Grade 1 · ages 6–7 · levels R5–R11
1st Grade Reading Books – Easy Stories with Audio
97 books for first graders, from pages of one or two sentences to short stories with characters who talk. Listen with the words highlighted, read it yourself, then check with a quiz.
Ages 6–7Grade 1Levels R5–R1197 books9 free to read
Free reading level test
Not sure which book to start with?
Read a few short texts and answer two questions about each. Young children tap the picture that matches the words. The test finds your exact level, from R1 to R29, and opens the right shelf of books.
- Ages 4 and up
- 5–10 minutes
- No timer
- Picture questions for young readers
First grade covers a long stretch of the ladder, R5–R11. Early in the year a page holds one or two short sentences about one picture; by the end a book tells a story over twelve pages, characters speak in their own voices, and information books add a contents page and a glossary.
The grades are a guide, matched to the levels children read at school in the US (R5–R11 on the 7ESL ladder). Children read at different speeds, so start where the quiz feels comfortable and move up one level at a time. Older beginners and adult learners use the same books.
What the 97 books for 1st grade are about: animals (21), how things work (13), earth, water & weather (11), school & everyday life (7), plants & gardens (7), and 17 more topics.
Level R5
Two simple sentences a page. The second opens with a pronoun pointing back at the first. First dialogue.
Ads paying for your free English lessons. Prefer a quiet page? Go ad-free
Level R6
Two to three sentences a page. First past tense.
Level R7
Two to three sentences a page. First compound sentence with and / but.
Level R8
A page is a short paragraph — a claim and the cause behind it, two sentences, not four. First because / so.
Level R9
Level R10
Level R11
Questions about 1st grade reading books
What reading level is 1st grade?
Most first graders read between R5 and R11 on the 7ESL ladder – levels D to J on the Raz-Kids scale. Start low and move up when the quiz is easy.
How many questions are in the quiz?
Five short questions, and every answer shows the page it comes from.
Do the books have audio?
Yes. A narrator reads every page, each word lights up as it is spoken, and characters have their own voices.