Children's books

This page is a guide to children's pictures book--a resource that I wish I had.  So I'm making one myself.  If you enjoy choosing books based on a topic, I hope I can take some of the legwork out of it for you (and for myself with my younger kids).  I am making the list as my daughter and I move to each new topic.  I am only listing the favorites.  Please feel free to add suggestions. 

(The links are to the books on amazon so you can see what they look like and not because I want you to buy the book.  I fully support getting books at the library!!!)

Non-fiction
Children are never too young to start reading non-fiction--you just have to find the right book!
- Gail Gibbons has some great non-fiction books that are good for preschool kids
- No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart and Allen Young--the book is good for older kids (6+) but I paraphrase it for my younger kids. It's a great topic!
- Hippos Can't Swim and other fun facts by Laura Lyn DiSiena
-  Curious Critters (volume 2) by David FitzSimmons
- The Fly by Elise Gravel--funny and factual, a win!
- Cold, Crunchy, Colorful: Using our senses by Jane Brocket
- An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Aston--I love everything about this book
 - Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward--this is a fantastic nonfiction reference about lots of different birds. It's in poem so it's easy for the kids to listen to.
- It's Raining by Gail Gibbons
- Komodo Dragons by Valerie Bodden--great photographs, concise and simple for kids to understand and stay interested
- Weird Birds by Chris Earley
- Fabulous Frogs by Martin Jenkins--highlights lots of weird frogs. The actual narrative of the book is short with great pictures. Each page has a short blurb with more info relating to each frog that is referenced.
- What Do you Do With a Tail Like This by Steve Jenkins--highlights animals that d unusual things with different body parts. better for kids with longer attention span (4+) Animals are so fascinating!
Flying Frogs ad Walking Fish by Steve Jenkins--highlights unusual characteristics (specifically motion) of animals.

Animals
- On The Farm by David Elliott---thoughtful poems about different farm animals
- Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown---a classic
- Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann---a classic, and minimal words.  Fun for older and younger kids.
- I See Animals Hiding by Jim Arnowsky---I love his animal books and the illustrations are life-like and beautiful.  Some are more wordy than others so flip through the pages first to decide if the book is right for your kid's age.
- Elephants Swim by Linda Capus Riley---a great book for breaking stereotypes :)  (fish aren't the only animals that swim/are associated with water)
- North Country Spring by Reeve Lindbergh
- Poco Loco by JR Krause and Maria Chua--okay so this book is pretty silly but my kids love it and it has Spanish in it so I like it too.
- Tumble Bumble by Felicia Bond
- Duck on a Bike by David Shannon:
- barnyard animals riding bikes, what could be better?
- We're Roaming in the Rainforest by Laurie Krebs and Anne Wilson
- Crocodile Beat by Gail Jorgensen
- Hippos Can't Swim and other fun facts by Laura Lyn DiSiena
- Say Hello Like This by Mary Murphy
- This is a Moose by Richard Morris--this is a hilarious book--the kids just love it.
- Give Up Gecko by Margaret Read MacDonald--a cute illustrated version of a Ugandan folktale
- Barnyard Dance (Available in Board Book)
- The Long Long Line by Tomoko Ohmura--lots of animals!
- Mechanimals by Chris Tougas
- Finder's Keepers by Keiko Kasza
- Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows--a cute book with 2 lines/page about different hibernating animals snuggling together.
- Who Woke the Baby by Jane Clarke-- (African type?) animals wake up grouchy until baby becomes happy watching the butterfly

Insects
- A Beetle is Shy by Dianna Hutts Aston
- Good Trick Walking Stick by Sheri Mabry Bestor
- Yoohoo Ladybug by Mem Fox--a fun hide n seek book.
- The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

Dragons
- Baby Dragon by Amy Ehrlich
- Lovabye Dragon by Barbara Joosse--a cute book about a girl who longs for a dragon and a dragon who longs for a girl
- Duncan the Story Dragon by Amanda Driscoll--cute story about two friends reading together
- There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight by Penny Parker Klostermann--a fun and funny version of this classic nursery rhyme.
- Evermore Dragon by Barbara Joosse--a princess and dragon play hide and seek


