Books To Get Your First Grader Reading
First grade is an exciting year for growing readers. As kids gain confidence and begin reading more independently, the right books can help turn practice into a lifelong love of reading. Encourage your little reader with a few page-turning books as they start first grade!
To help you find the perfect match for your young reader, we’ve grouped our favorite first grade books by interest — from funny stories and school adventures to magical tales and beginning chapter books.
For Kids Starting First Grade | For Illustrated Chapter Book Readers | For Kids Who Love To Laugh | For Animal Lovers | For Imaginative Readers
-
1
Add to BookshelfPrincess Posey and the First Grade Parade
by Stephanie Greene
Posey is very nervous about starting first grade and walking into school all by herself. Worst of all, she has to do it without the one thing that always makes her feel brave and special: The tutu that turns her into the Pink Princess. How will Posey face the first day of school without it?
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$6.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
2
Add to Bookshelf
Harry Versus the First 100 Days of School
by Emily Jenkins
In just 100 days, Harry will learn how to overcome first-day jitters, why guinea pigs aren’t scary after all, what a silent “e” is about, how to count to 100 in tons of different ways, and much more. He’ll make great friends, celebrate lots of holidays, and learn how to use his words. In other words, he will become an expert first grader.
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$8.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
3
Add to Bookshelf
Lunch Will Never Be the Same! #1
by Veera Hiranandani
Phoebe G. Green has never given much thought to food, but when a new French classmate enters the cafeteria with a lunchbox full of unusual foods, a new love is born. Spunky and likable, Phoebe is a budding foodie who’s sure to win over your heart – and stomach!
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$7.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
4
Add to Bookshelf
Amina Banana and the Formula for Friendship
by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Meet Amina Banana! Amina loves bananas, science, and all things yellow! She’s a determined and clever third grader, and star of a new chapter book series with a STEM twist. Perfect for readers of The Questioneers and Junie B. Jones! Her family recently arrived from Syria to Indiana, and she’s starting at a brand-new school in a brand-new country. She’s excited but also nervous, especially about making friends!
Add to BookshelfHardcover
$16.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
5
Add to Bookshelf
How to Start First Grade
by Catherine A. Hapka, Ellen Titlebaum and Ellen Vandenberg
Steve is so excited to start first grade with all his buddies from kindergarten! But then a new kid joins the class, and, boy, is she impressive! Hannah is from Alaska, and she’s really cool. Even her show-and-tell is way more exciting than Steve’s. But exaggerating to make himself seem cooler just lands Steve in the principal’s office. Will he get into worse trouble, or can he maybe make a new friend?
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$5.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
6
Add to Bookshelf
My Life in Pictures
by Deborah Zemke
Bea Garcia is an artist. She draws anywhere and everywhere — but mostly in her own notebook. When Bea’s first and only best friend Yvonne moves to Australia, not even drawing makes Bea feel better. And things only get worse when a loud, rambunctious boy moves in next door. He’s nothing at all like Yvonne! But with a little imagination and a whole lot of doodles, Bea Garcia might just make a new friend.
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$7.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
7
Add to Bookshelf
Bink and Gollie
by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
Meet Bink and Gollie, two precocious little girls — one tiny, one tall, and both utterly irrepressible. Setting out from their super-deluxe tree house and powered by plenty of peanut butter (for Bink) and pancakes (for Gollie), they share three comical adventures involving painfully bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion.
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$6.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
8
Add to Bookshelf
Our Friend Hedgehog
by Lauren Castillo
Hedgehog lives on a teeny-tiny island with only her stuffed dog, Mutty, for company. When a great storm carries Mutty away, she embarks on a quest to find her friend. Following the trail of clues Mutty left behind, brave Hedgehog meets a wiggly Mole, a wordy Owl, a curmudgeonly Beaver, a scatterbrained Hen and Chicks, and a girl who’s new to the neighborhood, Annika May. With bravery and teamwork, there’s nothing that can stop these seven from finding Mutty, but along the way they discover something even more important: each other.
