Recommended Books About Reading Aloud and Child Development

Anna Grossnickle Hines * Recommended Books Home Guide

Books about literacy, child development, and favorite read-alouds:
You should be able to find most of these books in your library, or inter-library loan system, even though some are out-of-print. The ones currently in print can be ordered through your local or favorite on-line bookstore.

About literacy and child development:

The Read Aloud Handbook (4^th edition), Jim Trelease, 1995

Your Child's Growing Mind: A Guide to Learning and Brain Development from Birth to Adolescence, Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., 1987: It was reading this book that motivated me to start doing what I could to spread the word about the difference reading to young children can make in their lives--in all our lives.

From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books, Kathleen T. Horning, 1997

Favorite Read Alouds:

Some of these are classics that I read to my children years ago, or even remember reading myself as a child. Others I've discovered more recently--some very recently as I--ve shared them with my young grandson.

I find it difficult to restrict a book to a specific age group. My own children enjoyed hearing me read books that would be classified as too old for them, and still enjoyed reading books that might be thought too young for them as well. I've tried to put the books on the following lists into the most appropriate category, but indicated with *** when I felt a title is good for other age groups as well.

** Also for older kids
* Also for younger
*** For older and younger

& FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS

Sandra Boynton	BARNYARD DANCE **
	MOO, BAA, LA LA LA **
	THE GOING TO BED BOOK**
	BUT NOT THE HIPPOPOTAMUS **
Margaret Wise Brown/ Clement Hurd	GOODNIGHT MOON **
	THE RUNAWAY BUNNY **
Eric Carle	THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR**
	DO YOU WANT TO BE MY FRIEND?**
Lois Elhert	COLOR ZOO **
	COLOR FARM **
	EATING THE ALPHABET:FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FROM A TO Z **
Bill Martin, Jr. & Lois Ehlert	CHICKA CHICKA ABC
Bill Martin, Jr. & Eric Carle	BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE? **
	POLAR BEAR, POLAR BEAR, HAT DO YOU HEAR? **
Helen Oxenbury	4 BABY BOARD BOOKS (Tickle Tickle, Say Goodnight, Clap Hands, All Fall Down)
	MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO **
	THE SHOPPING TRIP **
Martin Wadell	OWL BABIES (Patrick Benson) **
Rosemary Wells	MAX'S FIRST WORD
	MAX'S BREAKFAST
	MAX'S NEW SUIT
Sue Williams/ Julie Vivas	I WENT WALKING **
Arnold Lobel	THE ARNOLD LOBEL BOOK OF MOTHER GOOSE **
Marc Brown	PLAY RHYMES **
Kay Choroa	THE BABY'S LAP BOOK **
Trish cooke & Helen Oxenbury	SO MUCH**
& FOR PRE-SCHOOL-KINDERGARTEN
Frank Asch	HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOON *
Ludwig Bemelman	MADELINE ***
	MADELINE’S RESCUE ***
	MADELINE AND THE BAD HAT ***
Trish Cooke & Helen Oxenbury	SO MUCH *
Donald Crews	FREIGHT TRAIN *
	TRUCK *
	BIG MAMA’S
P.D. Eastman	ARE YOU MY MOTHER? ***
	GO DOG GO! ***
Ed and Barbara Emberly	DRUMMER HOFF FIRED IT OFF ***
Marjorie Flack	ANGUS AND THE DUCKS ***
	ANGUS AND THE CAT ***
	ANGUS LOST ***
Wanda Gag	MILLIONS OF CATS ***
Paul Galdone	THE THREE LITTLE PIGS ***
	HENNY PENNY ***
	THE LITTLE RED HEN ***
	THE THREE BEARS ***
Mirra Ginsburg & Jose Aruego	WHERE DOES THE SUN GO AT NIGHT *
Mirra Ginsburg & Byron Burton	GOOD MORNING, CHICK
Kevin Henkes	JULIUS THE BABY OF THE WORLD **
	CHRYSANTHEMUM **
	LILY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE **
Pat Hutchins	ROSIE'S WALK ***
Ezra Jack Keats	THE SNOWY DAY ***
	PETER'S CHAIR ? ***
