Summer 2009 Reading List for Preschool

Bunting, Eve. 

Hurry! Hurry!

Rooster is spreading the word for everyone to rush to the barn to greet the tiniest member of the farm family, who's hatching out of his egg. Bunting's simple, energetic text and Mack's colorful art come together in a joyful book that's ideal for preschoolers.

 

Carle, Eric. 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Follows the progress of a hungry little caterpillar as he eats his way through a varied and very large quantity of food until, full at last, he forms a cocoon around himself, goes to sleep, and awakens as a beautiful, colorful butterfly.

1,2,3 to the Zoo:  A Counting Book.
The reader counts colorful animals on a train on the way to the zoo.

“Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” said the Sloth

A gentle message about accepting yourself is conveyed in this story of a sloth whose placid ways appear lazy to other rain forest animals.  Paper collage in luminous jewel tones brings the lush jungle vibrantly to life.

 

Crews, Donald. This Caldecott honor-winning author writes great books for preschoolers.

Carousel.  

Brief text and illustrations recreate a ride on a merry-go-round.

Freight Train.

Brief text and illustrations trace the journey of a colorful train as it goes through tunnels, by cities, and over trestles.

School Bus.

Follows the progress of school buses as they take children to school and bring them back home again.

 

Cronin, Doreen.  Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack: An Alphabetical Adventure.

An assortment of animals gathers for a picnic.

 

Ehlert, Lois.

Color Farm.

The rooster, dog, sheep, cow, pig, and other animals on a farm are made up of colorful shapes such as square, circle, rectangle, and triangle. Features die-cut pages.

Growing Vegetable Soup.

A father and child grow vegetables and then make them into a soup.

Fish Eyes. 

A counting book depicting the colorful fish a child might see if he turned into a fish himself.

Waiting for Wings.

Rhymed text, colorful artwork, and identifications introduce butterflies and their life cycle.

 

Feiffer, Jules.  Bark, George.

A puppy's mother is frustrated when the puppy makes other animal sounds instead of barking.

 

Gravett, Emily.  Orange Pear Apple Bear.

Arranging and rearranging the four title words on the pages, Gravett introduces a curious bear who investigates, juggles, and finally consumes three pieces of fruit.  Winsome watercolor paintings provide visual clues as this enchanting selection explores concepts of color, shape, and sequence.

 

Henkes, Kevin.  Kitten’s First Full Moon.

When Kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk, she ends up tired, wet, and hungry trying to reach it.  Caldecott Medal, 2005.

 

Hill, Eric.  Spot.

Sally looks for Spot in several places, when it is time for him to eat his supper.  Preschoolers love all the lift-the-flap books in the “Spot” series.

 

James, Simon.  Little One Step.

As three duckling brothers cross forest and field to return to their mother, the older ones encourage the youngest by teaching him a game that earns him the name of Little One Step.

 

Martin, Jr., Bill.  Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? 

Children see a variety of animals, each one a different color, and a mother looking at them.

 

Mother Goose books such as:

Opie, Iona.  My Very First Mother Goose.

A collection of more than sixty nursery rhymes, including "Hey Diddle, Diddle," "Pat-a-Cake," "Little Jack Horner,"

and "Pussycat, Pussycat."

 

Rohmann, Eric.  A Kitten Tale.

As four kittens who have never seen winter watch the seasons pass, three of them declare the reasons they will dislike snow when it arrives, while the fourth cannot wait to experience it for himself.

 

Shannon, David.  No, David.

Recounts the adventures of a little boy who is always told "no” by members of his family.

 

Siomades, Lorianne.

Itsy Bitsy Spider.                                                                                                                     

An illustrated version of the classic children's rhyme.

Three Little Kittens.

A picture book based on the Mother Goose rhyme.

 

Tafuri, Nancy.  Have You Seen My Duckling?

A mother duck leads her brood around the pond as she searches for one missing duckling.

 

Thomas, Shelley Moore.  Take Care, Good Knight.

Three little dragons volunteer to take care of the wizard’s kittens, except they can’t read his written instructions!  They make many silly mistakes until the Good Knight saves the day.  The grateful wizard gives them a kitten as a gift and the Good Knight gives them the gift of a lifetime ... lessons on how to read!

 

Valckx, Catharina.  Lizette’s Green Sock.

Lizette tries to figure out what to do with the one green sock that she finds while out walking one day.

 

Wells, Rosemary.  Max’s ABC.

Ants have escaped from Max’s ant farm and won’t leave him alone until big sister, Ruby, outwits them, aided by the vacuum cleaner.  On each page, large bold letters appear in the corner with corresponding words.  All’s-well-that-ends-well as Max dumps the ants out of the vacuum and they make their way back to the farm to catch some Zzzzs.

 

Zimmerman, Andrea and Clemesha, David.  Trashy Town.

Little by little, can by can, Mr. Gilly, the trash man, cleans up his town.                                                               

 

 

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