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$9.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
9
Add to Bookshelf
See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog
by David LaRochelle
See Max. Max is not a cat — Max is a dog. But much to Max’s dismay, the book keeps instructing readers to “see the cat.” How can Max get through to the book that he is a DOG? In a trio of stories for beginning readers, author David LaRochelle introduces the excitable Max, who lets the book know in irresistibly emphatic dialogue that the text is not to his liking.
Add to BookshelfHardcover
$9.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
10
Add to Bookshelf
The Book That Almost Rhymed
by Omar Abed
Every great adventure needs a hero — or two! This playful take on storytelling and equity proves that two tellers can make a rhyming tale twice as nice. Turns out adventure is way more fun when you build it together, rhyme by daring rhyme.
Add to BookshelfHardcover
$18.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
11
Add to Bookshelf
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea! (A Narwhal and Jelly Book #1)
by Ben Clanton
Narwhal is a happy-go-lucky narwhal. Jelly is a no-nonsense jellyfish. The two might not have a lot in common, but they do both love waffles, parties and adventures. Join Narwhal and Jelly as they discover the whole wide ocean together.
Add to BookshelfHardcover
$12.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
12
Add to Bookshelf
Hi, Jack!
by Mac Barnett
Meet Jack: He lives in a tree house. His interests include snacks, petty theft, and lipstick graffiti. This uproarious early reader is perfect for fans of Piggie & Elephant books.
Add to BookshelfHardcover
$9.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
13
Add to Bookshelf
The Smallest Kitten
by Holly Webb
Holly Webb’s bestselling series Pet Rescue Adventures continues with this story of Zara and Amina, twin sisters who adopt a kitten named Pixie. The girls have different ideas for how to take care of Pixie, and when they get into an argument one day, Pixie runs off, scared. Can the girls find a way to work together to find their kitten?
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$5.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
14
Add to Bookshelf
Papilio
by Ben Clanton, Corey R. Tabor and Andy Chou Musser
Introducing Papilio Polyxenes, the Black Swallowtail Butterfly! She’s an adorable and hilarious caterpillar who is ready to join the world and become a butterfly! But growing up is a complicated work in progress, and Papilio encounters some hiccups as she learns to fly, fall, and feed. While avoiding foes and making friends, she transforms from caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly … and most importantly, learns to believe in herself along the way.
Add to BookshelfHardcover
$19.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
15
Add to Bookshelf
Pip & Pals #1: Otter Space!
by Jen de Oliveira
One day, Pip emerges from the water to find her fur has turned GREEN! Her friends brainstorm the only explanation that makes sense – she must be from space! Hilarious hijinks ensue as the friends figure out how to get Pip back home, only for Pip and her pals to realize that home is wherever her friends are.
Add to BookshelfHardcover
$10.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
16
Add to Bookshelf
Witchycakes #1: Sweet Magic
by Kara LaReau
Welcome to the most magical bakery — Witchycakes! Little Blue, a witch-in-training, delivers baked goods all over their town, and helps their neighbors with a touch of magic. Cozy up with this sweet chapter book with irresistible full-color art on every page!
Add to BookshelfHardcover
$15.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
17
Add to Bookshelf
Ready? Set. Rides! (Raymond and Roxy)
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
It’s the last day of school! Raymond and his friend Roxy are excited to spend their first day of summer vacation at an amusement park! This Step 2 reader captures all the excitement and anticipation!
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$5.99Buy from Other Retailers:
-
18
Add to Bookshelf
The Princess in Black
by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Perfect Princess Magnolia has a secret — her alter ego is the Princess in Black, a superhero figure who protects the kingdom! Can she keep her secret from the nosy Duchess Wigtower? An imaginative and fun story that’s great for beginning readers.
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$6.99Buy from Other Retailers:
