As parents we are always looking forward to these glorious summer months….well, maybe not as excited as previous summers (thanks, COVID). But summer is here and it’s the perfect time to continue to foster and grow your child’s love for reading. Sometimes reading is dreaded and not something all kids enjoy. Knowing just how impactful reading is and how important it is even during the summer months, I’ve placed together a list of some of the top reads for our preschool kids. These books will captivate, engage, and keep your child wanting to read over and over again…even during all the summer fun!
Here are 25 amazing books that your preschooler will ask for again and again:
1. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss: This book is such a classic. It holds their attention, makes them giggle, and you can even pair it with a fun activity to do in the kitchen.
2. Chicka Chicka BOOM BOOM by Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault: This fun rhyming book is perfect for your preschooler who is working on mastering their ABCs.
3. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae: This amazing book is all about not putting limitations on yourself. This book is all about telling yourself that you can do it no matter what!
4. Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr.: Such a good book that helps with color and animal recognition.
5. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle: A classic that allows for your preschooler to interact, count, and to memorize and reach back to you (time and time again).
6. Lift The Flap, My Busy Day by Holly Bathie (Usborne Publishing): The perfect book for your preschooler who doesn’t handle transitions well. The perfect book for a preschooler starting preschool, or one who likes to visually see how a day will go. Little flaps that allow them to learn and read independently.
7. You Choose by Pippa Goodhart: A crowd favorite. This book allows for preschoolers to use their imagination, to dream, and to tell their own story. This book is truly one of a kind and is captivating.
8. Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney: You can never go wrong with any Llama Llama book. They all have the cutest stories to keep your child captivated and always a nice little “lesson” to go with!
9. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen: A fun rhyming book that has the cutest under the see illustrations. A book that they will want to giggle to time and time again!
10. Fingertrail ABC by Felicity Brooks (Usborne Publishing): Is your child a hands-on learner? Do they need to see it, do it, and hear it for it to sink in? Then they will love this unique hands-on learning book. This book allows them to learn their ABCs in a new way.
11. Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann: A classic book that your preschooler can read to you. They can also imagine and make up the words as they go based on the illustrations. Have them act like a Gorilla or pretend they’re the zookeeper.
12. Lifesize Dinosaurs by Sophy Henn: Who doesn’t want to compare their teeth to those teeth of a dinosaur. This book is one of a kind! Your child is able to compare their features to the different dinosaurs within the book. Such a fun read and one they won’t want to go a day without reading.
13. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak: A beautiful story that has rhythmic text and beautifully expressive illustrations on every page. This book truly comes to life and will captivate your preschooler.
14. The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin: This book has such a beautiful and loving message. This book encourages kids to be kind and to always be themselves, no matter what. A beautiful book with a beautiful storyline.
15. How to Make a Monster Smile by Tomi Schwandt (our very own local Author): This is a MUST read. Every home needs a copy of How to Make a Monster Smile. Not only will this book bring your child out of their funk but will turn any frown upside down.
16. Boy by Phil Cummings and Shane Devries: Truly a book that is perfect for any and all ages. This book is all about more communication and less fighting. The lead character in the book lives in silence. Even though he cannot hear the fights going on between the king and the dragon, he shows them in a profound way how to communicate.
17. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen: A classic book that will take the whole family on an adventure.
18. 1001 Things to spot on a Farm by G. Doherty: Any search and find lover will love this book. This book is perfect for car rides, appointments, and to have on hand so you can cook dinner in peace!
19. All Better by Henning Lohlein: This book is so unique and perfect for every preschooler. This book has reusable (laminated band-aids) stickers that match to the certain animals throughout the book. Not only can the work on animal matching but also color matching.
20. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett: A great book to read first and watch the movie second. Love how kids can use their imagination and giggle along the way.
21. I am Enough by Grace Byers: Every home needs this beautiful book. This book is all about loving who you are, being kind to others, and always showing respect.
22. Pete The Cat and the Missing Cupcake by James Dean: All of the Pete The Cat books are hilarious and captivating. The perfect books for those preschoolers that don’t like to sit still.
23. Good night, Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle: Do you have a truck or car lover? This fun picture book that has easy rhyming vocabulary will be perfect for them.
24. Unicorns in Uniforms by Russell Punter: This book is part of the Usborne Phonics reader family. A great book for the early stages of pre-reading and early reading that helps in developing phonemic awareness. Each phonics style book in this set has a parent guide at the end along with a QR code to listen to the book online.
25. Happy Pig Day by Mo Willems: The perfect first chapter book. Have a reader that wants to start reading chapter books? Start here! These books are perfect with short words and a silly storyline.
The above books are just a few of the amazing books that a preschooler will love to read this summer. Some amazing resources and places to find these amazing books are:
www.amazon.com
www.thriftbook.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
www.epic.com
www.vipbookworms.com
