Banner Art by ANDREAS KUNERT & NAOMI ZETTL
What is the philosophy behind preschool literature? It is to introduce a child to the idea that books are filled with amazing stories – to grow a love of quality writing in the heart of your child; to nurture in them a desire to learn to read for themselves; and finally, to infuse them with cultural literacy. It is recommended (by the Ready for Kindergarten program) that every child gets read to for 20 minutes per day (not usually all at once - more likely in short snatches over the course of the day), and study after study shows that children who are read to frequently do better at...life. Seriously, it seems to have an impact in so many areas! In order to assist with that, the below books are culled from award winners and 'best of' lists. They include favorites everyone knows, fables from around the world, gems with teachable moments, and stories that are just plain entertaining. Although I specify that this list is full of preschool books, I think a person never gets too old to enjoy the art and imaginative story-telling in a good picture book, so please don't skip on by these to rush into 'older' books.
This is a fairly lengthy list of picture books, but there are a number of things it does not include. It doesn't have compilations (Mother Goose or Aesop's Fables), books that would likely be read over more than a single sitting (Brer Rabbit or Beatrix Potter's books), books that have more text than pictures (Winnie the Pooh), or non-story books (The I Spy books, most of Richard Scary's books, etc.). But don't worry, I haven't forgotten any of these books! They just happen to be other places (probably in the Kindergarten Literature section). These aren't hard and fast rules, but these were the standards I gave myself on whether a book made it to this list or not. For the stories like 'Cinderella' which has multiple versions to choose from, I tried to pick the version with the most positive reviews on Amazon.
These books are not listed in any particular order at this time.
...Tips for getting your child to sit and listen at story time...
You can use the following list simply as it is, but I've also integrated them into a preschool schedule (to be posted soon).
This is a fairly lengthy list of picture books, but there are a number of things it does not include. It doesn't have compilations (Mother Goose or Aesop's Fables), books that would likely be read over more than a single sitting (Brer Rabbit or Beatrix Potter's books), books that have more text than pictures (Winnie the Pooh), or non-story books (The I Spy books, most of Richard Scary's books, etc.). But don't worry, I haven't forgotten any of these books! They just happen to be other places (probably in the Kindergarten Literature section). These aren't hard and fast rules, but these were the standards I gave myself on whether a book made it to this list or not. For the stories like 'Cinderella' which has multiple versions to choose from, I tried to pick the version with the most positive reviews on Amazon.
These books are not listed in any particular order at this time.
...Tips for getting your child to sit and listen at story time...
You can use the following list simply as it is, but I've also integrated them into a preschool schedule (to be posted soon).
Board books:
Board Books have MOVED HERE (this page was getting too large)
Toddler Books:
Books for the busy toddler (18mo. - 36mo.) have MOVED HERE. These are the picture books with few words and quick, easy storylines.
Pre-school Books:
These picture books, for the 3-6 year olds, tend to have more words than the toddler books (paragraphs rather than single sentences). They can also have more complex plots - where you may have to infer something not explicitly stated or be expected to consider the message and emotions more deeply than a toddler is capable of doing.
Where the Wild Things Are by Sendak
This book was the one I found most frequently on 'best of' lists. |
The Day the Crayons Quit by Daywalt
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Cinderella by Craft
Any version of this tale would work. This is the fairy tale which has the most variety of versions out there, including many multi-cultural versions. |
Olivia by Falconer
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Miss Nelson is Missing! by Marshall
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Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type by Cronin
The short story-line and catchy repetition may be great for a toddler, but the concepts (such as an ultimatum, neutral party, etc.) pushed me to place this book in an older age bracket. |
The Little House by Burton
You can find this book as a board book, but it seems too long and slow-paced to fit in the baby or toddler sections, so I placed this here instead. |
But Who WIll Bell the Cats? by Buhler
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Shark Vs. Train by Barton
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A Chair for My Mother by WIlliams
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The Kissing Hand by Penn
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Humphrey's First Christmas by Heyer
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And to Think I saw it on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss
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Children Make Terrible Pets by Brown
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King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Wood
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The Berenstain Bears and the Truth by Berenstain
Any Berenstain Bears books would be good, but this is the most popular on Amazon. |
The Rough-Face Girl by Martin
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Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Burton
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Johnny Appleseed by Lindbergh
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I Want My Hat Back by Klassen
Maybe disturbing for sensitive kids - *spoilers* The thief does get punished (off page) by being eaten (it's kind of implied rather than stated, but is the story punchline) |
The Sweetest Fig by Allsburg
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Rapunzel by Zelinsky
Any version of this tale would work, but some are a bit disturbing for young children. |
Lost and Found by Jeffers
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Miss Rumphius by Cooney
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This is Not My Hat by Klassen
Maybe disturbing for sensitive kids - *spoilers* The thief does get punished (off page) by being eaten (it's kind of implied rather than stated, but is the story punchline). |
Corduroy by Freeman
This can be found as a board book, but I placed it here due to the number of words and the idea that what the bear thinks is not a reflection of truth (which a younger audience might not yet understand) |
The Story About Ping by Zelinsky
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Tawny Scrawny Lion by Jackson
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Ox-Cart Man by Hall
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Chloe by McCarty
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The Man in the Moon by Joyce
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Kitten's First Full Moon by Henkes
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The Magic Nesting Doll by Ogburn
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Tar Beach by Ringgold
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Animalia by Base
This is the only Alphabet Book on this list (although there are hundreds out there to choose from). This one isn't the best at teaching the alphabet, but the art is gorgeous and it has 'hidden pictures' on each page. |
The Giving Tree by Silverstein
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The Little Engine that Could by Piper
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The Owl and the Pussycat by Lear
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Angelina Ballerina by Holabird
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The Keeping Quilt by Polacco
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Iggy Peck, Architect by Beaty
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Somebody loves you, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
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Grandfather Twilight by Berger
This books might fit well with the Toddler books (it has few words on each page), but I felt the story wasn't intuitive enough for that young, so put it here. |
Art and Max by Wiesner
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Who Broke the Teapot? by Slavin
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Tops and Bottoms by Stevens
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Owen by Henkes
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Blackout by Rocco
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There's a Nightmare in my Closet by Mayer
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George and Martha by Marshall
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Unspoken by Cole
This is a wordless book, but the subject matter may take some explaining, so it might even be better to bump this up to the early Elem. ages. |
Down the Road by Schertle
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The Shy Little Kitten by Schurr
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The Nutcracker by Jeffers
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Wink: The Ninja who Wanted to be Noticed by Phillipps
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The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Noble
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The Runaway Bunny by Brown
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Interupting Chicken by Stein
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Moonshot by Floca
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Make Way for Ducklings by McCloskey
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Seven Blind MIce by Young
