We started reading chapter books to M when she was three. With the first ones we read, I wasn’t sure if she was comprehending much or not. But I knew we could (and most likely would) read them again in a few years, and I wanted her to have practice just listening to longer books. Some of the first books we read - Winne-the Pooh, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Boxcar Children - were fairly long, but for the most part, we started with short books.
Initially we started reading easy readers some of which had several stories or chapters. Some of our favorites are:
Amanda Pig, Schoolgirl by Jean Van Leeuwen (and others in the series)
Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake A Cake by Cynthia Rylant (and others in the series)
Sammy the Seal by Syd Hoff
Then we moved on to short chapter books. The first series we read was Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo. This is a great series for children who are ready to listen to a book with chapters but need something very short. We re-read them frequently and we’ve enjoyed listening to them in the car. Some of our other short chapter book series are:
Pony-Crazed Princess by Diane Kimpton
Sneaky Pony by Hadley Higgenson
The Littles by John Peterson
Magic Treehouse by Joan Pope Osborne
Betsy Tacy (the books get longer throughout the series) by Maud Hart Lovelace
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Polka Dot Private Eye by Patricia Reilly Giff
Cam Jansen by David A. Adler
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
Big Apple Barn by Kristin Earhart
Magic School Bus Chapters by Eva Moore
