I have made a list of my most beloved children’s books, those I saved well past my retirement. The Age of Downsizing has come upon me. It is both depressing and liberating.
Why did I buy so much STUFF? I don’t know about the STUFF, but I know why I bought all those children’s books. I wrote about my love affair with children’s books in a previous post:
Falling in Love with Children’s Literature
My new young neighbors just had their second child, and it seems the perfect gift—a very big box of my most beloved books (used), including Tomie dePaola’s Nursery Rhymes. Previously, I wrote a post about the importance of nursery rhymes in
Here’s a list of my most favorite books to read with preschool and primary level children. I hope you’ll give one to a struggling reader, perfect for showing love on Valentine’s Day.
In my next post I will share books for intermediate grade levels.
Preschool:
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (by Bill Martin Jr/Eric Carle)
Down by the Bay (Raffi Songs to Read)
The Grouchy Ladybug (by Eric Carle)
The Little Engine That Could (by Watty Piper)
My First Mother Goose (by Tomie dePaola)
My Very First Book of Colors (by Eric Carle)
My Very First Book of Numbers by Eric Carle
Owen (by Kevin Henkes)
Singable Songs for the Very Young (by Raffi)
The Monster at the End of This Book (By Jon Stone)
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (by Bill Martin Jr/Eric Carle)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (by Eric Carle)
Tomie de Paola’s Book of Poems
Alphabet Books:
ABC Disney (by Robert Sabuda)
Alphabet City (by Chris Van Allsburg)
The Butterfly Alphabet (by Stephen T. Johnston)
The Z Was Zapped (by Kjell B. Sandved)
Primary Grades:
Anna Banana (101 Jump Rope Rhymes) (By Joanna Cole)
Look Once Look Twice (by Janet Marshall)
Leo the Late Bloomer (by Robert Kraus)
Look What I Did with a Leaf (by Morteza E. Sohi)
Now One Foot, Now the Other (by Tomie de Paola)
Miss Nelson is Missing (by Harry Allard & James Marshall)
Miss Nelson is Back (by Katy Hall & Lisa Eisenberg)
Miss Nelson Has a Field Day (by Katy Hall & Lisa Eisenberg)
Now One Foot, Now the Other (by Tomie de Paola)
Oh, the Places You’ll Go (by Dr. Seuss)
Round Trip( by Ann Jonas)
Strega Nona (by Tomie de Paola)
Halloween:
The Funniest Haunted House Book Ever (by Joseph Rosenbloom)
The Ghost-Eye Tree (by Bill Martin, Jr & John Archambault)
Rattle Bone Rock (by Sylvia Andrews)
Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp (by Carol Diggory Shields)
Scary Poems for Rotten Kids (by Sean O Huigin)
The Thirteen Days of Halloween (by Carol Greene)
Trick or Eeek! ((Riddles by Katy Hall & Lisa Eisenberg)
Thanksgiving:
Gobble. Gobble, Giggle (riddles by Katy Hall & Lisa Eisenberg)
It’s Thanksgiving (by Jack Prelutsky)
Tricky Turkey Tongue Twisters (by Quinlin B. Lee)
Christmas:
It’s Christmas (by Jack Prelutsky)
Jingle Jokes (by Katy Hall & Lisa Eisenberg)
The Legend of Old Befana (by Tomie de Paola)
The Night Before Christmas (illustrated by Ted Rand)
The Night Tree (by Eve Bunting)
Valentine’s Day:
Clifford’s Valentines (by Norman Bridwell)
Hearty Har Har (Riddles by Katy Hall & Lisa Eisenberg)
It’s Valentine’s Day (by Jack Prelutsky)
Olive You (Knock-knock jokes by Katy Hall & Lisa Eisenberg)
Easter/Spring:
The Dumb Bunnies (by Sue Denim)
Earth Song (by Sally Rogers)
Easter Yolks (Riddles by Katy Hall & Lisa Eisenberg)
Make Way for Dumb Bunnies (by Sue Denim)
The Night Before Easter ( by Natasha Wing)
Memorial Day:
This Land is Your Land (by Woody Guthrie, Illustrated by Kathy Jakobsen)
Joke & Riddle Books:
Best Riddle Book Ever (by Charles Keller)
Kids’ Funniest Jokes (edited by Sheila Anne Barry)
Kids’ Funniest Knock-Knocks (by Charles Keller)
Knockout Knock Knocks (by Caroline Anne Levine)
Their gift was quite heavy!
© Reading Spotlight 2026
Here are some interesting posts about education from my friends ar TBOTEMC:
