The best books for 6 year olds, picked by what they love right now
A police dog who steals the show, cows who go on strike and a princess in a paper bag. Plus the first books a first grader can read alone.
The best books for 6 year olds mix funny picture books with easy readers. Share Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann and Click, Clack, Moo by Doreen Cronin, talk about fairness with The Paper Bag Princess, and let your child read Danny and the Dinosaur, Mouse Soup or the Geisel Award winner Charlie & Mouse themselves.
Six is a year of firsts. First grade, often a first real book read alone, and a sense of humor that has suddenly learned irony. The best books for 6 year olds work on two tracks: picture books rich enough for a first grader’s opinions, and easy readers that let them do the reading themselves, with you nearby. This list covers both, plus a couple that sit right on the line.
Every title below is a real, published book, checked against a library record or the American Library Association’s award lists. The Geisel Award, which several of these have won, goes to the best books for beginning readers.
What 6 year olds love in a book right now
- A joke they get before the grown-ups do. Six-year-olds love a picture that tells a different story from the words.
- Fairness. Who is being mean, who is being left out, and what should happen about it.
- Doing it themselves. Short sentences, repeated words and chapters that feel like real books.
- Being read to, still. Reading alone is hard work. Being read to is the reward.
Reading Rockets’ tips for parents of first graders fit this age: give your child lots of chances to read aloud, help them pick books that are not too difficult, and when they make a mistake, gently point out the letters they overlooked.
Picture books for 6 year olds with a sense of humor
Officer Buckle and Gloria
Caldecott Medal, 1996Officer Buckle gives safety talks at schools, and nobody listens, until his new police dog Gloria starts acting out every tip behind his back. The kids see what he cannot. It is a perfect six-year-old joke, and a sweet story about friendship and teamwork underneath.
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
Caldecott Honor, 2001Farmer Brown’s cows find an old typewriter and start leaving him notes: the barn is cold, and they would like electric blankets. When he says no, they go on strike. First graders love the escalating notes, and it quietly opens a talk about asking for what you need.
I Want My Hat Back
Geisel Honor, 2012A bear has lost his hat and asks every animal he meets if they have seen it. One of them is very obviously wearing it. The text is simple enough for a new reader, and the deadpan ending is the kind of dark joke six-year-olds find hilarious.
Stuck
Picture bookFloyd’s kite gets stuck in a tree, so he throws his shoe up to knock it down. The shoe gets stuck. So does the next thing, and the next, and the things get more and more absurd. Six-year-olds love calling out what he should throw next.
Books about fairness and being yourself
The Paper Bag Princess
Picture bookA dragon burns Princess Elizabeth’s castle and her clothes and carries off Prince Ronald. Wearing a paper bag, she outsmarts the dragon and rescues him, and then Ronald complains about how she looks. Her answer is the best part, and a fine talking point about who gets to decide what matters.
The Recess Queen
Picture bookMean Jean rules the playground and nobody dares to swing, kick or bounce until she has. Then a new girl, small and fearless, simply asks Jean to jump rope with her. A bouncy, rhyming look at bullying that ends with an invitation instead of a punishment.
Best books for 6 year olds to read themselves
These are easy readers and first chapter books. Let your child read a page, read the next one yourself, and swap.
Danny and the Dinosaur
Early readerDanny visits the museum, and one of the dinosaurs agrees to come out and play. They ride around town, help people cross the street and play hide-and-seek, which is hard when your friend is a dinosaur. Simple words, plenty of repetition, and a wish every six-year-old has had.
Mouse Soup
I Can Read bookA weasel catches a mouse and plans to make mouse soup. The clever mouse explains that the soup will not taste good without stories in it, and tells four short ones, each with a twist that helps him escape. Short chapters, simple sentences and a hero who wins with his wits.
Charlie & Mouse
Geisel Award, 2018Four short stories about two brothers: waking up, going to a neighborhood party, earning a little money and a bedtime banana. Every chapter is a small, real day. It is ideal for a six-year-old ready to read a whole story in one sitting.
Bink & Gollie
Geisel Award, 2011Bink is short and loves bright socks; Gollie is tall and very particular. They are best friends anyway, through roller skates, a pet fish and an imaginary mountain climb. The vocabulary stretches a little, so it works as a shared read that your child takes over as they grow.
Our own pick, clearly labeled
Full disclosure: we publish this one, so it is not ranked against the books above. The Money & Business Library is five illustrated picture books for ages 4 to 8 that follow money from a first dollar to a small business. At six, a child sits right in the middle of the set: the first two books are written for ages 4 to 6 and the next two for ages 6 to 8. In The Greatest Trade in Third Grade, a trade goes badly wrong, then goes right, and in between there is a lesson about what things are worth. Audiobook editions are available too. You can see the set in the box below.
How to read with a 6 year old
- Keep reading aloud. The American Academy of Pediatrics puts it plainly: don’t stop reading aloud to your children once they have learned to read for themselves.
- Take turns. They read the easy page, you read the hard one. Nobody gets worn out.
- Correct gently. Point to the letters they skipped, then let them try again. No sighs.
- Stop when it stops being fun. The AAP notes you don’t have to finish a story if your child loses interest.
Moving up? See our picks for 7 year olds, or look back at 5 year olds. If your child is just starting to sound out words, our guide to the best books for kids learning to read goes step by step.
Questions parents ask
What should a 6 year old be reading?
A mix. Picture books read aloud to them, which can be more complex than anything they read alone, and easy readers or first chapter books at a level that feels comfortable. Reading Rockets suggests picking books that are not too difficult, so your child gets lots of successful reading experiences.
What are the best books for 6 year olds to read themselves?
Early readers with short sentences and lots of repetition, such as Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff or Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel. Geisel Award books, like Charlie & Mouse and Bink & Gollie, are chosen specifically for beginning readers.
Should I still read aloud to my 6 year old?
Yes. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents not to stop reading aloud once children learn to read for themselves. Being read to lets a six-year-old enjoy stories well above their own reading level.
My 6 year old isn’t reading yet. Should I worry?
Children learn to read at different times, and many are still building skills through first grade. Keep reading aloud and practicing letter sounds. If you have concerns, talk with your child’s teacher first; Reading Rockets suggests the school as a good starting point.
Sources
Written by the WonderLab Journal editorial desk and checked against the sources above. Found something out of date? Tell us through the corrections page.
