20 Amazing Books for 1st Grade Students

Don’t Throw It at Mo! by David A. Adler
OK, this one is so sweet and heartwarming! Mo may be the smallest player on the pitch, but his heart is definitely the biggest! Other teams tease him for being a “butterfingers,” but coach Mo has a clever plan that might turn his size into the team’s secret weapon.

Frogs and Toads Are Friends By Arnold Lobel
When Ella was little, I went through a stack of them Frogs and Toads books for him and he climbed into bed with us and asked Bart to read him some of them. At the end of one of the stories, Bart was laughing so hard he could barely speak. Not a bad reading motivator.

Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same! by Grace Lin
These stories about identical twin girls are very funny and sweet. They get along well and love being twins, but they are NOT exactly the same from making birthday cakes to how they spend their free time, they are both true individuals.

Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant
Aside from Frog & Toad, this is an easy to read classic chapter book series in my opinion. There are A LOT of them, and the adventures of this young man and his large, badly behaved dog never get boring.

Pedro’s Big Goal by Fran Manushkin
If you’ve read Katie Woo’s book series, you’ll love this series about her best friend Pedro. Pedro is learning everything about how to solve problems, while filling his days with some pretty ridiculous adventures. This early reader chapter book is organized into four chapters, each chapter is a different story. At the end of the book there are four pages of jokes in a fun puzzle format for young readers.

George and Martha by James Marshall
If there is a book that can make me laugh, it is George and Martha. These two hippo friends are hilarious and their stories and (mis)adventures made me laugh out loud. The stories are not very long and each book has 2-3 small stories.

Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Some books last for decades for good reason. The Nate the Great series was first published in the 70s and is just as popular today. How can you resist Nate when he solves mysteries (and shows a lot of problem solving skills!).

Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel
I admire Arnold Lobel, and this book always makes me laugh. A clever mouse is captured by a hungry badger who plans to make mouse soup, but the mouse insists that it needs a story to taste good. He tells four funny stories and then sends the ferrets to collect the “ingredients” for the stories – giving himself enough time to escape. Arnold Lobel’s classic charm – I only wish he wrote a hundred more.

Fox at Work by James Marshall
When Fox’s bike breaks down, his mother tells him it’s time to earn money to buy a new bike. He tried several jobs – selling shoes, running, even delivering pizza – but none of them clicked. Then he found the perfect job for him: testing beds! Now that’s a job that allows him to actually sleep.

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton
Narwhal and Jelly don’t have much in common but they both love waffles and they are always ready for an adventure together while exploring the ocean. This easy-to-read chapter book series leans more towards the graphic novel format, so it’s a great option for young readers interested in that format.

King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats By Dori Hillestad Butler
This early mystery book is perfect for kids who love solving cases. Told from the perspective of Raja, the dog, each story has 5 chapters as Raja and his human, Kayla, try to find clues and solve mysteries together.

Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina
These delightful books about Juana and her beloved dog, Lucas, are peppered with Spanish words and colorful illustrations. My 5.5 year old LOVED that I read this with him.

Bumble and Bee by Ross Burach
Bumble and Bee are full of energy and excitement. Their friend, Froggy? Just want peace and quiet. He also doesn’t mind lending his voice when he knows an answer his friends don’t. This is really funny and makes you laugh out loud.

Famous Ratsos by Kara LaReau
I checked out this series when I was looking at books that had won Geisel Awards and Ani managed to read them, but I didn’t realize that Star hadn’t read them until she asked that I check them out of the library for her. At 64 pages long, with lots of illustrations and large text, it’s perfect for readers who are just starting to try their hand at chapter books.

The Gosh Sisters Go West by Betsy Byars
The Golly Sisters take their show on the road, and they bring lots of laughs! Dressed in their finest and ready for adventure, these two sisters head west to share their unique exploits. Of course, getting along isn’t always easy (and things don’t always go according to plan…but that’s half the fun).

Owl Diary: Eva’s Treetop Festival by Rebecca Elliott
Who doesn’t want to be an owl and live in a tree house and record all the fun you are having at school and with your friends? If the 12 books in this series are any indication, EVERYONE wants to be an owl! I especially like that it’s made to look like it was written on lined paper.

Meet Yasmin! by Saadia Faruqi
These books each contain four fun stories about Yasmin, a spunky Pakistani-American girl who loves spending time with her family and creating and building (after we read the first one, all of my girls wanted to make their own neighborhood maps). One really nice thing about this book is that, after four chapters, there is a little glossary, plus craft ideas and recipes. Some books are published with just one story, while there are also 3 books with 4 stories each, so if you order them online, pay attention to the page numbers to know whether you are ordering one story or a collection of 4 chapters (the complete one will be around 96 pages, not 32).

Press Start by Thomas Flintham
Animal Town is home to the super fast and brave Super Rabbit Boy and also? Is a video game character. This means that when things get rough, he has to save the situation. But only if the player, Sunny, can stop losing at every level.

Chicken Squad by Doreen Cronin
When you think of chickens, you probably think of birds pecking at the ground. What you SHOULD be thinking about are crime fighters and mystery solvers.

And if you’d like a copy of this printable book list for 1st graders that you can take to the library or a screenshot on your phone for easy access, just enter your email address below and it will go straight to your inbox!