If you have youngsters starting kindergarten this year then it’s time they started learning to read for themselves. Learning to read is very difficult, there are a lot of words and letters to remember, so having a few books at home to practice with will not only come in handy but help your child learn faster. Here we take a look at the top 6 best books for kindergarten kids for home study.
Consider This for a Kindergarten Book
When you’re considering a new book for your kids who are learning to read there is an easy grading system that you can rely on. Book publishers have a great selection of books that are graded to different abilities for young readers.
The books that you should be looking for will be labeled by the following terms:
- Beginner books.
- Scholastic level 1.
- My first.
- I can read.
- Kindergarten basics.
- First-time books.
And other similar terms
Top 6 Kindergarten Books Table
| Picture | Name | Story highlights | Price | Rating (1-5) |
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1. Have You Seen My Dinosaur by Jon Surgal | Dinosaur who likes to play hide and seek | $$$ |
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2. Pete the Cat’s Super Cool Reading Collection | Everyday adventures with Pete the cat | $$$$ |
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3. May I Please Have a Cookie? by Jennifer Morris | Alfie tries various ways to get a cookie | $$ |
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4. 100 Words Kids Need to Read by 1st Grade | Simple word games, puzzles, and activities for late kindergarten | $$ |
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5. The Berenstain Bears Go To School | Preparing for the first day at school | $$ |
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6. Silly Milly | Rhyming riddles with whacky illustrations | $ |
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Buying Information
Buying the best books for kindergarten requires knowing a few things about your child. If you purchase a book that your children are interested in they will want to learn to read it, but books that they have no interest in will be soon forgotten.
- Ask your child about what their favorite stories are and pay attention to what characters they roleplay during playtime. These are all perfect examples of what your child will be interested in reading more about.
- Easy to Read. Books for kindergarteners need to be easy to read, they shouldn’t be challenging. The purpose of the book is to teach your child to enjoy reading, more challenging books, and words will be introduced later in their school life.
- Fun. Kids have short attention spans and stories will need to be fun in order to keep them interested until the end.
Top 3 Best Kindergarten Books Reviews
1. Have You Seen My Dinosaur
What kid doesn’t love dinosaurs? They’re big, mysterious and destructive. Dinosaurs are one of the most entertaining characters to write about in a children’s story. For one they aren’t alive anymore, so kids have to use their imaginations to see them play out the stories in their heads.
Dinosaurs used to roam this earth once and kids know it. Having a character that you know is real, but you can never see or hear, gives them hope in other unseen characters such as Santa Claus, Tooth Fairies, and Easter Bunnies.
This book was originally written by Dr. Seuss – the famed children’s author, who has written many beloved classics such as “Green eggs and ham” and “Sam I am.” Almost every person today has read at least one of his great books and has fond memories of it. For kindergarteners, this is one of the best Dr. Seuss books to start with.
2. Pete the Cat’s
Young minds love pictures and so many of the books they know and love are picture books. All for a good reason too, pictures tell the story without having to read words. Some artists have managed to creatively balance picture heavy books with words to enhance the story.
This is one of those books. The artist, James Dean, has artfully balanced words with pictures so that children are encouraged to ask “What does that mean?” and start to learn words. After a few times, our kids were practically jumping up in their bed to tell us what this word or that word said, and pulling at the pages to show us what the next word said.
Pete the Cat is a super fun and creative character that kids love. It’s easy for them to fall in love with his entertaining and educational stories that keep kids turning the page to find out what happens next.
3. May I Please Have a Cookie?
Every parent has been asked this question at least once from their kindergartener. Whether it’s a cookie or a sweet – kids love reaching their hands into a glass jar and plucking out their favorite treat.
This book plays on that simple idea of having a cookie. There’s so many ways that kids can ask for one and so many consequences for taking one without getting permission. Familiarity in the story is a feature we’ve found in all the best books for kindergarten.