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 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. Back from Children's Chapter Books to Classic Children's Books Back from Children's Chapter Books to Home Page Can't find what you're looking for? Try searching for it here. 
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