101 Chapter Books to Read Aloud to My Kids

It's no secret that I love to read.  When we visited a furniture store last weekend, the girls pointed out every (fake) stack of books that was displayed, yelling "Mommy, look at the books - your favorite!".  I've been reading chapter books aloud to the twins since they were 2.5, and it's still something special we enjoy every day.  I had assumed that when the girls learned to read they would be eagerly seeking out books and enjoy reading on their own, but that didn't quite happen.  They're technically amazing readers for their age, but don't have the passion for independent reading quite yet (I need to remember they are only 4.5 years old).  So for now I'm just reading lots and lots of book aloud to them (and starting to include my 2.5 year old boy too, although he doesn't quite have the attention span yet and wanders away).   I love being able to share classics from my own childhood with my children, as well as discover some "new-to-me" books as well.  Amazon recently released its updated list of 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime.  Since surfing Amazon is my "hobby" (yes, really!), I was inspired to come up with a list of 101 read aloud chapter books for kids (33 that we've already read, and the rest on my "wish list").  Here goes...



Read Aloud Chapter Books - 2012 (twins were 2.5-3.5)
1. Two Times the Fun by Beverly Cleary
2. My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
3. Elmer and the Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
4. The Dragons of Blueland by Ruth Stiles Gannett
5. Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
6. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (abridged)
7. The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting (abridged)
8. The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson
9. The Cat Who Wanted to Go Home by Jill Tomlinson
10. The Adventures of the Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton

Read Aloud Chapter Books 2013 (twins were 3.5-4.5)
11. The Wishing Chair Again by Enid Blyton
12. The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton
13. The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
14. Catwings Series by Ursula K. Le Guin (we read all four in a week so I'm grouping them together)
15. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (abridged)
16. The Gorilla Who Wanted to Grow Up by Jill Tomlinson
17. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
18. Wolf Story by William McCleery
19. Little Witch by Anna Elizabeth Bennett
20. The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes
21. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
22. Princess Posey Series by Stephanie Greene (we read 4 books in this series, and I'm hoping the girls will read these independently next year)
23. Magic Treehouse Books 1-4 by Mary Pope Osbourne
24. D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths by Ingri d'Aulaire and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
25. James Herriot's Treasury for Children by James Herriot
26. Amelia Bedelia Chapter Book #1: Amelia Bedelia Means Business by Herman Parish
27. Amelia Bedelia Chapter Book #2: Amelia Bedelia Unleashed by Herman Parish
28. Trouble With Violet (Sister Magic) by Anne Maze
29. The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet (The Secrets of Droon, Book 1) by Tony Abbott

Read Aloud Chapter Books 2014 (twins are 4.5)
30. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
31. Prince Siddhartha: The Story of Buddha by Jonathan Landaw
32. African Bedtime Stories by Godwin C. Nwaogwugwu
33. Half Magic by Edward Eager

Read Aloud Wish List for 2014+

34. Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by E. Nesbit
35. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
36. Stuart Little by E. B. White
37. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
38. The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
39. Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire
40. D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire
41. Tales from the Odyssey, Part 1 & 2 by Mary Pope Osborne
42. Here's a Penny by Carolyn Haywood
43. Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
44. Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling
45. Strange Museum Book Series Volumes 1-4 by Jahnna N. Malcolm
46. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
47. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
48. The Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla
49. Dolphin Adventure:: A True Story by Wayne Grover
50. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
51. The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth
52. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
53. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
54. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
55. Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie
56. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
57. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
58. The Moffats by Eleanor Estes
59. The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dalgliesh
60. Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
61. Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop
62. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Sidney, Margaret
63. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
64. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
65. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
66. Abel's Island by William Steig
67. Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos by Robert Lawson
68. Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
69. The Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick
70. The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
71. The Phantom Tollbooth Paperback by Norton Juster
72. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
73. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
74. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
75. The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame
76. The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel M. Pinkwater
77. A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
78. The Fairy Doll: & Other Tales from the Dolls' House by Rumer Godden
79. Tomie DePaola's Book of Bible Stories by Tomie dePaola
80. Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse by Ursula Moray Williams
81. Ordinary Princess by Mary Margaret Kaye
82. The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards
83. Tucker's Countryside by George Selden
84. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
85. The Tale of Jolly Robin by Arthur Scott Bailey
86. Truthful Harp by Lloyd Alexander
87. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
88. The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
89. Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
90. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
91. The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess
92. The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
93. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
94. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
95. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
96. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
97. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
98. The Adventures of Peter Cottontail by Thornton W. Burgess
99. Thor's Wedding Day by Bruce Coville
100. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
101. Parables from Nature by Mrs. Alfred Gatty

What are some of your favorite Children's Read Aloud Books?