7 Great Books for Kids on the Brink of Reading

Ball, by Mary Sullivan
A story with only one word (“ball”) might seem like a bore, but this book manages to pull off a full fun and funny story with the help of some ingenious illustrations. This dog wants one thing: to play fetch. When the girl goes to school, who will play with him? Your child will be reading and recognizing this word all by themselves before you know it!

Hop On Pop, by Dr. Seuss
“Up Pup Pup is up.” Dr. Seuss is truly the master of this early reader genre. For decades children have been starting their reading experiences through his totally genius and deceptively simple books, and with this tale the tradition lives on!

Stop Pop (Flip a Word Series), by Harriet Ziefert and Yukiko Kido
This series is a great way to learn new words. Flip the pages and a new word in the same family will appear (stop, hop, etc). Your child will be having so much fun they’ll hardly realize they are actually learning to read in the process. The bright artwork by Yukiko Kido also pops! (And if your child is more animal obsessed, try Wet Pet.)

First Words Lift a Flap, by Scarlett Wing
This cute book is lots of fun because it’s interactive. It covers all the basics (car, dog, bug) and your little ones will have a ball guessing what the hidden word is under the flap. For instance, “The cats drink the…milk.”

First 100 Words Sticker Book, by Roger Priddy
Learn a word, then get a sticker—sounds like a good deal to me! This book of 100 first words is a great book to get your child started on reading. They match the sticker to the correct words, and everything is grouped by categories like food, toys, and clothes. There is a Spanish/English bilingual edition as well!

Hug, by Jez Alborough
As far as first words go, hug is a pretty good one to know. This book tells a story with limited words (three, in fact) about a chimp named Bobo who really wants a hug. Once again, the pictures help fill in the rest of the story. Cuddle up with your little monkey, and then give them a great book and a big hug.

I’ll Teach my Dog 100 Words, by Michael Frith and P.D. Eastman
A boy is sure he will have “the smartest dog in town” once he teaches him 100 words. Whether he’s up for the challenge remains to be seen, but in any case, your young reader will probably pick up quite a few of these words along the way!
What are your favorite early readers for early readers?