Below you'll find some of our teachers' current favorite books for preschoolers. If a website exists for the author, you will be linked to it by clicking on the cover art of each book.

"My name is DEBBIE, and I teach a class of seven 2-1/2 to 3 year olds in the morning and a class of ten 3 to 4 year olds in the afternoon in the Red Room. One of my favorite books to share with my classes (or any child) is Papa Please Get the Moon for Me." (Carle, Eric. Papa Please Get the Moon for Me. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1986.)

In this simple story, Monica asks her Papa to bring her the moon, so that she might play with it. Papa gets "a very long ladder," (the page folds out in two directions to show the VERY long ladder), climbs a mountain and puts the LONG ladder on the top. Papa then climbs up the ladder and reaches the moon. He then talks to the moon and explains that his daughter wants to play with the moon. The moon tells Papa to wait until it becomes smaller. Papa then easily retrieves it and brings it to Monica! She dances and plays with the moon with great delight. The moon continues to shrink though and soon disappears. A few nights later Monica sees it once again in the sky, where it begins to grow again.

"My name is PAM, and each fall I read Leaf Man to my 4 and 5 year old preschoolers in the Purple Room. It is one of my favorites because in addition to exploring many aspects of Autumn, the children can also see how different creations can be made using various materials such as leaves." (Ehlert, Lois. Leaf Man. Orlando, FL:  Harcourt, Inc., 2005.)

Fall has come in this playful and whimsical book. The wind is gusting, and Leaf Man is on the move. Is he drifting east, over the marsh and ducks and geese? Or is he heading west, above the orchards, prairie meadows, and spotted cows? No one is quite sure, but this much is certain: A Leaf Man's got to go where the wind blows. Illlustrations made from fall leaves and die cut pages reveal beautiful landscapes that celebrate nature and the imaginations of children.

"My name is KATHY. Ask any member of the Orange Room class and it is likely they will answer that their favorite book is currently Rhyming Dust Bunnies. My 4 and 5 year old students and I love these dust bunnies who rhyme!" (Thomas, Jan. Rhyming Dust Bunnies.  New York, NY:  Simon & Schuster, 2009.)

In this charming story, the dust bunnies rhyme all the time, all except Bob. The other three, Ed, Ned, and Ted, say that far, jar, and tar rhyme with car, but Bob says, “Look!” When they try to teach him that rug, hug, and mug rhyme with bug, Bob adds “Look out!” Suspense and meaning build when a broom and a vacuum cleaner give clarity to Bob’s word choices. The final question is for Bob: what rhymes with “How do we get out?”

"My name is CAROL, and the 4 and 5 year old friends from the Green Room and I recommend Fall Is Not Easy. This book makes us laugh every time we read it together!" (Kelley, Marty. Fall Is Not Easy. Madison, WI: Zino Press, 1998.)

In this perfect book for autumn time, a tree expresses its frustration with fall, noting that other seasons are easy. The tree tries out a variety of designs and color patterns trying to get its leaves where it thinks they should go. To the delight of young readers and those that are not so young, new details are discovered with each reading. The story also offers opportunities to explore seasons, differences, feelings, rhyming words, and personal creativity.

"My name is SUE, and I enjoy reading Sitting In My Box to my 3 and 4 year old students in the Blue Room." (Lillegard, Dee. Sitting In My Box. New York, NY: Dutton, 1989.)

Dee Lillegard captures the excitement of when preschoolers' imaginations run wild. In this fun story, a little boy is sitting in his box, reading a book about jungle animals. The animals suddenly begin to present themselves, asking him to make room, until he's sharing the box with a giraffe, elephant, baboon, lion and hippo. The box gets a little crammed, but a pesky flea helps to change all that!

"My name is LANA. I teach 4 and 5 year olds in the Yellow Room at ORNS, and one of my favorite books to share with them is Mouse Paint." (Walsh, Ellen Stoll. Mouse Paint. San Diego, CA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1995.)

This is a story about cute and curious mice, who explore with paint to discover new colors by mixing primary colors to make secondary colors. In addition to teaching children about how colors mix to make other colors, the book also encourages color recognition and basic science principles.

"My name is SYLVIA, and I teach 3 and 4 year olds in the Orange Room. Big Smelly Bear is one of my all time favorite books because it explores friendship and it teaches the importance of good hygiene. The illustrations are absolutely adorable and the story is humorous!" (Techentrup, Britta. Big Smelly Bear. New York, NY:  Boxer Books Ltd., 2007.)

This book is about a bear who doesn't like to take baths and doesn't mind being smelly.  One day he gets an itch that really bothers him and no matter what he tries he can't get rid of it.  A Big Fluffy Bear walks by and tells Big Smelly Bear she will scratch his back but first he has to take a bath.  After some disagreement, reluctantly, Big Smelly Bear takes the hint and goes to the river to take a bath. Becoming quite fond of Big Fluffy Bear, Big Smelly Bear sneaks down to the river occasionally to freshen up.

"My name is KATI, and I enjoy teaching 2 and 3 year olds at ORNS in the Red Room. I recommend Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? because it is something the kids really get to know and can tell the story on their own after time." (Martin, Bill.  Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. New York, NY:  Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1967.)

Appealing animals in bold colors are seen and named in a rhyming question-and-response text. This book, which is just perfect for preschoolers, delights as it invites young readers and listeners to participate actively.

 

 "My name is ANNELIESE, and I teach 3, 4 and 5 year olds in the Yellow Room. I enjoy sharing The Kissing Hand with young children because most can relate to the little raccoon in this book. Children often experience mixed emotions and feel both excitement and fear when anticipating the start of a school year or the start of a school day. The book provides children with a tangible reminder of the love a mother has for her child." (Penn, Audrey. The Kissing Hand. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., 1993.)

Chester, the little raccoon, talks about his fear of going to school and his mom helps him feel loved and secure by kissing the center of his hand. She reminds Chester that her love is always right there and if he should feel frightened, scared or lonely, he should simply hold the hand to his face and he will feel her love.