Awesome Books for 4 Year Olds

My four year old has read more than me this year.  And 4 is a weird age thing.  They’re not babies anymore, but they’re not really independent readers.

The picture books need to have a lot going on, and all the squirrels in their brains might be leaning towards chapter books, with a lot going on, but not so much they switch off.

A reader recently asked me for a list of Isla-approved books. 

I’m not an expert in the reading habits of four year-olds, but I have a four year-old, and it’s been really difficult interesting to buy books for her recently.

These are her favorite books, and they come highly recommended for the kid in your life.

The suggested reading age on some of these books is 5 to 7.  But age is just a number.

This list book list contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  Read my disclosure here.)

This list is also a collaborative effort between Isla, Neil, and me. Kinda like our family reading sessions.

Marge in Charge – Isla Fisher

OK, so. We initially bought this because of the ‘Isla’ connection.’That’s MY NAME,’ our Isla said when we found them, ‘read them ALL to me.’

The Marge in Charge stories have become a firm favorite in our household.   Funny and well-written, each book is split into 3 stories, which perfectly fits our girl’s attention span.

Marge in Charge is a series of four books, so far.

Mr Men

and

Little Miss – Roger Hargreaves

Isla loves the Mr Men and Little Miss books.  She always has a stack of them
next to her bed, and an evening’s reading wouldn’t be complete without at
least one. Or six.

Animal Ark: Kitten Rescue – Lucy Daniels

Like many 4 year-old girls, Isla loves animals, and she  tells us she wants to be a vet, so these books were perfect for her. Tales of daring adventures and rescuing cute animals. Kitten Rescue is the first book in a ten book series.

Roald Dahl’s Scrumdiddlyumptious Story Collection (Roald Dahl Box Set)

Lets face it, a bookish childhood is not complete without some Roald Dahl, and our bookish child adores these.

Her favourite is The Twits, we’ve lost count oft the number of times we’ve read it, closely followed by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

We’re reading Matilda to her at the moment, which isn’t in the above box set, but Isla knows it’s ‘Mumma’s favorite kid’s book.’

Uncle Shawn and Bill and the Almost Entirely Unplanned Adventure – A. L. Kennedy

This was bought for ourselves, really.  A. L. Kennedy is a wonderful Scottish writer of serious books, and a stand-up comedian in her spare time, and both of these show in this book.

Wonderfully written and genuinely hilarious, Isla really got into it, demanding multiple readings. It might be more suitable for children a bit older than Isla due to some scary bits.

Paddington Bear – Michael Bond

When we asked Isla what her favorite books were, she was adamant that this be included in the list, despite only having read half of it, which goes to show how quickly it captured her imagination.

Super Magic Happy Forest – Matty Long

You wouldn’t believe how many times we’ve read this and it’s sequel (Slug of Doom) to Isla.  She can’t read herself yet, but she knows them both of by heart.  

Very silly tales of epic quests, with lots of hidden puzzles, in-jokes and geek culture references. Neil mostly loved the Viking Penguins.

The Pug Who Wanted to be a Unicorn – Bella Swift

A recent favorite, and a ridiculously sweet story.  You can guess the plot from
the title.

Dr Seuss Omnibus

Like Roald Dahl, Dr Seuss is a staple of any bookish childhood. Isla particularly loves The Cat in the Hat, but who doesn’t?

Ping and Pong are Best Friends (mostly) – Tim Hopgood

Isla favorite toy is a big blue penguin called Victoria (who really deserves a blog of her own, and kinda stars in this post).

Often Isla will tell us that Victoria wants a ‘penguin book’. Of all her dozens of penguins books, this was the one she picked as her favorite.

Where’s the Unicorn

Unicorns are a ‘thing’ at the moment, they’re everywhere, and Isla is no
different from most girls her age in that she loves them.  

This book is basically ‘Where’s Wally/Waldo’, but with unicorns, wonderfully drawn. We’ve spent hours staring at this, trying to find the last one.

What does your favorite little kid like to read?

Also, check out these six ways to diversify your kid’s reading and The Willoughby Book Club for their range of book subscriptions for kids.