Fall Reading List: Books for Preschoolers and Kindergarteners
Each season we like to put out a reading list of books that we have enjoyed as a family. That being said, it’s time for our Fall reading list round-up. These are books for preschoolers and kindergarteners that are filled with beautiful illustrations and stories.
Welcome to Foxyland – Great Adventures of Little Foxycat by Wald Peterson
This colorful story board book tells the tale of inquisitive Foxycat’s adventure in Foxyland. Young children will be enchanted by the simple text and beautiful illustrations, which bring an exciting story to life.
A Balloon for Isabel by Deborah Underwood, Illustrations by Laura Rankin
Balloons are bright and floaty and shiny and perfect. More than anything else int he whole wide world, Isabel wants a balloon. Everyone will get one on Graduation Day – everyone except the porcupines, because Porcupines + Balloons = Trouble according to the teacher. But Isabel isn’t going to settle for another boring bookmark. She has a plan…
Rabbit’s Snow Dance by James and Joseph Bruchac, Illustrations by Jeff Newman
A hip and oh-so-funny take on a traditional Native American fable about the importance of patience, the seasons, and listening to your friends.
Rabbit loves the winter. He knows a dance, using a traditional Iroquois drum and song, to make it snow – even in summer-time! When Rabbit decides that it should be snowing RIGHT NOW, he starts his dance and the snow begins to fall. But the other animals of the forest are not happy and ask Rabbit to stop. Does he listen? No way! He dances and dances until the snow covers even the tops of the trees. But how much snow is too much, and will Rabbit know when to stop?
Indi Surfs by Chris Gorman
This easy-to-read book about a surfer girl named Indi encourages kids to “get back up” when they’ve failed because succeeding will be that much more worth it.
Felix Stands Tall by Rosemary Wells (best-selling creator of Max and Ruby)
Felix is quiet. Fiona is bold. Felix and Fiona are best friends. On the playground, in the classroom, or in the backyard. The two best friends help each other cop with life’s little bumps and celebrate its small victories. Hip, hip, hooray!
Felix has anew best friend! With intrepid Fiona, all things seem possible – hand in hand, the two head for first prize at the Guinea Pig Jubilee talent show! But at the moment of Felix’s proud triumph, trouble is waiting in the wings. “Twinkletoes!” the bullies taunt, and Felix crumbles. Can Felix pull himself together and face down the bullies? Maybe, with a little help from Fiona, he will find a magic key.
Sharing the Bread (An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Story) by Pat Zietlow Miller and Jill McElmurry
Grandma, bake your pumpkin pie.
Whip the topping light and high.
High enough to reach the sky.
Grandma, bake the pie.
Journey back to nineteenth-century America and watch a family prepare a delicious Thanksgiving fest together – one that’s not so very different from what we eat today. Here’s a mouthwatering read-aloud filled with spirit and perfect for families to share.
Peg + Cat (The Race Car Problem) by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson
Peg and Cat build an amazing car out of things they find in the junkyard. They name her Hot-Buttered Lightning (since she’s build for speed) and plan to win the Tallapegga Twenty — if they can make it out of the junkyard, that is. It’s a good thing Peg knows a thing or two about the best shape to use to make the wheels.
Will Peg and Cat be the first to complete 20 laps and win the golden cup? Or will it be the Tens, or the Pirates? And what about the Pig? To find out, head tot he starting line. On your mark, get set, GO! (Book’s jacket contains fun activities)
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman, Illustrations by Laura Cornell
Celebrating it’s 25th anniversary — Heather’s favorite number is two. She has two arms, two legs, two pets, and two mommies. When Heather goes to school for the first time, someone asks her about her daddy. Am I the only one here who doesn’t have a daddy? Heather wonders.
This delightful edition of Leslea Newman’s modern classic featuring inviting, vivid illustrations by Laura Cornell will reassure a whole new generation of young readers that “the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love each other.”
What a Hoot! by Frann Preston-Gannon
Here’s a great easy to read board book for preschoolers filled with bright illustrations and big words. Each owl is different but they find at the end that they all have something in common. They like to PARTY!