Bears
- Bear Says Thank You by Michael Dahl--Ellie (~2 yrs) loves this book
- Baby Bear Counts One by Ashley Wolff--a good counting book with cute pictures
- We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen (Available in Board Book)
- Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett (Available in Board Book)
- Little Bear's Little Boat by Eve Bunting (Available in Board Book)
- Eat Like A Bear by April Sayre--I love the construction paper artwork. I like the non-fictioniness (new word!) of the book although I struggle with the rhythm. I'm weird like that. But, if I were to do a topic on bears, I would get this book for sure.
- The Big Storm by Nancy Tafuri--a good counting book
- The Teddy Bears' Picnic by Jimmy Kennedy--this is a decent illustrated version of the song
- Bedtime for Bear by Brett Helquist

Unusual Animals
- Roly Poly Pangolin by Anna Dewdney
- Little Burro by Jim Arnosky. Arnosky has some great animal books. You do need to look at them first to see if the amount of words/page is appropriate for your children's age and attention level. He has animal books for all ages. I love his illustrations and they are cute stories based on facts about the animals.
- Glasswings: A Butterfly's Story by Elisa Kleven--This is a cute fictional story about a non-fictional animal I had never heard of before. How cool!
- How to Lose a Lemur by Frann Preston-Gannon--a fun story about a boy who becomes friends with some lemurs
- This is a Moose by Richard Morris--this is a hilarious book--the kids just love it.
- Komodo Dragons by Valerie Bodden--great photographs, concise and simple for kids to understand and stay interested
- Fabulous Frogs by Martin Jenkins--highlights lots of weird frogs. The actual narrative of the book is short with great pictures. Each page has a short blurb with more info relating to each frog that is referenced. 
- Flying Frogs and Walking Fish by Steve Jenkins--highlights unusual characteristics (specifically motion) of animals.

Birds
- Birds by Kevin Henkes--simple book about birds from the perspective of a child
- Bring on the Birds by Susan Stockdale--fun book about birds with great pictures and good rhymes.  It includes more information at the end about the featured birds.
- Crinkleroot's 25 Birds Every Child Should Know by Jim Arnowksy--love this author.  I love his illustrations.  The book simply names each bird--a perfect introduction to birds for young kids.
- Cuckoo by Fiona Robertson--a simple story with sweet illustrations. And I love that it is loosely inspired by how cuckoos are actually born (a mother cuckoo lays her eggs in other birds' nests so that when they hatch, the other bird is the one taking care of the baby cuckoo)
- An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Aston
 - Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward--this is a fantastic nonfiction reference about lots of different birds. It's in poem so it's easy for the kids to listen to.
- Weird Birds by Chris Earley
- On Bird Hill by Jane Yolen
- Every Day Birds by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

Fish/Ocean
- The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen---the kids love this.  the rhyming is clever and the repeated chorus is fun.  A nice message about having a good attitude.
- Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister---Beautiful illustrations, good message about sharing and being a good friend
- Fish Wish by Bob Barner---thoughtful prose and beautiful illustrations
- Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins---fun pictures, few words=good for kids with short attention span or tired parents, fun descriptions.
- Over in the Ocean: in a coral reef by Marianna Berkes---a variation on Over in the Meadow, the illustrations are gorgeous
- Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae--not my favorite (it bugs me a little that the rhyming scheme changes on every page and that the rhymes aren't really based on facts), but the kids love it and the pictures are fun
- This is the Ocean by Kersten Hamilton---This book is a good book about the water cycle.  It is beautifully illustrated and perfectly simple for kids.
- Swim For Cover by Sue Vyner---I love when children's authors write a fun animal story based on real animal characteristics.  The story is simple--not too wordy--and the pictures are beautiful.  She includes a fact page at the end with more info about each creature in the story.
- Breathe by Scott Magoon--about a young whale, very very simple


