I’m so excited to share our first roundup of favorite books! Thanks to the shared recommendations of our favorite homeschool blogs, our library trips over the past several years have been filled with treasures of truth and beauty in the form of children’s books. I’m honestly not sure I would have found some of these gems without the recommendations of other mamas. Libraries can be intimidating with their shelves and shelves of books, particularly if you have a toddler (or two) in tow!
Over the past few years, I’ve also found it helpful to compare multiple book lists and search for books that multiple mamas have recommended. I find that when multiple mamas (whose values seem to align closely to my own) recommend a book, it’s a guaranteed win.
I’m excited to be adding our list of Favorite Early Readers to the world of book recommendation lists, in the hopes that someone will enjoy these gems as much as we have!
Reading Level: Confident Reader, Age 6-8
The Sophie Mouse book series has become my daughter’s absolute favorite series. It’s a delightful, gentle series revolving around family, friendship, and childlike adventures. We began the series as a read-aloud before my daughter was ready to read them on her own, and I so enjoyed reading them with her! One of the things I appreciated most was the author’s use of child-friendly conflict and the development of positive character traits that Sophie and her friends display throughout the narrative. Now that my daughter is a more capable reader, this is a series I’ve felt good about letting her read independently without pre-reading the books myself. Bonus: The book series has 25+ titles and more are still being published!
Reading Level: Intermediate Reader, Ages 6-8
This sweet series, Do Great Things for God, features the stories of men and women of great faith throughout the centuries, inspiring the faith of young readers. There are now 15 books in the series, making them a great series to add to your collection!
Reading Level: Intermediate Reader, Age 6-8
The Anne Early Reader Series by Kallie George has been such a happy addition to our reading time. While I steer away from most abridged and adapted classics, I simply could not wait to share the Anne series with my daughter. At the sweet age of six, she’s not quite ready for the full novels, and this series is the most adorable introduction to the character of Anne and some of her more memorable adventures. I’d highly recommend these if you’re willing to embrace an adaptation of a classic series.
Reading Level: Confident Reader, Age 6-8
The Heartwood Hotel series, also by Kallie George, has also become a household favorite! My daughter is fully in the “cute talking animal stage”, and we just adore this gentle series. Like Sophie Mouse, Kallie George takes her characters on adventures to strengthen their compassion, kindness and understanding, showing children what it means to grow in maturity and true friendship. By the time we found this series, my daughter was an independent reader, so we both read them independently and discussed them afterwards . We so loved sharing our thoughts on this series, and it made for an excellent first “Mommy Daughter Book Club” memory.
Reading Level: Pre-Read (Age 3-5) or Intermediate Reader (6-8)
The Mr. Putter & Tabby series is some of Cynthia Rylant’s most adorable work. It follows two retirees (and their pets) who are excellent friends and neighbors. Since the chapters are remarkably short, I started reading this series to my daughter when she was three, and she’s enjoyed this series ever since! Now that she can read them herself, she’s enjoyed revisiting the adventures of Mr. Putter and Mrs. Teaberry during her independent reading time.
Reading Level: Pre-Read (Age 3-5) or Intermediate Reader (6-8)
Recommended by Ambleside Online for Year 1 Extra Reading, this set of Arnold Lobel books have been a sweet independent read for my daughter. The chapters are very short, with few words on each page, making these perfect for introductory chapter books to build confidence in newer readers.
That’s a wrap on our Early Reading favorites! We hope you find a few you enjoy!
Cover images via Amazon. We are not affiliated with Amazon nor do we earn any commission for purchases.