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Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Henkes
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Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Barnett
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The Princess and the Kiss by Bishop
There's also one aimed more at boys (The Squire and the Scroll), but they both have essentially the same message. |
Chato's Kitchen by Soto
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Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Aardema
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The Paper Bag Princess by Munsch
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The Story of Ferdinand by Leaf
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The Saggy Baggy Elephant by Jackson
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The Story of Fish & Snail by Freedman
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The Lorax by M
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Tikki Tikki Tembo by Mosel
Note that this isn't a traditional Chinese story and the children's names aren't actual Chinese words. But it's still fun! |
An Extraordinary Egg by Lionni
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Rosie Revere, Engineer by Beaty
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The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Santat
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Rose Red and Snow White by Sanderson
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A Christmas Carol by Dickens
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If I ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss
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Mr. Pine's Purple House by Kessler
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Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave by Mayer
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Diary of a Worm by Cronin
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Chrysanthemum by Henkes
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Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves by Venturini
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Gregory, the Terrible Eater by Sharmat
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Grandfather's Journey by Say
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The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss
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The Polar Express by Allsburg
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The Biggest Bear by Ward
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Swimmy by Lionni
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Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Waber
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Jack and the Beanstalk by Walker
Any version of this classic tale is good. |
Maccabee!: The Story of Hanukkah by Balsley
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The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Potter
This is a picture book version of one of Beatrix Potter's stories. |
A Million Fish...More or Less by McKissack
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Grandfather Tang's Story by Parker
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The Dot by Reynolds
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A New Coat for Anna by Ziefert
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The Empty Pot by Demi
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The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Wojciechowski
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The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
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This Moose Belongs to Me by Jeffers
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Dragons Love Tacos by Rubin
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Fireflies! by Brinckloe
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Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Kipling
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The Bunyans by Wood
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They all saw a cat by Wenzel
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Fancy Nancy by O'Connor
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The Relatives Came by Rylant
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The Curious Garden by Brown
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Boy and Bot by Dyckman
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Officer Buckle and Gloria by Rathmann
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The Jolly Postman by Ahlberg
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Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote by Tonatiuh
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The Monster at the End of this Book by Stone
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The Priest with Dirty Clothes by Sproul
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Extra Yarn by Barnett
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A Grain of Rice by Pittman
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The Adventures of Taxi Dog by Barracca
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Garden of Abdul Gasazi by Allsburg
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Doctor De Soto by Steig
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Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me by Beaty
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The Bee Tree by Polacco
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Stick and Stone by Ferry
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Blueberries for Sal by McCloskey
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The Wolf's Chicken Stew by Kasza
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Bad Kitty by Bruel
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Owl Moon by Yolen
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John Henry by Lester
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Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by Steptoe
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Marshmallow by Newberry
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The Spider and the Fly by Howitt
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The Oak Inside the Acorn by Lucado
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Casey at the Bat by Thayer
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The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! by Scieszka
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Black Dog by Pinfold
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LIttle Pea by Rosenthal
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A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Stead
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Strega Nona by dePaola
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Frederick by Lionni
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Thunder Boy Jr. by Alexie
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Pinkalicious by Kann
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Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by Steig
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Lon Po Po by Young
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The Selfish Giant by Wilde
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Mr. Wuffles! by Wiesner
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Anansi the Spider by McDermott
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The Black Rabbit by Leathers
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Hi! Fly Guy by Arnold
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The Story of Little Babaji by Bannerman
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Not a Box by Portis
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The Talking Egg by Souci
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I Will Never, Not Ever, Eat a Tomato by Child
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The Other Wise Man by Dyke
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Horton Hears a Who! by Dr. Seuss
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King Midas and the Golden Touch by Craft
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Hi, Koo! by Muth
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Wiener Wolf by Crosby
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The Dark by Snicket
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Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Barrette
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Paddington by Bond
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The Night Gardener by Fan
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Scruffy the Tugboat by Crampton
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The Gruffalo by Donaldson
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Little Elephants by Base
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Amazing Grace by Hoffman
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Bedtime for Frances by Hoban
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Skippyjon Jones by Schachner
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Jumanji by Allsburg
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The Gift of the Magi by O Henry
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Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Willems
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The Other Side by Woodson
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Creepy Carrots! by Reynolds
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The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Heyward
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The Little Island by Brown
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You are Special by Lucado
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