Recommended reading for 4 - 9 year olds
Mandy Seng from the National Library Board shares with us what our 4 - 9 year olds generally like to read and recommends a selection for you to preview.
Click on the photo for our recommended reading for kids aged 10 and above
Check out your local library for these books.
Recommended readings for 4 – 6 years old
General traits: Can converse with other children and adults, able to identify and read simple words. Starts to express himself/herself through scribbling, enjoys sounds and playing with children of similar age.
Has longer attention span and enjoys “reading” on his / her own; able to re-tell stories and recite the alphabet.
- Picture books that illustrates concepts, repetitive phrases that preschoolers could recite or predictable books which allow them to anticipate the text and chime in.
- Books that tackle everyday experiences such as first day of school, fear of the dark etc.
- Simple concepts on immediate environment such as interacting with family members, occupations, animals and weather.
- Toy books with more advance activities such as tying shoelaces, sticking Velcro on shoes, buttoning up coats, zipping up jackets.
- Wordless books for expressing the story in their words.
- Informational books about daily things and experiences, activity books, cumulative tales and humour books.
Recommended titles for 4 – 6 year olds:
1. Owen
Author: Kevin Henkes
Call No.: JP HEN
Publisher: New York, N.Y.: Greenwillow Books, c1993.
2. The Gruffalo
Author: Julia Donaldson
Call No.: JP DON
Publisher: London : Macmillan Children’s, 2009.
Recommended readings for 7 – 9 years old
General traits: Tend to take the lead in choosing the type of books they like to read. Children who are starting to read independently should be introduced to short chapter books to encourage and support their enthusiasm for reading.
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- Enjoy books with lots of humour and/or nonsensical stories
- They also start to get interested in stories about other children’s lives and the adventures that they experience
- Stories that show characters facing realistic problems and being independent
- Story characters must not be one dimensional, i.e. must have both good and bad qualities, as this mirrors the growing child’s sense of right and wrong
Recommended titles for 7-9 year olds
1. Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One
Author: Judy Blume
Call No: JS BLU
Publisher: New York: Delacorte Press, c2007.
2. Love That Dog
Author: Sharon Creech
Call No: JS CRE
Publisher: London : Bloomsbury Children’s, 2001.
For more articles on reading and writing for your child, see:
