12 Best Books for Your 4, 5, & 6 Year Olds in 2022

Your children are now in the stage where they’re slowly learning how to do things by themselves. Of course, they’ll be needing a lot of your help still but their independence is definitely growing by the day.

It’s the same for their reading. Some kids might naturally love to pick up a book and get enchanted by the stories they tell. Some others might not.

It’s your job to keep them interested in the books that are available to them. You might want to get books that are about their currents interests, whether it be about ballerinas or dinosaurs.

You can also use books to teach them how to do things independently. Life lessons are some of the great things children can get from books after all.

To help you get started, here are 12 amazing and timeless books you can get for your four, five, and six year olds:

Top 12 books for 4,5, & 6 Year Olds

Corduroy by Don Freeman

Genre: Classic, Bed Time

Book Summary: Corduroy is a small teddy bear who wants a home. One day a little girl went to the store and asked her mommy to buy Corduroy for her. But her mother didn’t want to spend money on a teddy bear who’s missing a button. So Corduroy tried to look for a button but got caught. The next day, the little girl went back to buy Corduroy and fixed his button when they got home.

Review: Corduroy is a cute and short bedtime tale that little kids will love. It also has a wonderful story so scenes are really happening. The story makes it seem like toys have feelings to show your precious children how to be compassionate with their own toys and other people. It’s also a great tale that teaches everyone who reads it not to judge someone by their appearance, and that everyone deserves to be loved.

The Berenstain Bears by Stan Berenstain

Genre: Fiction, Values, Life Learning, Book Series

Book Summary: Learn About Strangers teaches little kids the importance of being cautious. Sister Bear didn’t know that it was bad to talk to strangers so Papa Bear shows her news clippings of what can happen. Mama Bear tries to calm her nightmares by saying not everybody means her harm. Sometimes there are good apples and bad apples.

Review: The Berenstain Bears is a must have in every child’s library. You don’t need to get them all since they’re not one continuous story. However, you and your kids would probably enjoy Learn About Strangers. It’s a very fun book to read and teaches your children a very valuable life lesson. They’re at an age where their curiosity is just brimming, and it’s time to lay some ground rules if you want to keep them safe. This story does that splendidly in a way that’s easy to understand.

The Book with No Pictures by B. J. Novak

Genre: Reference, Humor, Educational

Book Summary: The Book with No Pictures has no pictures in it. You might think it’s boring and serious but it’s not. Think about blueberry pizzas, singing about ants for breakfast, and even saying made up words like ‘BLORK’ and ‘BLUURF.’ It’s an utterly ridiculous book.

Review: High praises for this silly little book! Not a lot of children’s book have this kind of witty humor to them. The Book with No Pictures is something that can be enjoyable both to you and your kids. All the sounds you make might not be music, but it’s definitely welcome to your children’s ears. The only problem with this book is that they might not want you to stop reading it. EVER.

George’s Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl

Genre: Classic, Fiction, Magic, Fantasy

Book Summary: George had to live with grumpy grandmother which he didn’t like. So when she asked him to her medicine, George decided to shake things up and create his own concoction. His grandmother suddenly swelled in size and decided to terrorize the town. Unfortunately for her, George and his parents weren’t paying her much attention and she becomes jealous. So, she drinks a failed medicine George was holding and vanishes completely.

Review: The summary of the book might sound alarming but don’t let that stop you from reading this little story. Roald Dahl did a great job with this one as well. It teaches kids certain kinds of feelings like being power-hungry, prideful, and jealous. It shows them that those kinds of feelings can cause problems if you don’t control them. Sure, the story might be too fantastical for some but there’s definitely something worth learning in it.

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Genre: New Experiences, Life Learning, Animals

Book Summary: School’s about to start in the forest, and Chester Racoon’s going there for the very first time. He’s nervous and scared. He doesn’t want to go alone so Mommy Racoon teaches him an old family trick. She kisses his hand and tells him to touch his hand to his cheek whenever he’s scared so he’ll remember that Mommy loves him.

Review: Your children are at an age where they would have to slowly become a little bit more independent. They will need to go to places alone, and that’s a scary situation to be in. Some may even feel a little of anxiety, and that’s okay. The Kissing Hand shows that it’s okay to go somewhere without Mommy or Daddy because you’ll still love them no matter what, and you’ll be there waiting for them to come back.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

Genre: Animals, Classic, Fiction, Poetry, Rhyme,

Book Summary: The book starts with counting up to five fishes and goes on about silly little rhymes and fanciful imaginings.

Review: One Fish, Two Fish doesn’t have an actual plot to it. But don’t disregard it! The colorful illustrations and rhyming words make it great beginner reader material. Plus, it’s not just about pointless little fancies. It can show your children how limitless their imagination can be! They don’t have to stop with things that they see every day. Even nonsensical things can be fun!

Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen and Brad Sneed

Genre: Classic, Fiction, Story Time

Book Summary: It’s not easy being so little, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go on the biggest adventures. Thumbelina was born from a red flower and she’s only as big as a thumb. The story is about her being kidnapped by a toad who wants to marry her. She escapes and befriends a stag beetle who abandons her. She is taken into the house of a field mouse who takes care of her but kept pushing her to marry a mole. So she escapes once again with her friend swallow. She meets a fairy prince and lives happily ever after with him.

Review: Thumbelina is a classic tale that little kids would love. It has all the best genres a book can have, like a little bit of mystery, suspense, and romance. It also has quite a longer plot than other children’s books so it’s a great start if your children want to read alone. Thumbelina is also a great introductory story that Hans Christian Andersen wrote. Now, you can introduce many more!

Snow by Walter de la Mare and Carolina Rabei

Genre: Poetry, Rhyme, Christmas, Seasons

Book Summary: Snow is a poem about a family preparing for Christmas. It shows what people usually do when it’s nearing Christmas and captures perfectly the joy and wonder of the season.

Review: Snow is another classic that your little ones will love. It’s the perfect bedtime book to read during the winter holidays. Sure, the poem itself sounds a bit old-fashioned because it is. But the new illustrations that come with it create a modern and upbeat look to the whole so. Your children might even want to get the book from you and read themselves.

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond and Peggy Fortnum

Genre: Story Time, Classic, Fiction, Chapter Book, Animals

Book Summary: A brown bear travels from Peru all the way to England. He meets the Browns and lives with them. Since he doesn’t have a name, the Browns decide to call him Paddington because they met him at Paddington Station. Their lives will never be the same because Paddington has a knack for turning ordinary things extraordinarily.

Review: Since the 1950s, Paddington has been winning the hearts of many English people. It’s not surprising that Paddington is also well-known here in the US because we’re all so globally connected now. That’s a good thing, too! Paddington is a lovely story to tell, and all his little misadventures will make you and your children laugh out loud.

Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel

Genre: Classic, Story Time, Fiction, Animals, Chapter Book

Book Summary: Frog and Toad Are Friends is a chapter book composed of four stories. Follow the two inseparable friends as they journey through spring, cheer each other up, go swimming, and give each other what they want the most.

Review: If you want to introduce your little children to novels, this book might be your new best friend. The way it’s laid out is that you can read each chapter like a single, separate story. But since it’s all in one book, it has the feel of one very long story. Plus, everything is easy enough for your beginner readers to read by themselves. This is definitely a classic you should consider investing in!

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World by Kate Pankhurst

Genre: Reference, Non-Fiction, Biographies, Character Development

Book Summary: Fantastically Great Women tells the stories of real-life women who changed the world with their achievements. They all come from very different backgrounds and contributed to many different causes around the world during different times.

Review: If you want a little feminist in the making, then this a good reference book to have in your children’s library. They’ll be learning about different successful people throughout their school, most of them (most, not all!) will be men. So balance out what they know by showing them just how successful women can also be.

Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Genre: Humor – Joke, Classic

Book Summary: Calvin and Hobbes is one of the most successful comic strips to date. It’s about a little boy’s misadventures with his best friend, a stuffed tiger.

Review: Let’s face it. Little boys love mischief, and causing mayhem. The grand adventures of Calvin and Hobbes throughout the years is something every little boy will appreciate. They’d be able to relate with Calvin. Plus, comic strips are short and easy enough for little children to read all on their own. So reading it is enjoyable and at the same time your children can pick up a few reading skills as well.

Conclusion

The ages four to six is a very crucial point, indeed. This is where you make or break how much your children would actually lover reading. This is the age where they can start learning to do things by themselves, and is also the time that they’d discover which hobbies they like better than others.

If you want your child to love reading, then it’s a good idea to collect stories that give good life lessons as well as entertainment value. You could also get some books that are all about their current interests. Stories like princesses and race cars are good for keeping them engrossed in books. I wish you all the best and happy reading!