These short chapter books are great for pre-school aged children (ages 3-5) who might be ready to hear a longer story but still want a healthy amount of pictures on the page. These books would also work for early readers who aren’t ready for longer chapter books. Most include animal friendships, silly mix-ups, and a simple sentence structure.
Bat, Cat, and Rat: The Cozy Home
Ame Dyckman & Mark Teague
Bat, Cat, and Rat are three very different friends who share a home and navigate everyday roommate dynamics — sharing, compromise, and coexisting — with plenty of humor and warmth along the way.
Book 2: Vacation
Book 3: The Beach Day
Book 4: A Great Fall
Book 5: The Cozy Town
Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories
Jarvis
Bear and Bird are best friends who spend a lot of time together. They don’t always understand each other, but both agree that all they want is for their friend to be happy. Each book is a collection of four short, standalone stories starring the pair, full of colorful artwork and big letters — perfect for children taking their first steps toward independent reading.
Book 2: The Stars
Book 3: The Adventure
Book 4: The Stick
Book 5: The Secret
Book 6: The Cave
Cornbread and Poppy
Matthew Cordell
Cornbread and Poppy are two mice who are best friends despite being total opposites — Cornbread loves planning and adores preparing, while Poppy does neither. Their differences are the heart of the series, showing how opposite personalities can still make a great friendship.
Book 2: Cornbread and Poppy at the Carnival
Book 3: Cornbread and Poppy at the Museum
Book 4: Cornbread and Poppy for the Win
Earl and Worm: The Bad Idea and Other Stories
Greg Pizzoli
The Earl and Worm series follows a happy-go-lucky bird (Earl) and his reserved neighbor (Worm). The three stories in the first book track how the mismatched pair go from reluctant neighbors to close friends. This is a great readalike series for those who enjoy Frog and Toad.
Book 2: The Big Mess
Book 3: Snow Problem
Frog and Toad Are Friends
Arnold Lobel
Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel is a classic early-reader collection of five short stories about the friendship between Frog and Toad. Across all five stories, the book celebrates simple, everyday moments of loyalty, patience, and affection between two very different but devoted friends.
Book 2: Frog and Toad Together
Book 3: Frog and Toad All Year
Book 4: Days with Frog and Toad
Penny and Her Song
Kevin Henkes
Penny comes home from school excited to sing her new song, but she is constantly being shushed by Mama and Papa mouse because the babies are sleeping! When will she get a chance to sing her song?
Book 2: Penny and Her Doll
Book 3: Penny and Her Marble
Book 4: Penny and Her Sled
Poppleton
Cynthia Rylant
Poppleton is a pig who moves from the city to a small town and enjoys humorous adventures with his friends and neighbors. The book is separated into three independent short-story chapters, and across them Poppleton makes a friend, reads a library book about adventure, and helps a sick friend get better.
Book 2: Poppleton and Friends
Book 3: Poppleton Everyday
Book 4: Poppleton Forever
Book 5: Poppleton in Fall
Sam and the Firefly
P.D. Eastman
While this is not actually a chapter book, it is a fairly long easy reader. Sam is an owl who wishes he had a friend to play with at night while everyone is asleep. He meets Gus, the firefly, but soon learns that Gus’s idea of fun usually involves tricking people. Other long easy readers by P.D. Eastman include The Best Nest and A Fish Out of Water.
