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home
Preschool through
Kindergarten
2008
Agee, Jon.
Appelt, Kathi. Bubba and Beau : Best Friends. When Mama Pearl washes their favorite blanket it’s a sad day for best friends Bubba and Beau, bit it gets worse when she decides the baby boy and his puppy need baths too. (Series)
Ashman, Linda. Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs. Some of the unique places where animals build their homes are described, such as in a heap of twigs, on a castle tower, in a cave, or in the hollow space inside a tree.
Barrett, Judi. Things That Are Most in the World. The reader who wants to know what are the quietest, silliest, smelliest, wiggliest things in the world finds imaginative answers to there and other questions about superlatives.
Base, Graeme. The Water Hole. The water dwindles as ever growing numbers of animals visit a watering hole, introducing the numbers from one to ten.
Bingham, Caroline.
Big Rig.
Photographs and informative text take a
close-up look at powerful vehicles. (Series)
Bond, Felicia. Tumble Bumble. A tiny bug picks up friends as he walks along and they all end up in a young boy’s bed.
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker. Pop : A Book about Bubbles. Simple text explains how soap bubbles are made, why they are always round, and why they pop.
Brett, Jan. Gingerbread Baby. A gingerbread baby escapes from the oven and leads a crowd on a chase until he is outsmarted by the clever Mattie. (Any by this author)
Broach, Elise. When Dinosaurs Came With Everything. Although his mother is a little worried, a young boy is delighted to discover that every shop in town is giving away real dinosaurs to their customers.
Browne, Anthony.
My Dad.
A child describes the many wonderful
things about “my dad,” who can jump over the moon, swim like a fish, and be warm
as toast.
Bruss, Deborah.
Book! Book! Book!
Bored when the children return
to school in the fall, the farm animals venture into town and to the library for
entertainment.
Bunting, Eve.
Emma’s Turtle.
Emma’s box turtle digs his way out
of his pen and imagines that his is
having adventures in Africa,
Butler,
John.
If You See a Kitten.
Illustrations and brief text
present appropriate responses to a variety of animals, from pudgy pigs to
slithery snakes.
Butterfield, Moira.
Animals in Hot Places.
Colorful photographs and
simple text present various animals that live in such hot places as deserts,
rain forests, and grasslands, and describe how they adapt to their environment.
(Series)
Carle, Eric. The Very Clumsy Click Beetle. A clumsy young click beetle learns to land on its feet with encouragement from various animals and a wise old click beetle. A built-in battery creates clicking sounds to accompany the story. (Any by this author)
Child, Lauren.
I am Not sleepy and I Will Not Go
To Bed.
Charlie helps Lola get ready for bed, despite
the tigers, whales, and other animals that serve as obstacles.
Christelow, Eileen. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. This counting book describes how one by one the little monkeys jump on the bed only to fall off and bump their heads. (Series)
Cronin, Doreen.
Diary of a Fly.
A young fly discovers, day by day, that there is a lot to learn about
being an insect, including the danger of flyswatters and that heroes come in all
shapes and sizes.
Clement, Rod. Just Another Ordinary Day. Amanda’s ordinary day has her riding to school with a tyrannosaurus rex, having lunch with an alien, sailing a pirate ship at the library, and riding home on an elephant.
Cowley, Joy.
Red-eyed Tree Frog.
This frog found in the
David, Ryan. The Magic Raincoat. Emily is not happy with her new raincoat until she discovers that it is magical, so when her mother trades it to a neighbor who was equally unhappy with her own new raincoat, Emily must think of a way to trade back.
Edwards, Pamela Duncan. The Mixed-up Rooster. Ned the Rooster is fired from his job because he cannot wake up in the morning, but he restores his reputation after discovering his usefulness as a night bird.
Ehlert, Lois.
Waiting for Wings.
Simple text and bright pictures show
the stages of a butterfly’s life, from egg to caterpillar to cocoon to mature
butterfly.
Emberley, Ed.
Go Away, Big Green Monster!
Die-cut pages through which bits of a
monster are revealed are designed to help a child control nighttime fears of
monsters.
Everitt, Betsy. Mean Soup. A bad day causes Horace to feel really mean until he and his mother make Mean Soup.
