Last summer I started reading chapter books to Wilkie, who was 4 at the time. We started with a family favourite, Charlotte’s Web, and next we read James and the Giant Peach, and from there we were hooked! I always find it can be a funny transition from picture books to chapter books, just in the sense that they don’t have illustrations on every page to keep their interest and it requires them to use their imaginations a bit more, but there are some wonderful chapter books that have illustrations scattered throughout, which help to keep their attention. We have since read the books in the photo below, and he’s enjoyed them all.

I recently asked followers on Instagram to share their favourite first read-aloud chapter books, and the recommendations I received were so great, I thought I’d share a list here. I was reminded of so many old favourites — like Stuart Little, which I read to my big boys when they were little, and The Magic Faraway Tree, which we listened to on audio book when we did our round-the-world travels. And there were also some new-to-me suggestions! Anyway, here’s the list (including the books pictured above):

For more book suggestions, including recommendations by age, you can check out my eBook