Oof it can be hard to find great books for beginning readers. There are a lot books out there that seem to prioritize the leveled reader aspect and skip the important of a good story, Ugh! The books here are both wonderful stories and good for early readers excited to pick up chapter books. I’ve mentioned things that are important to me when I am searching for books, including having good stories, BIPOC characters, not heavily school focused (especially younger kids in the self-directed education [SDE] world, need a break from the ever-present school narrative) and gentle stories that limit the mean kid trope. This list is organized from easiest to hardest, though these rankings are absolutely relative. An upcoming post will continue the thread with a bit more textually difficult books.
Lots of pictures, Less text
Elephant & Piggie Biggie, volumes 1-5 — Mo Willems, 2017–2025
So these are not technically chapter books; they are BIG books collecting multiple Elephant & Piggie stories in each so they feel like chapter books! This is a great solution for beginning readers who cannot wait for chapter books! And Mo Willems, well you can’t go wrong there. He will have you laughing along with your young readers.
Ling & Ting — Grace Lin, 2010-2015
I was so excited to see that Grace Lin, who I love for for her ya lit book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and several picture books including, A BIG Mooncake for Little Star, also has written this early chapter book series! Ling and Ting are identical twins; the series explores how they are different, their sisterhood and gentle home life. Not much school stuff here and all sweetness.
Frog and Toad — (4 book series) Arnold Lobel, 1970–1979
These are classics. There are four books in the series, each with chapters with self-contained stories, so a very similar feel to the Elephant & Piggie BIGGIE books. These stories are one of my favorite styles for children: slow paced, repetitive in just the right amount and full of small everyday adventures.
Bink and Gollie — (3 book series) Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, 2010–2013
These are funny books! One of the few here that I enjoy myself as much as young readers do. I want to know more about the antics and quirky friendship negotiations of these two. No mean kid stuff here. And no school in sight.
Charlie & Mouse — (6 book series) Laurel Snyder, 2017-2022
This series surprised me! I highly recommend these kind books. There is lots of pretending and easy going antics. In the neighborhood here and there you can note male identifying children in tutus and same sex couples. The themes are about brotherhood, imagination and simple adventures. It’s all about home and neighborhood, not school. Also the illustrations are lovely! Emily Hughes’ art is spot on for whimsical childhood.
Owl at Home — Arnold Lobel, 1975 (Honorable Mention)
This is very similar to Frog and Toad, same publication time frame and author. I prefer Frog and Toad, but this could be a great extension for those people who want more!
More words on the page, Thoughtful word choice for early readers, Heavy illustrations
Yasmin (26 book series) — Saadia Faruqi, 2018–present
I love that the Yasmin series focuses on a middle eastern and Muslim family. The stories are fine, the typical kinds of plots (shopping, gardening, parties, plenty of traditional school themes). Still I dig these books for featuring a Pakistani American family, Muslim customs and Urdu language naturally woven throughout.
Sofia Martinez — (12 book series) Jacqueline Jules, 2015–2018
This is a fun set of stories with a funky and fun character, Sofia. I adore all of conversational Spanish sprinkled through the text. I love that these stories are focused on family life, not big focus on school and there is no classic mean drama.
Ana & Andrew — (5 book series) Christine Platt, 2018–2021
I really appreciate the focus of this series on family and community life. There are books about Carnival, a trip to Savannah, and history study via museums. This one speaks to our self-directed life. The mean kid trope is absent. And this is another book featuring a BIPOC family. Sweet!
Iris and Walter — (10 book series) Elissa Haden Guest, 2000-2006
This is a gentle series of friendship and low stakes conflicts, like moving from the city to the country. Sometimes school is part of the story, but it’s focused on events, like a school play, rather than the ins and outs of the classroom.
Mouse and Mole — (7 books) Wong Herbert Yee, 2005 (Honorable Mention)
This is very similar (maybe too similar for me!) to Frog and Toad. For kids who are loving that and looking for more, this is a great turn, especially if they are ready for more words on the page. Just gentle animal stories.
More words on page, More complex vocabulary, Illustrations Present but less the focus
Orris and Timble — (3 book series) Kate DiCamillo, 2024–2026
Oh goodness these are lovely. I most love the quality of the illustrations and the publication choices. These early readers should still have lovely images and oh Orris and Timble have this. The feel of the pages, the nicely bound hardback books from our library… it all makes you feel like these are books to be enjoyed not just processed through a learn to read conveyor belt. Themes of courage and kindness.
Mia Mayhem — (13 book series) Kara West, 2018–2023
I was excited to find these a few years ago. Mia is a funny, fledgling super hero girl learning about her and her family’s powers for the first time. One note is that there is some mean kid, bully, stuff in here, especially in book 3. There is just enough text on the page for many early readers. BIPOC characters front and center!
Frankie and Friends — (4 book series) Christine Platt, 2023–2025
This is a great book series! The focus is on the mom’s journalism career, a pretty cool plot focus. The books feature a Black family and is really focused on family life and not school. Also missing, happily, is the unkind kid conflict stuff.
Mercy Watson — (6 book series) Kate DiCamillo, 2005–2022 (Honorable Mention)
I do love Kate DiCamillo, but pig books are not really for me. Some kids love this series, though, and the stories do meet my expectations for gentle themes. There are even more books in the spinoff series.
Poppleton and Friends — (10 book series) Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Mark Teague, 1997–2022 (Honorable Mention)
Another set of pig books, which I don’t love, with another author, Cynthia Rylant, who I do love. The themes of these books are sweet. It just didn’t catch on for me.
Longer sentences, Less illustrations, More complexity
Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest — (5 book series) Marti Dumas, 2015–2017
These books are fun! I enjoyed the relevant topics to kids today around screen time and social media and the kind family portrayed. Another great BIPOC family represented! There are some traditional school themes, but the representation of them feels fresh to me and it’s a gentle turn of story.
The Adventures of Sophie Mouse — (23 book series) Poppy Green, 2015–present
A sweet set (23 books at the time of this writing) of books about a young humanized mouse in an animal community. Note that book one does feature some unkind dynamics and exclusion. It’s literally the plot of the book, so it does all get unwound and the character treated unkindly becomes an integral part of the series from this book on.
Anna Hibiscus — (12 book series) Atinuke, 2007–2023
If you read my post about Atinuke, you already know I am a huge fan of this author. Anna Hibiscus is just phenomenal and set in Africa. The stories are for children and also so enjoyable by adults. So many funny things happen. Especially book one is not school focused. And Atinuke is as gentle as can be in her plot lines for children.
Ruby Lu —(3 book series) Lenore Look, 2004–2006
This book is so good. I read it for the first time recently and can’t wait to read this aloud during afternoon storytime. The focus on Chinese School is super cool. The conflicts and triumphs are sweet. This is a new favorite for me. No mean kid stuff in sight.
Beti and the Little Round House — Atinuke, 2024
Another Atinuke book is here, of course! This is one of my favorite books of all time. The illustrations of Emily Hughes are a match for Atinuke’s magical childhood world crafted for Beti and her family. This is a special book if you are looking for a gift for some nature and story loving child.
Molly Mac— Marty Kelley, 2017-2018 (Honorable Mention)
This is a cute series with a mixed race family. I enjoy the illustrations that are woven in. The characters are likeable, and I appreciate the dialogue throughout. Some mean kid stuff from the main character in book 1. It doesn’t land as a hard for me, since you understand what is happening underneath. The stories haven’t grabbed me so far, but it’s a series definitely worth having accessible on the shelf!
Look for another post featuring slightly more difficult early chapter books.