The Beginner Books Encyclopedia

In 2021 University Press of Mississippi published I Can Read It All By Myself: The Beginner Books Story. The book tells the story of the founding and evolution of Random House's revolutionary line of early readers. It also features the "Beginner Books Encyclopedia," which gives the story behind the creators and creation of every single Beginner Book published between 1957 and 2019. 

This site serves as a continuation of that work. It will be updated as new Beginner Books are published. Click on a year to start reading!

Random House, to my chagrin, has discontinued numbering Beginner Books. The last one to feature an official number on the spine was Squirrels on Skis (B-102). 

I have given the books numbers as if the system had continued. The missing numbers are books that are licensed properties (including new Seuss-related material), repackages, or reissues. They are as follows:

B-103 DC Super Friends: Catch That Crook! (2018)

B-104 Dreamworks' Trolls: Too Many Cupcakes! (2018)

B-105 What Pet Should I Get? (2019)

B-106 Dr. Seuss’s 123 (2019)

B-110 If I Had Your Vote (2020)

B-113 If  I Ran Your School (2021)

B-117 If I Were Saint Nick (2022)

B-120 If You Think There's Nothing To Do (2024)

B-121 If I Drove an Ice Cream Truck (2024)

B-126 If It Were My Birthday Party (2026)

My name is Paul V. Allen. I wrote I Can Read It All By Myself: The Beginner Books Story. You can learn more about me and my writing at www.paulvallen.com.