Falconer, Ian. Olivia Forms a Band. Olivia the pig is upset because there isn’t going to be a band at the fireworks show, so she decides to form her own. (Series)
Feiffer, Jules. Bark, George. Instead of barking, as a dog should, George makes the sounds of other animals to the dismay of his mother and the vet.
Fleming, Candace.
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!
After planting the garden he
has dreamed of for years, Mr. McGreely tries to find a way to keep some
persistent bunnies from eating all his vegetables.
Fleming, Denise.
Beetle Bop.
Illustrations and rhyming text
reveal the great variety of beetles and their swirling, humming, crashing
activities. (Any by this author.)
Floca, Brian.
Lightship.
Illustrations and simple text tell
the story of lightships that were used in place of lighthouses in order to
safely guide ships into port.
Foley, Greg E.
Thank You Bear.
Despite the criticism of others, a
bear finds the perfect gift for his mouse friend.
Fox, Mem.
The Magic Hat.
A wizard’s hat blows into town,
changing people into different animals when it lands on their heads.
Fraser, Mary Ann.
I.Q. Goes to the Library.
After going to the library with
Mrs. Furber’s class every day of Library Week, I.Q., the class pet mouse, hopes
to take a funny book with his own library card.
French, Vivian.
Growing Frogs.
A mother and child watch as
tadpoles develop and grow into frogs.
Freymann, Saxton and Joost Elffers. One Lonely Sea Horse. One lonely sea horse learns that she has lots of friends—friends she can “count” on.
Friend, Catherine. The Perfect Nest. With hopes of making a delicious omelet, Jack the cat builds a nest to catch a chicken, but ends up attracting more than the bird.
Gliori, Debi.
Flora’s Blanket.
Flora, a little rabbit, does not want to
sleep without her missing blanket, so her family helps her look for it.
Gorbachev, Valeri.
Red, Red, Red.
As Turtle rushes through town in a
hurry to see something “red, red, red,” his neighbors wonder what it could be
and hurry after him to find out.
Gregory,
Grossman, Bill. My Little Sister Ate One Hare. Little sister has no problem eating one hare, two snakes, and three ants, but when she gets to ten peas, she throws up quite a mess.
Henkes, Kevin. A Good Day. A bird, a fox, a dog and a squirrel overcome minor setbacks to have a very good day. ( Any by this author.)
Hest, Amy. Off to School, Baby Duck. Baby Duck experiences the fear of the first day of school, but with a little help from Grampa, everything turns out okay in the end.
Hills, Tad. Duck & Goose. Duck and Goose learn to work together to take care of a ball that they think is an oversized egg.
Hoose, Philip.
Hey, Little
Hort, Lenny. Seals on the Bus. Different animals, including seals, tigers, and more, make their own sounds as they ride all around the town on a bus.
Hutchins, Hazel J. A Second Is a Hiccup: A Child’s Book of Time. Playful rhyming text helps children comprehend units of time, presenting lively examples of what can happen in the span of a second, a minute, an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, and a whole childhood.
Jackson, Alison. If the Shoe Fits. The old woman who lives in a shoe sets out to find a larger home for her many children, and gets mixed up in other nursery rhymes along the way.
Jenkins, Martin. Grandma Elephant’s in Charge. The behavior of elephants in a family group is described, particularly the role of the older female elephant.
Jenkins, Martin. The Emperor’s Egg. The male Emperor penguin is described and shown standing in the freezing cold with an egg on his feet for two whole months as he waits for it to hatch.
Jordan, Martin and Tannis. Amazon Alphabet. Large-scale rainforest animals represent each letter of the alphabet in beautiful illustrations.
Keats, Ezra Jack. Whistle for Willie. A young boy tries to learn how to whistle so that he can call his dog like all the bigger boys do.
Kellogg, Steven. The Missing Mitten Mystery. Annie loses her fifth mitten of the winter, and she searches the whole neighborhood before she finds it.
Kerley, Barbara.
A Cool Drink of Water.
People around the world are shown
collecting, chilling, and drinking water.
Kimmel, Elizabeth Cody.
The Top Job.
On Career Day, a young girl entertains the class with a description of
her father’s exciting job as light bulb changer at the top of the
Kimmel, Eric. A. Anansi and the Talking Melon. Anansi, a clever spider, tricks Elephant and some other animals into thinking the melon in which he is hiding can talk.
