"How do friendship books for 1st graders support both reading development and social-emotional learning?"

"Friendship books for 1st graders give children practice with decoding while simultaneously modeling social skills like empathy, sharing, and conflict resolution. [Li et al. (2025)](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1569925/full) found that reading narratives about social situations strengthens children's emotional understanding alongside their literacy skills. On Bookbot, friendship picture books for first grade use decodable text matched to 1st grade phonics patterns, so children build reading fluency through stories that also help them navigate real-world relationships. See our article on [laying the foundations for a love of reading](/updates/how-do-children-learn-to-read/laying-the-foundations-for-a-love-of-reading/)."

"Why are friendship stories for 5 year olds effective for building reading fluency?"

"Friendship stories for 5 year olds are effective for fluency because the emotionally engaging content motivates children to reread favorite stories, which builds automatic word recognition. The [National Reading Panel (2000)](https://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/nrp/findings) identified repeated reading practice as one of the most effective strategies for developing fluency in early readers. Bookbot's friendship books for beginning readers use decodable text so each rereading reinforces the phonics skills 1st graders are learning. For more on how phonics instruction works, see [what is phonics](/updates/how-do-children-learn-to-read/what-is-phonics/)."

"Can friendship picture books for first grade help children who are starting school?"

"Friendship picture books for first grade are especially valuable for children entering school because they introduce the social vocabulary and scenarios children encounter in the classroom. [Wang (2025)](https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjdp.12479) found that early reading experiences play a significant role in shaping children's social and emotional development. Bookbot's friendship books for 1st graders combine these relevant themes with structured phonics practice, and books are available to browse on the Bookbot website by grade and skill level."

"How do I choose the right friendship books for my beginning reader?"

"Choose friendship books for beginning readers based on your child's current phonics level rather than age alone, since reading ability varies widely among 1st graders. [Ehri et al. (2001)](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/00346543071003393) showed that matching text difficulty to a child's decoding stage produces the strongest reading gains. Bookbot organizes friendship stories for 5 year olds by phonics skill using a clear [scope and sequence](/updates/get-the-most-out-of-bookbot/scope-and-sequence/), making it simple for parents to find the right level."