How to Choose Read Aloud Books: Babies to Third Graders

Preschoolers are aquiring language skills quickly. They enjoy the sound of language — even nonsensical words — and a good laugh; after all, they’re developing a sense of humor!

What to look for in choosing books for preschoolers:

• Bright, big illustrations.
• Simple stories with basic plots.
• Books that help answer a preschooler’s “why?” questions about their world.
• Rhyming text, including the classics like Mother Goose and Dr. Seuss.
• Classic stories with universal themes such as friendship and generosity.
• Activity books that encourage exploration, observation, and play.
• Bedtime stories to calm preschoolers after their busy days!

See some of our favorite read alouds for preschoolers ›

Kindergarteners — they’re growing up, and so is their taste in books. They’re developing empathy and relationships with other children.

What to look for in choosing books for kindergarteners:

• Titles that explore kid interests, expand horizons, and offer exposure to different kinds of writing.
• Stories that let them see how characters in different situations behave toward others.
• Engaging informational texts with lots of colorful photographs or illustrations that help kindergartners build knowledge about the world.
• Cumulative tales full of built-in anticipation, like There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.
• Longer stories or chapter books with thematically rich issues that lead to discussion and reflection.

See some of our favorite read alouds for kindergarteners ›

First grade is when many children begin to read independently. But reading aloud with first graders remains not only a pleasurable but an important activity.

What to look for in choosing books for first graders:

• Rich language — words and phrases that deliver complex meaning and imagery.
• Stories with more complex plots that spark a desire to predict and learn what happens next.
• Books that relate to the experiences of a first grader and feature characters similar in age.
• Narrative nonfiction that’s full of fascinating facts yet reads like a story.
• Silly stories and poems that have fun with words and sounds.

See some of our favorite read alouds for first graders ›

Second graders are expanding their interests and putting ideas together in new ways. Books — timeworn or new, fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose — shared aloud allow both adult and child to explore the world together.

What to look for in choosing books for second graders:

• Old favorites — second graders may want to read the same book many times, even though you may have thought they’d outgrown it.
• Characters dealing with the same fears, interests, and concerns that they experience.
• Nonfiction genres that introduce second graders to biography, history, and real stories of nature and science.
• Picture books that lead you to chapter books, such as Diary of a Spider and Charlotte’s Web.
• Chapter books to read aloud that are rich in detail and above independent reading level.

See some of our favorite read alouds for second graders ›

Empathy, experience, vocabulary, and a love of language continue to grow long after third graders can read by themselves.

What to look for in choosing books for third graders:

• Books that tackle tough topics and lead to discussion that helps kids cope with daily challenges.
• Characters they can relate to and learn from.
• Stories that keep your read aloud lively and interactive and lead to lots of conversation.
• Picture books that build knowledge and support connections to the complexities of the world around them.

See some of our favorite read alouds for third graders ›