Best Children's Books for:
Guided Reading Level K / DRA Level 18
Below are the best early reader books that are written at Guided Reading Level K / DRA Level 18 books. (It's the same level--just some schools use the one book leveling system and others use the other.) In general, kids read books on this level in second grade. (Ideally, second graders start at level I-J / DRA 16 and keep progressing in reading to end on level M / DRA 24. However, every child is different, so check with your child's teacher to determine his/her exact level).
We sincerely hope this lists will be a helpful resource for teachers in need of guided reading books or for parents looking for books for their own children to read. And if we've left your favorite off our lists, please let us know!
Best Book Series Written at this Level
Guided Reading K / DRA 18
Finding a good series is a GREAT way to get kids reading. Read a few of the books to get them hooked...and the kids will keep coming back for more and more! Here are a few of our favorite series that have level G/12 books. Note that as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Fluffy series:
The majority of books in the cute and funny Fluffy series are written at DRA Level K / Guided Reading Level 18, including: Fluffy and the Firefighters, Fluffy Saves Christmas, Fluffy Learns to Swim, Fluffy Meets the Dinosaurs, Fluffy's Trick or Treat, Fluffy Meets the Tooth Fairy, Fluffy Plants a Jelly Bean, and Fluffy Goes to Washington, Fluffy the Secret Santa, Fluffy Goes Apple Picking, Fluffy Grows a Garden, Fluffy Meets the Groundhog, and more. (Fluffy series books that are not level K/18 are:Fluffy Goes to School (M), Fluffy's Silly Summer (L), Fluffy's Valentine's Day (H), and Fluffy's Thanksgiving (L). )
Click here to see Fluffy books on Amazon
Pinkalicious reader books:
Some of the readers in the adorable Pinkalicious series are written at DRA Level K / Guided Reading Level 18, including: The Princess of Pink Slumber Party, Tutu-rrific, Pinkalicious and the New Teacher, Puptastic, Fashion Fun, and School Rules. (Other books in the readers series range from level I to level M.)
Click here to see Pinkalicious books on Amazon
Frog and Toad series books::
All four books in the classic Frog and Toad series are written at DRA Level K / Guided Reading Level 18, including: Frog and Toad All Year, Frog and Toad Together, Frog and Toad are Friends, and Days with Frog and Toad.
Click here to see Frog and Toad books on Amazon
Nate the Great series books::
Virtually all of the books in the much-loved, classic children's mystery series Nate the Great are written at DRA Level K / Guided Reading Level 18, including: Nate the Great, Nate the Great Goes Undercover, Nate the Great Stalks Stupidweed, Nate the Great and the Long List, Nate the Great and the Missing Key, Nate the Great and the Stolen Base, Nate the Great and the Great Pillowcase, Nate the Great and the Tardy Tortoise, Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize, Nate the Great and the Owl Express, Nate the Great and the Sticky Case, Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt, Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas, Nate the Great and the Big Sniff, Nate the Great and the Phony Clue, Nate the Great and the Snow Trail, Nate the Great San Francisco Detective, Nate the Great and the Musical Note, Nate the Great Goes Down in the Dumps, and Nate the Great Saves the King of Sweden.
Click here to see Nate the Great books on Amazon
Individual Early Reader Books
all written at Guided Reading Level K / DRA 18
We would love for you to buy books from us (via the sets above),
but we realize that some people prefer new books over cheaper-but-gently-used
books. So, below is a list of the best Level K / DRA 18
children's
books that we could find that are available to buy on Amazon.com. Please note that as an Amazon
Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Duck for
President
(funny tale of a duck
running for president
of the United States)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
The Cat in the
Hat Comes Back
(the Cat in the Hat
is back for more
out-of-control fun)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Alice the Fairy
(cute story about Alice,
a 'Temporary Fairy" and
the antics of her magical imagination!)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
The Adventures
of Beekle
(an imaginary friend
waits patiently to
be picked by a kid--
Caldecott winner!)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
If You Give a
Mouse a Cookie
(cute story of a
little mouse's ever
increasing demands)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
The Hello, Good-
bye Window
(adorable story of a
kid spending the day
with his grandparents--
Caldecott winner!)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
If You Give a
Pig a Pancake
(sequel version of If
You Give a Mouse a
Cookie, but with a pig)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
And to Think
That I Saw It on
Mulberry Street
(Marco sees crazy things
on Mulberry Street.
