Early Childhood Reading Lists

Early Childhood Reading Lists

These recommended reading lists are curated by our children’s librarians and each book is available for digital download:

Animals
Concepts
Favorites
Growing Up 
Nature
On The Go

Animals

I Want A Dog by Jon Agee
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive 
“A girl seeks her perfect pet at an unusual animal shelter.”– Provided by publisher

 

Leyla by Galia Bernstein
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
Tired of her large, noisy, baboon family, young Leyla runs away and meets a lizard who teaches her to sit alone, be quiet, and do nothing.

 

The Fish and The Cat by Marianne Dubuc
eBook available on Hoopla
A wordless picture book in which a hungry cat pursues a fish from its fishbowl, around the neighborhood, and even among the stars and moon.

 

My Tiny Pet by Jessie Hartland
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive 
After moving to a tiny house, a little girl is forbidden to get a pet until she introduces her parents to microscopic tardigrades, also called water bears.

 

The Broken Bees’ Nest by Lydia Lukidis
eBook available on Hoopla
When Arun and Keya find a beehive that is caving in, they ask their neighbor, Dr. Chen, who is a beekeeper, for help.

 

Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris; Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive 
An assortment of animals living separate lives discover they need each other when they have a chance encounter on a river.

 

I’m A Baked Potato by Elise Primavera; Art by Juana Medina
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
A small dog named Baked Potato is lost and searching for his lady owner, but neither the grumpy dog or the fox are helpful, and his strange name creates confusion–until owl explains that, whatever he is called, he is really a dog.

 

Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle by Laura Purdie Salas; Illustrated by Claudine Gévry
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
There is more than one way for animals to prepare for winter. Some, such as mice, foxes, and moose, simply tolerate the cold. Of course black bears hibernate, but chipmunks, wood frogs, and garter snakes do too. And then there are the creatures that migrate, including hummingbirds, blue whales, and even earthworms! This rhyming nonfiction picture book by Laura Purdie Salas tells you all about how animals survive chilly weather.

Not Your Nest by Gideon Sterer; Illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive 
“Bird builds the perfect nest, the only problem is everyone else wants to sleep in it!”– Provided by publisher

 

The Peculiar Pig by Joy Steuerwald
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive 
Penny the puppy, puzzled by why she is different from the piglets she is raised with, uses her ear-splitting growls to chase away a snake that threatens her family.

 

Whose Ears? By Sue Tarsky
eBook available on Hoopla
Match the ears with the correct animal!

 

The Ranger by Nancy Vo
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
An assortment of animals living separate lives discover they need each other when they have a chance encounter on a river.

 

 

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Concepts

Big Box of Shapes by Wiley Blevins
eBook available on Hoopla
Triangles, circles, squares. To most of us, these are just simple shapes. But in the imaginations of Lulu and Max these shapes take on exciting new meanings.

 

Count on it by Wiley Blevins
eBook available on Hoopla
Gigi is planning a Gigi and the Three Bears theme party. With nine friends coming, readers help Gigi count what she needs from 0 to 10.

 

Sheep Won’t Sleep by Judy Cox; Illustrated by Nina Cuneo
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
A girl who cannot sleep decides to count sheep and other woolly animals by ones, twos, fives, and tens.

 

Which one doesn’t belong? : playing with shapes by Christopher Danielson
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
“Every page of this innovative picture book contains a thoughtfully designed set of four shapes and the question ‘Which one doesn’t belong?’ Each of the shapes could be a correct answer to the question. Because there is no one right answer, children naturally shift their focus to justifications and arguments based on the shapes’ geometric properties.”– Provided by publisher

Can U Save The Day by Shannon Stocker; Illustrated by Tom Disbury
eBook available on Hoopla
B picks on the vowels, while other consonants laugh, but when the vowels disappear one by one, only U can set things right!

 

Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
A group of cats sleep and play, until they decide to start stacking and unstacking!

 

Swallow the Leader by Danna Smith; Illustrated by Kevin Sherry
eBook available on Hoopla
“A group of fish play follow the leader in their ocean habitat. Count the fish from one to ten as each joins the game, then count back down to one when the leader gulps a sea spider and sets off an unfortunate chain reaction.”– Provided by publisher

Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run! By Mike Twohy
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
A little mouse is asleep until a ball suddenly bounces into his home, setting off an epic chase – from A to Z!

