April 5, 2018

How to Find Your Child’s Next Great Read

Editor’s Note: Jessica Patella is a Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Engagement Team Member and is a teacher at Sarasota Military Academy.

Have you ever experienced that feeling after finishing a great book, that leaves you excited to devour more books, but don’t know how to find that next great read?  Or maybe you love reading but are struggling with how to get a child excited about a book to read?  Thanks to the extensive research from Renaissance, we have the newest lists of books that children are drawn to reading from Kindergarten through twelfth grade.  You can access the full report HERE.

One of the greatest things about this report is not only do they share what most children are reading typically at a certain grade level, but they also report on top non-fiction reads and most importantly the top ratings from kids.  What better way to inspire kids to read, than to look at what their peers are picking up to read, beyond the classroom!

Here are some of the top picks from Kindergarten through third grade:

Kindergarten

Top 5 Books Overall:
  • Biscuit Goes to School  by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
  • Green Eggs and Ham  by Dr. Seuss
  • Biscuit Finds a Friend  by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
  • The Foot Book  by Dr. Seuss
  • Biscuit’s Big Friend  by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Kid’s Highest-Rated Books:
  • What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?  by Steve Jenkins
  • The Birthday Pet  by Ellen Javernick
  • Please Take Me for a Walk  by Susan Gal
  • Hen Hears Gossip  by Megan McDonald
  • Peter’s Chair  by Ezra Jack Keats
Top 5 Nonfiction Books:
  • I Am Water  by Jan Marzollo
  • From Head to Toe  by Eric Carle
  • Jump, Pup!  by Susan B. Neuman
  • I’m a Caterpillar  by Jean Marzollo
  • Dogs  by Helen Frost

Grade 1

Top 5 Books Overall:
  • Green Eggs and Ham  by Dr. Seuss
  • Hi! Fly Guy  by Tedd Arnold
  • Biscuit  by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
  • The Foot Book  by Dr. Seuss
  • Biscuit Goes to School  by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Kid’s Highest-Rated Books:
  • The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit Tale  by Lydia Dabcovich
  • The Empty Pot  by Demi
  • Charlotte’s Web  by E.B. White
  • Bear and Bee  by Sergio Ruzzier
  • Mystery Vine: A Pumpkin Surprise  by Cathryn Falwell
Top 5 Nonfiction Books:
  • From Head to Toe  by Eric Carle
  • I’m a Caterpillar  by Jean Marzollo
  • Me on the Map  by Joan Sweeney
  • Red-Eyed Tree Frog  by Joy Crowley
  • I Am Water  by Jan Marzollo

Grade 2

Top 5 Books Overall:
  • Green Eggs and Ham  by Dr. Seuss
  • Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type  by Doreen Cronin
  • If You Give a Mouse a Cookie  by Laura Numeroff
  • Officer Buckle and Gloria  by Peggy Rathmann
  • The Cat in the Hat  by Dr. Seuss
Kid’s Highest-Rated Books:
  • Bedtime  by Annette Smith
  • Where the Mountain Meets the Moon  by Grace Lin
  • A New Friend  by Wiley Blevins
  • Willy the Helper  by Catherine Peters
  • Wolf Pup  by Wendy Pfeffer
Top 5 Nonfiction Books:
  • The Tiny Seed  by Eric Carle
  • Fly Guy Presents: Sharks  by Tedd Arnold
  • Penguin Chick  by Betty Tatham
  • Super Storms  by Seymour Simon
  • My Name Is Gabriela: The Life of Gabriela Mistral  by Monica Brown

Grade 3

Top 5 Books Overall:
  • Charlotte’s Web  by E.B. White
  • Because of Winn-Dixie  by Kate DiCamillo
  • The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs  by Jon Scieszka
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down  by Jeff Kinney
  • A Fine, Fine School  by Sharon Creech
Kid’s Highest-Rated Books:
  • Where the Mountain Meets the Moon  by Grace Lin
  • Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher  by Bruce Coville
  • Peter Pan: Retold from the J.M. Barrie Original  by Tania Zamorsky
  • The Wish Giver  by Bill Brittain
  • The Year of Miss Agnes  by Kirkpatrick Hill
Top 5 Nonfiction Books:
  • Smile  by Raina Telgemeier
  • Sisters  by Raina Telgemeier
  • Penguin Chick  by Betty Tatham
  • Yonder Mountain: A Cherokee Legend  by Robert H. Bushyhead
  • Young Thomas Edison  by Michael Dooling

Still need more recommendations?  You can also access an interactive book suggestion list based on grade level, reading level, and interest.

Do you have any other suggestions of books that a child you know has connected with?  We would love to hear from you.


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