What a year of reading! As we wrap up our fifth year of reading together, I asked Preschool Bookworm to look over our log of books we’ve read while he was four and choose his favorites. As any true bookworm would, he had a lot of trouble with this assignment! We were able to narrow it down to his top 20, with five that stood out among the others as most beloved. But in reality, this list represents more than 20 titles since several are series. Clever.

Of course we read piles of picture books as well. Those are largely cataloged in my Picture Book Tour series as we are reading through the picture book section from A to Z!

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1. The Box-Car Children. This has definitely earned its spot at the top of the list! I’ve lost track of how many times PB has listened to the audiobook (the first 3 books, definitely worth an Audible credit- you can read my list of audible recommendations to get the most bang for your credit!), and when I brought home a tattered paperback copy from a library book sale, he thought it was the greatest gift! We also enjoyed the movie, which was true to the book and well done. We have the new fully illustrated (75th anniversary) edition on our wishlist. I shouldn’t mention that his pretend play has included finding treasures at the city dump, like cups and saucers. 😉
2. Magic Tree House (series). We are two books short of reading the entire series. He’s not yet reading to this level, so he pages through the pictures repeatedly, and has listened to several of the audiobook collections. And, to truly show his devotion, he was Jack for Halloween.
3. Henry Huggins, and all of the books featuring Henry by Beverly Cleary. I’m pretty sure that Henry is PB’s best friend. He’s spent as much time with Henry Huggins as he has with any of his real life friends. Again, the audiobook collection has been on repeat throughout the year (expertly narrated by Neil Patrick Harris and totally worth an Audible credit!)
4. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. When we initially began reading this, I thought it was probably too advanced and going over PB’s head. He proved me wrong, sharing a beautiful “narration” (ala the Charlotte Mason way). Since then, he has listened to it several more times on audio (read by Anne Hathaway!).
5. My Father’s Dragon. This title was on several “first chapter book” lists and I tried it before he turned 4 with no luck. This year was the sweet spot, and he loved it! We read the trilogy eagerly.

Preschool Bookworm’s other favorites, in no particular order. 🙂

So many wonderful stories here! I agree with C.S. Lewis, that “No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally– and often far more– worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.” In our case, this 30-something Mama Bookworm equally enjoyed each of these stories alongside of my four year old.

What are your favorite chapter books to share with young readers? Send me your recommendations for my brand new FIVE year old! Connect with me in the comments below, on the Facebook page, or on Instagram.

Books mentioned in this post should be readily available at your local library, or at the affiliate links provided.