Great Read-Alouds for Preschoolers

Here are some of the NPL Youth Services librarians' favorite read-alouds for preschoolers!

Updated December 27, 2023
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The button book
Nicholls, Sally
Paper Book
This silly and sweet picture book introduces young children to colors through humor and clever interactive elements. For fans of Hervé Tullet's Press Here. Here's a button. I wonder what happens when you press it? Follow a group of animal friends as...
Tap the magic tree
Matheson, Christie
Paper Book
There is magic in every tree. The tall, silent one in the woods. The small, bumpy one in the park. Even the bare brown tree in your backyard. As the seasons change, trees change, too. They sprout leaves. The leaves change...
Stuck
Jeffers, Oliver.
Paper Book
From the illustrator of the #1 smash The Day the Crayons Quit comes another bestseller--a giggle-inducing tale of everything tossed, thrown, and hurled in order to free a kite! When Floyd's kite gets stuck in a tree, he's determined to get it out. But how? Well, by...
Thank you, Omu!
Mora, Oge
Paper Book
A Caldecott Honor Book In this cozy, sweet story perfect for fans of Last Stop on Market Street as well as for the Thanksgiving season, a generous woman is rewarded by her community. A Spanish edition, ¡Gracias, Omu!, is also...
Jabari jumps
Cornwall, Gaia
Paper Book
Working up the courage to take a big, important leap is hard, but Jabari is almost absolutely ready to make a giant splash. Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He's finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he's a great jumper, so he...
Mel fell
Tabor, Corey R.
Paper Book
A Caldecott Honor Book and ALA Notable Book of the Year! An innovative and charming tale about a plucky little bird, from the award-winning author-illustrator of Fox the Tiger. Readers will delight in turning their book sideways and upside down to follow Mel on her journey...
How do you dance?
Heder, Thyra
Paper Book
A playful picture book that urges readers to bop, bounce, and shake from the author of Fraidyzoo There are so many ways to dance! You can jiggle or wiggle or stomp.You can bop or bounce or go completely nuts. You can dance at the market or the bus stop, with your fingers or your face. You can dance...
My papa is a princess
Cenko, Doug
Paper Book
Cuddle up with Dad for this sweet book about a father as seen through his daughter's eyes. When Papa braids her hair, he's a hairdresser; when he hangs her drawings on the wall, he's an art collector. But no matter what happens, he is always her papa, and that's the most important thing of all!
I really want to see you, Grandma
Gomi, Taro
Paper Book
Yumi and her grandmother have the same great idea: They want to see each other. So they each head out to do just that, only to completely miss each other along the way! No problem--they'll just head back home and wait for the other to return. The trouble is that they have the same great idea--again-...
Snail crossing
Tabor, Corey R.
Paper Book
In a book that is as cheerful and charming as Snail himself, Corey Tabor tells a winning tale of slow but steady Snail, whose determination and kindness bring him the best reward of all: friendship. When Snail spies a plump, crisp cabbage across the road, nothing will stop...
From head to toe
Carle, Eric
Paper Book
From Eric Carle, the New York Times bestselling creator of beloved books including The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Grouchy Ladybug, comes From Head to Toe, a colorful and energetic book that will have young readers clapping their hands, stomping their feet, and wiggling their toes! ...
Sam & Dave dig a hole
Barnett, Mac
Paper Book
Sam and Dave are on a mission. A mission to find something spectacular. So they dig a hole. And they keep digging. And they find . . . nothing. Yet the day turns out to be pretty spectacular after all.
After the fall : how Humpty Dumpty got back up again : a story
Santat, Dan
Paper Book
An inspiring epilogue to the beloved nursery rhyme 'Humpty Dumpty', from the New York Times-bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator of THE ADVENTURES OF BEEKLE and ARE WE THERE YET?Everyone knows that when Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. But what...
I want my hat back
Klassen, J.
Paper Book
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2011! A picture-book delight by a rising talent tells a cumulative tale with a mischievous twist. The bear's hat is gone, and he wants it back. Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes...
Your name is a song
Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah
Paper Book
Frustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl's mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their...
Hooray for hat!
Won, Brian.
Paper Book
Elephant wakes up grumpy--until ding, dong! What's in the surprise box at the front door? A hat! HOORAY FOR HAT! Elephant marches off to show Zebra, but Zebra is having a grumpy day, too--until Elephant shares his new hat and cheers up his friend. Off they march to show...
We're going on a bear hunt
Rosen, Michael
Paper Book
Go on a bear hunt and do the actions with this award-winning picture book classic. Follow and join in the family's excitement as they wade through the grass, splash through the river and squelch through the mud in search of a bear. What a surprise awaits them in the cave on the...
This book is magic
Evanson, Ashley
Paper Book
Make some magic in this colorful, interactive picture book from the author/illustrator of the Hello, World board book series! Do you know that you're a magician? In this interactive book, use your fingers to perform all kinds of magic tricks. Tap a hat to make a bunny appear,...
Tiptoe tiger
Clarke, Jane
Paper Book
A delightful interactive picture book, filled with vibrant neon artwork by award-winning Britta Teckentrup.
If you're a robot and you know it
Carter, David A.
Paper Book
From bestseller David Carter comes a favorite new robot twist on the classic children's song that pops to life. If you're a robot and you know it clap your hands, jump and beep, fly around, shoot laser beams out of your eyes! It's the classic...
Click, clack, moo : cows that type
Cronin, Doreen
Paper Book
The quirky, hilarious farmyard tale that started it all from New York Times bestselling duo of Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin! Now the inspiration for a new Christmas special, CLICK, CLACK, MOO: Christmas on the Farm. Farmer Brown has a problem. ...
Llama, llama red pajama
Dewdney, Anna.
Paper Book
Llama, Llama red pajama waiting, waiting for his mama. Mama isn't coming yet. Baby Llama starts to fret. In this infectious rhyming read-aloud, Baby Llama turns bedtime into an all-out llama drama! Tucked into bed by his mama, Baby Llama...
The snowy day
Keats, Ezra Jack
Paper Book
A Caldecott Medal winner that conveys the silent wonder of a city snowfall and a small boy's solitary delight in it.
The very hungry caterpillar
Carle, Eric.
Paper Book
THE all-time classic picture book, from generation to generation, sold somewhere in the world every 30 seconds! Have you shared it with a child or grandchild in your life? Carle's classic tale of a voracious caterpillar who eats his way through the days of the week and...
Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?
Martin, Bill
Paper Book
Exuberantly coloured artwork and favourite animals make this rhythmic story the perfect introduction to looking and learning about colours. Each spread leads seamlessly into the next and young children will delight in Eric's colourful collage animals and simple repetitive language.
Pete the cat : I love my white shoes
Litwin, Eric.
Paper Book
Don't miss the first and bestselling book in the beloved Pete the Cat series! Pete the Cat goes walking down the street wearing his brand-new white shoes. Along the way, his shoes change from white to red to blue to brown to WET as he steps in piles of strawberries, blueberries, and other...
Don't let the pigeon drive the bus
Willems, Mo.
Paper Book
Mo Willems, #1 New York Times best-selling creator and three-time Caldecott Honoree, presents the book that started it all: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Finally, a book you can say "no" to!   When the Bus Driver takes a break from his route,...

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