Our Favourite Read-Alouds For 4-6's

Home Education

Nov 26

One of the things I have wanted to keep constant throughout our home education journey was reading aloud to the kids from a storybook, always having one on the go. This could be read before going to bed or over a cup of tea during the daytime. I studied English Literature at university, so naturally have a HUGE passion for literature that I want the kids to share with me. Reading aloud can be such a bonding time as well as helping strengthen their imagination (as less or no images) building attention span and vocabulary. The kids are often doing something else whilst listening, having a snack or playing lego.

I have scrolled so many read-aloud lists during this past year, and as well as not finding any from UK home educators I found so many suggested books that were unsuitable or at levels beyond where Heppy was. Either they used words I would rather avoid, or dealt with topics we weren’t quite ready to address (parents dying in initial pages for example). While I’m desperate to jump to the Chronicles of Narnia we’re not there and here’s a selection of VERY child-friendly read-aloud books suitable for 4-6 year old’s! Please let me know of your favourites too!

Anna Hibiscus
Written by author Atinuke, Anna Hibiscus follows Anna’s journey living in West Africa with her African Father, Canadian mother and two twin brothers. The chapters are on the longer side, but we just stopped part-way through a chapter if needed. The storyline kept Heppy engaged and the stories are light and funny. We have currently only read the first book in the series, but look forward to reading more.
On the Farm Enid Blyton
Three books in one, the stories follow a group of siblings who leave London to stay with their aunt and uncle in the countryside where they completely fall in love! They meet a friend called Tammylan in the woods who introduces them to all the animals of the forest and they learn how to help with farm life. It’s very charming, educational, very tame, and in some parts not all that exciting but it makes it the perfect bedtime reading.
Millie Mollie Mandy
Very twee, but beautiful and captivating all the same. There are multiple stories you can get hold of, we have so far only read the first in the series, but each tales follows an adventure with Millie-Mollie-Mandy and the help of 'little-friend-Susan' or neighbour Billy Blunt. The books are very safe, there’s no tension or drama and I only had to change a few outdated words. Millie-Mollie-Mandy is only referenced as ‘Millie-Molly-Mandy’ which became a mouthful to me, so we knew her just as Millie by the end!
Charlotte’s Web
I picked this copy up from a second-hand store and was a little hesitant to read but we loved it. The storyline is captivating and I even cried in parts which Heppy found very amusing. I edited some of the early language as Avery Arable has a rifle in his hand the first time we meet him but it’s a great introduction for some great conversations and we loved following this up with the movie.
Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters
A big fan of Ada Twist as a show, a friend lent us one of the questioneer books! Part of a series, it’s perfect engaging yet educational reading. We ended up reading it one day as the storyline was so captivating and was short enough to do so!
Paddington
A family favourite, Heppy loves listening to this on the yoto and is an easy read-aloud. We read ‘A Bear Called Paddington’ but there’s lots of other options too!