Recommended Books for Pre- and Early Readers

Animalia

by Graeme Base

An aliterated alphabet book with fantastic and detailed pictures, bearing such labels as "Lazy lions lounging in the local library."
paperback
hardcover

Blueberries for Sal

by Robert McCloskey

The adventures of a little girl and a baby bear while hunting for blueberries with their mothers one bright summer day.
paperback

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

by Eric Carle (Illustrator), Bill, Jr. Martin

The gentle rhyming and gorgeous, tissue-paper collage illustrations in this classic picture book make it a longtime favorite.
hardcover

Caps for Sale

by Esphyr Slobodkina

A band of mischievous monkeys steals every one of a peddler's caps while he takes a nap under a tree.
paperback

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

by John Archambault, Lois Ehlert (Illustrator), Bill, Jr. Martin

In a rhythmic alphabet chant, all the letters race one another up the coconut tree.
hardcover

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

by Judith Barrett, Judi Barrett, Ron Barrett (Illustrator)

Life is delicious in the town of Chewandswallow where it rains soup and juice, snows mashed potatoes, and blows storms of hamburgers--until the weather takes a turn for the worse.
paperback

Drummer Hoff

by Barbara Emberley, Barbara Emberly, Ed E. Emberley (Illustrator)

A cumulative folk song in which seven soldiers build a magnificent cannon, but Drummer Hoff fires it off.
paperback
hardcover

Goodnight Moon

by Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illustrator)

This bedtime classic follows a little bunny as he bids goodnight to each familiar object in his room.
board book
paperback
hardcover

Harold and the Purple Crayon

by Crockett Johnson

A small boy out for a walk--happily with crayon in hand--draws himself some wonderful adventures.
paperback
hardcover

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

by Laura Joffe Numeroff, Felicia Bond (Illustrator)

A boy discovers that you can never tell where it will stop once you have given a demanding mouse a cookie.
hardcover

Jamberry

by Bruce Degen (Illustrator)

A young boy and a bear romp joyously through the land of berries, encountering raspberry rabbits, a brassberry band, and elephants skating on strawberry jam.
boardbook
hardcover
I can read version

Jumanji

by George Spelvin, Chris Van Allsburg

Left on their own for an afternoon, two bored and restless children find more excitement than they bargained for in a mysterious and mystical jungle adventure board game. ALA Notable Book.
paperback

Love You Forever

by Robert Munsch

This extraordinarily different story is a gentle affirmation of the love a parent feels for their child--forever.
paperback
hardcover

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile

by Bernard Waber

A cranky neighbor puts Lyle the crocodile in the zoo but experiences a changeof heart when Lyle saves him from a fire.
paperback

Madeline

by Ludwig Bemelmans

She’s cute, petite, and very French, and kids love to follow her in her many misadventures.
paperback

Roxaboxen

by Alice McLerran, Barbara Cooney (Illustrator)

A hill covered with rocks and wooden boxes becomes an imaginary town for Marian, her sisters, and their friends.
paperback
hardcover

Runaway Bunny

by Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illustrator)

A young bunny decides to run away: "'If you run away,' said his mother, 'I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.'" So begins a delightful, imaginary game of chase.
paperback

The Adventures of Teddy Bark-Lee: Teddy Comes Home

by Mary Ann Glazer

The journey into the human world, from the perspective of a Maltese puppy
paperback

The Complete Adventures of Curious George

by Margret Rey (Contributor), H.A. Rey, Madeleine L'Engle

This edition contains all seven adventures of Curious George, the monkey with the talent for trouble.
hardcover

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses

by Paul Goble

Though she is fond of her people, a girl prefers to live among the wild horses where she is truly happy and free.
paperback
hardcover

The Giving Tree

by Shel Silverstein

Classic tale about a tree that is only happy when she makes her boy happy. A parable about love and giving of oneself.
hardcover

The Mitten : A Ukrainian Folktale

by Jan Brett

When Nicki drops one of his new white mittens in the snow, he doesn't even notice it's missing. One by one, the woodland animals discover the mitten and crawl inside, each one larger than the last.
hardcover

The Polar Express

by Chris Van Allsburg

A magical train ride on Christmas Eve takes a boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa.
hardcover

The Silver Pony : A Story in Pictures

by Lynd Ward

Recounts without words the adventures of a boy and his winged horse. Beautiful illustrations and plenty of room for imaginations to soar.
paperback
hardcover

Weird Parents

by Audrey Wood

Ideal for anyone who has ever been embarrassed by the silliness of his or her parents. This book reminds us that parents can be uncouth but are still loveable.
paperback
hardcover

Where the Wild Things Are

by Maurice Sendak

Here’s a book that’s fun to read to your kids! When Max dons his wolf suit, his imagination carries him to a land filled with lovable monsters.
paperback
hardcover