Preschool Activities: My Favorite Picture Books to Read Aloud

by Tiffany Rudd

My awesome husband reading to the kids before bed. 

Anniston was just a few weeks old at the time. 

I LOVE books. One of my greatest joys as a mother is reading to my children. I love that my one year old gathers board books, crawls onto my lap and knows how to turn the pages. I love that we have to restrict the number of books the older kids choose for us to read aloud each night, and that we usually find books hiding under their covers in the morning. I hope their love for reading only grows stronger as they get older. 

I was excited to read my sisters post last week listing her favorite chapter books to read aloud. My son is just now to the age where he will sit through and enjoy a small chapter book, so I’ll definitely be putting her list to good use in coming years. But, as a preschool teacher, I still really enjoy a fun picture book. The kids usually beg for 5 or 6 every night. So, here is my list of favorite picture books to read aloud. They are ones my children choose over and over and ones I use in my preschool curriculum every year. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Educational:

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin

Chicka, Chick 1-2-3 by Bill Martin

Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood

The Mixed Up Alphabet by Steve Matzger

Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin

Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack by Doreen Cronin & Betsy Lewin

Sheep in and Jeep by Nancy Shaw

“There are Rocks in my Socks!” Said the Ox to the Fox by Patricia Thomas

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

Character Education:

The Sneetches by Dr Seuss

When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really, Angry... by Molly Bang

A Big Fat Enormous Lie by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

Just the Way You Are by Marcus Pfister

Smile a Lot! by Nancy Carlson

When I’m Feeling Happy by Trace Maroney

Words Are Not for Hurting by Elizabeth Verdick

Back To School:

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

A Pocket Full of Kisses by Audrey Penn

Just For Fun:

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Good Night Goon A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex

Because a Littte Bug went Ka-Choo! by Rosetta Stone

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina (My kids LOVE to gather hats turn this story into a play!)

Underwear! by Mary Elise Monsell

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner

Stone Soup by William Furstenberg 

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson