Best read-aloud books for 6 yr olds?
Hi!
My son loves listening to chapter books being read aloud, and we go through them quickly. Does anyone have any favorites out there?
I find it really hit and miss to find chapter length books that are exciting and complex enough to hold his interest, while also keeping the themes appropriate for 6 year old emotional/developmental stage.
Books that have been a hit so far both with the reader and the kiddo:
Where the Mountains Meet the Moon, The Eyes and the Impossible, Lotus Island Series, Charlotte's Web, Wild Robot series (adventure, fantasy, talking animals, etc), Dragons in a Bag
Some books he loves, but I don't love reading aloud are: Dragon Masters and Heroes in Training
His grandparents started reading Harry Potter to him and he's loving it, but the themes are gettng so dark so quickly, so I think we need to hold off and come back to it in a few years...
Many thanks for any rec's folks can provide!
Jess
Parent Replies
Mathilda, Danny Champion of the World, Mrs Piggle Wiggle, The Wizard of Oz, A Wrinkle in Time, From the Mixed up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, Half Magic, Ronia the Robber's Daughter (this list can probably pinpoint my birth year..). But librarians and bookstores always have fantastic recommendations. Highly recommend bringing your list to your local library and seeing what they come up with!
My favorite chapter book series to read out loud to that age is My Fathers Dragon. It’s such a clever story that should be enjoyable for parents and children alike.
Hi! Our 7.5 year old has many of the same favorites! (i think the only one we haven't read is Dragons in a Bag so we'll have to get it!). and we also have not started Harry Potter yet for the same reasons as you..
Here's some recent favorites - The One and Only Ivan (it's the first in a 4 part series, the first one I think is the best. Does have some sensitive themes around wild animal poaching though)
we love Kate DiCamillo, "the tale of despereaux" is great, it can get dark but perhaps less than potter. and also "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" We also loved her book "Ferris" which is very different and we were surprised our son loved it. (as we were surprised he loved the eyes and the impossible!)
Also the Unicorn Rescue Society books, and when I remember others I'll post more. and please share anything you learn about if people respond directly!
Maggie
PS I also hated reading dragon masters;) and we had to read them all
Maybe he would enjoy the Magic Treehouse series? As an early elementary schooler I remember loving Junie B Jones and Amber Brown books!
My six-year-old daughter likes the June B. Jones books, the Isadora Moon series, and the Kitty series.
Our daughter is 6 and loves being read chapter books. Some of her favorite authors are Roald Dahl, Kate DiCamillo, Beverly Cleary, and E.B. White (you might try The Trumpet of the Swan). Beverly Cleary and E.B. White feel very age-appropriate, while Roald Dahl and Kate DiCamillo are a bit darker/rougher but still seem age-appropriate enough. Both Kate DiCamillo and Roald Dahl are incredible artists and a joy to read as an adult.
The Phantom Tollbooth, The Neverending Story, anything by Roald Dahl, Howl's Moving Castle are all great easy chapter books!
My daughter is also 6 and loved Harry Potter. We switched to audio books and since she often does art and other play while listening I haven't felt the dark themes were too heavy for her. That said, other series she loved and that I don't mind reading out loud to her:
Upside Down Magic
The Tail of Emily Windsnap
The Land of Stories
Eva Evergreen
The Mythics (this is more akin to Dragon Masters, not great writing but tolerable for me)
Dragon Girls (super predictable and not my favorite for reading, but she loves them)
The Dragon with the Chocolate Heart (we did the audiobook)
Jasmine Toguchi (short chapter books)
Here are some books I have enjoyed with my 7 year old (who is pretty sensitive--e.g. I'm still waiting on Where the Mountain Meets the Moon because of the scary tiger).
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - love this one!
Gooney Bird Greene
Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff
The Phantom Tollbooth (uses a lot of wordplay and abstract concepts that would make more sense to older kids, but he enjoyed it)
Nate the Great (series)
He has also enjoyed listening to audiobooks of The Wind in the Willows, the Mary Poppins books, and A Rover's Story
Beverly Cleary books (Ramona series, The Mouse and the Motorcycle) are great--they really relay things from a child's perspective.
I'm always amazed at the young age some kids can handle Harry Potter! My ten-year-old still feels like it's too dark for her at her current age.
This is coming back to me so strongly, as our daughter was 6 when COVID started and we downloaded her first audio book and she sat outside for hours listening to it: Henry Huggins. All of the Henry books and Ramona books (Beverly Clearly) are very fun to read out loud or to listen to on long car rides.
