Books in English or Spanish for your kindergartner
Guess How Much I Love You
by: Sam McBratney, illustrated by: Anita Jeram - (Candlewick, 2008) 24 pages.
How do you say “I love you” at bedtime? As evening approaches and Big Nutbrown Hare gets ready to tuck Little Nutbrown Hare into his bed of leaves, each tells the other how much he loves him. As high as I can hop! As wide as I can reach! The two long-eared hares bound around the forest finding ways to describe their love in the river, mountains, and sky. The soothing story of their sweet bedtime ritual has been translated into 53 languages.
Perfect for: Celebrating your bedtime ritual.
Find at your local library.
Are You My Mother?
by: P.D. Eastman - (Random House Books for Young Readers, 1998) 72 pages.
A baby bird hatches while mother bird is away from the nest getting food. So the fearless little bird goes to look for her, in some very funny places. This newly translated classic story was originally published in 1960 and is a sweet bedtime read for mom and child.
Perfect for: Kids who love animals.
Find at your local library.
How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad?
by: Jane Yolen, illustrated by: Mark Teague - (The Blue Sky Press, 2013) 40 pages.
When kids get frustrated, they can feel like there is a prehistoric beast inside of them! That’s why this book, part of a series about young impulsive dinosaurs with human families and human surroundings, is so appealing. These dinosaurs start out behaving delightfully badly. Imagine a velociraptor throwing a tantrum in the living room! But as the rhyming story progresses, they learn how to stay calm and behave politely. Future paleontologists will love these books for the detailed illustrations of real dinosaurs, with their names included on each page.
Perfect for: Kids who love dinosaurs.
Find at your local library.
Dragons Love Tacos
by: Adam Rubin, illustrated by: Daniel Salmieri - (Dial Books, 2012) 40 pages.
Here is everything you need to know if you want to have a taco party and invite a bunch of dragons: Dragons love tacos. They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, big tacos, and small tacos. But dragons HATE salsa. Even a tiny speck of salsa is too spicy for them. It makes them snort sparks and breathe fire. So whatever you do, don’t put salsa on tacos for dragons! This funny book will make kids smile at the dragons’ antics, and parents of picky eaters will crack up if they’ve ever heard their child complain about a tiny bit of spice in their food.
Perfect for: Picky eaters.
Find at your local library.
If You Give…
by: Laura Numeroff, illustrated by: Felicia Bond - (HarperCollins, 2015) 40 pages.
The hook: If you give a mouse a cookie, you never know what might happen. That mouse might want a glass of milk, and then he may need a straw, and then who knows where the story will go. All the books in this sweet and silly series, which have won numerous awards, are written in a circular format. Kids love that the books end right where they began. The short, repetitive phrasing and energetic illustrations help young readers connect with the words.
Perfect for: Kids who can’t wait to know what will happen next.
Find our favorites at your local library: , , .
The Story of Ferdinand
by: Munro Leaf, illustrated by: Robert Lawson - (Viking Press, 1936) 32 pages.
“Once upon a time in Spain there was a little bull and his name was Ferdinand,” begins this classic children’s tale. Bucking the trend, Ferdinand chooses a peaceful life in this charming story about independence.
Perfect for: Kids who march to the beat of their own drummer.
Find at your local library.
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
by: Mo Willems - (Hyperion Books for Children, 2004) 40 pages.
Trixie and her inseparable Knuffle Bunny accompany Daddy to their neighborhood laundromat to do the family wash. This tale of woe begins when they return home and Mom asks, “Where’s Knuffle Bunny”?
Perfect for: Kids who like humor stories.
Find at your local library.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
by: Mo Willems - (Hyperion Press, 2003) 36 pages.
Mo Willems is such a huge name among picture-book authors that it’s hard to believe his first children’s book, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! was published only five years ago. Willems perfectly captures a small child’s method of trying to get his own way, as the pigeon implores, promises, whines, begs and, in the end, throws a tantrum that both you and your child will recognize. Help your emerging reader make progress over the summer break with highly amusing and fun books like this one.
Perfect for: Kids who like humor stories.
Find at your local library.
Waiting Is Not Easy!
by: Mo Willems - (Hyperion Books for Children, 2014) 64 pages.
Elephant and Piggie are best friends. When Piggie tells Gerald the elephant that he has a surprise for him, Gerald is happy until he finds out that he needs to wait for the surprise to arrive. Gerald feels impatient and grumpy. It’s a tale that all little ones can identify with: waiting takes forever! Happily, the friends agree that the surprise was well worth the wait.
Perfect for: Helping young readers (and their parents) understand the ups and downs of learning how to wait.
Read it in Spanish: Read our write-up for ¡Esperar no es Fácil! in Spanish and see how to find it at your or on .
Find at your local library or on Amazon.
Green Eggs and Ham
by: Dr. Seuss - (Beginner Books/Random House, 1960) 65 pages.
Do you like green eggs and ham? This story has two main characters: the top hat-wearing narrator, who refuses to taste this weird dish, and Sam, who won’t stop urging him to try them. Beginning readers love this classic book for its simple words, silly rhymes, and funny illustrations. In the end, after a wonderful adventure, the narrator discovers he does, indeed, like green eggs and ham!
Perfect for: Picky eaters and rhyme lovers.
Find at your local library.
The Rainbow Fish
by: Marcus Pfister, illustrated by: Marcus Pfister - (North-South Books, 1999) 32 pages.
The rainbow fish is the most beautiful fish in the sea, but he is so proud of his glittering blue, green, and purple scales that the other fish don’t want to be friends with him. At the urging of an octopus, he learns to share his scales with the other fish. Kids will love the beautiful watercolor illustrations, highlighted with Rainbow Fish’s shiny foil scales.
Perfect for: Teaching kids to share.
Find at your local library.