Ten Books to Read Aloud

Ten, Nine Eight – by Molly Bang
This bedtime counting book follows a young girl and her father through the ritual of going to bed. Soothing and lush illustrations accompany text.

Madeline – by Ludwig Bemelmans
This beloved story has been loved for generations. The rhymed, singsong text takes 12 little girls and their teacher Miss Clavel on many adventures, and introduces one of the most famous of all storybook characters.

Goodnight Moon – by Margaret Wise
This popular story encapsulates a small rabbit’s bedtime ritual of saying goodnight to all of his friends in “the great green room.” Charming illustrations are as memorable as the text.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar – by Eric Carle
Follow this hungry caterpillar as he eats everything from one apple to five oranges and finds himself still hungry. Colorful collage illustrations tell this simple tale of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.

Harold and the Purple Crayon – by Crockett Johnson
Oh, what a simple crayon can draw when an imaginative little boy named Harold holds it in his hand one night as he draws himself a walk, a moon, a home, and finally his very own bed.

The Snowy Day – by Ezra Jack Keats
One morning Peter wakes up to see that “Snow had fallen during the night.” He excitedly runs outside to play in it, reveling in everything about the snow.

Whose Mouse Are You? – by Robert Kraus
With tender wit, Kraus brings us a young mouse grappling with one of childhood’s harsh experiences: a new sibling in the house. Every young child with a baby sister or brother will commiserate with this young mouse.

A Hole is to Dig: A First Book of Definitions – by Ruth Krauss
This book is filled with simply wonderful things over which to ponder. Maurice Sendak’s small line drawings capture the wistful nature of the children pictured, and all the discoveries of childhood.

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready For Kindergarten – by Joseph Slate
The whimsical Miss Bindergarten prepares her classroom for her students with an explosion of color--a bouquet of fall leaves, a goldfish, rolled-up posters, and shoeboxes full of delightful surprises.

It Happens to Everyone – by Bernice Myers
It's the first day of school, and Michael's not the only one having trouble. Mrs. Daniel can't decide what to wear either, and like Michael, she can't find things. When they arrive at school, both are nervous and hope they will be liked. The final pages show them entering the same classroom, for Mrs. Daniel is Michael's teacher.

Source: Created by Leslie Barban, Richland County Public Library and SC First Steps