of development at these ages, and that applies to children\u2019s reading development, too. Some kids are not yet ready to read, while others are reading independently. And that\u2019s as it should be, according to both developmental and literacy experts.<\/p>\n

No matter where your child is on this developmental continuum, here you\u2019ll discover the best books to encourage their love of reading. Each book has been carefully selected by our group of experts.<\/p>\n

Since we also think that finding books in a series is like discovering buried treasure, we\u2019ve put *asterisks* next to the titles that are part of a larger series.<\/p>\n

So whether your 5- or 6-year-old is building their reading foundation with picture books or reading chapter books on their own, here are our go-to books to entice, entertain, and educate.<\/p>\n

Heading out to your local library or bookstore? You can download the full version of the list here.<\/em><\/p>\n

file_attachments 115997 115997 The 50 Best Books for 5- and 6-Year-Olds 50-best-books-5-6-yr-olds-2025.pdf 86891 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/50-best-books-5-6-yr-olds-2025.pdf https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/the-50-best-books-for-5-and-6-year-olds\/50-best-books-5-6-yr-olds-2025\/ 81 50-best-books-5-6-yr-olds-2025 inherit 2737 2025-06-03 18:20:05 2025-06-03 18:21:58 0 application\/pdf application pdf https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/document.png 2312 2312 pre-k-thumb pre-k-thumb.gif 2063 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/brightlys-summer-reading-fun-packs\/pre-k-thumb\/ 1 pre-k-thumb inherit 2123 2015-06-01 22:30:02 2015-06-01 22:30:02 0 image\/gif image gif https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 128 85 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 https:\/\/assets.readbrightly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pre-k-thumb.gif 165 110 yes yes Picture Books <\/p>\n

Sharing a story with your child is always worth it. Whether they can read independently or not, reading aloud is a special experience. It also helps to build their literacy foundations and keep them engaged with reading.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a good idea to keep picture books in the mix even as your child\u2019s reading skills grow, as they offer kids a greater variety of reading choices and have a strong visual appeal.<\/p>\n

This list of picture books contains a variety of genres, kid-appealing topics, captivating illustrations, and diverse characters. Best of all, they\u2019re well written and kids love them.<\/p>\n

9780593406380 The Book That Almost Rhymed<\/i> by Omar Abed, illustrated by Hatem Aly 9780763619619 The Dot <\/i> by Peter H. Reynolds 9780399257742 Last Stop on Market Street<\/i> by Matt de la Pe\u00f1a, illustrated by Christian Robinson 9780593564691 Piper Chen Sings<\/i> by Phillipa Soo and Maris Pasquale Doran, illustrated by Qin Leng 9780670827596 The True Story of the Three Little Pigs<\/i> by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith 9781101998632 Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake<\/i> by Michael Kaplan, illustrated by Stephane Jorisch 9780593462911 I’m Sorry You Got Mad<\/i> by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Julie Kwon 9780593203255 Something, Someday<\/i> by Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Christian Robinson 9780525707752 The Serious Goose<\/i> by Jimmy Kimmel 9780593380062 Can I Be Your Dog? <\/i> by Troy Cummings 9780763689032 Interrupting Chicken*<\/i> by David Ezra Stein 9780593810965 Don’t Think of Tigers<\/i> by Alex Latimer 9780670451494 Make Way for Ducklings<\/i> by Robert McCloskey 9780451469540 Night Animals<\/i> by Gianna Marino 9780593619131 The Truth About the Couch<\/i> by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Liniers 9780593661345 Home in a Lunchbox<\/i> by Cherry Mo 9780593697894 Good Night Thoughts<\/i> by Max Greenfield, illustrated by James Serafino 9781426310096 National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry<\/i> by J. Patrick Lewis 9781536202908 Jabari Jumps <\/i> by Gaia Cornwall 9780593703526 Rocket Says Look Up!*<\/i> by Nathan Bryon, illustrated by Dapo Adeola 9780593693254 Papilio<\/i> by Ben Clanton, Corey R. Tabor and Andy Chou Musser 9780593203552 Over, Bear! Under, Where?<\/i> by Julie Hedlund, illustrated by Michael Slack yes yes Beginning Readers <\/p>\n

