A five-year-old is a tough audience. They know what they like, they know when they're being taught something, and they will tell you, loudly, when a book is boring.
These seven are the opposite of boring. They are funny, a little scary, full of rhythm, and built to be read aloud. None of them is on the list because it's good for children. They are on the list because children ask for them again.
The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
A small mouse outwits every predator in the wood with one invented monster. The rhyme carries you, and by the third reading your child will be saying the lines before you do.
Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
A boy is sent to bed without supper and sails to a land of monsters. Short, strange and a little wild, which is exactly what five-year-olds feel like inside.
We're Going on a Bear Hunt, by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
Swishy grass, squelchy mud, a dark cave. It begs to be performed, with sound effects and running on the spot.
The Day the Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
A box of crayons writes letters of complaint. It's very funny, and children who are learning letters love that the whole book is made of them.
The Tiger Who Came to Tea, by Judith Kerr
A tiger arrives at the door and eats everything in the house. Nobody panics. It's calm, absurd and comforting all at once.
Owl Babies, by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson
Three baby owls wait for their mother to come home. It's gentle, a little tense, and perfect for any child who has ever worried about a parent coming back.
Frog and Toad Are Friends, by Arnold Lobel
Short chapters about two friends who are kind to each other in small, funny ways. A lovely bridge from picture books to first chapter books.
How to use a list like this
Don't buy all seven. Borrow two from the library, read them together, and see which one your child brings back to you. That's the one that tells you what to look for next.
How Long Should a 5-Year-Old Read Each Day?
Which book did your five-year-old ask for again and again? Leave it in the comments. I read every one, and the best lists are the ones parents make together.
I read, I choose, and I write about the books that stay with me. I also write The Keeper Chronicles.
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