Five is a big year. Most children start school, begin to sound out letters and recognize their first words. At the same time they are ready for richer picture books: true stories, folktales from around the world and books about real feelings.
A good gift for a five-year-old mixes both worlds. A beautiful picture book to share at bedtime, and maybe one easy reader they can try with you, sounding out a few words at a time. The Geisel Award, which honors the best books for beginning readers, is a great place to look.
Every book here won or was honored by the Caldecott Medal, the Geisel Award, the Newbery Medal or another major prize.
Winner2016
Lindsay Mattick
Great for a child who loves true stories
In 1914, a Canadian army vet bought a bear cub at a train station and took her with his regiment to England, where she ended up at London Zoo, where a boy named Christopher Robin met her. Told by the vet's great-granddaughter to her own son, with real family photos at the end. Five-year-olds love that it is true.
2016 Caldecott Medal winner
Winner2009
Mo Willems
Great for a first book to read together
Piggie and Gerald the elephant are ready to play outside, and then it rains. Mo Willems' Elephant & Piggie books are made for new readers: speech bubbles, few words, big emotions and real jokes. Read it together first, then let them try a page.
2009 Geisel Award winner
Winner2019
Corey R. Tabor
Great for a new reader
Fox wishes he were a tiger, so he paints himself stripes, and soon his friends want to dress up as something new too. A Geisel winner with very simple words, so a five-year-old can read some of it alone.
2019 Geisel Award winner
Winner2016
Matt de la Peña
Great for a thoughtful child
After church, CJ and his grandmother take the bus across the city. CJ keeps asking why they do not have a car, why they always go to the soup kitchen, and Nana shows him the beauty in the people around them. A picture book that won the Newbery Medal, which is rare.
2016 Newbery Medal winner
Winner1990
Ed Young
Great for a brave child
While their mother is away, three sisters are visited by a wolf pretending to be their grandmother. But the eldest is clever, and the girls trick the wolf up a ginkgo tree. Dramatic, shadowy paintings and a thrilling read-aloud. Better for five than younger.
1990 Caldecott Medal winner
Winner2021
Michaela Goade
Great for a child who loves nature
An Ojibwe girl learns from her grandmother that water is sacred, and when a 'black snake' pipeline threatens the land, she stands up to protect it with her community. Sweeping blue paintings and a poetic text. A powerful book about caring for the earth.
2021 Caldecott Medal winner
Winner1996
Peggy Rathmann
Great for starting school
Officer Buckle's school safety talks are so boring that everyone falls asleep, until the police department gives him a dog, Gloria, who acts out every tip behind his back. Very funny, with a sweet message about teamwork. Perfect for a child starting school.
1996 Caldecott Medal winner
Winner1963
Ezra Jack Keats
Great for a first book to read alone
At five, children can read the simple sentences of The Snowy Day with a little help, which makes this classic a great first 'I read it myself' book.
1963 Caldecott Medal winner
An American award given since 2006 to the best book for beginning readers. The winners are fun to read and written with simple, repeated words, so they are great for five- and six-year-olds.
Some will, many will not yet, and both are normal. Keep reading aloud every day, and offer easy readers as a game, not a test.
Absolutely. Picture books at this age are often more sophisticated than early readers and build vocabulary and understanding. Keep both on the shelf.
See every award-winning book for ages 3 to 5