Recommended Emergent and Easy Readers for 5 and 6 Year Olds

Want to help your emergent readers keep practicing their reading skills? Here are the best, most recommended easy reader books(also called early reader books) for your 5- and 6- year old children in kindergarten or first grade.

Some of these easy readers are decodable and phonics-based while others are leveled by the publisher (levels 1 and 2,), and some are general easy reader books without levels but ALL of the books on this list are kid-approved and engaging. Decodable texts are books with text that can be “decoded” by using reading skills to sound out and then blend together the sounds into words.

I’m convinced that we need to start teaching kids reading by teaching them phonics and letting them practice in decodable books. Then, you can always incorporate some predictable books into the mix when a child can decode. Use these to practice prediction (what word comes next) and enjoy word play.

Remember that each publisher levels books with different criteria so the level numbers are a generality, not hard and fast rules.

For harder books see: The BEST Easy Chapter Books for growing readers ages 6 and 7.

Recommended Emergent Reader (Easy Readers) Books for 5 – and 6- Year Olds

Phonics, Decodable, and Pre-Level 1 Readers

Laugh-a-Lot Phonics
Scholastic mostly offers leveled books, but this is their decodable phonics series with simple short vowel words. Decodable books are important for teaching kids phonemic rules and sounds.

Kindergarten and first-grade emergent readers need to practice phonics reading skills in decodable books!
I really like the short Bob Books made reading accessible for my daughter. The last pages of each book tell you what the book introduced. The illustrations are line drawings with only a few splashes of one color per picture. Not only did my daughter like them, she LOVED them on the iPad.
Set 1 – Beginning Readers (12 books)
Set 2 – Advancing Beginners (12 books)
Set 3 – Word Families (10 books)
Set 4 – Complex Words (8 books)
Set 5 – Long Vowels (8 books)

ALL DECODABLE BOOKS HERE

Pug by Ethan Long (Easiest Easy Reader)
Simple text deftly narrates an enjoyable story about a pug who desperately wants to go for a walk. But is that all he wants? You’ll love this hilarious story!

See Pip Point by David Milgrim
Pip points at Otto’s balloon. But what happens when Otto shares the balloon? Pip floats away so Otto must help. Easy to read and funny. (See more in the series here.)

Let’s Say Hi to Friends Who Fly by Mo Willems
We LOVE this series with simple text because my five-year-old can read it and it’s funny!

Flubby Is Not a Good Pet by J.E. Morris
This VERY easy reader is about a cat named Flubby who, like most cats, does no tricks or other fun pet things. But in the end, he and his owner, Kami, comfort each other in a loud thunderstorm. Darling!

In, Over and On the Farm by Ethan Long
Basic text and fun lift-the-flaps teach kids prepositions using the silly antics of farm animals.

Big Cat by Ethan Long
Adorable illustrations pair with simple, repetitive text such as, “Big Cat can hide.” This is a great book for the earliest of readers with only one sentence per page.

Fox on a Box by Phil Roxbee Cox
This is a great beginning reader phonics story to read again and again. We love these Usborne phonics readers for Kinder and 1st grade reading practice.

Lazy Bear, Crazy Bear by Kevin Bolger, illustrated by Ben Hodson (loony long vowels)
So many bears! Bear with plates. Bear on skates. And sheep. And mice. Well, you get the picture. For each long vowel sound, there’s another zany adventure with eye-catching cartoons.

Frog Meets Dog by Janee Trasler
While this is not a phonics book but possibly controlled text, it’s simple and cute. You’ll find it reminiscent of Dick and Jane with very short word sentences like, “Frogs jump. Can dog jump too?“

Level 1 Readers

Fish and Sun by Sergio Ruzzier
I Can Read Comics 1
Fish and Sun are two good friends who play all day together but the first day they meet, Fish is worried that Sun will never come back to play. But, the next day Sun returns! Adorable characters and a sweet friendship make this easy reader comic a great choice for beginning readers.

Friends Do Not Eat Friends (Thunder and Cluck) by Jill Esbaum, illustrated by Miles Thompson
Ready to Read Graphics 1
100% hilarious fun! When a grumpy and ferocious dinosaur, Thunder, meets a positive, unafraid bird named Cluck, Thunder can NOT believe that Cluck believes they should be friends. But Cluck is determined to help Thunder believe — and before he knows it, the two of them are friends!