	WHISTLE FOR WILLIE ***
Robert Kraus & Jose Aruego	WHOSE MOUSE ARE YOU? ***
Bill Martin, Jr. & Lois Ehlert	CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM ***
Bill Martin, Jr. & Eric Carle	POLAR BEAR POLAR BEAR, WHAT DO YOU HEAR? ***
	BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE? ***
Carole Lexa Schaefer & Pierr Morgan	THE SQUIGGLE
Paul and Henrietta Strickland	DINOSAUR ROAR
Elfrida Vipont & Raymond Briggs	THE ELEPHANT AND THE BAD BABY ***
Bernard Waber	IRA SLEEPS OVER
Rosemary Wells	BUNNY CAKES **
Rosemary Wells & Susan Jeffers	MCDUFF MOVES IN ***
Martha Weston	TUCK IN THE POOL **
	BAD BABY BROTHER **
Vera Williams	"MORE, MORE, MORE," SAID THE BABY ***
Jane Yolen &Jane Dyer	THE THREE BEARS RHYME BOOK **
Beatrice Schenk de Regniers	SING A SONG OF POPCORN: Every Child's Book of Poems ***
Jack Prelutsky &Arnold Lobel	THE RANDOM HOUSE BOOK OF POETRY FOR CHILDREN ***
& FOR GRADES 1 TO 3 (PRIMARY)
Harry Allard & James Marshall	MISS NELSON IS MISSING
Stan and Jan Berenstain	BIG HONEY HUNT *
	INSIDE OUTSIDE UPSIDE DOWN *
Tom Birdseye & Andrew Glass	SOAP! SOAP! DON’T FORGET THE SOAP! An Appalachian Folktale
Marcia Brown	ONCE A MOUSE *
	STONE SOUP
Eve Bunting & Donald Carrick	GHOST'S HOUR, SPOOK'S HOUR *
Eve Bunting & Ted Rand	NIGHT TREE ***
Eve Bunting	FLY AWAY HOME ***
Miriam Cohen & Lillian Hoban	WILL I HAVE A FRIEND? *
	BEST FRIENDS *
	NO GOOD IN ART
Barbara Cooney	MISS RUMPHIUS ***
	OX CART MAN ***
	ELEANOR ***
	EMILY ***
Tomie dePaola	STREGA NONA *
	THE LEGEND OF OLD BEFANA *
Don Freeman	CORDUROY *
	DANDELION *
Russell Hoban & Garth Williams	BREAD AND JAM FOR FRANCES *
Russell & Lillian Hoban	BEDTIME FOR FRANCIS *
Trina Schart Hyman & Brothers Grimm	LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD *
Steven Kellogg	PINKERTON, BEHAVE *
	CAN I KEEP HIM? *
Rudyard Kipling	JUST SO STORIES ***
Munro Leaf	THE STORY OF FERDINAND *
Leo Lionni	SWIMMY *
	FREDERICK *
Arnold Lobel	FROG AND TOAD ARE FRIENDS *
	FROG AND TOAD TOGETHER *
	OWL AT HOME
James Marshall	GEORGE AND MARTHA *
	GEORGE AND MARTHA ONE FINE DAY
Robert McCloskey	BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL *
	MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS *
A.A. Milne	WINNIE-THE-POOH ***
	HOUSE AT POOH CORNER ***
	WHEN WE WERE VERY YOUNG ***
	NOW WE ARE SIX ***
	POOH'S LIBRARY (all 4 books)
Else Holmelund Minarik & Maurice Sendak	LITTLE BEAR *
	LITTLE BEAR'S VISIT *
Arlene Mosel	TIKKI TIKKI TEMBO *
Trina Hakes Noble & Stephen Kellogg	THE DAY JIMMY'S BOA ATE THE WASH ***
Peggy Parish	AMELIA BEDELIA *
	TEACH US, AMELIA BEDELIA *
	GOOD WORK, AMELIA BEDELIA *
	AMELIA BEDELIA AND THE BABY *
	PLAY BALL, AMELIA BEDELIA *
Patricia Polacco	MRS. KATZ AND TUSH
	PINK AND SAY **
	THE KEEPING QUILT **
Beatrix Potter	PETER RABBIT *
Maurice Sendak	WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE ? ***
	PIERRE *
	CHICKEN SOUP WITH RICE *
	ONE WAS JOHNNY *
	ALLIGATOR'S ALL AROUND *
	THE NUTSHELL LIBRARY (4 books above)
	THE SIGN ON ROSIE'S DOOR *
Dr. Seuss	GREEN EGGS AND HAM *
	HORTON HATCHES THE EGG *
	AND TO THINK THAT I SAW IT ON MULBERRY STREET *
Esphyr Slobodkin	CAPS FOR SALE *
Kay Thompson	ELOISE *
Chris Van Allsburg	POLAR EXPRESS *
Judith Viorst	ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE HORRIBLE NO GOOD VERY BAD DAY *
Vera B. Williams	A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER *
	SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR ME *
Jane Yolen & John Schoenherr	OWL MOON *
Jane Yolen	SLEEPING UGLY ***
Charlotte Zolotow	MR. RABBIT AND THE LOVELY PRESENT **
	WILLIAM'S DOLL
	A FATHER LIKE THAT *
Martha Weston	CATS ARE LIKE THAT
	DR. CLOCK AND THE DINOSAURS
	JACK AND JILL AND BIG DOG BILL
