Great Books for Beginning Readers
Entering 1st Grade
This list includes suggested authors and titles to assist parents in choosing books that reflect their child’s reading
level, interests, and family values. Included here are concept books, pre-primers and primers for developing
readers, picture books that are enjoyed by a wide audience, and beginning chapter books suitable for advancing
readers.
Book lists with current popular titles are also widely available on the Internet. Check these sites for ideas that
may interest your student:
http://www.reading.org/resources/booklists/childrenschoices.aspx Children’s Choice Awards
http://www.haisln.org/recommendedreadinglists.html
Houston Area Independent Schools Library Network
http://txla.org/groups/2x2 Texas Library Association 2x2 Reading Lists
http://www.dallasisd.org/Page/19288
Dallas ISD - Readers are Leaders Luminarias list PK-3rd grade, Bilingual
and Spanish. The books of many authors listed below are also found in Spanish.
Picture Books
Baker, Keith
Barnett, Mac
Barrett, Judi
Barton, Chris
Bate, Lucy
Brett, Jan
Brown, Marc
Brown, Margaret Wise
Campbell, Scott
Carle, Eric
Carlson, Nancy
Carlstrom, Nancy
Child, Lauren
Chodos-Irvine, Margaret
Crews, Donald
Crews, Nina
Cronin, Doreen
Degen, Bruce
DiPucchio, Kelly
Ehlert, Lois
Falconer, Ian
Feiffer, Jules
Fleming, Denise
Fox, Mem
Gall, Chris
Gormley, Greg
Graves, Keith
Hall, Michael
Henkes, Kevin
Hoban, Russell
Hoban, Tana
Quack and Count, LMNO Peas ( and other titles)
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole
Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing (and other titles)
Shark vs.Train
Little Rabbit’s Loose Tooth
any titles
Arthur and D.W. books
The Big Red Barn (and other titles)
Hug Machine
The Very Busy Spider (and other titles)
ABC I Like Me! (and other titles)
Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?
I Am Too Absolutely Small for School (and other titles)
Ella Sarah Gets Dressed
Freight Train
The Neighborhood Mother Goose
Click Clack Moo, Diary of a Spider (and other titles)
Jamberry!
Dog Days of School
Growing Vegetable Soup (and other titles)
Olivia (and other titles)
Bark George
In the Tall, Tall Grass (and other titles)
The Magic Hat (and other titles)
Dog vs. Cat
Dog in Boots
Chicken Big
Perfect Square
Kitten’s First Full Moon (and other titles)
Bedtime for Frances (and other titles)
I Read Signs (and other titles)
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Hoberman, Mary Ann
Howe, James
Hutchins, Pat
Jeffers, Susan
Johnson, Stephen
Kann, Victoria
Keats, Ezra Jack
Ketteman, Helen
Klassen, John
Lester, Helen
Lionni, Leo
London, Jonathan
Martin, Jr., Bill
McGhee, Alison
McMillan, Bruce
McMullan, Kate
Munsch, Robert
Neitzel, Shirley
Novak, B.J.
Numeroff, Laura Joffe
O’Connor, Jane
Palatini, Margie
Penn, Audrey
Rathmann, Peggy
Ryan, Pam Munoz
Sendak, Maurice
Shannon, David
Shaw, Nancy
Sierra, Judy
Simont, Marc
Slate, Joseph
Slobodkina, Esphyr
Stead, Philip
Sturges, Philemon
Waddell, Martin
Walsh, Ellen Stoll
Waring, Richard
Wells, Rosemary
Wiesner, David
Willems, Mo
Williams, Sue
Wilson, Karma
Winthrop, Elizabeth
Wood, Audrey and Don
Yolen, Jane
Zion, Gene
You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You (and other titles)
Horace and Morris join the Chorus (But What About Dolores?)
Rosie’s Walk
My Pony
Alphabet City
Pinkalicious (and other titles)
Whistle for Willie (and other titles)
Armadilly Chilli
This Is Not My Hat
Hooway for Wodney Wat, Tacky the Penguin (and other titles)
Alexander and the Windup Mouse (and other titles)
Froggy stories
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (and
other titles)
Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth (and other titles)
Growing Colors
I Stink! (and other titles)
Any by this author
The Jacket I Wear in the Snow
The Book With No Pictures
If You Give a Moose a Muffin (and other titles)
Fancy Nancy (and other titles)
Moo Who?
