I'll second the others who've recommended the Hasegawa or Tamiya 1/700 kits.
Tamiya's Hornet (CV-8, the Doolittle Raid's carrier) is still in their catalog and is available online or from your local hobby shop. Tamiya's Enterprise (CV-6) is out of production, and finding the kit on the secondary market will have you waiting a lonnnnnnnnngggggg time, I know, I search eBay for it. One auction in the past 5 months. But the Chinese maker Model Hobby has what is said to be a copy or retooling of the Tamiya kit in their catalog, again, available online or through the LHS.
Hasegawa's Essexes are nice kits for beginners, too, because you can choose to build them out of box and have a decent model, or you can hone your skills and learn some new ones to correct some of the minor issues. For example, to build the Essex herself, you need to leave off some AA hull sponsons 9easy) but also correct the stern AA tubs (molded for her later sisters, for twin 40mm tubs). But Hasegawa does address the different bows that you had in that class (long-hulled vs short-hulled) by molding the bows as separate pieces.
Back in January, I picked up Trumpeter's Saratoga in 1/700, circa 1935, and that's a nicely detailed kit that is not too difficult, out of the box, either. That's another one that you can find on the market now.
Revell's Yorktowns kits are bigger, 1/525, but we builders over 40 each have one or two of them in our past. Again, sufficient basic detail to look good, and you can practice techniques and build it out of the box, or stretch your scratchbuilding skills.
For any American carriers, though, I recommend replacing the kit air wing with Trumpeter's sets. I am completely sold on clear plastic aircraft, to achieve the clear canopy look. No more painting them silver or gray for me!
Hope this all helps, and look forward to seeing some pics!
Regards,
Brad