By age
Graphic novels and comics for kindergarten
Most comic series start at six or seven, so a kindergartner mostly meets comics read aloud. Of the series Peabody tracks, 3 are labelled for five-year-olds (Pizza and Taco, Owly, Ricky Ricotta), and 8 more start at six and are good to share a page at a time. Each card says whose age it is.
Reading the pictures counts: a child who follows the panels, guesses who is talking and tells you what happens next is reading the story. How to read a comic with a child who can't read yet has the how. Checked November 12, 2026.
Short enough to try with a little help
Pizza and Taco books in order by Stephen Shaskan
Ages 5–8 · the publisher's age 11 books · comic. Big panels with a line or two of speech in each bubble, split into short chapters.
Owly books in order by Andy Runton
Ages 5–8 · Peabody's own estimate 5 books · comic. Almost wordless pictures where pictures and small symbols in the speech bubbles tell the story, so a child can read it with no words at all.
Ricky Ricotta books in order by Dav Pilkey, illustrated by Dan Santat (Martin Ontiveros drew the first editions)
Ages 4–9 · the publisher's age 9 books · hybrid. Short chapters of big print with a picture on most pages, and a flip-a-page comic in the middle of each book.
Read together, a page at a time
The Bad Guys books in order by Aaron Blabey
Ages 6–10 · Peabody's own estimate 20 books · hybrid. Big pictures and few words on a page, part comic and part chapter book.
Captain Underpants books in order by Dav Pilkey
Ages 6–10 · Peabody's own estimate 12 books · hybrid. Short chapters with lots of cartoons and comic pages: a step up from a comic.
Narwhal and Jelly books in order by Ben Clanton
Ages 6–9 · Peabody's own estimate 10 books · comic. Very short comics in big panels with only a line or two of text each, plus sea-creature facts at the end of some chapters.
Yotsuba&! volumes in order by Kiyohiko Azuma
Ages 6–12 · Peabody's own estimate 16 volumes · manga. Everyday scenes with short speech bubbles.
CatStronauts books in order by Drew Brockington
Ages 6–10 · the publisher's age 8 books · comic. Big clear panels, short bubbles and a lot of space-science words explained as the story goes.
Magic Tree House graphic novels in order by Mary Pope Osborne, adapted by Jenny Laird, art by Kelly and Nichole Matthews
Ages 6–9 · the publisher's age 8 graphic novels · comic. Short picture-led panels that retell each chapter book with a few lines of text per frame.
Agent Moose books in order by Mo O'Hara and Jess Bradley
Ages 6–9 · Peabody's own estimate 3 books · comic. Short comic panels with big pictures and a lot of puns, so a child can follow the plot with little reading.
Pea, Bee, & Jay books in order by Brian "Smitty" Smith
Ages 6–10 · Peabody's own estimate 6 books · comic. Short books of big panels with very few words in each bubble and puns on every page, made for new readers.
Next year
For 6-year-olds · For 7-year-olds · For 8-year-olds · For 9-year-olds · For 10-year-olds · For 11-year-olds · For 12-year-olds