Popular Series & Authors for 3-5 Year Olds

Be aware that there is a wide array of reading abilities across this age. Look throughout the below suggestions and select those that match the reading level and interests of your child. Don’t limit your child to books she can read—explore the books together! (Is your child ready for readers or early chapter books? Check out these suggestions.) 

• Clifford
  • Online interactive storybooks for early readers
  • Learning games and more 
• Scholastic Leveled Readers (fiction and nonfiction) 
• I Spy:
  • Publish your ISpy riddle 
  • Play ISpy games
  • ISpy printables
• Alphabet Mystery, Alphabet Adventure, and Alphabet Rescue series
• Lily, Wemberly, Sheila Rae, Chester and friends of Keven Henkes
• Miss Spider
• Elephant and Piggie series
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus series 
• Cat the Cat, Who Is That? series
• Knuffle Bunny series
• Berenstain Bears
• Balloon Tunes series
• Trucktown series
• Flip A Word Books
• Sheep in a Jeep series
• How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? series
• You Read to Me, I’ll Read To You
• Dumb Bunnies series
• Owly series
• Toon Books series
• I Stink, I’m Dirty, I’m Mighty, I’m Big, I’m Bad
• Corduroy
• Scaredy Squirrel

Other Great Titles for this Age Group: 

• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendek
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin and John Archambault
• We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
• Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard 
• Dinosaurumpus! by Tony Mitton
• Leo the Lightning Bug by Eric Drachman
• Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
• Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss        
• Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
•  Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes of every kind!

Authors Who “Get” This Age Group: 

• Dr. Seuss 
• Donald Crews
• David Kirk
• Kate McMullan
• Eric Carle
• Jan Brett 
• Jane Yolen
• Amy Krouse Rosenthal
• Mo Willems 
• Sandra Boynton 
• Mem Fox
• Kevin Henkes
• Leo Lionni
• Maurice Sendak
• Ezra Jack Keats
• Michael Rosen
• Robert Mensch
• Jan Thomas
• Rosemary Wells
• Jon Scieszka
• Bill Martin
• Vera B. William
• Lois Ehlert
• Audrey Wood
• Kevin Lewis

Magazines: One way to get children to love reading is to provide many different reading sources and opportunities. Magazines are a great way to expand and extend your child’s reading skills. Some great ones to choose from:

• Ladybug Magazine: For 3-6 year olds. Stories and poems in easy to read format. 
• Click Magazine: Science magazine for kids 3-6. 
• Big Backyard Magazine (formerly Your Big Backyard): National Wildlife Federation magazine for kids 3-6.  See a sample online magazine here.
• National Geographic Little Kids