It\u2019s exciting when your child starts to read! Now they\u2019re learning sight words<\/a>, or words to know at a glance, and the books they\u2019re reading contain these words. At this stage, it\u2019s helpful for them to read books that map to their background knowledge or areas of interest.<\/p>\n

Beginning reading books start with a few simple words or phrases per page. As your child grows in their ability, the difficulty increases. The phrases become sentences and eventually paragraphs. Start with the easier beginning books first and adjust as your child progresses.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re curious about the specific reading level of a book, you can check its level here<\/a>\u00a0or ask your child\u2019s teacher.<\/p>\n

9781524792442 Uh-Oh, Rollo!*<\/i> by Reed Duncan, illustrated by Keith Frawley 9780140544572 Froggy Gets Dressed*<\/i> by Jonathan London, illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz 9781536204278 See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog*<\/i> by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka 9781423102953 Today I Will Fly! – An Elephant & Piggie Book*<\/i> by Mo Willems 9781524791964 I Will Race You Through This Book!<\/i> by Jonathan Fenske 9780394900209 Go, Dog. Go! <\/i> by P.D. Eastman 9781524718664 Tyrannosaurus Rex (StoryBots)<\/i> by Storybots 9781101918548 The Spider*<\/i> by Elise Gravel 9780593646236 Gertrude Gish on a Dish on a Fish<\/i> by Sarah Hwang 9780593483169 How to Love a Pony<\/i> by Michelle Meadows, illustrated by Sawyer Cloud 9780823460106 The Best Worst Camp Out Ever<\/i> by Joe Cepeda 9780823459100 The Lost Mitten<\/i> by Jannie Ho 9781984895608 I Love Being Me!<\/i> by Mechal Renee Roe 9780736431200 A Tale of Two Sisters<\/i> (Disney Frozen) by Melissa Lagonegro, illustrated by RH Disney yes yes Early Chapter Books & Graphic Novels<\/p>\n

\n

&nbsp <\/p>\n

Chapter books are the Holy Grail for growing readers. Kids want so<\/em> badly to be like the big kids. But don\u2019t rush. Joy can easily turn to frustration if your child isn\u2019t ready. When they are ready, we think they\u2019ll devour these books.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve vetted our list to include books with boys, girls, robots, magic, diverse characters, and child-friendly topics. Even better, all of these books are in a series. So if they like one, your child has more to read by the same author.<\/p>\n

9781524701611 Purrmaids #1: The Scaredy Cat*<\/i> by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, illustrated by Vivien Wu 9780593643938 Shark and Bot (A Graphic Novel)*<\/i> by Brian Yanish 9780593123300 Pizza and Taco: Who’s the Best?*<\/i> by Stephen Shaskan 9780593645635 Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus: The Graphic Novel*<\/i> by Barbara Park, illustrated by Honie Beam, adapted by Colleen AF Venable 9781984895837 Donut Feed the Squirrels*<\/i> by Mika Song 9780593304921 Ballet Bunnies #1: The New Class*<\/i> by Swapna Reddy, illustrated by Binny Talib 9780593427781 Super Magic Boy: I Am a Dinosaur*<\/i> by Jarod Rosell\u00f3 9780803740884 Dory Fantasmagory*<\/i> by Abby Hanlon 9780763659547 Bink and Gollie*<\/i> by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile 9780142419885 EllRay Jakes Is Not a Chicken*<\/i> by Sally Warner, illustrated by Jamie Harper 9780679824114 Magic Tree House #1: Dinosaurs Before Dark* <\/i> by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Sal Murdocca 9780593464601 Shark Princess*<\/i> by Nidhi Chanani 9780763622701 Mercy Watson to the Rescue* <\/i> by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen 9780593699768 Pencil & Eraser: We Have a Dull-Emma!*<\/i> by Jenny Alvarado <\/p>\n

Get the printable version<\/a> of the list.<\/p>\n

Explore our\u00a050 Best series<\/a>\u00a0to get great recommendations for other ages.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2015 and updated in 2025.<\/small><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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