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Favorite books for Young Children
22
items My favorite books as a teacher to read aloud to my preschoolers, or favorites from my childhood!
Sections
5
Teaching Acceptance, Empathy, Compassion.
Fun and Funny!
FUN + Slightly disturbing children's books
Creativity and Imagination Sparks!
My Favorite children's books!
Teaching Acceptance, Empathy, Compassion.
We know that the best way to support the development of empathy, compassion and acceptance is to MODEL it as adults, but here are some wonderful books to start those important conversations to supplement teachers and parents/guardians efforts.
LOVE. Wonderful book for helping little ones accept and celebrate differences in others. I am usually choked up at the end while reading it aloud to the children. ❤️🥰
We're All Wonders: Palacio, R. J.
True story of a Piney pig living at the Goats of Anarchy farm animal sanctuary, finding his place and his calling as a goat nanny. YES, this sweet and compassionate piggy helped cuddle and care for new little goats at the sanctuary. How could you not...
GOA Kids - Goats of Anarchy: Piney the Goat Nanny: A true story of a little pig with a big heart|eBook
Little blind BABY GOAT! Need I say more? This is the sweetest little TRUE story of Polly, a little blind goat who was rescued and taken to live at the Goats of Anarchy farm animal rescue in New Jersey. Polly was experiencing anxiety any time she was away from her rescuer, and she found that when Polly wore a fuzzy duck costume, she felt cozy and secure. WONDERFUL book, gorgeous illustrations, and the sweetest story ever. The book includes real photos of Polly in her duck costume, and more information about her life at the rescue.
GOA Kids - Goats of Anarchy: Polly and Her Duck Costume: + The true story of a little blind rescue goat|eBook
A childhood favorite! Love this beautiful story of Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Anne, best friends and work companions who are nearing the end of the days of the steam shovel in favor of gas powered equipment, a theme I think many can rel... This story embodies hope, perseverance, friendship, community, and love. Here is a read-aloud to preview it! youtube.com/watch?v=ET1wqTMbfSg
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel Board Book
As an adult, I understand the deeper meaning woven throughout this sweet and beautiful story!. Katy is a kangaroo who, somehow, did not have a pouch for her lil Joey. Now.. we know that's not actually...possible...but, hey it's fiction:) Katy's arms...
Katy No-Pocket
Shy or anxious little ones? I love this sweet book by the amaaazing Sandra Boynton about a hippopotamus friend who is feeling anxious about joining in with the other animals. This is a wonderful story for having conversations with children both about feeling shy, (and there's nothing wrong with feeling shy!) and including others in their play, especially those who are new or by themselves. A favorite from when my daughters were young, and a favorite still!
But Not the Hippopotamus
Being bullied and left out is so hard! I Walk with Vanessa is a sweet, story told in pictures of a girl witnessing the bullying of another, and choosing to do something about it.
I Walk with Vanessa: A Picture Book
Such an important book right now! Simple story about injustice and the act of speaking up, written in a way that young children can understand. Beautiful conversation starter for parents and teachers alike!
A Little Book About Activism
“In Our Classroom, safe and sound, fear is lost and hope is found. Raise your hand, we'll go around. All are welcome here”. This is a beautiful story with a most important message for children and adults alike! No matter where you are from, what you wear, or who you are - YOU ARE WELCOME HERE. I love this book for the beginning of school year, and all the time in between!
All Are Welcome (An All Are Welcome Book)
Calling all dog lovers! I LOVE this beautiful and simple story about a family who encounters a stray dog while out on a picnic. The family has a wonderful time playing with the dog, but leaves the dog behind, thinking it must have an owner. Over the ...youtube.com/watch?v=ryAUsbMC5KA
The Stray Dog: A Caldecott Honor Award Winner
I've read this book hundreds of times and still get a little choked up. This story is told from the perspective of a young girl whose mother works long hours at a diner, coming home with aching feet and a tired body, with nowhere to sit and relax sin... The girl, her mother, and grandmother all save their spare change in a big jar so they can find “THE CHAIR” - a big, soft, comfortable, overstuffed chair with flowers on it. Finally, they have enough money! The book paints the picture of community togetherness as it tells of the devastation of the fire, and how the neighborhood came together to donate furniture and belongings to the small family. LOVE this book! Here is a link to a read-aloud so you can “Try before you buy.". youtube.com/watch?v=0urqLXWq6jo
A Chair for My Mother: Caldecott Honor
Fun and Funny!