Seuss's first book!)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
A Pet for Fly Guy
(Buzz tries to help Fly
Guy find the right
pet--what could it be?)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Ride, Fly
Guy, Ride
(Fly Guy's blown out of
the car, leading to a
crazy chain of events)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Magic Secrets
(cute early reader
with simple tricks like
disappearing coins,
rope tricks, etc...)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Zack's Alligator
Goes to School
(Zack takes Bridget to
school, and he turns
the class upside down!)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Inspector Hopper
(an early reader about crime solving team
Inspector Hopper and
his partner McBugg)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Pirates Don't
Change Diapers
(How I Became a
Pirate sequel--pirates
help Jeremy take care
of his baby sister)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Don't Let Pigeon
Stay Up Late
(the pigeon is back,
and this time he tries
to convince the reader
to let him stay up late)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
The Dot
(a little boy can't
seem to get started
on his painting, until
he makes one dot...)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Spoon
(Spoon thinks other
utensils have more
exciting lives...but
soon he learns to love
what makes him unique)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Sky Color
(Marisol loves to
paint, but what will
she do when there's
no blue for the sky?)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
If You Take
a Mouse to
the Movies
(cute, funny sequel
that follows the
familiar format)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Scaredy Squirrel
Makes a Friend
(Scaredy uses a range
of goodies to help him
make a new friend)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
If You Give a
Moose a Muffin
(cute, funny sequel
that follows the
familiar format
of the series)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Happy Birthday,
Good Knight
(the three little
dragons try to make
a birthday gift for
their knight friend)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
What Do You
Do With a Tail
Like This
(explore what animals
do with diff. body parts
-Caldecott Winner)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Tell Me Again
about the Night
I Was Born
(a little girl hears
again about the
special night)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Pete's a Pizza
(a little boy's father
pretends to turn him
into a pizza to pass
the time one rainy
afternoon--funny!)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
When I First Came
to This Land
(a cumulative tale
about a recent
immigrant cheerfully
facing adversity)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
The Great
Fuzz Frenzy
(a tennis ball falls
into the den of some
prairie dogs and
mayhem breaks lose)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Fly Guy's
Amazing Tricks
(Fly Guys shows
off all the amazing
tricks that Buzz
has taught him)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
What Do You Do
When Something
Wants to Eat You?
(very interesting book
about how animals
defend themselves)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
The Great
Gracie Chase
(Gracie thinks she's
just going for a walk
so why is the whole
town chasing her?)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Fly Guy
Presents: Space
(the friends learn all
about planets, space
crafts, space suits...)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Little Witch's
Big Night
(a good witch
gives broom rides
to trick-or-treaters
on Halloween)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Knuffle
Bunny Free
(Trixie's family goes
on vacation and brings
Knuffle Bunny along--
will he be okay?)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Knuffle Bunny:
A Cautionary Tale
(a toddler accidentally
leaves her stuff bunny
behind...panic!)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Edwina
(Mo Willem's book
about a loveable
little dinosaur...and
a man trying to prove
dinos are extinct!
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Cowgirl Kate
and Cocoa
(cute book that launched
a series about a cowgirl
and her devoted horse)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Harold and the
Purple Crayon
(classic book about
a boy creating a new
world with a crayon)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Johnny Apple-
seed: My Story
(great kid-friendly
biography of Johnny
'Appleseed' Chapman)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
Sheila Rae,
the Brave
(Sheila Rae feels brave
until she gets lost on the
way home from school)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
I Like Myself
(a little girl gives
lots of good reasons
why she loves what
makes her unique)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
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Owen
(adorable story about
a boy who can't let go
of his loved blankie
--Caldecott Winner)
DRA 18 / Guided Rdg K
return to list of books by Guided Reading Level or books by DRA Level