Best Kids Story Books for 4-5 Year Olds: Understanding Simple Stories To Boost Their Vocabulary and Literacy Skills

When kids turn 4 to 5 years old, they begin to develop more independence, self-control, and creativity. More specifically, at this age, children begin to build their vocabulary, recognise rhyming words, and become more familiar with spoken language. Kids story books can be a great help for them, parents. 

Additionally, they will be able to thoroughly enjoy reading stories that include familiar objects and experiences, as well as understand slightly complex text with good rhythm and word repetition.

Thus, it’s essential to find good kids story books that will help them along this developmental journey by boosting their vocabulary and literacy skills.

Benefits of reading storybooks for 4-5-year-olds

Books are great for instilling a love of reading in kids and teaching them important life lessons. Here are some of the other numerous benefits associated with storybooks:

• Developing literacy skills.
• Facilitating social interactions.
• Cognitive development.
• Developing empathy.
• Encouraging children to engage with the world around them.
• Higher levels of creativity and imagination.

How to choose the best kids story books for 4-5-year-olds

Now that you know more about why reading is so great for kids, let’s move on to the key factors you should consider when looking for books to get for your children:

• Engaging: Select storybooks that your kids will like. You can do this by choosing books on subjects that your little one is a fan of or by choosing books that have interactive features that can make reading more fun.

• Illustrations: Illustrations help the reader visualising the characters, setting, and general feel of the story.

  Vibrant and clear imagery is important for young children as it can help make the story more relatable and easier to digest. Thus, it would be good to look out for children’s books that feature colourful and stimulating visuals.

• Age-appropriate text: Choose books at your child’s instructional level to help their growth as a reader. 

• Teachings & Theme: Books are an effective platform for instilling young readers with valuable life lessons. They also help with the development of one’s identity and morals.

  Picking books that convey good messages and values can help ingrain these teachings in your kids.

Best Story Books For 4-5-Year-Olds in Singapore

Here are our top 6 recommendations for storybooks:

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Best Rhyming Classic

As the winner of the 1940 Caldecott Award Honor, Madeline is one of the most well-loved characters in children’s literature.

The book covers the daily adventures of Madeline, a unique young girl who attends a boarding school in Paris along with 11 other girls.

The story combined with the book’s enchanting art and fun rhythmic text makes it an enjoyable book for all its readers.

Rhyming plays a big part in the development of a child’s literacy skills as it helps develop an ear for language and a better understanding of sounds and syllables. 

A Collection of Stories for 4-Year-Olds by Parragon Books

Best for Numerous Stories & Vibrant Illustrations

A Collection of Stories for 4-Year-Olds features a unique set of enchanting stories that have been carefully curated to stimulate and engage kids aged 3 to 5 years old.

Not only does the collection include timeless fairytale classics such as The Ugly Duckling but also delightful new, never-seen-before stories and rhymes.

Best of all, these tales are also adorned with vibrant and playful illustrations that complement the stories. Illustrations inspire visual thinking in children.

Thus, pictures enable kids to understand the story better when they have difficulties recognising or reading certain words. As a result, it will overall improve their comprehension of the story. 

The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh by A A Milne

Best Book of Poems

Poetry helps kids build their early literacy skills through encouraging play with language and aids in the development of their memory and brain power.

Moreover, it can also improve their interpretive and imagination skills by prompting them to infer obscured meanings.

Loved by millions all over the world, The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie-The-Pooh covers the adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh and his good friends Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, Roo, Rabbit, and Tigger.

The book features the full unabridged texts and poems as well as the original enchanting watercolours by Ernest Shepard.

Award-Winning Social Behaviour Development Illustration Books for Toddlers and Children by Rachel Bright

Best for Social Development

This set of stories aims to help your child gain a better understanding of self-acceptance and other great qualities.

Firstly, the Award-Winning book, Koala Who Could, helps children understand the value and potential joys of stepping out of their comfort zones.

Next, the Lion Inside tells the story of a small mouse finding his courage and self-esteem along his interesting journey.

Lastly, The Squirrels Who Squabbled and The Way Home for Wolf share stories about the difficult parts of friendships.

Apart from the essential life lessons that these books impart to its readers, the rhymes and word choice featured help kids boost their vocabulary and reading proficiency.

Furthermore, many parents praised the book’s engaging illustrations and themes.

Spring: A Pop-Up Book by David Carter

Best Interactive Kids Story Book 

In Spring, David Carter combines vibrant illustrations of common flora and fauna to bring countryside springtime to life.

Not only does the book uniquely feature gorgeous pop-up pages that provide your little ones with constructive fun, but it also includes simple texts for them to easily understand.

Interactive books are beneficial for kids as they can help boost their reading skills by making them feel more immersed in the story.

What’s more, the pop-up pages help make reading a more engaging and exciting experience for young readers, encouraging them to develop a love for reading.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Book

Best Interactive Storybook 

A hilarious and highly engaging book, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is perfect for your 4-6-year-olds who are starting out reading.

The concept of the book is eye-opening, where the bus driver and the pigeon break the fourth wall and directly involve the readers.

It induces responses from your child as well, which makes it the perfect read-aloud book! 

As a book that teaches children not to give in to peer pressure and about the importance of safety, this book will definitely elicit a response from your child and promotes expressive reading.

It is widely enjoyed by numerous children, and hence, is a good choice of storybook for your 4 to 6-year-old.

Price Comparison Table

As you can see, books are essential for a child’s development and bring about many benefits.

To conclude, here we have included a price comparison table of the best kids story books for 4-5 years old:

Note: Each item and price is up to date as of publication, however, an item may be sold out or the price may be different at a later date.

If you also have a 6-years-old child, these story books are for them: Best Storybook for 6 Years Old and Older: Foster A Love For Reading With These Children’s Books