My child is only just learning to read. Is this a book to read alone or to be read aloud?

Mostly to share, with you reading aloud. A child of 6 can manage the first short words on their own, but a whole story alone is still too much. So the story is written to be read aloud, with the odd familiar word here and there that your child can pick up themselves.

What makes a story for a 6 year old different from one for a preschooler?

It gets to step up a size. More characters, a real problem that is sorted out over a few events, and feelings that follow one another rather than one feeling per story. On top of that the main character sorts it out themselves, which is still too much to ask of a younger child.

Will the book still fit once my child is reading on their own?

The story is written for the age you give now, so for a child of 6 in this in-between year. If your child is reading more independently a year from now, a story for 7 to 9 year olds will suit them better: longer sentences, shorter chapters. You simply make a new adventure then, pitched at wherever your child is by that point.

A story for the 6 year old who is just starting to read on their own

Your child comes home and suddenly reads a word off a sign. "Look, that says stop." Something that was not there yesterday is there today. And yet, at bedtime, the same question still comes: will you read to me?

Six is the year those two things are both true at once. Your child works out the first short words themselves, letter by letter, and at the same time snuggling up together stays the best part of the day. One does not cancel out the other.

A good story for a child of 6 gets to be both. You read most of it aloud, at your pace, in your voice. And here and there sits a short, familiar word your child recognises and can read along out loud. Just enough to feel proud of, not so much that it turns into work.

The story is built around your child. They run into something small, a squabble in the playground, a job that looks a bit frightening, and they sort it out within the story itself. You are there in the background, the way you are in real life: close enough to help, far enough back to let them do it themselves.

What makes a story right for this age

The thread is a clear chain of cause and effect: this happens, so that happens. At this age a child holds that line without effort, even once a few more characters turn up.
The main character sorts out a small problem themselves, with a grown-up in the background. Not being rescued, but daring to manage it on their own.
Feelings are allowed to follow one another: first a little scared, then relieved. A first flicker of embarrassment, the sense that other people are watching, can sit gently in there too.
Here and there is a short word your child can already read, without the story turning into a worksheet.
It is a bit longer and sturdier than a story for a preschooler, with a proper beginning, middle and end, but it still fits inside a single bedtime read.

What that looks like

Finn is building the new den in the playground, but the biggest branch just will not stay up. The other children are watching. For a moment he wants to walk away. Then he leans the branch at an angle against the tree, exactly the way he had pictured it, and the den holds.

Frequently asked questions

My child is only just learning to read. Is this a book to read alone or to be read aloud?: Mostly to share, with you reading aloud. A child of 6 can manage the first short words on their own, but a whole story alone is still too much. So the story is written to be read aloud, with the odd familiar word here and there that your child can pick up themselves.
What makes a story for a 6 year old different from one for a preschooler?: It gets to step up a size. More characters, a real problem that is sorted out over a few events, and feelings that follow one another rather than one feeling per story. On top of that the main character sorts it out themselves, which is still too much to ask of a younger child.
Will the book still fit once my child is reading on their own?: The story is written for the age you give now, so for a child of 6 in this in-between year. If your child is reading more independently a year from now, a story for 7 to 9 year olds will suit them better: longer sentences, shorter chapters. You simply make a new adventure then, pitched at wherever your child is by that point.

Other ages

Themes that suit this age

Make a story that fits your child's age

Make a personal story