Kraus, Ruth. The Carrot Seed. When a little boy plants a carrot seed no one believes it will grow, but he waters and weeds the ground until he is proved right. (Any by this author)
Lakin, Patricia. Snow Day! Four friends enjoy a snowy day of sledding.
Langstaff, John. Frog Went a Courtin’. The well-known American folk song about the courtship and marriage of a frog and a mouse is illustrated.
Lehman, Barbara. Rainstorm. In this wordless picture book, a boy finds a mysterious key which leads him on an adventure one rainy day.
London, Jonathan. Froggy Plays in the Band. Froggy’s marching band practices for its debut at the Apple Blossom Parade, hoping to win the big prize. (Series)
Lovell, Patty.
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon.
Even when the class bully at her new school makes fun of her, Molly
remembers her grandmother’s words and feels good about herself.
Marshal, James. Old Mother Hubbard and Her Wonderful Dog. Old Mother Hubbard has a remarkable dog who keeps her busy running errands.
Martin, Bill Jr. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Children see a variety of animals, each one a different color, and a teach looking at them.
McCloskey, Robert.
Make Way for Ducklings.
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard proudly return to their home in the
McPhail, David.
The Teddy Bear.
A teddy bear, lost by the little boy who
loves him, still feels loved after being rescued by a homeless man.
Miranda, Anne. To Market, To Market. Going beyond the familiar nursery rhyme, uncooperative animals make cooking lunch disastrous.
Munsch, Robert. Andrew’s Loose Tooth. Andrew’s tooth is loose and no one can help him remove it, not even the Tooth Fairy.
Murray, Marjorie Dennis. Hippo Goes Bananas. As small animals tell one another about Hippo’s strange behavior each makes up something terrible to add to the story, until they are frightened that Hippo will destroy the Serengeti itself.
Numeroff, Laura Joffe. If You Give a Pig a Pancake. One thing leads to another when you give a pig a pancake. (Any by this aurhor)
Opie,
Pilkey, Dav. Kat Kong: Starring Flash, Rabies, and Swayne and Introducing Blueberry as the Monster. A spoof of the story of King Kong is presented, with cat and mice characters.
Rathmann, Peggy. 10 Minutes till Bedtime. A boy’s hamster leads an increasingly large group of hamsters on a tour of the boy’s house, while his father counts down the minutes to bedtime. (Also, Officer Buckle and Gloria.)
Robbins, Ken. Autumn Leaves. The characteristics of different types of leaves are examined and the reason they change colors n the autumn is explained.
Rohmann, Eric.
My Friend Rabbit.
Something always seems to go wrong when
Rabbit is around, but Mouse lets him play with his toy plane anyway because he
is a good friend. 2003 Caldecott
Medal winner.
Roth, Carol. Little Bunny’s Sleepless Night. Little Bunny, an only child, is so lonely that he cannot sleep, so he asks his friends Squirrel, Skunk, Porcupine, Bear, and Owl if he can stay with them, only to discover that his own bed is best.
Rylant, Cynthia.
The Great Gracie Chase : Stop
That Dog.
This cumulative tale is about a
small dog named Gracie whose quiet life is disrupted by some noisy painters.
Schaefer, Carole Lexa.
Dragon Dancing.
Young children use their imaginations and their art supplies to pretend
to be different kinds of dragons.
Sendak, Maurice.
Where the Wild Things Are.
After he is sent to bed without
supper for behaving like a wild thing, Max dreams of a voyage to the island
where the wild things are. (Any by
this author)
Simont, Marc.
The Stray Dog.
A family befriends a stray dog,
names him Willy, and decides to keep him.
Caldecott Honor Book.
Shannon, David.
Good Boy, Fergus!
Except for his bath, Fergus
experiences the perfect doggy day, from chasing cats and motorcycles to being
scratched on his favorite tickle spot.
Slobodkina, Esphyr.
Caps for
Spinelli, Eileen.
Do You Have a Hat?
Rhyming text describes a great
variety of hats worn by celebrities throughout history.
Steig, William.
Which Would You Rather Be?
Two children play a game with a
rabbit who gives them choices he pulls out of his hat.
Steiner, Joan.
Look-Alikes Jr. Simple
verses challenge readers to identify the everyday objects used to construct
eleven three-dimensional scenes, including a house, kitchen, bedroom, school
bus, train, farm, and rocket.
Stoeke, Janet Morgan.
Minerva Louise and the Red Truck.