 

Alphabet Boats by Samantha R. Vamos; Illustrated by Ryan O’Rourke
eBook available on Hoopla
“Following on the successful heels of Samantha Vamos’s Alphabet Trucks and anticipating even more success from Alphabet Trains, readers are invited to join the journey through each letter of the alphabet.”– Provided by publisher

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Favorites

The Turnip by Jan Brett
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Badger Girl is delighted to find the biggest turnip she has ever seen growing in her vegetable garden, but when the time comes to harvest the giant root, she is unable to pull it up without help from family and friends.

 

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown; Pictures by Clement Hurd
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla; Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive and Hoopla
A little bunny bids goodnight to all the objects in his room before falling asleep.

 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by Jane Cabrera
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
A variety of baby animals are lulled to sleep by a version of the familiar lullaby tailored to their environment.

 

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin, Jr. & Eric Carle
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive; Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive
Children see a variety of animals, each one a different color, and a teacher looking at them!

 

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books! by Lucille Colandro; Illustrated by Jared Lee
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
A twist on the classic tale of “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”. This read takes the story even further as the lady goes about swallowing a variety of items related to school, including books, a ruler, and chalk.

 

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt; Pictures by Oliver Jeffers
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
When Duncan arrives at school one morning, he finds a stack of letters, one from each of his crayons, complaining about how he uses them.

 

Pete the Cat’s Train Trip by James Dean
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla; Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive and Hoopla
Embarking on a train trip to visit his grandmother, Pete the Cat accompanies the conductor on a tour of the train, looks at the engine and blows the whistle while making new friends and playing train-themed games.

 

Llama, Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
A young llama wants to play but must go shopping with his mother instead, and so he gets angry and makes a mess at the store.

 

Little Excavator by Anna Dewdney
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Little Excavator wants to help the big rigs transform a vacant lot into neighborhood park, but he is too small to get the job done! That is, until he finds a job that is a perfect Little E-sized task.

 

Duck & Goose, How Are You Feeling? by Tad Hills
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Friends Duck and Goose experience many emotions, from sadness and anger to pride and frustration.

 

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive and Hoopla; Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive and Hoopla
This is the ingeniously imaginative story of a small boy who, with his magic crayon, draws himself in and out of a series of adventures.

 

Heal the Earth by Julian Lennon; Illustrated by Bart Davis
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Jump into this imaginary journey aboard a magical plane, the White Feather Flier, to help sick and hungry children, restore coral reefs and rain forests, and more. Includes a note from the author about The White Feather Foundation.

 

Gideon & Otto by Olivier Dunrea
eBook available on Hoopla
Otto the toy octopus goes everywhere with Gideon, a small gosling, but while Gideon is playing with some rabbits Otto falls off the wall on which he was left and makes a new acquaintance.

The Snuggly by Glen Huser
eBook available on Hoopla
When Todd takes his baby sister’s snuggly to school, he uses it to carry things for himself and his friends, but by the time show and tell happens, the snuggly is overflowing, and the inevitable happens!

Peace is an Offering by Annette LeBox
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Illustrations and simple, rhyming text show different ways that peace can be found, made, and shared.

 

Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla; Audiobook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
Celebrate the power of friendship with Frog and Toad. From writing letters to going swimming, telling stories to finding lost buttons, Frog and Toad are always there for each other-just as best friends should be.

 

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin and John Archambault; Illustrated by Lois Ehlert
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive; Video available on Libby and Overdrive
An alphabet rhyme/chant that relates what happens when the whole alphabet tries to climb a coconut tree. Introduces reading comprehension, letter names and sounds, sequencing, upper and lowercase letters.

 

The Kindness Book by Todd Parr
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
This fantastic read highlights different ways to show kindness, including choosing kind words, giving compliments, and offering help without being asked.

 

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive; Audiobook available on Hoopla
Officer Buckle knows more about safety than anyone in the town of Napville.
But whenever he tries to share his safety tips, nobody listens – until the day
the Napville Police Department buys a police dog named Gloria, who has her own way of demonstrating safety tips.