LEGO City: All Aboard (Level 1 Reader) by Sonia Sander
These are a favorite for any LEGO enthusiast! This book about trains is just one in this recommended easy level 1 reader series.

We Are in a Book
I love this Elephant and Piggie book — but they are all awesome. You’ll notice the first page starts with “thank you” which you’ll only understand after you read it. It is hilarious! These are the BEST beginning reader books because they’re not dumbed down, they’re hilarious, and they’re engaging.

There’s a Pest in the Garden! by Jan Thomas

The farm animals are quite annoyed to find the pest (a gopher) eating all their vegetables. What will they do? This is a cute story with cartoon-like illustrations paired with simple text, perfect for very beginning readers.

The Good for Nothing Button by Charise Mericle Harper
Buttons that press down (not for your clothes) are just so tempting. Even if the button does nothing. Or maybe it does something? It makes one bird sad, the other mad, and the other happy. The birds bicker if the button can make them feel because that is something. Very funny and also a helpful way introduction readers to emotions.

I Really Like Slop by Mo Willems
Elephant and Peggie books are amazing and always kid favorites. This is one of the most recent books in the series with Piggie making her favorite food, slop. She’s so exuberant about her slop, too. And when Elephant finally gets to try it, we learn just how it tastes . . . Funny and heart-warming. (See more Elephant and Piggie books here.)

Big Dog and Little Dog Wearing Sweaters by Dav Pilkey
Very simple text tell the story of Little Dog who helps Big Dog get his own sweater . . . vest. Parents, you’ll like that the last few pages have fun activities — a maze, word search, story sequencing, and sentence-to-picture matching.

Penny and Her Marble by Kevin Henkes
When Penny takes her little sister for a walk, she sees a shiny blue marble on her neighbor’s lawn and puts it in her pocket. But Penny feels bad that she keeps it because it isn’t hers. Penny must make a decision about what to do — keep it or give the marble back.

What This Story Needs Is a Pig in a Wig by Emma J. Virjan
Look at all the animals that join the pig in a wig on a boat! But it’s getting crowded. What will they do? I love both the story and illustrations in this first of a new easy reader series for silly readers.

Friday the Scaredy Cat by Kara McManon (Level 1 Reader)
It thrills me to no end to find engaging, funny early readers like this one. Friday is a cat that is scared, but not of chickens or bikes, just chickens riding bikes. Very silly!

I Want to Be a Doctor by Laura Driscoll, illustrated by Catalina Echeverri
A story filled with helpful information about doctors, this little boy and his family go to the hospital because his brother Jack hurt his foot. They’ll learn about different doctors who can help fix Jack’s foot.

Steve & Wessley in The Ice Cream Shop by J.E. Morris
Scholastic Level 1 Reader
Steve cannot get into that Ice Cream Shop. He pushes and pushes the door but it doesn’t work. You’ll laugh when you realize Steve’s mistake. These simple stories are funny and perfect for beginning readers.

The Great Bunk Bed Battle (An Acorn Book) by Tina Kugler
When fox siblings Fritz and Franny go to bed, they don’t actually go to sleep. They compare which bunk bed is best and imagine adventures through a forest with a castle, a moat and a boat, a submarine, and a volcano on their beds. Simple text in speech bubbles and a relatable topic makes this a sure-fire hit with new readers.

At-At Attack!
Luke Skywalker does some fast flying as he protects Hoth’s rebel base from the Empire. Perfect for beginning readers.

The Big Green Book of Beginner Books by Dr. Seuss
(Easy Reader)
Kids love to have heft books to read — because they get bragging rights to reading big books. This volume includes Great Day for Up!, I Am Not Going to Get Up Today!, I Wish That I Had Duck Feet, Maybe You Should Fly a Jet! Maybe You Should Be a Vet!, Wacky Wednesday, and Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog?

Jungle Animals by Camilla Gersh
In a word, perfect. This little book packs a big punch with the perfect balance of colorful visuals (photographs) and leveled, informational text. Fantastic!