21 Best Books for 1st Graders

First grade is a great time to cultivate a love of reading in your beginning reader. Whether they are reluctant or enthusiastic, these books will surely spark their interest!

First grade books can be a little tricky. Your little one is starting to explore reading on their own, but they’re not ready to put down the board books.

Their attention span and interest in stories has expanded, but they’re not ready for the longer chapter books that will engross them in a couple of years.

So how to find that happy medium where their ability and interest intersect? What are the best books for 1st graders, boys and girls?

This list is broken in half, with the first part being books that 1st graders can read themselves (and will, over and over and over again!) and the other half are read-aloud books that will appeal to their love of stories that they just aren’t able to manage on their own yet.

My children run the gamut from enthusiastic reader to very, very reluctant. Some have special needs, which was an added challenge, but what I found with all of them is this: If you find a book that speaks to them, that one spark can ignite a love of reading that will carry them for years.

I hope these beloved books will also bring joy to you and your little ones!

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Early Reader books

Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems

This series about two friends with different personalities, but a shared love of adventure, is an easy read for kids in 1st grade. The fun illustrations and relatable topics will have them reading and re-reading these books.

The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat

This hilarious story of four friends trying to figure out how to share three cookies will have your child laughing out loud. And if they love Elephant and Piggie, this will be an extra special read.

Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel

These classic books follow Frog and Toad as they have fun, tell stories, and help each other. It’s a beautiful series about friendship that children for decades have loved.

Mac and Cheese by Sarah Weeks

Mac and Cheese may be friends, but they are nothing alike. These books are great fun, but also a great opportunity to show how to be a good friend even when you don’t agree.

Poppleton books by Cynthia Rylant

Lovely illustrations make this funny and engaging series timeless. Poppleton the Pig has many quirks, as well as quirky friends, and your 1st grader can follow them through daily trials and lots of adventures.

Ting and Ling series by Grace Lin

Fun-loving twins Ting and Ling are always up to something! These books are so cute and enjoyable, your child will love reading about these two, who may look alike, but aren’t always the same.

What This Story Needs is a Pig in a Wig by Emma Virjan

This book is perfectly silly, and chock full of word families and rhymes. Your child won’t be able to resist reading it out loud!

Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park

Seeing life through the eyes of very relatable Junie B. will delight your child. With easy words and lots of illustrations, these early chapter books are hilarious and sure to be a hit.

Geronimo Stilton books by Geronimo Stilton

Written in bold fonts with lots of pictures to help kids decode words, these illustration-heavy chapter books are a little more challenging, but full of the wild adventures of a scaredy-mouse reporter that they won’t want to miss.

Ricky Ricotta’s Might Robot series by Dav Pilkey

Lots of illustrations and silly themes make these books about a boy who befriends a robot and defeats an evil villain a hit with 1st graders and beyond. My reluctant reader son started with these and then moved on to Pilkey’s DogMan books.

The Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne

This series is great for exploring history first-hand through the eyes of siblings Jack and Annie as they travel through time thanks to their unique tree house.

Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke

This book series takes 1st grade children to Africa where Anna lives with her very large extended family. It’s a great intro to African culture, as well as lots of fun as Anna watches her troublesome twin brothers and travels to the beach, among other things.

Read Aloud books

Nate the Great series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

With easy text and lots of simple illustrations, these stories follow a young detective as he solves mysteries for his friends and around the neighborhood. Cute and fun for 1st graders to stretch their deductive muscles. It won’t be long before they’re reading these themselves.

Strega Nona by Tomie dePaolo

This classic book about a witch who leaves a hungry villager in charge of her house and ever-full pasta pot has some disastrous results. Funny and fantastical, it also teaches a lesson.

The Somewhat True Adventures of Sammy Shine by Henry Cole

Pet mouse Sammy finds his life upended when he gets lost in the woods and has to face down an evil rat. Your child will love following him as he makes friends, formulates a plan, and fights to get home.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary’s books are always a hit, and this story of Ralph the mouse and his desire to ride a toy motorcycle a guest has brought to his inn is no exception.

My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

This adventure story of a boy who learns about a dragon imprisoned on an island and his adventures as he works to free it are funny, wild, and engaging. Your 1st grader will love listening to you read this book, as well as the others in the series.

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond

This series is hilarious and your whole family will enjoy the tales of Paddington Bear and his many misadventures, despite good intentions. (My kids loved the bacon in the suitcase situation.) There are 12 books in the series.

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

This book about a kindergartener who can’t wait to start doing what the “big kids” do will resonate with your 1st grader. Ramona’s excitement and curiosity, not to mention sibling arguments, will keep them engaged from start to finish.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

This is a classic that makes a great read-aloud for 1st graders. Full of farm animals and their many personalities, this book showcases the friendship between Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider, as well as offers a bittersweet look at the cycle of life.

Gooseberry Park and the Master Plan by Cynthia Rylant

My children all adore this author and so do I. This book was done as a school-wide read along for them (K-5) and it’s both funny and poignant as the animals work to bring water to the young and old in the park during a drought.

I hope these books help your 1st grade girl or boy find a series or character they can love and relate to as they spread their wings as readers. This is such a wonderful time in their life and I have always felt blessed to walk through it with each of my children. I hope you do, too.

Happy reading!

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[Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission, at no additional cost to you. All opinions are my own and I never recommend anything I haven’t used myself and loved.]

21 Best Books for 1st Graders

21 Best Books for 1st Graders