My Favorite Books for Level 2-3 Readers

Hello all,

For those of you with kiddos reading on Level 2-3, it’s often tough to find books with a great story. I get it, it’s tough to write a good story in very few words. But c’mon! Man, I’ve wondered how some of these beginning readers got published.  We certainly don’t want to read a story that doesn’t make us laugh, or think, or feel anything! There’s been many times when I closed a book with a beginning reader and thought, how am I going to ask him/her anything about this book? The author didn’t make me care about a character, or the problem, or I didn’t laugh or see the world in a new way, etc.  Part of reading with a child isn’t just sounding out the letter sounds and making words or sentences. Part of reading these shorter books is wondering what they liked about the book, which character is their favorite and why, what would they have done in that situation, and re-laughing about it later in the day. If I’m reading a beginning reader and rolling my eyes or yawning, why would the little person struggling to read it find anything worthwhile? 

Now, if your child is absolutely obsessed with Disney Princesses and wants to read ALL the level 1, 2, & 3 Disney Princess books, by all means, go for it!  They also have Star Wars books for all levels, and just about any Marvel superhero too. If they already love a specific character, they will love books with that character.  But I have found that unless the books contain a pretty good story (many of them do not), the magic fades, and you’re back to looking at fairly dumb stories in a matter of weeks. Hence, the eye roll. 

So, I hunted and found stories for beginning readers that will stand the test of time. These are dang good stories.  Why? Because these authors have the ability to make us love the characters and the world they’re in without using a lot of words. Plus, they’re funny!  Not bathroom humor funny, but actually funny. I find this talent remarkable. 

1. “Poppleton”, by Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Mark Teague. Poppleton is an adorable food-loving pig and his best friend is a very polite and hairy llama named Cherry Sue.  Are you already hooked? Seriously, these are the cutest stories, all the characters are animals, and man, you will laugh. There is Poppleton, Poppleton and Friends, Poppleton Everyday, Poppleton Has Fun, Poppleton Forever, Poppleton in Fall, Poppleton in Winter, Poppleton in Spring, and Poppleton in Summer is coming out April 2020. Snatch these up.  One of my favorite stories is in “Poppleton and Friends”. Poppleton looks in the mirror and thinks he has dry skin! So he calls his friend Cherry Sue and she gives him advice. She tells him to try putting oil on his dry skin (made Poppleton crave french fries). She tells him to try honey (craved biscuits). She finally just comes over to look at it, and realizes Poppleton has a linty sweater on - he doesn’t even have dry skin.  Poppleton admits he’s been wearing the same linty sweater for 3 days (“I can be such a pig”) and Cherry Sue brings over a lint brush (“no llama can be without one”). Oh man, the illustrations are so great. I laugh out loud every time. 

The other beginning reader series by Cynthia Rylant that I recommend are “Henry & Mudge” (a boy and his dog), “Mr Putter & Tabby” (a man and his cat), “Annie & Snowball” (a girl and her bunny), and when they’re ready to read something a little longer, “The Lighthouse Family” series is great. But my all-time favorite is Poppleton - it’s a less popular series but definitely the BEST illustrator out of all her books, and the most endearing characters. 

2. “Frog and Toad” written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel. I bet you’ve heard of this series. There’s  Frog and Toad are Friends, Days with Frog and Toad, Frog and Toad All Year, and Frog and Toad Together. Get them all. They are best friends, they help each other through various problems but they’re also funny! Each book has 4 short stories. They all make me laugh or smile. My fave story is Dragons and Giants in “Frog and Toad Together” - they are trying to figure out if they can be brave. So they go outside into dangerous situations (hawk flying over them, rock avalanche, snake nearby) and then they run home as fast as they can.  It’s a super cute story but also lets the reader know that feeling afraid doesn’t mean they aren’t brave. You can feel scared and be brave at the same time. I love that idea and it’s so important for our little ones. I think this particular story is partly why “Frog and Toad Together” won a Newbery Honor medal. 

Arnold Lobel also wrote “Owl at Home”, “Mouse Tales” and “Mouse Soup” - all hilarious and the characters are just as endearing as Frog and Toad. If your child loves the Frog and Toad series, definitely get these others. 

3. "Elephant & Piggie", by Mo Willems. This brilliant author started writing these little books back in 2007 and they are so popular, they were still publishing variations of them in 2019. Elephant & Piggle are endearing, funny, and so adorable. Your kiddos will love them. You can buy them as sets or as individual books. Elephant is the opposite of Piggie in many ways, but they are absolute best friends. I love their friendship. Piggie is more care-free, adventurous, and Elephant is cautious is every way (and is little more grumpy). My favorite one is "We Are In a Book!" - it's so funny to see their reactions when they realize a reader is reading about them! Kids love it when they know more than the characters in the book. I laughed out loud.

4. “Amelia Bedelia” by Peggy Parish. Ok, so these books are funny.  Each book is one full story. Your beginning reader will understand what Amelia Bedelia is asked to do, but Amelia Bedelia will not understand.  I think kids love it when they feel like they know something the character in the book doesn’t know. For example, Mrs Rogers asks Amelia to help her throw a surprise outdoor shower for her friend who is getting married, and Amelia turns on the hose outside and literally gives all Mrs. Roger’s friends a shower!  But she always makes up for her mistakes with delicious baked goods. Amelia takes everything said to her extremely literally, and it will teach your readers in a funny way the different meanings for words. 

Start there.  If your beginning reader wants more suggestions, feel free to contact me, or check out the “Beginning Reader” category on my website. Happy Reading!