Friendship
-To the Sea by Cale Atkinson
- Henry Hyena, Why Won't You Laugh by Doug Jantzen
- Duncan the Story Dragon by Amanda Driscoll--cute story about two friends reading together
- Evermore Dragon by Barbara Joosse--a princess and dragon play hide and seek
- The Monkey and the Bee by CP Bloom--a funny adventure about sharing
- Girl and Gorilla: Out and About by Rick Walton
- Quackers by Liz Wong
- Penguin on Vacation by Salina Yoon--a cute story about a penguin who goes to the beach and makes friends with a crab

Role Models
- Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to my Daughters by Barack Obama---I love this book so much, it definitely brings tears to my eyes as I read it to my kids.  I like to use their names.  We used this book to kick off our life-long theme of role models.
- Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor. A neat book about the lady who wrote Silent Spring among other books and prompted people to think more about how to protect our environment from pollution--especially pesticides and other chemicals.  The EPA was formed because of her work.  This book is better for older preschoolers and up--Maren couldn't sit through the book, but I loved it!
- Thank you, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Anderson--awesome and funny book about a woman who cares about things to make a difference in the world around her
- Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's super-soaking stream of inventions by Chris Barton
- Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine by Laurie Wallmark


Dinosaurs--it's amazing how many great dinosaur books there are! here are some of our favorites:
- Dinosaurumpus
- Dinosnores--a hilarious new theory regarding the extinction of dinosaurs
- Dino-Soccer and all of the other Dino-Sport books by Lisa Wheeler--delightful rhyming scheme
- Dinosaur Train by John Steven Gurney: combining two things children love--dinosaurs and trains

Butterflies
- Bob and Otto--Nick Bruel
- The Butterfly Kiss--Marcial Boo
- Waiting for Wings--Lois Elhert
- Hurry and the Monarch--Antoine O'Flatharta
- Are you a Butterfly?--Judy Allen (love the humor of this non-fiction kids' book!)
- Glasswings: A Butterfly's Story by Elisa Kleven--This is a cute fictional story about a non-fictional animal I had never heard of before. How cool!

Dogs
- The Bedtime Book for Dogs, by Bruce Littlefield
- Woof: A Love Story by Sarah Weeks--We all adore this book.  It is hilarious and clever and beautiful.  And I love the illustrations.
- I Got Two Dogs by John Lithgow--the kids love to sing along with this book.  Also, we like to tell the true story about how my husband hit John Lithgow in the head with a volleyball when he was in high school
- Dig, Dogs, Dig: A construction Tail by James Horvath
- Extraordinary Jane by Hannah Harrison--fantastic and exciting illustrations about a circus dog. She doesn't do any crazy tricks, being a good dog is special enough.
- Dog in Boots by Greg Gormley, a realizes he is perfect just the way he is. cute, funny.

Cats
- Top Cat by Lois Elhert
- Friends by Micheal Foreman
- Cool Cat by Nonny Hogrogrian
- Cat and Fish by Joan Grant ( I absolutely love the black and white line designs in this book!)
- Scarlatti's Cat by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer--a fun story about how the Italian composer wrote his most famous piece "the Cat's Fugue" (and it's fairly short, too!)
- Cat Napped by Leeza Hernandez

Thanksgiving
- Thank you, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Anderson
- Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland

Snow/Snowmen/Snowflakes
- Snow Family by Daniel Kirk--a cute story about "orphan" snow kids. Good rhyming scheme.
- Snow Party by Harriet Ziefert--a magical book for kids, beautiful illustrations
- Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner--great rhyming scheme.  my kids love this book!
- Snowman Magic by Katherine Tegen--a boy and a snowman become best pals
- No Two Alike by Keith Baker
- 100 Snowmen by Jen Arena
- Blizzard by John Rocco

Colors and Patterns and Math
- My Blue Is Happy by Jessica Young
- Planting a Rainbow by Lois Elhert
- Red Car, Red Bus by Susan Steggall: perfect in it's simplicity
- 100 Snowmen by Jen Arena
- Ain't Gonna Paint No More (Available in Board Book)
- Just how long can a long string be?! by Keith Baker (I used this book for a measurement-themed preschool story time)
- The Long Long Line by Tomoko Ohmura (I used this book for a measurement-themed preschool story time. afterward we arranged stuffed animals by size; then we arranged the kids by size)
- Hugo and the really really really long string by Bob Boyle (I used this book for a measurement-themed preschool story time)
- WOW! said the Owl by Tim Hopgood--a book of colors
-  Small Medium Large by Emily Jenkins--a book about relative sizes using cute mice. I think they are mice.
- The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle--telling time