BetterNot! And the Tale of Bratsville – Teaching Morals and Manners – by Gene Del Vecchio, Illustrations by Roderick Fong
This magical, delightful children’s series is about BetterNot, a mysterious character who arrives in a flash to aid parents by helping their children learn fun, yet valuable lessons about morals and manners such as fairness, honesty and kindness. It is brought to life with unique, colorful, engaging illustrations.
It’s about a town filled with very naughty children like Larry Liar, Rebecca Robber and Lilly Loudmouth. They lie, steal, call people names and more. Their parents could not make them behave no matter what they tried. As the parents told their children again and again what they better not do, the magical creature named BetterNot rose from his magical, bubbling purple swamp to come to their aid. He swopped into town to teach each child a fun yet valuable lesson in a way that fit each child’s poor behavior.
Children everywhere need to obey their parents. If they do not, BetterNot might come to your town, too!
Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo, Illustrations by Chris Van Dusen
Mr. and Mr.s Watson have a pig name Mercy. Mercy is a porcine wonder. One night, Mercy decides she would like to snuggle up with Mr. and Mrs. Watson. This is not good news for the Watsons’ bed. Or for the Watsons.
This is a great chapter book for beginning readers.
I Will Never Get a Star on Mrs. Benson’s Blackboard by Jennifer K. Mann
Rose wants to get a star on Mrs. Benson’s blackboard, but sometimes her mind wanders, she doesn’t always know the right answer, and her reading-aloud voice is too quiet.
When it’s time to make thank-you cards for an artist who visited her class, Rose makes an amazing card – but also covers herself and her desk in paint and art supplies. Will Mrs. Benson be able to see her creativity and passion through all that mess? Is it possible to get a star for something other than answer questions and having a tidy work space?
A cheerful and empowering book for an artistic child or for one whose talents lie in unconventional areas.
Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine by Laurie Wallmark, Illustrations by April Chu
Ada Lovelace, the daughter of the famous romantic poet, Lord Byron, develops her creativity through science and math. When she meets Charles Babbage, the inventor of the first mechanical computer, Ada understand the machine better than anyone else and writes the world’s first computer program in order to demonstrate its capabilities.
This spellbinding illustrated biography introduces children to the possibilities of science and technology at a young age. Over a hundred years before the invention of the electronic computer, when women had very few options outside the home, Ada followed her aspirations and became the world’s first computer programmer. The story serves as an inspiration for children, especially girls, to be fearless in pursuing their passions.
The Pea Patch Jig by Thacher Hurd
“Where the pole beans climb, where the tomatoes grow fat, where the onions smell sweet and the corn is yellow as the summer sun, that’s the garden of Clem — Farmer Clem.” So begins this story about Baby Mouse, a tiny mouse who loves to go exploring in the garden. But watch out! You never know what might happen when Baby climbs into a head of lettuce, or up a tomato plant, or when there’s a fox on the prowl.
These are some of the ingredients of The Pea Patch Jig — a book as refreshing as a summer evening in Vermont.
Inspired by the traditional song The Pea Patch jig, which was unearthed by the great songwriter singer John Hartford.
Do Families Grow on Trees? by Lauren Machta, Illustrations by Jodi Hill
When Eva is asked in school to create her family tree as a homework assignment, she gets confused about where families come from. Do they grown on trees? Eva looks to her grandmother for guidance and to learn what a family tree is.
The last two pages invite the readers to draw their own family tree.
Liv on Life – Green is Good by Elizabeth Gorcey, Illustrations by Kajiah Jacobs
The Liv on Life series is one of our favorites because it’s about a little girl (that resembles my daughter) and her Boxer dog, Bowie (who resembles our dog, Laila). This is a cute book about their trip to the local farm where Bowie and Liv learned that green is good! They go through various fruits and vegetables in an effort to get Bowie the dog to start eating greens.
**I received each of these books from their publishers or authors for the chance to be featured on my blog. Any book that I feature is up to my discretion and is not influenced by free samples.**
My son would be very disappointed with the distinct lack of Pete the Cat titles in this list!
But don't worry, I think the list is great 🙂
Thanks for the reading list! I'll have to add these to my list to check out at the library!!
Awww we love Pete the Cat, too. I'm sure he will make one of other reading lists in the future. 🙂 thanks for reading.
You're very welcome!! We love helping share good reads.