Curious George Joins the Team by Margret & H.A. Rey’s
eBook available on Hoopla
While on a playdate with his new friend, Tina, who uses a wheelchair, George sees some kids playing basketball and jumps right into the action, but Tina is too shy to join in, even though he knows she is a great player.

Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Marisol loves to paint. So when her teacher asks her to help make a mural for the school library, she can’t wait to begin! But wait–how can Marisol ever make a sky without blue paint? After gazing out the bus window and watching from her porch as day turns into night, she closes her eyes and starts to dream.

 

Steam Train, Dream Train by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
In this book with rhyming text, the dream train pulls into the station and all the different cars are loaded by the animal workers, each with the appropriate cargo.

 

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
Two unseen characters argue about whether the creature they are looking at is a rabbit or a duck!

 

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin; Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Book available on Libby and Overdrive; Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive
Dragons love tacos. They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa…oh, boy. You’re in red-hot trouble.

 

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive
When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer
springs up to take his place a pigeon! But you’ve never met one like this before.

 

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Growing Up

A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
Henry would like to find a friend at school, but for a boy on the autism spectrum, making friends can be difficult, as his efforts are sometimes misinterpreted, or things just go wrong–but Henry keeps trying, and in the end he finds a friend he can play with.

 

Here and Now by Julia Denos
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Illustrations and easy-to-read text celebrate mindfulness and the connectedness of everything on Earth.

 

When Sadness Is At Your Door by Eva Eland
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
A young child experiences sadness as if it were a visitor, acknowledging the emotion and suggesting activities to do with it.

 

How I Learned To Fall Out Of Trees by Vincent X. Kirsch
Ebook available on Hoopla 
Edward and Adelia have been best friends for many years, so when it is time for Adelia to move away she plans a special parting gift for him.

 

Just Like My Brother by Gianna Marino
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Set in a stunning African landscape, the story begins with a game of hide-and-seek as Little Giraffe looks for her big brother. As she asks the many animals she encounters on her search if they’ve seen him, it’s evident how much she admires him. He’s taller and faster and braver than her, she tells them. But as the search continues, the other animals insist that Little Giraffe is tall, and fast, and brave, too . . . and best of all, she has a wonderful older brother who looks out for her!

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
When five-year-old Sulwe’s classmates make fun of her dark skin, she tries lightening herself to no avail, but her encounter with a shooting star helps her understand there is beauty in every shade.

 

The Happy Book by Andy Rash
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
“Best friends Camper and Clam work through their feelings”– Provided by publisher

 

At The Stroke of Goodnight by Clay Rice
eBook available on Hoopla
“A perfect bedtime story that gently and beautifully depicts a busy world settling in for a warm night’s sleep.”      – Hoopla

 

Dear Boy by Paris Rosenthal
Audiobook available on Libby & Overdrive
Encourages readers to accept and love themselves as they are and advises them to be kind, confident, curious, and adaptable!

 

Most Marshmallows by Rowboat Watkins
Ebook available on Hoopla
Most marshmallows like to watch television and lead normal lives–but some marshmallows dream of greater things!

 

Sweety by Andrea Zuill
Ebook available on Libby & Overdrive
Sweety is awkward, even for a naked mole rat, but with encouragement from her Aunt Ruth, she begins to see that being herself is the best way to find a friend.

 

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Nature

Aquarium by Cynthia Alonso
Ebook available on Libby & Overdrive
In this wordless picture book, a little girl learns about love, nature, and the transformative power of letting go when a little fish leaps into her life.

 

Dandy by Ame Dyckman; Illustrated by Charles Santoso
Ebook available on Libby & Overdrive
Although Sweetie has named and is caring for the sole dandelion on his perfect lawn, Daddy, with his friends’ urging, does all he can to get rid of the weed before it spreads.

 

My Winter City by James Gladstone; Illustrated by Gary Clement
Ebook available on Hoopla
“A boy, his father and their dog have a perfect day in a snowy city.”– Provided by publisher

 

The Hike by Alison Farrell
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
With lyrical language that captures the majesty of the natural world coupled with fun narrative featured throughout, this spirited picture book tells the victorious story of three girls’ friendship-and their tribulations and triumphs in the great outdoors.