Uncategorized (so far) favorites

- Jamberry (Available in Board Book)
- The Boy from the Dragon Palace by Margaret Read MacDonald-- a Japanese Folktale
- The Napping House (Available in Board Book)
- Kid Tea by Elizabeth Ficocelli--a fun book about bath time
- Silly Suzy Goose by Petr Horacek

- I Yam a Donkey by Cece Bell
- I Will Chomp You by Jory John--love this "interactive" book
- The Typewriter by Bill Thomson (no words, comic book style)

Things That Go
- My Sister's Rusty Bike by Jim Aylesworth: fun book with great illustrations--better for older kids, 3 and up
- How To Train a Train by Jason Carter Eaton: a book so ridiculous it's funny
- Red Car, Red Bus by Susan Steggall: perfect in it's simplicity
- Subway Story by Julia Sarcone-Roach: a sweet story about the life of a subway, and believe it or not, based on a true story. Obviously the subway is not anthropomorphic in the actual true story :)
- And the Train Goes... by William Bee
- Shark vs Train by Chris Barton: a favorite for my two older kids
- Off We Go! by Will Hillenbrand: a simple story about learning to ride a bike
- Dinosaur Train by John Steven Gurney: combining two things children love--dinosaurs and trains
- Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
- Rush Hour by Christine Loomis--lots of vehicles, lots of ways to travel
- Whose Vehicle is This? by Sharon Katz Cooper--not the most fantastic children's book but a good choice for a vehicle-themed story-time.

Weather/Seasons
- Little Cloud by Eric Carle
- Hi, Koo by Jon Muth
- Maple by Lori Nichols--about a girl named Maple and her tree
- It's Raining by Gail Gibbons 
- Leaves by David Ezra Stein
- Wonderfall by Michael Hall
- Little Tree by Loren Long (i love this book! one of my favorites!)

Spring
- North Country Spring by Reeve Lindbergh
- Waiting for Wings by Lois Elhert
- Forever Friends by Carin Berger--this is a simple sweet story but my favorite part are the illustrations. 

Garden/plants/trees
- Counting in the Garden by Emily Hruby
- Planting a Rainbow by Lois Elhert
- Weeds Find A Way by Cindy Jenson-Elliott
- Little Tree by Loren Long

Moms/Sisters/Brothers/Dads/etc
- Maple by Lori Nichols
- Maple and Willow Apart by Lori Nichols: the sequel of the above book, this is totally my girls!
- Mom's the Word by Timothy Knapman
- Mom School by Rebecca Van Slyke

Valentine's Day
- Superlove by Cherise Mericle Harper
- Woof: A Love Story by Sarah Weeks--all adore this book.  It is hilarious and clever and beautiful.  And I love the illustrations.

Music
- Scarlatti's Cat by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer--a fun story about how the Italian composer wrote his most famous piece "the Cat's Fugue" (and it's fairly short, too!)
- Farmer Joe and the Music Show by Tony Mitton--a fun book for introducing different instruments
- Woof: A Love Story by Sarah Weeks--We all adore this book.  It is hilarious and clever and beautiful.  And I love the illustrations.

Life Lessons and manners
- Little Tree by Loren Long
 - Thank you Octopus by Darren Farrell--this is a very silly book. your kids will love it!
- Who Woke the Baby by Jane Clarke--animals wake up grouchy until baby becomes happy watching the butterfly

Authors We Like 
- Keiko Kasza
-Jim Arnosky--animals, beautiful pictures, non-fiction type narrative
- Steve Jenkins--non fiction animal picture books

Food
- Apple Trees to Cider Please! by Felicia Chernesky

Bodies
- (3 separate books) Parts; More Parts; Even More Parts; by Tedd Arnold. Funny, silly, and somewhat gross book about body parts and a kid misunderstand expressions that have to do with body parts.
-The Busy Body Book--this book has good, kid-friendly illustrations of different body systems.