,

Finding "real" chapter books to read aloud to preschoolers can be tricky. Here are some that have worked well for us.
1

by
4.21 avg rating — 2,027,088 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
2

by
4.11 avg rating — 41,501 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
3

by
4.16 avg rating — 55,135 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
4

by
4.08 avg rating — 146,552 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
5

by
4.21 avg rating — 284,353 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
6

by
4.15 avg rating — 208,519 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
7

by
4.42 avg rating — 49,611 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
8

by
4.23 avg rating — 523,145 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
9

by
4.17 avg rating — 924,600 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
10

by
4.08 avg rating — 67,553 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
11

by
3.99 avg rating — 47,647 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
12

by
4.09 avg rating — 25,185 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
13

by
4.03 avg rating — 103,672 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
14

by
4.38 avg rating — 393,232 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
15

by
4.36 avg rating — 474,399 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
16

by
4.11 avg rating — 41,895 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
17

by
4.24 avg rating — 3,117,712 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
18

by
4.05 avg rating — 129,301 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
19

by
4.24 avg rating — 86,416 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
20

by
4.31 avg rating — 15,771 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
21

by
3.85 avg rating — 16,733 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
22

by
4.01 avg rating — 11,089 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
23

by
4.01 avg rating — 18,649 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
24

by
4.13 avg rating — 10,317 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
25

by
3.94 avg rating — 10,653 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
26

by
4.50 avg rating — 56 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
27

by
4.05 avg rating — 2,856 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
28

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 507,023 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
29

by
4.04 avg rating — 11,461 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
30

by
4.02 avg rating — 30,918 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
31

by
4.20 avg rating — 1,574 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
32

by
4.72 avg rating — 71 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
32

by
4.09 avg rating — 107 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
34

by
4.21 avg rating — 104 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
35

by
4.19 avg rating — 252 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
36

by
4.01 avg rating — 140,293 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
37

by
4.43 avg rating — 74 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
37

by
4.10 avg rating — 13,755 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
37

by
4.85 avg rating — 59 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
40

by
4.67 avg rating — 43 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
41

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 588 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
41

by
3.74 avg rating — 486 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
41

by
3.80 avg rating — 660 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
44

by
3.33 avg rating — 6 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
45

by
3.47 avg rating — 731 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
45

by
4.35 avg rating — 295 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
47

by
3.93 avg rating — 73 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
47

by
3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
49

by
4.08 avg rating — 23,062 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
50

by
4.07 avg rating — 548 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
51

by
4.36 avg rating — 1,671 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
52

by
4.17 avg rating — 2,430 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
53

by
3.69 avg rating — 13,608 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
54

by
3.74 avg rating — 372 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
55

by
4.25 avg rating — 59,409 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
56

by
3.73 avg rating — 508 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.13 avg rating — 158 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
3.84 avg rating — 347 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.72 avg rating — 29 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.19 avg rating — 21 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.10 avg rating — 447 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.17 avg rating — 6 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.32 avg rating — 34 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.26 avg rating — 84 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.23 avg rating — 13 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.14 avg rating — 7 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.95 avg rating — 20 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.27 avg rating — 11 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.26 avg rating — 141 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.90 avg rating — 60 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
72

by
4.22 avg rating — 6,013 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
72

by
3.95 avg rating — 123 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
72

by
4.22 avg rating — 1,352 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
72

by
4.64 avg rating — 11 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
72

by
4.27 avg rating — 418 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
72

by
4.62 avg rating — 576 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
72

by
3.95 avg rating — 948 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
72

by
4.59 avg rating — 22 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
72

by
4.70 avg rating — 23 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
72

by
4.17 avg rating — 1,051 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
82

by
4.42 avg rating — 154 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
82

by
4.09 avg rating — 182 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
84

by
3.67 avg rating — 380 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
84

by
4.35 avg rating — 2,020 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
86

by
3.80 avg rating — 1,162 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
87

by
4.76 avg rating — 34 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
88

by
3.85 avg rating — 421 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
89

by
4.17 avg rating — 2,381 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
89

by
3.94 avg rating — 1,492 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
4.37 avg rating — 265 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
4.13 avg rating — 1,166 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
93

by
3.13 avg rating — 15 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
93

by
4.43 avg rating — 94 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
95

by
4.13 avg rating — 606 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
96

by
4.04 avg rating — 4,692 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
96

by
4.09 avg rating — 1,545 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
98

by
4.25 avg rating — 96,818 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
99

by
3.62 avg rating — 146 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
100

by
3.97 avg rating — 324 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
191 books · 146 voters · list created April 4th, 2010 by Meg (votes) .
147 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Meg 1943 books
93 friends
Emily 1513 books
20 friends
Cathy 711 books
111 friends
Danielle 31 books
22 friends
Danica 15514 books
99 friends
Jacqueline 1065 books
384 friends
kat 1590 books
18 friends
Amy 2324 books
14 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-7 of 7 (7 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Carol (new)

Carol Barnes The Mummy Market One of my favorites that my mother read aloud to me in the 60ies.


message 2: by Fjóla (new)

Fjóla I'm removing the book Declan Grows Up: It's Just Not Fair from this list. It's a picture book of 32 pages and can't qualify as a chapter book.


message 3: by Tyler (new)

Tyler Cameron Much as I love Shel Silverstein I don't see his poetry books as chapter books either


message 4: by Tara (new)

Tara James I am searching for pre-school chapter books that feature children of color, the Julian books might work for this list.


message 5: by Mary (new)

Mary So I tried Charlotte's Web by E.B. White . She named the pig Kiwi and we read two chapters. Now she isn't interested. I think I may move on to My Father's Dragon (My Father's Dragon, #1) by Ruth Stiles Gannett


message 6: by Scott (new)

Scott Looking for chapter books for my almost 4 year old.

I have read Charlotte's Web and James and the Giant Peach to him so far. My trick is that I borrow multiple versions of the story from the library so that I can show him the different pictures in each copy. He really loved acting out and drawing the pictures in both stories. I might occasionally switch words or skip small sections to help with the flow.

The Read Aloud Handbook was a huge inspiration and encouragement.


message 7: by Melissa (new)

Melissa Espenschied Thank you. I have been looking for simple chapter books to read to my 2 & 3 year old as we are working on preschool at home this year and next. My girls love to be read to at bedtime and I’m finding that longer books actually hold their attention better than picture books. Every morning I remind them what we read about the day before and ever evening I do it again before staring where we left off. I will probably reread all of the books with them again in a few years as they are able to fully discuss what we read.

(Better than reading Pet Cemetery to them like I did when they were babies while I fed them.)


back to top



Related News

Adam Fites reads, writes, and makes his home in Seattle. He works in the library of a public school in nearby Kent, where he was the 2023–2024...

Anyone can add books to this list.