 

If I was the Sunshine by Julie Fogliano and Loren Long
Ebook available on Libby & Overdrive
Illustrations and simple, rhyming text explore the nature of connection and relationships.

 

We are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines; Illustrated by Julianna Swaney
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
A young family learns to grow a garden, describing how they prepared the soil, watered their plants, dealt with the animals who invaded their garden, and how all their hard work finally paid off as they harvested vegetables and flowers.

 

Deep Underwater by Irene Luxbacher
eBook available on Libby & Overdrive
“Sophia bravely dives down to discover the secrets under the sea. She encounters beautiful fish and floating forests. Farther down, the dark water is full of tentacles and treasures. Deep underwater, she is never alone. Do you dare dive down after her?”– Provided by publisher

 

Treasure by Mireille Messier and Irene Luxbacher
Ebook available on Libby & Overdrive
“In this gorgeously illustrated picture book, a brother and sister explore their surroundings, looking for treasure.”– Provided by publisher

 

They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
A young girl describes where she finds colors in both the world around her and beyond what she can see.

 

You Are Home by Evan Turk
Ebook available on Libby & Overdrive
Offers an ode to the United States national parks, and reminds readers that every animal, plant, and person in these parks are an integral part of what makes the land beautiful.

 

Summer by Cao Wenxuan; Illustrated by Yu Rong
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Under a burning sun on the dry grassland, animals ranging from a tiny field mouse to a large elephant fight over bit of shade until they learn a better way.

 

A Stone Sat Still by Brendan Wenzel
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
Told in rhyming verse, a stone is considered from a variety of environmental and emotional perspectives, as it sits where it is, surrounded by grass, dirt, and water, an unchanging certainty in the world.

 

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On The Go

Little Pig Saves the Ship by David Hyde Costello
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
Little Pig is too small to go to sailing camp with his brothers and sisters, so his grandfather makes him a model ship, and together they sail it on the stream–until it gets carried away by the current, and Little Pig has to rescue the ship before it is wrecked.

 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Car by Kate Dopirak; Illustrated by Mary Peterson
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
In this twist on the classic poem, a little red car takes a final cruise around town before going to bed, beeping good-night to all his vehicular friends.

 

Old MacDonald Had A Truck by Steve Goetz; Illustrated by Eda Kaban
eBook available on Hoopla
An update of the classic folk song, Old MacDonald, featuring farm vehicles like excavator, dump truck, and bulldozer.

 

Honk! Splat! Vroom! By Barry Gott
eBook available on Hoopla
five mice in race cars compete in an off-road race, but surviving course obstacles will require teamwork–and a goose!

 

Push! Dig! Scoop! By Rhonda Gowler Greene
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
In this variation on the the classic song “Over in the Meadow,” mother and father trucks show their youngsters how to build down at the construction site, from “mama bulldozer with her little dozer one” to “mama steamroller with her little rollers ten.”

 

How it Feels To Be A Boat by James Kwan
eBook available on Hoopla
“As a little boat’s high seas adventures get underway, disagreeable passengers make her seasick. When she runs aground, will teamwork turn the tide?”– Provided by publisher.

 

Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo by Kevin Lewis; Pictures by Daniel Kirk
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
A rhyming story about a toy freight train’s day, from loading freight in the morning to retiring to the roundhouse after the day’s work is done.

 

I Stink! by Kate McMullan and Jim McMullan
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
With ten wide tires, one really big appetite, an an even bigger smell, this truck’s got it all. His job? Eating your rubbish and loving every smelly second of it! And you thought nighttime was just for sleeping!

 

Gus’s Garage by Leo Timmers
eBook available on Hoopla
Gus’s workshop is chockful of useless odds and ends. But when his friend Rico comes over with a problem. Gus finds just the thing to solve it! One by one Gus’s friends bring him their vehicles and Gus solves their troubles with ingenious solutions. Soon the workshop is almost empty, but the last scraps might be just enough to solve Gus’s own problem at the end of a long day!