Seven-year-olds are in between. Many can read short chapter books on their own, but their imagination is far ahead of their reading speed. They want dragons, mysteries and adventures, and they want the story to keep moving.
This makes seven the golden age of the read-aloud novel. A classic like Charlotte's Web or My Father's Dragon, read a chapter a night, gives a child a story they could not yet read alone and shows them where reading is going. Pair it with something short they can finish themselves.
These books won or were honored by the Newbery Medal, the Geisel Award and the Caldecott Medal.
Winner2011
Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
Great for best friends
Bink is small and messy and loves peanut butter; Gollie is tall and dignified and loves pancakes. Three stories about two very different best friends, with stylish pictures and a lot of humor. A great first chapter book for confident readers.
2011 Geisel Award winner
Honor1973
Arnold Lobel
Great for reading on their own
Five more stories about Frog and Toad, including the one where they try to stop eating cookies by putting them out of reach, and the one where Toad shouts at his seeds to make them grow. Funny, gentle and easy to read alone at seven.
1973 Newbery Medal Honor Book
Honor1949
Ruth S. Gannett
Great for a first read-aloud novel
A boy named Elmer sets off to Wild Island to rescue a baby dragon, armed with chewing gum, lollipops and a toothbrush, each of which gets him out of trouble with a different animal. Short, funny and full of maps and drawings. The perfect first read-aloud novel.
1949 Newbery Medal Honor Book
Honor1953
Alice Dalgliesh
Great for a little suspense
Jonathan's mother sends him over Hemlock Mountain to borrow a big pot, and everyone tells him there are no bears there. But on the way home it gets dark. A short, suspenseful chapter book with a repeating line kids will remember.
1953 Newbery Medal Honor Book
Honor1953
E. B. White
Great for reading aloud, a chapter a night
Wilbur the pig is saved from the butcher by his friend Charlotte, a spider who writes words in her web. Funny, wise and moving. Best read aloud at seven, a chapter a night, and kept forever.
1953 Newbery Medal Honor Book
Winner2012
Josh Schneider
Great for a picky eater
James will not eat his dinner, so his dad invents disgusting, hilarious stories about where each dish came from. Gross, funny and perfect for picky eaters.
2012 Geisel Award winner
Winner2008
Brian Selznick
Great for a reader ready for a challenge
An orphan boy lives secretly in the walls of a Paris train station, keeping the clocks running and trying to repair a mysterious mechanical man. Half the book is pencil drawings, which pull readers through more than 500 pages. A big book that confident seven-year-olds can conquer.
2008 Caldecott Medal winner
Winner2007
David Wiesner
Great for a curious mind
A boy on the beach finds an old underwater camera, and when he develops the film he discovers incredible pictures of the secret life of the sea. Wordless and astonishing, a book to talk about together.
2007 Caldecott Medal winner
Short, funny series with pictures, like Frog and Toad, Mercy Watson and Bink & Gollie, for reading alone, and classics like My Father's Dragon and Charlotte's Web to read aloud.
There is a sad moment near the end, handled gently. Many families find it a good way to talk about loss. Reading it aloud together helps.
The oldest children's book award in the world, given since 1922 by the American Library Association to the most distinguished American children's book of the year.
See every award-winning book for ages 6 to 8