When it comes to learning to read, our kids have all been so different! My girls got the basics down and improved very quickly; my son has made much more gradual progress. Because he has spent longer on each reading level, we have become well-acquainted with the Level 1 readers available.
If you go to your local library or bookstore, there are so many leveled readers to choose from. However, lots of them are themed by popular character (Batman, Lego, etc.), and those aren’t always my favorites. I really love the more classic stories that are timeless and can be passed down from child to child.
The book that really first clicked with my son around a Level 1 was this Dr. Seuss classic:
I think it’s one of the most readable Dr. Seuss books there is, and the illustrations make it a really fun read, too.
If your child can comfortably read Ten Apples Up on Top, I would move next to the Little Bear series:
These are sweet, simple stories with a good deal of repetition. I will warn you that Little Bear and the Marco Polo took a pretty big step forward as far as difficulty, so that one was a little bit discouraging for my son. (It was also written many, many years after the original five, so that could have something to do with it).
The next author I would check out is Syd Hoff. His Level 1 readers all have different animal protagonists and have such fun illustrations. Here are some of our favorites to choose from:
We have been able to find almost all of these in our local library (even though some are older), and the diversity of characters and plot lines made them each engaging.
If you loved the Syd Hoff books above, this is also a great Syd Hoff series with lots of options:
Not all of these are actually written by Syd Hoff himself, but they’re all very similar in style, illustration, and language to the originals.
There are also some stand-alone Level 1 Readers that I would highly recommend:
Each of these books have interesting plot lines, fun illustrations, and short enough sentences to not be too overwhelming for young readers.
If you have a budding reader who is a girl, my daughters really loved this series by Kevin Henkes, a prolific author of many children’s picture books:
Penny appears in other Kevin Henkes books as well, so your daughters may already be familiar with her character!
Last but not least, this is a fun little Level 1 reader series for boys or girls:
Working systematically through Level 1 series’ has been one of the most effective ways to motivate my son to want to read more. He feels a great sense of accomplishment in not only finishing one book, but in completing an entire series all by himself.
I hope this list of Level 1 readers is helpful as you encourage your little reader in their literary journey!