If your kid is more into fantasy, the Warriors series is always being recommended to us and is not our kid's cup of tea, but at that same age--6--a kid who was 5 gifted her the first book because it was his favorite, so I suspect it's age-appropriate out loud. I'll bet lots of other parents weigh in on that one--it seems like we're missing a Warriors train here.
My 6 year old daughter really likes chapter books as well. If your son is open to series with strong female leads, my daughter and I have both enjoyed Zoey and Sassafras, Dory Fantasmagory, Dave the Unicorn, and Mia Mayhem. She really enjoyed the Dogman series, but that one is not my favorite.
What a terrific question! My children loved to be read to up until they were well into middle school. At six, chapter books they liked were The Magic Tree House, Moongobble and Me, Nate the Great, and My Father's Dragon series. The Ramona, Little House on the Prairie, and Winnie-the-Pooh (original not Disney versions) books were also well-loved (by both my son and my daughter). These are all classics (so dated), and my children loved them. I enjoyed reading them more than many of the contemporary series which I found often have a snarky or moralistic tone.
I'll note that my children loved Harry Potter starting around age six. I only read the first two books to them until they were able to read the books themselves. I edited liberally as I read to make the stories more appropriate for their age. They were both very motivated to learn to read so they could devour the rest of the series. I personally enjoyed reading the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage to them more than Harry Potter.
Hi, Jess,
I have kids aged 6 and 8. Here are a few of our favorites:
At that age my kids loved A Wind in the Willows- also, you could start on the Chronicles of Narnia, which is awesome, but does get intense at times. The Wrinkle in Time series is also wonderful! I love the reading that's happening!!! It's a good time to get him started on easy chapter books of his own to read to you as well! Enjoy!
My almost 6yo has enjoyed the books in your list, and also the Dory Fantasmagory series, and some of the Roald Dahl stories (George’s Marvellous Medicine; The Giraffe, the Pelly & Me; Charlie & the Chocolate Factory; Charlie & the Great Glass Elevator). You could also try some of David Walliams books, which are supposed to be good. They’re on my list to try next.
Some my kids loved around that age (I especially liked the first two):
Wolf Story by William McCleery
My Father's Dragon books by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Magic Treehouse books by Mary Pope Osborne
I also have a 6-year-old and struggle to find appropriate chapter books! Some favorites: My Father’s Dragon, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Because of Winn-Dixie, the Mouse and the Motorcycle, Dory Fantasmagory series. Right now we’re reading the One and Only Bob (sequel to the One and Only Ivan, which we did not read), and so far it’s a hit. Thanks for your suggestions!
At that age, I was a big Beverly Cleary fan, the Ralph books in particular (The Mouse & the Motorcycle, Runaway Ralph). I also loved Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, but that might be a little scary for 6 (I remember being a bit older when I was most into it). You might also look into Half Magic by Edward Eager & the others in that series. Those are also books I read when I was a bit older than 6, but my MIL recently revisited them to vet them for our 6yo niece and they passed muster. Some Roald Dahl would probably be good as well – James & the Giant Peach, BFG. Others maybe still a bit dark. Also, if he liked Charlotte's Web, E.B. White has another great one called The Trumpet of the Swan that I loved as a kid. Have fun!!
We loved the Magic Treehouse books at that age.
We love the Dory Fantasmagory series! I adore reading it as much as my kid loves to hear it. Dory is such a fun character with a wild imagination. My kid also likes Captain Underpants, but those books aren't always fun for me to read. My husband flat out refuses to read them at all.
For a really wonderfully goofy series try the Wayside School books by Louis Sachar
Also Charlie and the chocolate factory and James and the giant peach and Fantastic Mr Fox
Cricket in Times Square
I could go on and on :)
My kid also likes stories with some fantasy/magic/talking animals. Who doesn’t, really? A lot of the newer chapter books (like Dragon Masters) that she’s checked out don’t really hold my interest, so I tend to choose more older titles. My kid likes both, luckily, so here are some that both of us have enjoyed (she’s 7 but we read some of these when she was 4/5/6):
The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill
Several of these are from the NYRB Children’s Collection, which reprints out of print classics (or things that they think should have been classics). We haven’t read nearly everything in that collection, but everything we’ve tried has gone over well so far.
Also I’m sure you’ll get a lot of good suggestions here but if you ask at the library they will be able to tailor recommendations to your kid’s interests.
Magic Tree house series by Mary Pope Osborne. It involves 2 children traveling to via magic tree house to destinations in the book and save the day every time.
Geronimo Stilton series as also wonderful.
This is such a great thread, we’ll get a lot of ideas of books.
To add to the list: