Children's Chapter Books

Children's chapter books are short novels of around 100 pages which are broken into chapters short enough to be read in one sitting. Short chapters mean that the story moves fast and there are plenty of places to stop if your child has had enough. Chapter books are therefore ideal for when your child first starts to read and will help to develop their appetite for reading.

Many children's chapter books are also perfect for reading aloud to younger children. I started reading chapter books to my son when he was four years old (in addition to picture books), and he loved them. It was a great way of gradually extending his attention span - first we would read just one chapter and later, as his attention span increased, he would beg me for more.

To try to come up with a definitive list of the best children's chapter books I combined over 20 highly regarded lists of children's books including winners of prestigious children's books awards, reading lists from reputable sources and bestselling books of all time. Those books mentioned on more than one list are shown below, with books at the top receiving the most mentions.

"Sarah, Plain and Tall", which tops the list with four mentions in the source lists, tells the story of Sarah, who comes from Maine to answer a widowed midwestern farmer's advertisement for a wife and mother to his two chidren. 'Winne-the-Pooh' and 'The Velveteen Rabbit' are the oldest books on the list, both having been first published in 1926. Roald Dahl, one of my family's favourite authors, appears twice, with "The Enormous Crocodile" and "George's Marvellous Medicine".

1. Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlan
First published 1985

2. Winnie-the-Pooh
by A. A. Milne
illustrated by Ernest Shepard
First published 1926

3. Stone Fox
by John Reynolds Gardiner
illustrated by Marcia Sewall
First published 1980

4. The Velveteen Rabbit
by Margery Williams
First published 1926

5. The Whipping Boy
by Sid Fleischman
illustrated by Peter Sis
First published 1986

6. A Visit to William Blake's Inn
by Nancy Willard
illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen
First published 1981

7. Amelia Bedelia
by Peggy Parish
illustrated by Fritz Siebel
First published 1963

8. Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum
by Ashley Bryan
First published 1980

9. George's Marvellous Medicine
by Roald Dahl
First published 1981

10. Missing May
by Cynthia Rylant
First published 1992

11. Mr Majeika
by Humphrey Carpenter
First published 1984

12. My Father's Dragon
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
 First published 1948

13. Snow White and the Seven Aliens
by Laurence Anholt
illustrated by Arthur Robins
First published 1998

14. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
by Barbara Robinson
First published 1972

15. The Enormous Crocodile
by Roald Dahl
First published 1978

16. The Firework-Maker's Daughter
by Philip Pullman
illustrated by Nick Harris
First published 1995

17. The Little Prince
by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
First published 1943

18. The Worst Witch Collection
by Jill Murphy
First published 1974

Your child may also be interested in reading, or being read, these picture books for older readers. They contain more sophisticated vocabulary and a more involved story than many picture books, making them ideal for children aged five and above.

If your favorite children's chapter book is not on the list, then please do share it with us. We'd love to hear about it. Just click here to share your favorite children's chapter books and follow the instructions.

For more ideas of classic children's books, check out these lists of top children's books or winners of these children's book awards.