Best Read Aloud Books for Children aged 5-7

Are you ready to discover the best read aloud books for children aged 5-7? Have you been scouring your shelves for the next bedtime story to read to the kids in your life? Are they ready to move to longer form books that take more than a night? Whether you are a teacher, parent or grandparent, one of the greatest gifts you can give the children in your lives is time spent reading to them out loud.

As Albert Einstein said, ‘If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.’ This quote is backed up by Mariah Evans whose research study in 2010 which found a strong correlation between the number of books in a child’s home and their academic success. The more children are surrounded by books and reading (include audio books and being read aloud to by an adult or older sibling) the higher their achievements in school tests.

That’s why its so important to choose the best read aloud books – the ones that will help them to fall in love with reading and stories.

This is a great reminder that we should be giving books to children as birthday presents and taking them to the library to self-select books lead by their interests. The best source of books it to purchase them from your local independent bookstore – they support local authors and are gurus when it comes to finding the perfect books for children. They know the best read aloud books as well as the books that are at your child’s level that they can read for themselves.

Best Read Aloud Books – Tried and Tested

The following books are ones that I have enjoyed reading aloud. They also come recommended by the children I’ve read them to. These are the books that kept them asking for more. I read them until my throat was sore (they were that good.) Often I had to stop reading long before the children were ready to stop listening.

Some of these books are classics and you may have to explain some words or replace them if the original word has lost its meaning, or changed. Children do not mind if they don’t understand every word you read to them. It is a great way to help them build their vocabulary and interact with a text cognitively. However, it is good to remind them to be brave enough to ask if they don’t understand what is happening in the story.

Begin each reading session with the question: ‘What happened in the story last time we read it?’ This engages their memories and can give you an impression of how well they are understanding the narrative. It is also a chance for you to clarify the characters motivations and anything else that may have been misinterpreted. The best read aloud books engage children, welcome them into the story and fill their imaginations.

Best Read Aloud Books – The List

I’ve listed the best read aloud books in order of age, starting with the books that would suit children who are five, up to those who are seven. The first twelve books have illustrations throughout, which will help hold younger children’s attention.

So, here are my read aloud recommendations for children aged five to seven.

1. Jungle Doctor Book series by Dr Paul White
2. The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl
3. The Far Away Tree series by Enid Blyton
4. The Twits by Roald Dahl
5. Hot Dog series by Anh Do
6. The Princess in Black series by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
7. Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl
8. The Tashi Books by Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienber
9. Red Panda Adventure by Jess Butterworth
10. Stories of Imagination by Lynelle Kendall
11. The Fix-It Princess by Janeen Brien
12. Wolf Girl series by Anh Do
13. Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
14. The Secret Seven series by Enid Blyton
15. The BFG by Roald Dahl
16. A Clue for Clara by Lian Tanner
17. Storm Boy by Colin Theile
18. Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda
19. Brahminy by Colin Theile
20. Charlotte’s Web by E. H. White

Designed with Your Child in Mind

My book, ‘Stories of Imagination: A Collection of Stories and Poems’ was made with your child in mind. It’s perfect bedtime reading, with short chapters and a sprinkling of poetry, for those nights when you are too tired to read for long, but they are still begging for a story to captivate them before they fall asleep. The delightful illustrations will introduce them to a charming cast of characters, and the book is packed with extra book recommendations and activities to extend their learning and boost their creativity and imagination.

Find out more here or order your copy now.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the best read aloud books for children aged five to seven. For more book lists check out my website. You can also subscribe to my author newsletter and get handy tips about getting kids reading and writing.