Guidance: About the Year 1 Booklist  (From BooksForTopics)

What kind of books should children in Year 1 be reading?

Year 1 is a delightful year group with which to share books and at the moment there is a brilliant range of engaging books available for this age. Often at the ages of 5 and 6, children are learning to read short texts independently, while still relying on strong visual elements. Look for books with extra visual details to spot in the illustrations, like the super-entertaining Dogs in Disguise or Simon Bartram’s much-loved space story Man on the Moon, which invites the reader to spot the secret aliens hiding among the pages. The books on this list are not intended to replace school reading schemes, which are designed specifically for the teaching of phonics and reading. Instead, the books on this list have been selected with reading for pleasure in mind, whether with an adult or independently. Some books, like Splash Day, make for brilliant first independent reads for this age group.

Many Y1 children treasure storytimes when adults read aloud, and shared reading experiences remain an essential part of language and literacy development both in the classroom and at home. Don’t rush children into having to read the words independently too soon, but savour the joy of reading whole books together. Children at this age often love handling books, and they make a bee-line for texts that offer engaging illustrations, interactive elements or memorable characters. Share the absolute fun of The Bad Bunnies’ Magic Show together, with its visual humour aplenty, or enjoy the unforgettable adventures of classic characters like Paddington.

Children in Year 1 are increasingly able to identify themes of interest and empathise with characters in familiar settings. Be sure to introduce Year 1 children to books that will make them think more deeply about the world around them, like Meesha Makes Friends or Anita and the Dragons.

Many 5- and 6-year-olds begin to be able to sustain attention for longer stories that take place over a number of sittings, making short, illustrated chapter books an appealing option for storytime. Start with shorter chapter books for Year 1 like Rabbit and Bear, which is popular with children looking for warm humour, or classic storytime favourites like The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark.

Which books are best for 5 and 6 year olds?

For this reading list, we’ve carefully selected a balance of different types of books for reading for pleasure in Year 1. Some of the best stories for Year 1 feature larger-than-life characters that will cause a giggle, like the wide-eyed bear in The Bear Who Stared or the hairy, grizzly, honey-loving father in My Dad is a Grizzly Bear. Animal characters are popular too, with some given delightful personalities like the hilarious duo in very popular Rabbit and Bear books, while others explore the deep connection between children and animals, like Michael Morpurgo’s Dolphin Boy.

Many of the best stories at this age explore true-to-life experiences, like the arrival of a new sibling in Sona Sharma: Very Best Big Sister, the departure from a familiar home in Anita and the Dragons or the tricky world of navigating friendships in On Sudden Hill. Others help to develop an understanding of feelings, like Katie Abey’s fun and interactive We Feel Happy, the beautifully illustrated Gustavo the Shy Ghost or Catherine Rayner’s Arlo the Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep, which explores nighttime anxiety and mindfulness. For books that affirm the value of each individual, try the picture book poem You Matter or the brightly encouraging Meesha Makes Friends.

Picked out specially for enjoyable storytimes with 5-6 year olds, some of the books on this Year 1 reading list lend themselves especially well to being read out loud. Rhyming books like Stick Man or Squishy McFluff are great choices. Others offer a quick win for a super-fun storytime full of zany laughter, like Will Mabbit’s whacky picturebook I Can Only Draw Worms or the witty humour of Simon Bartram’s Man on the Moon, which is always a big hit in the classroom. We’ve also included some classic stories for Year 1 on the list, such as David McKee’s marvellously playful Not Now Bernard and the much-loved skeleton-themed Funny Bones.

Should children in Year 1 be reading chapter books?

In Year 1, some children are ready to read short chapter books. Others take a little longer to have the stamina required for chapter books and will not start reading longer books just yet, and this is perfectly normal within the 5-6 age range too.

Starting with adult-read chapter books at story time is a great way to introduce chapter books to younger children.  For storytime read-alouds or class novels, try Sophie’s Adventures, Harry the Poisonous Centipede or Fantastic Mr Fox.

Some more advanced readers in Year 1 will be keen to take on the challenge of early chapter books for themselves. To cater for your Year 1 readers of chapter books, look for books with illustrated pages, a read-able font and a relatively short page count. For newly independent readers looking for their first longer read, we recommend Isadora Moon, The Hat Full of Secrets or Molly Rogers to the Rescue.

For more chapter book ideas, be sure to check out our separate booklists listing recommended KS1 Storytime Chapter Books or First Chapter Books for Independent Reading.

For more information on these books, please follow the link  A list of recommended books for Year 1: 50 Recommended Reads (booksfortopics.com)