Ten fun read-alouds for young children

Great writers have a way of weaving words that work wonders when read aloud. Pick the right story and you’re guaranteed to have fun reading together. Here are a few books I always enjoy sharing with young children. 

This picture book is full of short, snappy poems, all about dinosaurs. Children can join in with the actions and will quickly parrot them back to you – a great way to get kids ​‘reading’. Pick a page or two for a really quick story time, or read the whole thing easily in one go. 

Rainy days are wonderful for reading, as well as for getting out and splashing in puddles. This lovely book can be used as a springboard for putting on wellies and exploring outdoors, or for curling up indoors and chatting about the highs and lows of wet-play days. 

John Hegley writes the funniest, down-to-earth poems. This one – about a boy, his companionable stick and endless imagination – is perfect to share with children. Lose yourself in the brilliant illustrations while Hegley’s words roll around your mouth like sweets. Glorious. 

Who doesn’t enjoy a book that invites a real-life tickle fight? Eddie and Charlie’s boat looks a lot like a cardboard box, and the tiger they encounter looks rather like a cat… There’s plenty of adventurous story to enjoy, without being so long it wears down the adult reader. 

This mischievous book is just the right kind of naughty. The illustrations are full of very funny feelings, and the story itself is surprising and full of cheeky chuckles. Diddle, diddle, diddle, diddle, diddle… dum! 

Children love being smarter than the characters they read about. Hoot Owl is adorably daft as he disguises himself as a carrot and even an ornamental birdbath in search of dinner. There’s a mix of simple and more challenging language in this book that makes reading it a really rich experience – as well as a very funny one. 

This is a book of few words, but there are lots of easy ways to spin out the fun. Give Bat a funny voice, count the fruit and have a go at guessing what will happen over the page. Pair it with any of Mo Willems’ Pigeon books for a fun and interactive story time. 

Nostalgic and sweet, this book is a great choice for story time. There’s something about the gentle rhythm that soothes and reassures, especially when paired with Helen Oxenbury’s cosy illustrations. Reading this one out loud makes you feel like a master storyteller. 

This is my absolute favourite book by this duo because it is amazing to read aloud. It skips and bounces along and always makes me smile. I read it repeatedly to my kids before they were even born, just for the pleasure of speaking the words. Pure joy! 

Every word is short and simple, but the way they’re put together makes them a hoot to say aloud. There’s lots of repetition and silliness, and the pictures relate directly to the words. A great choice to share with children who are learning to read.