These books are the most fun to read to children, whether it's the funny premise, or the rhyming, bouncy cadence of the words, they are an absolute treat to read aloud.
FUN read aloud for little ones! Here is a read-aloud of the book so you can “try before you buy”. :) youtube.com/watch?v=gbsZohEMn38
The Wonky Donkey
FUN book from my own childhood! This is wonderful to read or SING. King Bidgood has decided he isn't getting out of the bathtub, and no member of his royal court can convince him otherwise. Gorgeous illustrations! Here is a fun song version of the book. youtube.com/watch?v=J7nrnhvDHSc
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub
Sweet and fun read-aloud with beautiful illustrations typical of Don & Audrey Wood. Love these, “This is the House that Jack Built” style stories where every page builds on the previous one. Here is a read-aloud to hear the full story before buying: youtube.com/watch?v=pG6UjTynNr8
The Napping House Padded Board Book
Love the cadence of this fun read-aloud about a group of sheep shopping for a friend's birthday. Here is a read-aloud so you can hear the story before you buy! youtube.com/watch?v=jRzmBvdsjEE
Sheep in a Shop Board Book
FUN + Slightly disturbing children's books
GREAT children's books that might also have a little bit of a darker theme.
Near-death experience for seven children who are turned into FOOD by an evil witch who plans to EAT THEM if their mother cannot guess which child has been turned into which food. Yikes! Love this entertaining story, even if it is a little scary for little ones :) Here is a very well-done read-aloud to preview the story! youtube.com/watch?v=5RvfzURZ89M
Heckedy Peg: Audrey Wood: 9780152336790
Poor Tommy piglet… “Forgotten” at the grocery store by his mommy, relocated again and again to different areas of the grocery store by the grocer, who thinks he is a potato, because he has eyes, a chair because he has legs, and so on, and purchased a... Fun read, yes, and disturbing, YES. This book is very hard to find anywhere, even used book retailers, so grab this one quick! Here is a read-aloud, with - bonus! - an ASL translation sidebar. youtube.com/watch?v=1K3cMrMMZUU
Tommy At The Grocery Store
Yes, Jumani is a book! Brilliant author and illustrator, Chris Van Allsburg, created the fantastical tale of Jumani, where two brothers playing a board game find themselves in quite the predicament when wild animals begin taking over their home. Van ... Here is a great read-aloud so you can hear the whole story before you purchase: youtube.com/watch?v=zX7mpN6t0xY
Jumanji 30th Anniversary Edition: A Caldecott Award Winner
Creativity and Imagination Sparks!
Books that will inspire children's creativity and imagination! These are wonderful as read-alouds and for older readers.
THE ULTIMATE OPEN ENDED QUESTION! Fourteen stories, each ONE line + one corresponding picture. In Chris Van Allsburg's Mysteries of Harris Burdick, a man drops off a stack of pages, with one line and one picture each. He promises to return with the full story for each illustration, but never returns. This book asks the reader, “What do you think is happening here?” and every response is the right one! This would be a wonderful project for a family or classroom to write their own short stories. There is a version of this book where famous authors wrote their ideas for each page, but this original book leaves it up to YOU, the READER!
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick|Hardcover
Story + Mystery + Puzzles & Codes! I LOVE this engaging story by Graeme Base. Horris the elephant invites eleven guests to his eleventh birthday party, which is an elaborate costume affair. When the clock strikes eleven, the guests go to eat the amazing feast their guest had prepared for them, to find that someone had snuck in and eaten it all! Which of the guests ate the feast? The reader gets to go back through each page of the book and look for hidden clues on each page, some simple to spot, some much more challenging, including morse code, hieroglyphics, chess pieces, anagrams, and more...
The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery|Paperback
My Favorite children's books!
The OG Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs! Maybe you've seen the movie(s) (which were loosely based on the concept of the book), but there is no comparison to the original book. This was my dad's favorite story to read to us! What a hilarious concept of food raining down from the sky in the town of Chew-And-Swallow. No family drama, love story, food science, or man-baby. Just a funny and fun story your children will love!
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs|Paperback
My FAVORITE children's book for teaching about compassion. This one always invites conversation and sweet questions! Claude gives away his treasured Christmas presents from his family to his friend, Bummer, a stray dog with no family and no home. I always get a little choked up reading this book aloud seeing the joy on Bummer's furry little face as he takes the gifts away with him, and the joy on Claude's face as he recognizes that the greatest gift in the world is having a family who loves h...
Claude the Dog: A Christmas Story - Books