Best Books for Kindergarteners: Ages 5-6 Years

Here are my favorite books to recommend to kindergarteners, or children ages 5-6. These picture books make excellent read-alouds at home or in the classroom to help students laugh or cope with new school-year emotions. Plus, it’s time to put those early literacy skills into action and learn how to read! These beginning readers offer sight words, rhyming words, and repetition akin to the classic Bob books, but with a bit more fun. Don’t forget to add nonfiction to your Kindergartener’s palate to ignite curiosity and expand their vocabulary.

A quick note: As Donalyn Miller said in The Joy of Reading, a list is only as good as its maker. While these titles have been successful with the families I’ve served and my own children, I don’t expect you to share them wholesale with yours. You know your community best! I hope you discover a few new titles that give your readers’ advisory a boost or foster a connection with your own readers.

Picture Books for Kindergarteners

The King of Kindergarten
By Derrick Barnes
A great intro to Kindergarten for littles about a kind boy who is starting it himeself.
The Three Billy
Goats Gruff
By Mac Barnett
A very hungry troll underestimates the clever goats crossing his bridge.
Z is for Moose
By Kelly Bingham
Zebra is presenting the alphabet, but his friend isn’t happy when he learns M isn’t for Moose.
Otto the Book Bear By Katie Cleminson Otto is happiest when his book is read, but when it’s left behind he ventures out to find a new home.
Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type
By Doreen Cronin Farmer Brown is hearing too much typing and not enough milking from his cows.
Zip Zap Wickety Wack
By Matthew Diffee
The most out of this world book you’ve ever read about sharing.
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
By Kevin Henkes
Lilly will need patience to wait for class share time to show her plastic purse.
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates
By Ryan T. Higgins
The first day of school is even harder when your classmates look delicious.
Toys Meet Snow
By Emily Jenkins
Lumphy, StingRay, and Plastic enjoy their very first snow day.
Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes
By Eric Litwin
Pete discovers the library, lunchroom, and playground in his new school shoes.
I Need My Monster
By Amanda Noll
Ethan needs Gabe the Monster’s nightly scares to go to sleep.
The Kissing Hand
By Audrey Penn
Chester doesn’t want to start school, but Mrs. Raccoon knows a secret that will comfort him while they’re apart.
The Bear Ate Your Sandwich
By Julia Sarcone-Roach
It all started with a bear, lost in a city, who found sandwich, but was it really him?
A Bad Case of Stripes
By David Shannon
Camilla Cream worries so much that she may break out in stripes.
A Sick Day for Amos McGee
By Philip C. Stead When the zookeeper is home sick, the animals decide it’s time to take care of him.
Cranky Crabby Crow
By Corey R. Tabor
Don’t judge a crow by its “KAW!” It might be saving the world.
The Three Pigs
By David Wiesner
The wolf’s huffing and puffing blows a pig right out of the story!
Look and Listen
By Dianne White
A guessing game book that explores the sights and sounds of a garden, meadow, and brook.
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything
By Linda Williams
Clomp, clomp, shake, shake! Has the little old lady finally met her match?
Dad’s First Day
By Mike Wohnoutka
Dad isn’t ready for school to start and Oliver must convince him it will be alright.

Beginning Reader Books for Kindergarteners

Don’t Throw It to Mo!
By David A. Adler
Mo may not be the biggest or the fastest football player, but he won’t let that stop him from playing!
Bugs
By Anthony Williams
Focus on the /b/ phoneme with the words “Big” and “Bug.” From the Decodables by Jump Series.
Hi, Jack!
By Mac Barnett
Jack is a good guy, but he can also be bad! Kiddos will love learning to read with this little troublemaker.
Night Lights
By Michael Emberley
A monster boy and his dad turn to the stars during a blackout. From the I Like to Read Comics Series.
Goat Wants to Eat
By Laura Gehl
Every time Cat finds a bed, goat eats it!
Blake Can Skate
By Leanna Koch
Blake learns he can skate many place, but not inside! From the Starway Decodables Series.
Ty’s Travels: Super Ty!
By Kelly Starling Lyons
Ty loves superheores and pretending to be one, but learns that sometimes even superheroes need help.
Sheep Sleep
By Pearl Markovics
Learn to read and rhyme with the -eep family. From the Read and Rhyme Series.
Fox Has a Problem
By Corey R. Tabor
Fox’s kite is stuck in a tree! Will he and his friends find the right plan to get it down?

Nonfiction Books for Kindergarteners

Things That Float and Things That Don’t
By David A. Adler (532.25)
Questions about density and floatation are answered, plus activity ideas.
Chameleon, Chameleon
By Joy Cowley (597.95)
The story of a chameleon exploring the rainforest
told through extraordinary photographs.
Island: A Story of Galapagos
By Jason Chin (508.866)
Discover plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth.
Barnum’s Bones
By Tracey Fern (921)
Story of the paleontologist who discovered the first documented skeleton of the T-Rex.
Being Frog
By April Pulley Sayre (597.89)
An up close look at the life of frogs through excellent photography and poetry.