These books can be enjoyed by children of all ages. We give suggestions for a particular age to help you get started. It was hard to choose which ones to include! Look for other books by these authors as well.
Bickart, T. S., & Dodge, D. T. (2000, 2nd printing 2001). Reading right from the start: What parents can do in the first five years. Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies, Inc. Books are listed on pp. 59-62.
Especially for Your Baby
Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker
Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang
Play Rhymes by Marc Brown
Tomie DePaola's Mother Goose by Tomie DePaola
Eye Winker, Tom Tinker, Chin Chopper: 50 Musical Finger Plays by Tom Glazer
Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young by Jack Prelutsky
Have You Seen My Duckling? by Nancy Tafuri
My Very First Mother Goose illustrated by Rosemary Wells
Especially for Older Babies and Toddlers
Moon Bear by Frank Asch
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Will I Have a Friend? By Miriam Cohen
Where's Spot? By Eric Hill
Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins
Mama, Do You Love Me? By Barbara Joosse
Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
Over in the Meadow by John Langstaff
Clap Hands by Helen Oxenbury
Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young
"More, More, More" Said the Baby by Vera Williams
Especially for Older Toddlers
The Little Red Hen by Bryon Barton
Barnyard Dance! by Sandra Boynton
Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell
Wait Till the Moon is Full by Margaret Wise Brown
Stellaluna by Jannell Cannon
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Freight Train by Donald Crews
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
Peter's Chair by Ezra Jack Keats
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
Pierre: A Cautionary Tale by Maurice Sendak
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss' ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! by Dr. Seuss
Voyage to The Bunny Planet by Rosemary Wells
Especially for Your Preschooler
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale retold by Verna Aardema
Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett
Stone Soup retold by Marcia Brown
Abuela's Weave by Omar Castaneda
Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman
The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie R. Flournoy
The Three Bears by Paul Galdone
Bread is for Eating by David and Phyllis Gershator
Miss Tizzy by Libba Moore Gray
She Come Bringing Me that Little Baby Girl by Eloise Greenfield
Is It Red? Is It Yellow? Is It Blue? An Adventure in Color by Tana Hoban
Two of Everything: A Chinese Folktale retold by Lily Toy Hong
Aunt Flossie's Hats by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McClosky
Flossie and the Fox by Patricia McKissack
Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf as told to John Scieszka
Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months by Maurice Sendak
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber
Yoko by Rosemary Wells
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young