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Reading level

Stories for ages three to five

Short chapters, simple sentences and a lot of repetition, for a child who is being read to rather than reading.

How a chapter is written

One idea a sentence. Familiar words, repeated phrases to join in with, and nothing frightening left unresolved by the end of the chapter.

Chapters run to between 150 and 250 words, which is roughly two or three minutes read aloud.

Whether it is the right one

These are reading levels with ages on them rather than the other way round. Pick the one that matches how your child reads today, not the one that matches their birthday. Nothing on the page says which band a story is in, so there is nothing to be self conscious about.

The band is fixed once a story starts, because a book that changes reading level halfway through stops working. Start the next one in a different band whenever it is time.

The other two

  • Ages 6-8

    Longer chapters with a proper plot, for a child reading along or starting to read alone.

  • Ages 9-12

    Real chapters, with subplots and characters who change, for a confident reader.

Start a story, free