Early Chapter Books For Kids

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This list is aimed to help emerging independent readers, aging around the 5-8 mark. 

For beginning chapter books, I feel like the most important thing it keeping the reader engaged so by having adventures and cliff-hangers, books are harder to put down! However, they’re also in that transition stage between picture books and chapter books. If a book doesn’t have enough pictures, it can look daunting and we don’t want to discourage our readers, we want them to gain confidence as independent readers!

So with that being said, these are a few of my FAVORITE early chapter books.


Good Dog by Cam Higgins


Published: December 2020

This first-person narrative series currently included 8 books. Bo Davis is a farm dog and lives with his adoptive human family. In the first story, Bo loses his collar tag and visits other farm animals in search for it.

 This series includes an interracial couple (Bo’s human parents) and a 3-legged dog.

 Sample Page:




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The Fabled Stables by Jonathan Auxier



Published: October 2020
My favorite of the list! This combines the bold, eye-catching illustrations you find in picture books with a whimsical adventure story. 
 
The premise isn’t entirely new – a young boy, Auggie, works at a magical stable filled with magical creatures and constantly growing. When an empty stall appears, Auggie must venture through a portal into a magical realm to save a creature that needs the protection of the Fabled Stables. 
 
Sample Page: 

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Ana & Andrew by Christine Platt


Published: December 2018
Ana and Andrew are siblings that encounter realistic situations throughout the series like, learning new instruments, getting a pet, visiting the museum or enjoying a snow day. 
 
These beginner chapter books are short – 32 pages long- and in the few that I have read, Platt finds a way to tie in facts about African American history. For example, in The Magic Violin, the kids father tells them about Frederick Douglass who also played the violin.
 
Sample Page:


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Charlie & Mouse by Jonathan Auxier


Published: April 2019
Aside from Doggo and Pupper, this is the simplest book on the list. The sentences are very simple and it is only 36 pages long. In fact, I almost didn’t add it to this list.  
 
 In this story, siblings Charlie and Mouse are going camping with their parents. Charlie and Mouse tell stories and play with their imagination in the woods during their trip. It’s a very simple but fun story that leaves readers smiling.
 
This book is actually #4 in the series. There are currently 5 books in this series.
 
Sample Page:

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Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us by Lauren Castillo


Published: May 2020
Caldecott Honor-winning artist, Lauren Castillo authors and illustrates this sweet and simple story about woodland critters finding friendship and bravery to recover one of their own. Hedgehog lives on a tiny island in a river, between two great woods and when his best friend Mutty (stuffed animal) is carried away by the wind during a storm, Hedgehog is desperate to find him. Along the way, he meets a wealth of other creatures who help him in his search. 
 
The illustrations in this book are beautiful and one thing I enjoyed about this was, each time a new animal was introduced, the animals greeted them in a different way. For example, Mole said “Bonjour”, Owl was greeted with “Guten Tag”, “Hola!”, “Salaam”, etc. Young readers may not catch on at the various common greetings in other parts of the world, but for adult readers, it’s a neat touch.
 
Sample Page:


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Kondo & Kezumi by David Goodner


Published: October 2020
Kondo and Kezumi live on a tropical island. One day, a bottle washes ashore and they find a map inside! The map is full of other islands. Kenzumi is excited about the contents on the map and convinced Kondo to build a boat and travel the ocean with her in this 3-book series (currently… maybe there will be more?).
 
Sample Page:   

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The Princess In Black by Shannon & Dean Hale



Published: April 2015
Husband and wife duo, Shannon and Dean Hale have come together for the Princess In Black series. 
 
This ongoing series currently has 9 books that center around Princess Magnolia, aka The Princess in Black. These books have reoccurring plots of the Princess in Black being alerted of a monster nearby, solving the monster situation and goats.  
 
Sample Page:

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Doggo and Pupper by Katherine Applegate


Published: March 2021
 
This early chapter book by Newberry Award winner, Katherine Applegate is sure to have your beginning reader giggling. Doggo has a great life – a terrific life. He takes naps, watches bug, plays with his human kiddos, etc. but his humans are worried that Doggo is bored and needs something more in his life. So they bring home Pupper which upsets the life that Doggo has come to know. Right now there are only 2 books in this series.
 
Sample Page:


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Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo



Published: December 2009
 
Kate Dicamillo’s 6-book collection centers around Mercy who isn’t just a pig to Mr. and Mrs. Watson but a porcine wonder. In the first book, Mercy decides to crawl into bed with her two-legged parents when she gets scared of the dark. When danger strikes, Mercy quickly jumps up from the bed and runs to the neighbors for sugar cookies – er, I mean… help! 
 
Sample Page: 

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Anne's Kindred Spirits by Kallie George



 Published: May 2019
 
A kid-friendly, accessible retelling of L.M. Montgomery's Anne Of Green Gables! The shown cover is actually book 2 in this early reader series. This is a must-read for young girl in your life.
 
Sample Page: 










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