Lee Bennett Hopkins & Hilary Knight	SIDE BY SIDE: POEMS TO READ TOGETHER ***
X.J. and Jane Kennedy & Jane Dyer	TALKING LIKE THE RAIN ***
Helen Ferris	FAVORITE POEMS OLD AND NEW (over 700 poems) ***
& GRADES 3 TO 6 (INTERMEDIATE)
Joan Aiken	THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE and sequels
Natalie Babbitt	TUCK EVERLASTING
Tom Birdseye	I'M GOING TO BE FAMOUS
Judy Blume	ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET
	TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE NOTHING
	FUDGE-A-MANIA
Clyde Bulla	THE CHALK BOX KID *
	THE SHOE SHINE GIRL*
	OPEN THE DOOR AND SEE ALL THE PEOPLE
Betsy Byars	THE PINBALLS
	MIDNIGHT FOX
	SUMMER OF THE SWANS
Beverly Cleary	HENRY HUGGINS
	RAMONA THE PEST *
	RAMONA QUIMBY, AGE 8 *
	RAMONA AND HER FATHER *
Bruce Coville	MY TEACHER IS AN ALIEN
	MY TEACHER FRIED MY BRAINS
	MY TEACHER GLOWS IN THE DARK
	MY TEACHER FLUNKED THE PLANET
	THE MONSTER’S RING
	JEREMY THATCHER DRAGON HATCHER
Paula Danzigger	AMBER BROWN IS NOT A CRAYON*
	THE CAT ATE MY GYMSUIT
Meindert DeJong	THE WHEEL ON THE SCHOOL
Eleanor Estes	THE HUNDRED DRESSES *
Louise Fitzhugh	HARRIET THE SPY
Sid Fleischman	MCBROOM THE RAINMAKER * and other McBroom books
Jean Fritz	AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED, PAUL REVERE? *
	SHH! WE’RE WRITING THE CONSTITUTION *
Doris Gates	BLUE WILLOW *
Jean Craighead George	JULIE OF THE WOLVES **
Kenneth Grahame	THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS **
Marguerite Henry	BRIGHTY OF THE GRAND CANYON *
C.S. Lewis	THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE and sequels
Lois Lowry	NUMBER THE STARS
	ANASTASIA KRUPNIK
Patricia McKissack	FLOSSIE AND THE FOX*
David Macaulay	THE WAY THINGS WORK*
Patricia MacLachlan	SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL ***
	ARTHUR FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME
	BABY
	JOURNEY
Scott O’Dell	ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS **
Elizabeth Partridge	CLARA AND THE HOODOO MAN
Cynthia Rylant	MISSING MAY **
Lane Smith & Jon Scieszka	THE STINKY CHEESE MAN & OTHER FAIRLY STUPID TALES ***
Shel Silverstein	WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS ***
	THE LIGHT IN THE ATTIC ***
William Steig	THE MAGIC PEBBLE *
Mildred Taylor	MISSISSIPPI BRIDGE **
E.B. White	CHARLOTTE'S WEB *
Laura Ingalls Wilder	LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS *
	LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE *
	ON THE BANKS OF PLUM CREEK *
	FARMER BOY *
& FOR GRADES 6 TO 8 (OLDER READERS)
Lloyd Alexander	THE CAT WHO WISHED TO BE A MAN
	THE BLACK CALDRON
	THE BOOK OF THREE
William Armstrong	SOUNDER *
Avi	NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
	THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE
Bruce Brooks	WHAT HEARTS?
	MIDNIGHT HOUR ENCORES
	THE MOVES MAKE THE MAN
Susan Cooper	THE DARK IS RISING
	THE GREY KING
Paul Fleischman	THE BORNING ROOM
Sid Fleischman	WHIPPING BOY
Virginia Hamilton	M.C. HIGGINS, THE GREAT
Sally M. Keehn	I AM REGINA
Madeleine L’Engle	A WRINKLE IN TIME
	A RING OF ENDLESS LIGHT
Ursula K. LeGuin	VERY FAR AWAY FROM ANY WHERE ELSE
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor	SHILOH *
	ICE
Katherine Patterson	BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA *
	THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS *
Zylpha Keatly Snyder	UNDER THE ROOT
	AND ALL BETWEEN
	AFTER THE CELEBRATION
Mildred Taylor	ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY *
	LET THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN
Cynthia Voigt	DICEY'S SONG
	HOMECOMING *
Jane Yolen	THE GIFT OF SARAH BARKER
	THE DRAGON'S BOY
	THE DEVIL'S ARITHMETIC
	DRAGON'S BLOOD

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