101 of the Best Books to Read to your Kids Before Kindergarten
My biggest bub just started kindergarten (and our baby is 6 months old), so I have been thinking a lot about what has worked for us these past 5 and a half years. We are trying to raise kids with minimal stuff, but I cannot resist books. They are a huge tool in my parenting, and I love to see my kids learn. Books have been a huge door for opening up conversations while my kids are little.
I try to be really mindful about the books in our house. I am trying to make a collection that:
-Includes a variety of voices, normalizes difference
-Doesn't center one race, gender, or body type
-Encourages kindness and growth (not the books that say Haha look how bad they are being)
- Starts good conversations
-Encourages creativity, learning, and outside play
-Is just fun to read!
I don't think any one book has to perfectly fit all criteria, but I am always keeping an eye out for balance. Your kid is supposed to read 5 books a day with you until kindergarten, so that gives a lot of opportunities, and I just want to raise three white boys to understand there are a lot of perspectives and voices out there worthy and interesting and nothing like theirs. Also, I don't want to only read Richard Scarry books, which are solidly terrible.
I am not a librarian- just a mom and an art teacher, and the number of great books in the world is basically infinite, so tell me what I am egregiously missing.
If you are looking for a great resource for finding books, I really love the concious kid. So many great ideas and books I never would have heard of otherwise.
All of the links here are Amazon, so you can see the books I am talking about. Please consider buying from a local or small bookseller instead of them. I know in some areas, libraries have reopened for borrowing too. You have something more local- you just have to look! If you buy on Amazon, you can get them all secondhand- it's much better for the environment and might even save you money. Just look at the buying options, and you can choose a better option.
Our Top Ten
These are the books I love the most. It was really hard to choose (I really love all the books on this list), but these are ones my kids are usually excited to read with me, and they bring me joy to read with them.
2. A Family is a Family is a Family
3. Tar Beach
4. We are Different, We are the Same
6. Elephant and Piggie (we love them all, but Waiting is not Easy is maybe my Favorite)
7. Here We Are
9. Jabari Jumps
10. All the World
Baby Board Books
The baby mostly just wants to handle the book, but these are my favorite to look at while he does it.
16. Oh My, Oh My, Oh Dinosaurs
19. Anti-Racist Baby
20. Thank You Bees
21. Bee Boy Buzz
22. Where's Baby's Belly Button?
23. Dear Zoo
25. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Kids to Look Up To
We all need role models, and these are some of my favorites. Yes, it's a lot of one series, but it is SO GOOD.
29. Just Ask!
32. Just Me and my Little Brother
Learning About Feelings
34. Say Something
35. My Heart
36. Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes
38. I am so Brave!
Fairy Tales, Fantasy, and Fables
39. Strega Nona
40. The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore
41. Home
42. Extra Yarn
44. Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel
45. Caps for Sale
48. Stone Soup
History for Little Kids
51. Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover
53. I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsberg Makes Her Mark
Community, Family, and Friendship
55. Thank You. Omu!
56. Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
59. Lost and Found
61. Fish is Fish
62. Giraffe Problems
63. Last Stop on Market Street
64. Kitchen Dance
65. Bee Bim Bop
66. We are Grateful; Otsaliheliga
67. Lovely
Silly Books
68. The Monster at the End of This Book
70. Pete's a Pizza
72. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Nature and Climate
Books about the environment are very important to me, and I want my kids to have a strong sense about Climate Change. I made this book list for my best eco-books for kids.
74. The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth
75. Human Footprint
76. The Lorax
77. Summer Birds
Art Books
79. Henri's Scissors
80. My Museum
83. Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos
86. Mix it Up
87. How to Be an Explorer of the World
88. Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art
Seasons
91. The Longest Day
92. Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn
93. Tree: A Peek Through Picture Book
Learning Books
94. America's Test Kitchen Cookbook for Kids
95. The Big Book of Bugs (and More)
96. How Things Work
97. Anything National Geographic
98. Kitchen Science Lab for Kids
99. The Fifty States
Christian Books
100. When God Made You
101. The Jesus Storybook Bible (we also like Children of God storybook Bible)
Ok, these are our favorites- what are yours? Remember, you can find almost any book for borrowing at a library, secondhand, or at a local bookstore!
Want more ideas for raising kids in an eco-friendly way? Check out this page for tons of ideas!
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