Just in time for summer reading and by special request here is our list of favorite read aloud books for girls. I wrote about our favorite read alouds for boys here. Most of my daughter’s favorites were loved by my son and vice versa, so be sure to check out both lists. I’ve included a few duplicates if they were absolutely beloved.
Time spent reading aloud to my children, in the quiet of the evening, is among my most treasured memories… and I’m so glad we still have more memories left to make. I love the time spent talking about the books we are reading, the world of ideas and experiences that are opened to us. Now that my children are getting older, we are choosing our read aloud books with more and more care… knowing the finite time left to us. Each book read is a treasure.
These are books that have been read aloud and are not necessarily reading age appropriate. This is also not a complete list… since it would be too long.
Age 1:
- Good Night, Gorilla
by Peggy Rathmann
- Piggies
by Audrey and Don Wood
- You Are My I Love You
by Maryann K. Cusimano
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
By Eric Carle
Age 2:
- Our Nest
by Reeve Lindbergh
- We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
by Michael Rosen and Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury -read about my kid’s real life “bear hunt” here.
- The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear
by Audrey and Don Wood
- I’m as Quick as a Cricket
by Don and Audrey Wood
Age 3:
- Giraffes Can’t Dance
by Giles Andreae
- Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey
- Wild About Books
by Judy Sierra and Illustrated by Marc Brown
- Room on the Broom
by Julia Donaldson Illustrated by Axel Sheffler
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
by Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault and Lois Ehlert
Age 4:
- Emma Kate
by Patricia Polacco – We couldn’t help but love this book, since it’s my daughter’s name…
- Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
by Kevin Henkes – Again my daughter’s name… but also a wonderful book.
- Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon
by Patty Lovell Illustrated by David Catrow – perfect for the vertically challenged like us
- Angelina Ballerina
by Katharine Holabird
- The Snail and the Whale
by Julia Donaldson Illustrated by Axel Sheffler
- The Gruffalo
by Julia Donaldson Illustrated by Axel Sheffler
Age 5:
- Fanny’s Dream
by Caralyn and Mark Buehner – One of my all time favorites, but I still getting choked up when I read it- darn it all.
- Nonsense!
by Sally Kahler Phillips – What to say when someone says something not true about you. We still use the skills learned by reading this book!
- Odd Velvet
by Mary E. Whitcomb – It’s OK to be different… and learning to accept others who are different from you.
- Owl Moon
by Jane Yolen
- Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Age 6:
- Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave
by Marianna Mayer Illustrated by Kinuko Craft – This maybe a bit scary for a lot of 6 year olds, but my girl’s loved and still love it.
- Petite Rouge
: A Cajun Red Riding Hood by Mike Artell
- Dove Isabeau
by Jane Yolen
- I Wish I Were a Butterfly
by James Howe
- Mercy Watson to the Rescue
by Kate DiCamillo – This series was my girls favorite early reader chapter books too.
Age 7:
- The Spider and the Fly
Based on the poem by Mary Howitt and BEAUTIFULLY illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi
- The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
by Kate DiCamillo
- Little House On The Prairie
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Harry Potter
books 1 and 2 by J.K. Rowling
Age 8:
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Grace Lin
- The Ordinary Princess
by M.M. Kaye
- The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
by Jeanne Birdsall
- Harry Potter -the rest of the series by JK Rowling
- The Magician’s Elephant
by Kate DiCamillo
Age 9:
- Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain
- Anne of Green Gables
by L. M. Montgomery – the book we are reading now… there are no words for how wonderful it is.
“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.”
— Jacqueline Kennedy
I LOOOOVE and am so grateful for your booklists. I had a baby boy about a year ago and I used your list as a guide for books to read to him and he loves them!! Thank you so much for sharing.
I discovered Anne (with an “e”;-) of Green Gables in my late teens (too late I know!!) and have been in love since. It changed the way I looked at the world in so many good ways. I am 30+ years old now and whenever I need a pick me up, I still pick up the books and read my favorite marked passages. My sisters and I have a bi-yearly ritual of watching the Anne of GG movies (not as good as the books, but pretty good). We keep planning a “sister trip” to PEI some day ;-). Maybe someday one of us will have a little daughter and we can pass on our love for those wonderful books.
What a great book list. I love the quote from Jackie O
I was holding my breath until I found Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie. No list of perfect girls’ books would be complete without them. One of the only quintessential girl books missing from your list is “The Secret Garden.” Aaaahhhh … did I mention that I have all sons??
Oh yes! The Secret Garden was one my favorites as a girl. I already own it and it’s on my “To Read to my Girls” list. I can hardly wait.
Oh my gosh, this is wonderful! My daughter is 8, and sometimes I’d hard to tell exactly what will be appropriate for her age, without being too young or advanced!…thank you so much!
Oh my goodness. Fanny’s Dream is my all time favorite book. ever. love it.
If you’re loving Anne of Green Gables, wait till you get to the rest of the series as she grows up! Have you done the whole Little House series? My daughter and I loved them too. Another great one was Little Women.
My personal favourite childhood book was Winnie the Pooh which my Dad gave me when I was 5 – it’s the original pre-Disney version. I still have it and it has now been read by and to four generations.
One of my ‘tests’ for a good book is that you can read it more than once and still get enjoy it. These ones all pass with flying colours. I even find things in them that I missed the first (or second or third) time around.
I was excited to see Good Night Gorilla as the first book on the list! My son, now 13, got it as a present at his 1st birthday party and he LOVED that book!
I just read Number the stars and as an adult I loved it. My coworker bought it for my daughter and had the author sign it. It was a great conversation starter. Such a great book!
One of our favorites is the series, Melendy Quartet by Elizabeth Enright which I read aloud to my 8 year old. Written in the 40’s and 50’s, it has plenty of adventure, life lessons and sibling interaction.
Thank you Kimberly, we’ll look them up!