13 Of The Best Books For Kindergarteners & Grade 1/2 Read Alouds
If you ask a kid what their favorite kind of book is, you can bet your bottom dollar they will say one that is fun! A silly story with bright colorful artwork and humor will always be a hit with this age group. Here are 13 fun and funny read-alouds for kindergarten that will bring a smile to their faces, and most certainly yours too!
These kids’ books do have some simple themes about friendship and other sweet sentiments just nothing overly heavy or too serious.
With cute silly stories, funny characters, and wonderful artwork, these read-aloud picture books will bring a smile and a laugh to everyone who’s listening, even the grown-ups!
They are some of the most fun read-alouds for 5, 6, and 7-year-olds whether it’s at your local library, school, kindergarten circle time, or at home with the family. Most of these selections are available in paperback, hardcover, or Kindle edition!
So get ready to voice some silly characters and act out some of these whacky picture books with your kids.
Let’s dive into some of the funniest read-aloud picture books out there!
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13 Fun Read Aloud Picture Books For Kindergarten-Grade 1, 2
The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Duncan is a little boy who just loves to color. But one day he finds a stack of letters written by each of his crayons explaining their grievances.
They are tired of coloring the same old things and fighting amongst themselves.
Red is especially mad because he has to work all the holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day! Duncan gets creative and finds a perfect solution to the crayon’s problems.
The Legend Of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt
Everyone knows how to play rock, paper, scissors but do you know the legend behind it?
This “true” story comes complete with battles, duels, and a dramatic yet hilarious flair! This makes a really fun and exciting read-aloud especially when you do it with different voices for each character. The illustrations are brilliant and colorful too.
Something’s Wrong by Jory John
Jeff the bear has that strange feeling that he has forgotten something one morning but he can’t quite figure out what it is. Well, it’s obvious to the reader that he is wearing underwear over his fur!
Yes, a bear wearing underwear out in the forest. The other animals notice and find it strange but don’t say a thing.
Finally, his good friend Anders the hare tells him what he forgot. He also shows him that he has his back!
This is one of my favorite fun kindergarten read-alouds, just such a cute picture book. Our 6-year-old loves this one.
Giraffe Problems by Jory John
Edward the giraffe hates his long long neck and is very self-conscious about it. He is jealous of all the other kinds of necks out there.
One day he meets a turtle who has a squishy neck. He starts to see that having a long neck like his actually does have advantages.
This is a simple sweet story with beautiful illustrations and a little lesson about loving yourself just as you are.
It also shows how great friendships can form even between creatures who are very different from each other.
Not sure what your child’s reading level is? You can get a reading assessment and a ton of other awesome literacy resources for kids ages 2-12 with Reading IQ: Age of Learning. They offer the first month totally free so there’s nothing to lose!
The Bad Seed by Jory John
This is a book about a bad seed. He’s really baaaaaaaad. The worst!
He has an awful temper, stares rudely, cuts in line, and never listens.
But when you see what made him this way was a result of something traumatic and scary, you can understand a little better why he behaves like that.
One day he decides to change his ways and do his best to embrace happiness. Will he succeed? This one has super cute illustrations as well.
If you like these Jory John books, you can get them in a 3-book set that includes The Bad Seed, The Good Egg, and The Cool Bean.
Check out The Bad Seed read aloud by Kid Time Story Time below. She is one of our favorite kids’ read-aloud channels on YouTube!
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
Dragons do love tacos apparently, but they should really steer clear of spicy salsa! Things could get red hot!
This book is adorable and witty, even grown-ups will enjoy it. The illustrations are fantastic too.
It’s just one of those fun, silly kindergarten read-alouds that little kids love. And it may just have you craving tacos by the end of it.
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins (Mother Bruce series)
Penelope the T Rex is nervous about her first day of school as any kid might be. When she arrives at school she is shocked to see that all her classmates are human. So she eats them!
Well, the teacher makes her spit them out but everyone is still pretty upset with her. She turns to Walter the goldfish for comfort in her loneliness and he teaches her a good lesson in empathy (by biting her finger!)
The author of this book does an amazing job at setting the scene and then having the next page bring an unexpected surprise, which is what makes a wonderful read-aloud quality.
Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
An extremely silly, ludicrous story about a boy whose kite gets stuck in a tree and the many, many, MANY items he throws up there to try to get the kite loose.
It kind of reminds me of the “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A” book series. Just super silly but fun to read aloud.
The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers
Henry loves books. But Henry doesn’t like to read books, he likes to eat them. Big books, small books, picture books, all books . . . Henry chews the pages up and swallows.
This makes him smarter and smarter! He feels he will be the smartest boy in the world!
One day he gets a tummy ache and digestion problems and has to find a new way to enjoy books without eating them. Another crazy, silly, fun read-aloud from Jeffers.
Raise a Reader with These 13 Early Literacy Tips!
The Adventures of Reginald Stinkbottom by Sophia J. Ferguson
Reginald “Reggie” Stinkbottom lived in a house with his Grandma, 3 squirrels, 2 cats, and a mouse.
His favorite food is baked beans and he eats a ton of them, around 8 helpings a day! Wow, well you can bet this causes a certain, loud and smelly problem.
This is a silly, funny rhyming story with lots of twists and turns and an unexpected ending,
Most kids find farts funny, but if you don’t appreciate bathroom humor you could skip this one!
The Gingersnap Snatcher by Vicky Weber
Who took the gingersnaps??? The kids are excited to come home this one day after school because they know their Abuela is baking their favorite cookies.
But they then realize that all that’s left is the crumbs! It’s a mystery that needs solving and these kids are on it.
This picture book has some amazing lyrical rhyming which makes it super fun for kindergarten read-alouds.
Sloth At The Zoom by Helaine Becker
The sloth is looking forward to slow, lazy days at the zoo but accidentally ends up at the “zoom” instead.
The fast pace is just too much for him and the other animals are so fast that he can’t make friends with any of them!
Then he meets Snail and he is so happy to have a friend who is used to the same pace as him.
A really cute story with beautiful artwork and a subtle message that we should all slow down a bit and enjoy the small things in life, especially friendship.
Shy Willow by Cat Min
This book is more sweet than funny but I wanted to include it anyway because it’s just so heartwarming.
Willow is a super shy rabbit who lives in a mailbox and doesn’t really like all the noise of the outside world.
But one day a letter dropped off by a very special boy touches her heart. She knows that if she wants to help the boy with his problem she will have to brave the outside world.
So with courage and quiet determination, she does just that.
This book features extraordinary artwork and has a beautiful message about kindness.
More Articles For You To Enjoy!
15 Fun & Sweet Books About Emotions & Big Feelings
Books To Help Kids Learn About Being Gratitude & Thankfulness
9 Wonderful Books About Friendship For Preschool & Kindergarten
Best Christmas Books For Kindergarten & Pre K
The Best Christmas Books About Giving & Christmas Spirit
I hope you enjoy some of our picks for the best fun read-alouds for kindergarten and grade 1! As always, please drop a comment below if you have any book suggestions to share. We really love hearing from our readers and are always on the lookout for more great kids’ book suggestions!
Until next time, K.
Kelly Blakely is the founder and creative force behind Just Our View From Here. As a first-time mom over 40, she brings a fresh perspective to parenting and family life on her blog. Kelly also explores a wide range of lifestyle topics in her writing, including fashion, beauty, self-care, and well-being.
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