First Chapter Books
Here are books to hand to sturdy readers who have progressed beyond leveled easy readers.
Many also make good choices for reading aloud to children, ages 4-8-ish.
Some of the older titles have very dated covers, but please don’t misjudge them!
Click on the links to read my reviews!
Agnes and Clarabelle — written by Adele Griffin, illustrated by Courtney Sheinmel
Anna Hibiscus — Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia
Anne Arrives
Anne’s Kindred Spirits
Anne’s Tragical Tea Party
Baloney and Friends
Beans on the Roof — Betsy Byars, illustrated by Melodye Rosales
A Bear Named Bjorn
The Beast in My Belly
Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker — written and illustrated by Shelley Johannes
Big Foot and Little Foot — Ellen Potter, illustrated by Felicita Sala
Bink & Gollie — Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile
Blackberry Juice
The Blue Hill Meadows — Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Ellen Beier
Boris Gets a Lizard — written and illustrated by Andrew Joyner
Boris on the Move — written and illustrated by Andrew Joyner
Busybody Nora — Johanna Hurwitz, illustrated by Debbie Tilley
Candle Tales — Julia Cunningham, illustrated by Evaline Ness
Captain Pug: The Dog Who Sailed the Seas — Laura James, ill. by Eglantine Ceulemans
Catwings – Ursula Le Guin, illustrated by S.D. Schindler
A Certain Small Shepherd — Rebecca Caudill, illustrated by William Pène Du Bois
Claude in the Country — written and illustrated by Alex T. Smith
Clementine — Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee
Cobble Street Cousins — Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin
Cornbread & Poppy at the Carnival
Cowboy Pug — Laura James, illustrated by Eglantine Ceulemans
Did You Carry the Flag Today, Charlie? — Rebecca Caudill, illustrated by Nancy Grossman
Digby O’Day and the Great Diamond Robbery — Shirley Hughes, illustrated by Clara Vullliamy
Digby O’Day In the Fast Lane — Shirley Hughes, illustrated by Clara Vulliam
Digby O’Day Up Up and Away
Donut Feed the Squirrels
Dory and the Real, True Friend — written and illustrated by Abby Hanlon
Dory Fantasmagory — written and illustrated by Abby Hanlon
Dory Fantasmagory: Head in the Clouds — written and illustrated by Abby Hanlon
Dory Fantasmagory: Tiny Tough
Down Girl and Sit
The Dragon of Doom
Emma and the Blue Genie — Cornelia Funke, illustrated by Kerstin Meyer
Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas — Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban
Esio Trot — Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake
Fabio the World’s Greatest Flamingo Detective: Mystery on the Ostrich Express
Fabio, the World’s Greatest Flamingo Detective: The Case of the Missing Hippo
The Fabled Stables: Belly of the Beast
The Fabled Stables: Trouble with Tattle-Tails
Fox & Rabbit
Go Well, Anna Hibiscus — Atinuke, ill. by Lauren Tobia
The Great Cheese Robbery
Hamster Magic — Lynne Jonell, illustrated by Brandon Dorman
Harley — Star Livingstone, illustrated by Molly Bang
Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus — Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia
Here Comes Lolo
Hotel Flamingo
Hotel Flamingo: Carnival Caper
Hotel Flamingo: Fabulous Feast
Hotel Flamingo: Holiday Heat Wave
The Infamous Ratsos — Kara LaReau, illustrated by Matt Myers
The Jamie and Angus Stories — Anne Fine, illustrated by Penny Dale
Jasper & Scruff: The Treasure Hunt
Juana & Lucas — written and illustrated by Juana Medina
Kondo & Kezumi Visit Giant Island
Lady Lollipop — Dick King-Smith, illustrated by Jill Barton
Lavender — Karen Hesse, illustrated by Andrew Glass
Little Pear: The Story of a Little Chinese Boy — written and illustrated by Eleanor Frances Lattimore
The Little Riders — Margaretha Shermin, illustrated by Peter Spier
A Long Road on a Short Day
Lotta on Troublemaker Street — Astrid Lindgren, illustrated by Ilon Wikland
Lulu and the Cat in the Bag
Lulu and the Dog from the Sea — Hilary McKay, illustrated by Priscilla Lamont
Lulu and the Duck in the Park — Hilary McKay, illustrated by Priscilla Lamont
Lulu and the Hamster in the Night — Hilary McKay, illustrated by Priscilla Lamont
Lulu and the Hedgehog in the Rain
The Magician’s Boy — Susan Cooper, illustrated by Serena Riglietti
Mango and Bambang: The Not-a-Pig — Polly Faber, illustrated by Clara Vulliamy
The Marzipan Pig — Russell Hoban, illustrated by Quentin Blake