Mischievous hen Minerva Louise jumps on the back of a truck and finds
herself on a joyride during which she interprets the sights she sees in her own
unique way. (Series)
Sturges, Philemon.
The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.
The duck, the dog, and the cat refuse
to help make a pizza but do get to participate when
it comes time to eat it.
Sweeney, Joan.
Me and My Amazing Body. A
girl describes how her skin, bones, muscles, brain, blood, heart, lungs, and
stomach receive energy and function as part of her body.
Swope, Sam.
Gotta Go! Gotta Go!
Although she does not know why or how, a
small creepy-crawly bug is certain that she must make her way to
Taback, Simms.
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.
A very old overcoat is recycled
numerous times into a variety of garments.
Tankard, Jeremy.
Grumpy Bird.
After waking up grumpy, Bird
decides he will walk instead jof fly and is joined by other animals who cheer
him up.
Titherington, Jeanne.
Van Laan,
Walsh, Ellen Stoll.
Mouse Shapes.
Three mice make a variety of
things out of different shapes as they hide from a scary cat.
Watt, Melanie.
Scaredy Squirrel.
Scaredy Squirrel is afraid to leave his nut tree, but when he is finally
forced out of his home one day, he discovers some interesting things about the
great unknown.
Wattenberg, Jane.
Henny-Penny.
While on their way to tell the king that the
sky is falling, Henny-Penny and her friends meet the very hungry Foxy-Loxy.
Weeks, Sarah. Mrs.
McNosh Hangs Up Her
Wells, Rosemary.
Max Cleans Up.
Max’s big sister Ruby is determined to help
him clean up his messy room, but he keeps rescuing things that she wants to
throw away. (Also,
Yoko.)
Westcott, Nadine.
The Lady with the Alligator Purse.
Zany and appealing illustrations tell
the well-known rhyme of the lively little boy who tries to eat a bathtub.
Wheeler, Lisa.
Sixteen Cows.
This is a rhyming tale of Cowboy
Gene and Cowgirl Sue whose beloved cows get mixed up when a storm blows down the
fence between their ranches. (Also,
Dino-hockey.)
Wood, Audrey.
King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub.
Despite pleas from his court, a fun-loving king refuses to get out of his
bathtub to rule his kingdom.
Wormell, Christopher.
Puff-Puff, Chugga-Chugga.
A little train is working hard to
carry a great many enormous animals as passengers.
Wu, Norbert. Fish Faces.
Colorful
photographs take a look at the friendly, fierce,
sad, or mad faces of many fish.
Yolen, Jane.
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?
Mother and child ponder the different
ways a dinosaur can say goodnight, from slamming his tail and pouting to giving
a big hug and kiss.
Yorinks, Arthur.
Company’s Coming.
Chaos erupts when Moe and Shirley
invite some visitors from outer space to stay for dinner with the relatives.
Zelinsky, Paul O.
Kinck-Knack Paddywhack!:
A Moving Parts Book.
In this moving-parts book based on the
familian counting song, tiny old men appear to act out the refrain.
Zimmerman, Andrea.
Trashy Town.
Little by little, can by can, Mr. Gillie,
the trash man, cleans up his town.
Any book from the
(Series) – Any book from the mentioned series may be read, not just the book listed.
Grades PreK-2
In addition to the previous lists the following are authors, illustrators and suggested readings from the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework for Grades PreK-2.
For reading, listening, and viewing:
Mother Goose nursery rhymes, Aesop’s fables, Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, selected Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales, selected French fairy tales.
The Bible as Literature:
Tales including Jonah and the whale, Daniel and the lion’s den, Noah and the Ark, Moses and the burning bush, the story of Ruth, David and Goliath.
Picture Book authors and illustrators:
Edward Ardizzone Ruth Kraus
Ludwig Bemelmans Robert Lawson
Margaret Wise Brown Munro Leaf
John Burningham Robert McCloskey
Virginia Lee Burton A.A. Milne
Edgar Parin and Ingri D’Aulaire Beatrix Potter
Wanda Gag Alice and Martin Provensen
Theodore Geisel H.A. and Margaret Rey
Kate Greenaway Maurice Sendak
Shirley Hughes Vera Williams
Crockett Johnson
Poets:
John Ciardi
Rachel Field
David McCord
A.A. Milne
Laura Richards
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