Kindergarten is such a magical time in your child’s school career. Children are bright-eyed and eager – many entering school for the first time, others making the transition from small preschools or daycares to “big kid school.” My 2nd grader still loves school just as much as my kindergartener, but there is something to be said for that first year of school. Children will undoubtedly be introduced to a wealth of new books, and I know my kids always love heading to the library to check out the same books they read in school. And don’t forget to check out our other books lists: 25 Modern Read Aloud Books For Families, 20 Classic Read Aloud Books for Families and 50 Must-Read Books for Preschoolers.
Here are 20 books perfect for Kindergartners
- The Napping House by Audrey Wood – Charming story that is perfect for teaching kindergarteners predictability, while still being enjoyable for a bedtime story.
- The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins – Another story that is predictable (when you’re in kindergarten, this is a good thing – when you are older and reading a mystery novel – not so much) and sneaks a little math lesson onto the colorful pages. Pairs well with math units on joining and separating.
- Rooster’s Off To See The World by Eric Carle – Aside from being a classic Eric Carle book with eye-catching illustrations, it’s also a great tool for working on numbers, addition and subtraction.
- All For Pie, Pie For All by Molly Bang – Perfect book for introducing fractions, working on math concepts like joining and separating and making you think you want to eat a delicious pie prepared by a charming grandmother.
- The Twelve Days of Springtime by Deborah Lee Rose – All the wonders of spring and some counting as a bonus. This colorful and funny book will definitely capture your kindergartner’s attention.
- Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin – Never before has a worm been so adorable, especially in his little red baseball cap. Readers get an view of a worm’s life like never before.
- The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss – A book that has been around for over 60 years but is still a fabulous story for young readers and a great lesson in patience, faith and perseverance.
- Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes – This book works very well for helping young children understand about bullies and how their words can hurt others. It’s poignant, yet simple enough for young students to grasp the concept.
- We’re Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen – A fun story that begs to be read in a sing song voice. An fast-paced story of a family on a very exciting bear hunt.
- What are Germs? by Dr. Alvin Silverstein, Laura Silverstein Nunn and Dr. Virginia Silverstein – While a non-fiction book about germs may not be on the top of your kindergartner’s book wish list, this book does an excellent job of explaining what germs are and how they can makes us sick (which will inevitably happen during the school year and beyond).
- Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt – Scaredy Squirrel is adorable and would prefer to stay in the safety of his own home than venture out into the world. This is one of those books where your children will want to analyze the pictures on each page.
- Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss – Let’s be honest – this book should be on every book list for children and more than likely your kindergartner will get to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday with a green egg and ham breakfast at school.
- How Rocket Learned to Read – Tad Hills – Rocket is an adorable dog who learns all about the alphabet, words and reading from his teacher, who just so happens to be a little yellow bird.
- The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper – I love this classic tale that serves as a gentle reminder, to believe in yourself, try your hardest and never give up. “I think can, I think I can…”
- Actual Size by Steve Jenkins – This eye-catching book definitely shows animals and different animal parts in actual size. Makes for a great introduction to comparisons and measurements.
- The Lorax by Dr. Seuss – Chances are your children have seen the movie, but the book is still just as fabulous. This book naturally ties in well to Earth Day and a discussion about our impact on the environment.
- Beatrice Doesn’t Want To by Laura Numeroff – Beatrice is a child that is not a big fan of books (gasp!) until the magic of the library changes her mind.
- 20 Hungry Piggies by Trudy Harris – Consider this an extended of the classic nursery rhyme “This Little Piggy,” with hilarious pictures and even an appearance by the Big Bad Wolf.
- Click, Clack, Splish, Splash: A Counting Adventure by Doreen Cronin – I love all the stories of Duck and Farmer Brown and this story with filled with number-based shenanigans is no exception!
- Franklins’ Bad Day by Paulette Bourgeois – I am a big fan of this little turtle and the story of Franklin’s Bad Day, which deals with the emotions he has as a result of his friend moving away. Perfect introduction to discuss friendship, feelings and emotions with your little ones.
What are some of your family’s favorite books for the Kindergarten school year?
The above links may contain affiliate links.
This brings back a lot of memories of reading some of these books with my kids. 🙂
Aww thank you! The time I spend reading with my kids will always remain high on the list of my favorite moments as a parent.