Reading is a crucial part of any child's learning, and with the summer holidays here and plenty of free time, there's never a better time to have your little one begin reading through a list of entertaining books!
From picture books for the youngest of the bunch at around 3 up to the fully fledged novel readers from the ages of 10-12, we have compiled a list of what we believe are perfect books to help your child learn and progress while being captivated by the story!
New-born to 4 years
These years are crucial for your child’s development, as they are constantly taking in their surroundings and are doing nothing but learning. It’s because of this that introducing them to eye-catching board books.
These books can be concept books, which teach with illustrations and small amounts of text (usually single word). These books are crucial for your child’s education in shapes, body parts, colours, counting, the alphabet, animals and more.
Here are some books you can add to your little one’s list.
Age 2 to 5 Years-early picture books
Averaging 32 pages and bursting with colour, these illustrative picture books are suited to the years 2 to 5 as they usually include basic stories for your kids to learn to read.
Most commonly story, concept, activity and novelty picture books, often overlapping. Sometime also written in rhyme
Here are some books you can add to your toddler’s list!
Age 4 to 8 Years Early (or Easy) Readers
This age group (although slightly overlapping with the one prior) is a step up from picture books. Despite this the best books for this age group are short with plenty of illustrations.
These books are often seen as part of a series to allow kids to read one after the other following a larger narrative story, with likeness to watching cartoon episodes. Overall helping them build their reading skill
Here are some books for your kid(s) to enjoy!
- Oxford Reading Tree (a large series with levels, perfect for any parent looking to help their children’s education along outside of school hours)
- Dancing Dinos Go to School
- The Moon’s Time to Shine
Age 6 to 9 Years, Chapter Books
The next level of reading for kids is moving onto chapter books, like the short easy readers books they often come as part of a series.
However, they have a higher wordcount, providing more challenge and opportunity for your kids to practice their reading and interpreting skills.
Here are some books you can add to you little readers list!
- Roald Dahl – including The Twits, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda and more, which you can shop here with Roy’s Boys!
- The Greatest Show on Earth
- The Worst Witch
Age 9 to 12 Years more advanced books
With this age group of kids getting better at reading, they will want books with more advanced stories, so they will tend to lean into books which have lots more words (around the 30,000 to 50,000 mark).
These books will still often come as part of a series.
Here are our recommendations!
Age 12 and up – Young Adult level
YA (young adult) books are often divided into 2 groups, these are 12 to 15, and 16 to 18.
These are essentially the same as adult books, without the grown-up themes. So the books in this category are up to the parents choice for what themes you are willing to let your child read.
Here is our top picks for your young adult level reader!
This has been our little list of what we think are stand-out books for each age bracket and learning ability. We hope this adds to your little one’s summer reading list! If you have your favourite kids books, feel free to share them with us below.