Best Chapter Books for Preschoolers

(And What I Look for in Selecting Chapter Books for My Preschooler)

My three-year-old daughter absolutely LOVES chapter books.  We started reading them together when she was still two years old (YEARS before I thought this was even possible). She’s been hooked ever since. After a year of reading chapter books with her, I’ve found several series that I would highly recommend as some of the best chapter books for preschoolers.

However, she’s still so young that I have to be pretty intentional about the chapter books we try out.  I want them to be engaging, within her reach, and not overwhelming.  

So here’s what I look for in selecting chapter books for my preschooler and her three of her favorite series so far:

What I Look for in Chapter Books for Preschoolers

1. Illustrations

I know- chapter books more heavily rely on words than images to paint a picture.  However, as we’re bridging this gap between picture books and the unlimited world of chapter books, I want her to have some images to look at as we read.

Luckily, there’s a lot of series for young readers that have full pages of illustrations or at least a small sketch in the corners of pages. 

2. Short Chapters

Preschoolers don’t have the best attention span.  So think about how long they can typically spend reading picture books with you, and find books with chapters that are even SHORTER to read.  Since they’re going to have to pay closer attention to the words you’re reading than they typically do with a picture book, their attention span may wind up being even shorter than it is with picture books.

You don’t want to overwhelm them before they’re even old enough to sign up for their own library card.  Keep it short, sweet, and to the point.

3. Relatable Content

The series my daughter loves the most are the series that she can relate to best.  Just went apple picking at the orchard?  She wanted to read a chapter book where the character did the exact same thing.

Starting soccer in the fall?  I’m sure there’s a series for that!

Anything that the child can relate to their own lives will help them understand the book better and enjoy it more.

Bonus: Seasonal Content

We love to match the theme of our books to the seasons and holidays.  So if there’s a series that we can work into our seasonal books, then my daughter is that much more excited about it.

Best Chapter Books for Preschoolers

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Emma Every Day by C.L. Reid

I absolutely adore this series. The main character is Emma- an optimistic and determined little girl who also happens to be deaf.  

Each book is highly relatable with Emma doing very typical tasks that a preschooler could relate to- taking swim lessons, encouraging a friend on the soccer team, learning to take care of a pet, etc.  

Additionally, each book only has three chapters, with the entire book always being around 30 pages or less. If your little one has a shorter attention span, this is a great series to use to introduce the concept of a chapter book because each chapter is only a handful of pages. Additionally, every page has full color illustrations to help hold their attention.

Introducing Sign Language

Lastly though, my absolute favorite thing about these books is how it introduces the ideas of sign language and cochlear implants.

In no way is Emma’s deafness ever featured as a disadvantage or is it really even a main feature of the book- it is just presented as a fact.  Here’s a girl doing totally normal things, and she just happens to be deaf and uses a cochlear implant.  It is so seamlessly woven into the books.

Additionally, there are finger spellings and signs in every book to help kids learn a little bit of sign language.  My three year old is really interested in learning the signs.  

But when I really realized that these books were having a positive impact on my daughter was when we were at church one day and she noticed someone using sign language (we attend a church with a pretty sizeable Deaf community) and she got SO EXCITED.  She tugged on her dad’s sleeve and said “Daddy!  They’re using sign language just like Emma does in my chapter books!”  I was excited that she not only recognized what sign language was, but she understood why people were using sign language and she was eager to engage with them.

The author herself is deaf-blind and uses a cochlear implant. The way she introduces the idea of being deaf is really powerful.

I cannot recommend this series enough.  The stories are relatable, the text is accessible for preschoolers, and the pictures are engaging. Most importantly, it encourages the values of compassion, optimism, and acceptance.

Our favorites so far are The Writing Contest and Camping Fun.

Yasmin By Saadia Faruqi

This series is published by the same company that publishes Emma Every Day and it is equally fantastic.

Following the same format of short chapters, pictures on every page, and very relatable plots, these books instantly grabbed the attention of my three year old.  After reading our first one she immediately said “Mommy- do they have MORE of these at the library? Can we get more??”

Introducing Pakistani-American Culture

Yasmin is a young Pakistani-American girl. Just like how Emma Every Day introduces aspects of deafness, Yasmin very subtly introduces aspects of a multicultural family.

A few Urdu words are sprinkled in, and there is a glossary in the back.

Additionally, at the end of each book there is a feature on Pakistan. Fun facts such as where it is, some common cultural characteristics offered a great chance to add in some geography to our reading.

What I appreciate about these books is similar to what I love about the Emma Every Day books. They highlight cultural aspects of a Pakistani-American family in a way that is so simple. It simply shows an immigrant family in completely everyday scenarios.

Discussion Questions and Extension Activities

What I really love too though is something Emma Every Day doesn’t have- at the end of each book is a “Think About It, Talk About It” section with discussion prompts for you and your child.  The questions encourages your child to relate to the book on a personal level. This section offer some really good conversation starters for me and my daughter.  The questions also helped my daughter think about the book a little longer than just immediately reaching for the next one.

Each book also features easy crafts or activities based on the book, and my daughter is really excited about these.  For example, in one book Yasmin makes a map of her neighborhood.  The activity at the end suggested making your own map, and my preschooler is really eager to make one.

Our favorites so far are Yasmin the Explorer and Yasmin the Builder.

Sophie Mouse by Poppy Green

If your child is ready for slightly longer chapter books, Sophie Mouse is a great next step.

These books still have pretty short chapters with little sketches frequently scattered throughout the chapter, but they don’t have full color illustrations the way the  Yasmin and Emma Every Day books do. However, they’re still so sweet and the little sketches are enough to keep my daughter engaged.

Sophie Mouse lives in a little town with a bunch of other animal friends and my daughter really likes that aspect of it. She thinks the little animals are adorable.

Each book features a different challenge that Sophie is facing that a lot of kids would relate to like wanting to be better at art, learning something new, having to get along with her little brother, etc.

They’re cute, heartwarming, and all have a positive message.

And the biggest thing I love about these books- there’s a ton of them.  Seriously.  A ton.  There’s a Sophie Mouse book for almost every interest you could think of that your child might have.

When my daughter saw that our library had an ENTIRE SHELF of Sophie Mouse books, she jumped and clapped for joy.

I really love getting my preschooler hooked on a series and then being able to continue that series for as long as she stays interested. Sophie Mouse is great for this.

If you’re looking for a really sweet series, these are some of the best chapter books for preschoolers.

Our favorites so far are Winter’s No Time to Sleep and The Great Bakeoff.

Closing Thoughts

Introducing preschoolers to chapter books is such a delight. If you’re looking for tips on how to make introducing chapter books to your preschooler, check out my post here: How to Introduce Chapter Books to Preschoolers

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