Maybelle in the Soup — Katie Speck, illustrated by Paul Ratz de Tagyos
Meet Yasmin, Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Hatem Aly
Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise — Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
Mercy Watson to the Rescue (and full series)
Mokie & Bik — Wendy Orr, illustrated by Jonathan Bean
Monkey & Robot
More Stories Julian Tells — Ann Cameron, illustrated by Ann Strugnell
Mouse House — Rumer Godden, illustrated by Adrienne Adams
Mouse Scouts — written and illustrated by Sarah Dillard
The Mousewife — Rumer Godden, illustrated by William Pène Du Bois
Mr. Penguin and the Lost Treasure — Alex T. Smith
Mrs. Noodlekugel — Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by Adam Stower
Mud Pies and Other Recipes — Marjorie Winslow, illustrated by Erik Blegvad
Mush, a Dog from Space — Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by Jill Pinkwater
My Father’s Dragon — Ruth Stiles Gannett, illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett
My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood — Rosemary Wells, illustrated by Peter Ferguson
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea — written and illustrated by Ben Clanton
The No 1 Car Spotter — Atinuke, illustrated by Warwick Johnson Cadwell
Not for Sale
Old Mother West Wind — written and illustrated by Thornton Burgess
The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo — Judy Blume, illustrated by Amy Aitken
Open the Door and See All the People — Clyde Robert Bulla, illustrated by Wendy Watson (also titled: The Toy House Dolls)
Ottoline and the Purple Fox
Ottoline and the Yellow Cat
Ottoline at Sea
Ottoline Goes to School
Our Friend Hedgehog
The Pai Pai Pig — Joy Anderson, illustrated by Jay Yang
Phoebe the Spy — Judith Berry Griffin, illustrated by Margot Tomes
Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey — written and illustrated by Alex Milway
Pigsticks and Harold and the Pirate Treasure — written and illustrated by Alex Milway
Pleasant Fieldmouse — Jan Wahl, illustrated by Maurice Sendak
Princess Cora and the Crocodile — Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Brian Floca
The Princess in Black — Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Rats on the Roof
Roses Dress of Dreams
Ruby Lu, Brave and True — Lenore Look, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
Safari Pug
See the Cat
See You When I See You — Rose Lagercrantz, illustrated by Eva Eriksson
Seesaw Girl — Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Jean and Mou-Sien Tseng
Seven Kisses in a Row — Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Maria Pia Marrella
Sophie Takes to the Sky
Space Taxi: Archie Takes Flight — Wendy Mass and Michael Brawer, illustrated by Elise Gravel
Sprout Street Neighbors: A New Arrival — written and illustrated by Anna Alter
Sprout Street Neighbors: Five Stories — written and illustrated by Anna Alter
Starla Jean: Which Came First: The Chicken or the Friendship?
Starring Grace — Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Caroline Binch
Stinky Spike the Pirate Dog — Peter Meisel, illustrated by Paul Meisel
The Stories Julian Tells — Ann Cameron, illustrated by Ann Strugnell
The Storm — Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Preston McDaniels
The Story of Diva and Flea — Mo Willems, illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi
Sydney and Taylor and the Great Friend Expedition
Sydney and Taylor Explore the Whole Wide World
Sydney and Taylor Take a Flying Leap
Tales for a Winter’s Eve — written and illustrated by Wendy Watson
Teaflet and Roog Make a Mess
A Toad for Tuesday — Russell E. Erickson, illustrated by Lawrence di Fiori
Too Small Tola
Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot — Anna Bradford, illustrated by Elanna Allen
Violet Mackerel’s Natural Habitat — Anna Bradford, illustrated by Elanna Allen
Waiting for Sophie — Sarah Ellis, illustrated by Carmen Mok
Warton and Morton — Russell E. Erickson, illustrated by Lawrence di Fiori
Warton and the Castaways — Russell E. Erickson, illustrated by Lawrence di Fiori
Warton’s Christmas Eve Adventure — Russell E. Erickson, illustrated by Lawrence di Fiori
The Whale
Willa the Wisp
Wolf and Dog
Wolf Pie
Wolfie & Fly — Cary Fagan, illustrated by Zoe Si
Zanzibar — written and illustrated by Catharina Valckx
orange marmalade 