Dec 22, 2009
22 favorite picture books for pre-schoolers
(A guest post from my friend Liz Holst, who would surely be a children’s librarian if she had another life to live.)
1. Bear Snores On
2. Bear Wants More
3. Sailor Moo
4. One Dark Night
5. Goodnight Moon
6. The Big Red Barn
7. Pass the Fritters, Critters
8. The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear
9. Is Your Mama a Llama?
10. Sakes Alive a Cattle Drive
11. The Mitten (or any Jan Brett)
12. Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type
13. The Little Engine That Could
14. Fancy Nancy
15. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
16. Blaze and the Lost Quarry (and other Billy and Blaze books)
17. Wool Gathering: A Sheep Family Reunion
18. Panda Bear, Panda Bear What Do You See? (again, there are several)
19. If You Give a Pig a Pancake (entire series)
20. Cars and Trucks and Things That Go
21. Jamberry
22. Make Way for Ducklings
This obviously is not an all-inclusive list—just some of our personal favorites, from classics to newer authors.
What would you add?
Originally posted 6/30/8
The Olivia books.
Thank you for this list – there are some books we haven’t read on it. I always love to hear about new kids’ books. Here’s what I might add:
Caps for Sale
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
The Great Fuzz Frenzy
Anything written by Richard Scarry
Some favorites of our 2-year-old boy:
- the I Stink! / I’m Dirty! / I’m Mighty! series (Kate & Jim McMullen)
- Ducks Don’t Wear Socks!
- Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories (Dr. Suess)
Am glad to note the absence of “Chicka Chicka ABC” on this list.
What about “Goodnight Gorilla” –may not have much text, but is the best early example of the art of drawing inferences.
Agree with J about Caps for Sale; Owl at Home and the Frog and Toad series; Ferdinand.
I have fond memories of my grandmother reading Goodnight Moon to me after tucking me in to bed!
Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel
Harold And the Purple Crayon
Sammy And His Shepherd
R.C. Sproul’s wonderful books are great:
The Lightlings
The Priest With Dirty Clothes
The King Without a Shadow, and
The Prince’s Poison Cup
Anything by Dr. Seuss!
We’re going on a bear hunt.
I’m not sure the author, sorry :)
I love all of these books! You can also find great books on the booklist for the Five in a Row homeschool curriculum. (They’re available online.) Sonlight also has some good booklists on their website. (Also a homeschooling curriculum, but like Five in a Row, they use real books.)
I second the RC Sproul books, we love The Lightlings.
Kate DiCamillo, who wrote The Tale of Despereaux, also has a series of books about Mercy Watson the pig. The pictures are colorful and the text is big and the stories are funny. I’ve asked for several for Christmas from family for my 4yo.
Ooo, also The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka. HI-larious. I love, love, love reading it, we really get into and read the chicken super fast and use voices for all the characters. Everyone usually erupts into giggles.
A House is a House For Me
http://www.maryannhoberman.com/books/aHouseIsAHouse.html
We really loved The Day the Relatives Came. Marvelous illustrations!
Also:
New Shoes for Silvia
http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780688052867/New_Shoes_for_Silvia/index.aspx
and
Juice the Pig
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Juice-the-Pig/Martine-Oborne/e/9780805051728
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
Excellent – thanks for all of the book ideas. Cool Baby would thank you (if he blogged or emailed).
I love the “If you give a pig a pancake” series. I’m not that old, so I can say I grew up on “If you give a mouse a cookie” :)
I would add Graeme Base’s picture books. His illustrations are wonderful and his stories, always about animals, can be really poignant and touching. My personal favorite of his books is “The Sign of the Seahorse”. You really should check out his books!