Cathy Dean Gafford Director

JEAN DEAN READING IS FUNDAMENTAL
APPROVED BOOK LIST

for 3-5 year olds, most of this list in catalogs as pre-K to 7 (very young (3-) books marked with an asterisk)

List compiled with eye to artistic/literary merit, not "teach or preach", goal: to interest children in fun in reading

NOTE: few words/"short reads" are for younger children - longer stories for older audiences with longer attention spans

Originally compiled by Amy Kaiser, Lee County Head Start

AUTHOR TITLE

Aardema Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain (Multi-cultural accumulation tale set on the plains of Africa)

Bang * Ten, Nine, Eight (Counting book that presents a warm view of father/child relationship)

Brown *Goodnight Moon (Classic bedtime book that soothes and comforts)

Carle The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Repetitive wording that children love- also reinforces counting)

Carlstrom Jessie Bear, What Will You Wear? (Lovely poetry that highlights a busy child’s day)

Fox Hattie and the Fox (Great anticipation and suspense happily resolved)

Galdone The Three Bears (specifically this version) (Traditional tale well rendered).

Galdone The Three Billy Goats Gruff (specifically this version) (Traditional tale well rendered).

Harper The Gunniwolf (Wonderful for repetition , prediction, re-telling)

Havill Jamaica’s Find (Worthwhile values depicted in an easily understood story)

Hill Where’s Spot? ((Extremely popular read-along look-under-the-flap book)

Isadora Ben’s Trumpet (Beautifully illustrated story of a boy who has help fulfilling a dream)

Kalan Jump, Frog, Jump (Repetitive phrasing and accumulation make this a fun "read-along")

Keats Over in the Meadow (specifically this version)
(Lovely illustrations highlight a sweet traditional counting song)

Keats Peter’s Chair (loving family deals effectively with sibling rivalry)

Keats The Snowy Day (Charming description of an exciting event)

Keats Whistle for Willie (Through persistence child achieves his goal of whistling)

Kraus Whose Mouse Are You? (Gives child sense of power as the one who saves his family)

Kraus Carrot Seed (Classic story of child with confidence an event will take place)

Martin Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Repetitive structure makes this a great read-along)

Mayer There’s a Nightmare in My Closet (Common childhood fear dealt with in a humorous way)

McKissack Mirandy and Brother Wind (Story in the folk tale tradition set in the rural south)

Mosel Tikki, Tikki, Tembo (Traditional tale set in China with a fun to repeat name)

Rylant The Relatives Came (Shows a large, warm family enjoying the summer together)

Rylant When I Was Young in the Mountains ((Warm family sharing the joys of old-fashioned mountain life)

Scott Sam (Strong family rallies around a child who is feeling left out)

Slodbodkina Caps for Sale (Classic tale that is especially fun for reading along and acting out)

Yashima Umbrella (Children can easily identify with child who has difficulty waiting for a special event)

Allen Who Sank the Boat? (Fun rhyme filled with anticipation that children can guess the conclusion to)

Asch Turtle Tale (Children quickly become fascinated with this simple story of a turtle who learns a wise lesson)

Brown The Runaway Bunny ( A companion to Goodnight Moon, children are reassured by the mother who always goes after
and finds her child)

Carle The Very Busy Spider (Typical Eric Carle quality in The Very Hungry Caterpillar tradition with a tactile feature added)

Cook The Little Fish That Got Away (Written in a repetitive pattern, this story has a fun switch on the standard fisherman’s story)

Crews * Freight Train (Bold, simple graphics and text capture the essence of a train for the youngest child)

Flack Angus and the Cat (Classic that brings to life a story of animal antics and friendship)

Freeman Corduroy ( (Another classic story of friendship- this time between a little girl and adventuresome stuffed bear)

Ga’g Millions of Cats (Traditional story where children can discover which cat of many an elderly couple will keep)

Galdone Gingerbread Boy (specifically this version) (Traditional, well rendered tale that has a read-along chant throughout)

Hall The Ox-Cart Man (Historical farm life throughout the season depicted in this Caldecott winner)

Jensen Sara and the Door (Three year old Sara solves a problem for herself)

Keats A Letter to Amy (In this companion to the other Keats books, Peter writes a special birthday party invitation to his special friend)

Lionni Inch by Inch (bold artwork highlights this story of a small worm who can measure and use his wits)

Martin Barn Dance! (wonderful rhymes and beautiful illustrations make this night-time fantasy very believable)

Martin Here Are My Hands (By the Barn Dance! team, this simple rhyme about hands, faces and feet has great appeal for
younger readers)

Sendak Where the Wild Things Are (Caldecott classic where Max becomes king of the wild things, but decides to come home anyway)

Wood The Little Mouse, the Red, Ripe Strawberry, and the Very Hungry Bear (Fantastic fill-the-page illustrations help readers feel like they are experiencing everything right along with the mouse with a treasure to protect)

Wood The Napping House (Rollicking accumulation tale that encourages children to read along)

Zion Harry the Dirty Dog (Children delight in following Harry’s adventures as he gets dirtier and dirtier)

Gilman Something from Nothing (Jewish folk tale about relationship between child and grandfather; beautiful fill-the-page illustrations that include second story about mouse family)

Guarino Is Your Mama a Llama? (Rhyming story about various kinds of animals, beautiful illustrations)

Havill Jamaica Tag-A-Long (Worthwhile values depicted in an easily understood story)

Johnson Do Like Kyla (Pleasant story of relationship between sisters)

Williams A Chair for My Mother ( Story of family working together, designed for older fives to eight year olds)

Stevenson My Shadow (Illustrated by Ted Rand) (Time honored rhyme, multi-cultural illustrations)

Williams I Went Walking (Repetitive phrasing about animals seen on a child’s walk)