Books for groep 4 — the reading books we enjoyed most
The reading books we enjoyed most in groep 4, by series: Blitz! in order, Pluk en Pluis and more by Mathilde Stein, Bob Popcorn and Spit de lama. With the AVI level, so you can see what suits your child.
By Sonja ·
My son is now in groep 4 (the Dutch school year for children of about seven), and that comes with plenty of reading at home. We love reading together for a little while every day, often taking turns with a page or a chapter: that works best for us.
We have read quite a few books already, but in this blog we only include the books that gave us the most reading pleasure! There are lots more books on our wish list, and I’ll add to this blog throughout the year whenever we find new gems.
Below you’ll find the books by series, with the AVI level (the Dutch reading-level system). Is your child still in groep 3? Then see our books for groep 3, which explains how AVI works.
Good to know for expat families: all the books on this page are Dutch-language books, which is exactly what a child at a Dutch school is learning to read.
The product links are affiliate links: if you order through one, you support Kindkado with a small commission — at no extra cost to you. The shops are Dutch online shops that deliver in the Netherlands and Belgium, and the product names are in Dutch. If a gift is sold by several shops, the cheapest is listed first. From € 10, we take shipping costs into account for that order; the prices shown exclude shipping.
Blitz! — all 10 books in order
Blitz is a little space man who lives on planet Nul. Blitz! was a huge hit with my son: it really sparked his love of reading and gave his reading level a big boost. For the first time, real books of about 150 pages, with an exciting story that makes you want to read on after every chapter. My son was reading at AVI E3 at the time, but that didn’t stop him enjoying these books enormously. Perhaps it also helps that they are printed in an easy-to-read dyslexia-friendly font, which makes them a favourite for children with and without dyslexia! In no time we had read all ten books, and then we did fall into a bit of a black hole :-) But luckily there are more great books for groep 4! It’s best to read Blitz! in order: the characters are introduced gradually and come back later, so you get properly into the storyline. The level also rises a little, and then the repetition of words your child already knows is a real help: book 1 is AVI E3, books 2 and 3 are AVI M4, and from book 4 on you read at AVI E4 (book 5 E4-M5).
Blitz! 1 (AVI E3) — Blitz!
Blitz! 2 (AVI M4) — Op bol Tien
Blitz! 3 (AVI M4) — Troep in de ruimte
Blitz! 4 (AVI E4) — De jacht op het monster
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Blitz! 5 (AVI E4-M5) — Dino’s in de ruimte
Blitz! 6 (AVI E4) — De gouden poort
Blitz! 7 (AVI E4) — Een gek drankje
Blitz! 8 (AVI E4) — De bol met de klok
Blitz! 9 (AVI E4) — Zwemmen in de ruimte
Blitz! 10 (AVI E4) — Een dapper wolfje
Pluk en Pluis and more by Mathilde Stein
Mathilde Stein is wonderfully creative with language. She plays with words and simply makes up new ones: Pluk turns out to be a real “ninjavia” (a ninja guinea pig), shouts “Yihaaaa ninjavia!” and calls his friend Pluis “Brootje” (“little bro”), and in Peetje en Flieflo two friends go looking for the owner of a lost “superstinker”. It is all very accessible, and lovely for my son to discover what you can do with language and that it doesn’t always have to be literal. Pluk en Pluis — De weg naar terug is a thick book, but it became our big favourite: lots of jokes, and you really live along with the two guinea pigs on their adventure. After that we also enjoyed Maksie and Peetje en Flieflo very much. Vuurtorenbeer (‘Lighthouse Bear’), winner of a Zilveren Griffel award, is on our list to read soon. Mathilde Stein’s books deliberately have no AVI level: they are written for strong beginner readers, and lovely to read together, taking turns.
Pluk en Pluis — De weg naar terug
Maksie
Peetje en Flieflo en de verdwaalde superstinker
Vuurtorenbeer
Bob Popcorn
The story of Ellis, who makes a living piece of popcorn while popping corn: Bob. With this headstrong, explosive little fellow, Ellis has lots of adventures. Much of the story takes place at school, which makes it nice and recognisable. My son really enjoys these funny and exciting books, which read easily despite their 150 to 200 pages. There are six reading books without an AVI level; it’s best to read them in order, so you can follow the storyline. Each one is also a little harder than the last. For true fans there is also a picture book and an activity book for making up and drawing your own stories.
Bob Popcorn 1 — Bob Popcorn
Bob Popcorn 2 — De popcornspion
Bob Popcorn 3 — Bob Popcorn in Amerika
Bob Popcorn 4 — Meesterkok
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Bob Popcorn 5 — Bob Popcorn wordt beroemd
Bob Popcorn 6 — Bob Popcorn en pittige Poppie
Bob Popcorn kan niet stoppen met ontploffen (prentenboek)
Verzin en teken met Bob Popcorn (doeboek)
Spit de lama
In the first book, Finn gets a headstrong llama from a farmer. Every book follows the same pattern: Spit the llama first causes trouble and in the end performs a heroic deed! They are thinner, cheerful books at AVI M4 that we happily finish in one or two evenings.
Spit de lama (AVI M4)
Spit de lama gaat kamperen (AVI M4)
Spit de speur-lama (AVI M4)
Spit de lama en de piraten (AVI M4)
Frequently asked questions
Which AVI level goes with groep 4?+
Halfway through groep 4 most children read at AVI M4 (middle of groep 4), and at the end at AVI E4 (end of groep 4). At the start of the year it is often still E3. It does differ per child: choose a book that is just easy enough, and reading stays fun. Some lovely books, such as Bob Popcorn and Mathilde Stein’s books, deliberately have no AVI level.
In which order do you read the Blitz! books?+
Start with book 1 and read them in order: 1 Blitz!, 2 Op bol Tien, 3 Troep in de ruimte, 4 De jacht op het monster, 5 Dino’s in de ruimte, 6 De gouden poort, 7 Een gek drankje, 8 De bol met de klok, 9 Zwemmen in de ruimte and 10 Een dapper wolfje. The characters are introduced gradually and come back later, and the level rises a little: then the repetition of words your child already knows is a real help.
Which AVI level are the Blitz! books?+
Book 1 is AVI E3, books 2 and 3 are AVI M4, book 5 is E4-M5 and the other books are AVI E4. They have large print and short sentences, and each book has about 150 pages with short chapters.
Which AVI level are Bob Popcorn and Pluk en Pluis?+
None: the authors choose that deliberately. They are written for strong beginner readers in groep 3 and 4, and they are lovely to read together too. It’s best to read the six Bob Popcorn books in order, so you can follow the storyline; each book is also a little harder than the last.
How do you read together with a child in groep 4?+
We read together for a little while every day, often taking turns with a page or a chapter. That way your child reads enough to practise, but a thick book doesn’t become too heavy and the story keeps moving. Choose a book with an exciting or funny story, and your child will want to know what happens next.
What can you read after Blitz!?+
After ten Blitz! books we fell into a black hole. Pluk en Pluis — De weg naar terug was spot on after that: thicker, but very funny. Bob Popcorn reads easily too, and Spit de lama is nice when your child wants something thinner for a while, finished in one or two evenings.
More gift inspiration?
Only just started reading? See our books for groep 3. For the holidays there are the best holiday and activity books, and more gift ideas are in our gift ideas for ages 7–8.