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...
Noisy night
Barnett, Mac
Paper Book
A clever picture book about a multi-level apartment building's occupants and their many nighttime noises. It's a noisy night in this city building! The residents of each floor can hear their neighbors above them, and are wondering what's going on above their heads. Climb floor...
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 award-winning author of Alfie and 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...
Rhyming dust bunnies
Thomas, Jan
Paper Book
Bug! Rug! Mug! Hug! These dust bunnies love to rhyme. Well, except for Bob... Much to the other bunnies' frustration, Bob can never seem to get the rhyming rhythm right. But when a big, scary monster wielding--gasp!--a broom appears, will Bob's offbeat wordplay save the day?
Mae among the stars
Ahmed, Roda
Paper Book
A beautiful picture book for sharing and marking special occasions such as graduation, inspired by the life of the first African American woman to travel in space, Mae Jemison. An Amazon Best Book of the Month! A great classroom and bedtime read-aloud, Mae Among the Stars is the...
After the fall : how Humpty Dumpty got back up again
Santat, Dan
Paper Book
An inspirational gift about bravery and pursuing your dreams! After the Fall is an affirming story of triumph and overcoming fears, told through a clever twist on the beloved classic Humpty Dumpty. From the New York Times-bestselling creator of...
Can you make a scary face?
Thomas, Jan
Paper Book
What kind of a face would you make if a tickly green bug were sitting on your nose? Or if it were--eek!--inside your shirt? Could you make a scary face to frighten it away? Or, even better, stand up and do the chicken dance? Yes? Then better get to it! This exuberant, interactive picture book...
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...
We're going on a bear hunt
Rosen, Michael 1946-
Paper Book
Beloved for more than 30 years, this award-winning classic from Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury celebrates the joys of an afternoon outdoors with family. We're going on a bear hunt. We're going to catch a big one. Will you come too? Join a father and his four...
Hocus pocus, it's fall!
O'Brien, Anne Sibley
Paper Book
Leaves on trees are green and bright Abracadabra! What a Sight!   Eleven gatefolds open to re-create the excitement and surprise of fall's arrival, revealing what happens when the leaves turn. Fall...
Roar : a book of animal sounds
Kerouli, Katerina
Paper Book
Crocodile lurks in the water, Tiger and Lion prowl through the jungle, Monkey swings through the trees and Snake slithers through the undergrowth in this beautifully illustrated picture book. Lift the giant flaps to reveal those strong, wide jaws, sharp teeth - and a flicky tongue! - and join in...
Tiptoe tiger
Clarke, Jane
Paper Book
Tiptoe, tiger! Tara the tiger cub is wide awake and wants to play. But Tara's bouncing and pouncing keeps scaring all the other jungle animals away. Help Tara tread quietly through the jungle so that she can make her way home to her mom and settle down for bed.
Monsters love colors
Austin, Mike
Paper Book
Did you know that monsters love to scribble, scribble, mix, dance, and wiggle! Why Because monsters love to make new colors! Celebrate along with the hilarious monsters in this wild and energetic picture book from author...
Fall is not easy
Kelley, Marty.
Paper Book
Fall is a tough time of year for a lot of us. Kids have to go back to school, teachers and football players have to go back to work, and parents have to look for new places to hide holiday presents. But perhaps fall is hardest of all on trees. After all, they have to change their entire appearance...
Click, clack, moo cows that type
Cronin, Doreen
Paper Book
Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type. All day long he hears, click, clack, moo. Click, clack, moo. Click, clack, moo. But FarmerBrown's problems REALLY begin when his cows start leaving him notes¿
Rooster wore skinny jeans
Miller, Jessie
Paper Book
A hilarious tale of self-acceptance, resilience and the joy of standing out! What's not to love? Are they being sarcastic? These jeans are amazing; my butt looks fantastic!" Rooster is thrilled when his new skinny jeans arrive in the mail. Eager to show them off to his...
Llama Llama red pajama
Dewdney, Anna
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . Llama Llama learns to face the bedtime blues in this charmingly written board book, perfect for sending little ones off to sleep. Llama, Llama red pajama waiting, waiting for his mama. Mama isn't coming yet.
Don't push the button!
Cotter, Bill
Paper Book
A USA Today Bestseller! A great read-aloud, interactive book that kids will go back to time and again. There's only one rule in Larry's book: don't push the button. (Seriously, don't even think about it!) Even if it does look kind of nice, you must never push the button. Who...
There's a monster in your book
Fletcher, Tom
Paper Book
UH OH! There's a MONSTER in YOUR book! Shake, wiggle, and tickle the monster out in this interactive bedtime read-aloud that launched the Who's In Your Book series! With the irresistible pull of Hervé Tullet's Press Here and the charm of The Monster at the End of This...
Bear feels scared
Wilson, Karma
Paper Book
Bad weather frightens Bear, but his woodland friends are there to help him in this sweet, reassuring Bear story from bestselling duo Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman! In the deep, dark woods by the Strawberry Vale, a big bear lumbers down a...
The snowy day
Keats, Ezra Jack
Paper Book
CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER * #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER * The magic and wonder of winter's first snowfall is perfectly captured in this classic seasonal picture book celebrated by generations of readers--a beautiful gift for the holiday season! New York Public Library's #1 book on the...
The very hungry caterpillar = La oruga muy hambrienta
Carle, Eric
Paper Book
The time-honored classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar is now available in two bilingual formats, bringing together two languages for the ultimate reading and learning experience. With easily readable side-by-side English and Spanish text, it's perfect for children learning to speak either...
Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?
Martin, Bill 1916-2004
Paper Book
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? beginning readers: These beloved children's stories are now available in beginning reader format. With the important pre-reading concepts of rhyme, rhythm, and repetition, these...
ĄNo dejes que la paloma conduzca el autobús!
Willems, Mo.
Paper Book
Un libro al que por fin, ¡le puedes decir "no"! Cuando el conductor del autobús se toma un descanso en su recorrido, un sorprendente voluntario aparece para ocupar su lugar... ¡una paloma! Tú nunca has conocido a alguien igual. Mientras la Paloma implora, adula, y suplica a lo...

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