The Kissing Hand
Good Night, Gorilla
Mice and Beans
Chicken Soup with Rice and Where the Wild Things Are
David Gets in Trouble, Duck on a Bike, (and other titles)
Sheep in a Jeep (and other titles)
Wild About Books
The Stray Dog
“Miss Bindergarten” stories
Caps for Sale
A Sick Day for Amos McGee
She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain
Any by this author
Mouse Paint
Alberto, the Dancing Alligator and Hungry Hen
“Max and Ruby” stories, “McDuff” stories (and other titles)
Tuesday; Mr. Wuffles!
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny (and other titles)
I Went Walking
A Frog in the Bog, Bear Snores On (and other titles)
Dumpy La Rue
The Napping House (and other titles)
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? (and other titles)
Harry the Dirty Dog
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Early Readers
Arnold, Tedd
Capucilli, Alyssa
Cazet, Denys
Cole, Joanna
De Paola, Tomie
Eastman, P.D.
Gutman, Dan
Hoban, Lillian
Howe, James
Lasky, Katherine
Lobel, Arnold
Minarik, Else H.
Parish, Peggy
Dr. Seuss
Silverman, Erica
Thomas, Shelley Moore
Van Leeuwen, Jean
Willems, Mo
Hi, Fly Guy! (and other titles)
Happy Birthday, Biscuit! (and other titles)
Minnie and Moo (series)
Bug in a Rug
Hide-and-Seek All Week (and other titles)
Go, Dog, Go! (and other titles in the Dr. Seuss/Random House library)
Babe Ruth and the Ice Cream Mess
Arthur’s Camp Out (and other titles)
Pinky and Rex (series)
The Lunch Bunnies (and other titles)
Frog and Toad are Friends (and other titles)
Little Bear (and other titles)
Amelia Bedelia series
Cat in the Hat (and other titles)
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa
Get Well, Good Knight and Good Night, Good Knight
Oliver and Amanda (and other titles)
Elephant and Piggie (and other titles)
Beginning Chapter Books and Series
Adler, David
Cam Jansen Mysteries
Applegate, Katherine
Roscoe Riley Rules
Brown, Marc or Stephen
Krensky
Bruel, Nick
Arthur chapter books
Cazet, Danys
Minnie and Moo
Christopher, Matt
Soccer Cats
DiCamillo, Kate
Mercy Watson
Giff, Patricia Reilly
Polk Street School
Greenburg, Dan
The Zack Files
Kline, Suzy
Horrible Harry
Litwin, Eric / Dean, James
Pete the Cat
O’Ryan, Ray
Galaxy Zack
Osborne, Mary Pope
Magic Tree House
Pilkey, Dav
Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot
Porter, Connie , Janet Shaw,
or Valerie Tripp
Rylant, Cynthia
American Girls
Sharmat, Marjorie
Bad Kitty
Henry and Mudge series, Mr. Putter and Tabby series, Poppleton series,
Cobble Street Cousins series, and High-Rise Private Eyes
Nate the Great
Bilingual
Canetti, Yanitzia
El Patito Bello (and other titles)
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Dewdney, Anna
Falconer / Mlawer
Kann, Victoria
Klein, Adria
Numeroff, Laura
Dr. Seuss
Stead, Philip
Wells, Rosemary
La Llama Llama Rojo Pijama
Olivia (and other titles)
Pinkalicious
Max Come al Aire Libre (and other titles)
Si Llevas un Raton a la Escuela
Huevos verdes con jamon (and other titles)
Un Día diferente para el Señor Amos
Los 100 Primeros dias de Colegio de Emilia
Poetry
Bagert, Brod
Brown, Margaret Wise
Carle, Eric
Florian, Douglas
Shout! Little Poems That Roar
I Like Stars
Animals Animals
Bow Wow Meow Meow
Nonfiction Topics
These are topics to be explored in first grade science or social studies. Your child might enjoy
building background knowledge during the summer to enhance fall learning.
Health, including safety, nutrition, exercise and hygiene
The 5 senses
Maps and globes
Good citizenship and leadership qualities
Water, rocks, soil
States of matter
Light, heat, and sound energy
Force and motion
Earth and space—cycles and patterns
Weather, rain, air, wind
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