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A List of High-Quality Texts from this Issue

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Editors’ Note: Rich and sustained literacy experiences in early childhood pave the way for positive thoughts, feelings, and skills in literacy later on. The following list of high-quality children’s books featured in this issue covers a variety of genres and themes to support early reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills.

List of Books by Theme

Inclusivity and Transnationalism

  • A Gift, by Yong Chen. 2009. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press.
  • Al-Alwan, Al-Ashkaal, Al-Arqam: Learning My Arabic Colors, Shapes, & Numbers, by Asma Wahab. Illus. by Nadia Afghani. 2018. Garden Grove, CA: Civilian Publishing.
  • Baby Goes to Market, by Atinuke. Illus. by Angela Brooksbank. 2019. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. Set in a busy Nigerian marketplace, this beautiful book offers rhythmic language, humor, and an introduction to numbers.
  • Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, by Derrick Barnes. Illus. by Gordon C. James. 2017. Evanston, IL: Agate Bolden.
  • Dear Juno, by Soyoung Pak. Illus. by Susan Kathleen Hartung. 1999. New York: Puffin Books.
  • Freight Train / Tren de Cargo, by Donald Crews. 2008. New York: Greenwillow Books.
  • From North to South / Del Norte al Sur, by Réné Laínez. 2013. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press. This bilingual book tells the story of the close bond between a young boy and his deported mother.
  • Grandfather Counts, by Andrea Cheng. Illus. by Ange Zhang. 2000. New York: Lee and Low Books.
  • Halmoni and the Picnic, by Sook Nyul Choi. Illus. by Karen Dugan. 1993. Boston, MA: HMH Books for Young Readers.
  • Halmoni’s Day, by Enda Coe Bercaw. Illus. by Robert Hunt. 2000. New York: Dial Books.
  • Holi Colors, by Rina Singh. 2018. Victoria, British Columbia: Orca Book Publishers. In this board book of bright photographs and playful rhymes, Holi (the Hindu celebration) is featured as a magnificently fun way for children to explore colors.
  • Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji, by Farhana Zia. Illus. by Ken Min. 2017. New York: Lee and Low Books. This book tells the story of a child sharing the cultural traditions of his grandfather from India.
  • I Love My Hair, by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley. Illus. by E.B. Lewis. 2001. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
  • Little You, by Richard Van Camp. Illus. by Julie Flett. 2013. Victoria, British Columbia: Orca Book Publishers. An enchanting book that can be read or sung to the smallest children, this heartfelt text won the 2016 American Indian Library Association Award for Best Picture Book.
  • Love Makes a Family, by Sophie Beer. 2018. New York: Dial Books. By showing simple, joyful activities done by many different kinds of families, this inclusive book demonstrates that the most important part of a family is the love they share.
  • Sitti’s Secrets, by Naomi Shihab Nye. Illus. by Nancy Carpenter. 1994. New York: Aladdin. This book depicts a child’s visit to her grandmother in a small Middle Eastern village.
  • Suki’s Kimono, by Chieri Uegaki. Illus. by Stephane Jorisch. 2003. Toronto, Ontario: Kids Can Press.
  • Thank You, Omu!, by Oge Mora. 2018. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. In this book that celebrates community, you can practically smell the soup Omu is generously sharing through the captivating illustrations made of colorful cut-paper designs. (Also good for design elements.)
  • What Is Light, by Markette Sheppard. Illus. by Cathy Ann Johnson. 2020. New York: Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. A lyrical book that emphasizes the salient moments and simple pleasures in children’s lives, this text reveals all types of light in the world.
  • Yunmi and Halmoni’s Trip, by Sook Nyul Choi. Illus. by Karen Dugan. 1997. Boston, MA: Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt.

Informational Texts

  • A Day and Night in the Desert, by Caroline Arnold. 2015. Bloomington, MN: Picture Window Books.
  • A Seed is Sleepy, by Dianna Aston. Illus. by Sylvia Long. 2007. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.
  • About Birds: A Guide for Children, by Cathryn Sill. Illus. by John Sill. 2017. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishing Co.
  • An Earthworm’s Life, by John Himmelman. 2001. Danbury, CT: Children’s Press.
  • Beaks, by Brenda Parkes. 1999. Marlborough, MA: Sundance Newbridge Educational Publishing.
  • Birds Make Nests, by Michael Garland. 2017. Baltimore, MD: Holiday House.
  • Born in the Wild: Baby Mammals and Their Parents, by Lita Judge. 2014. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
  • Busy Builders: Construction Site, by Katherine Sully. Illus. by Carles Ballesteros. 2016. San Diego, CA: Silver Dolphin Books.
  • Can an Aardvark Bark?, by Melissa Stewart. Illus. by Steve Jenkins. 2017. San Diego, CA: Beach Lane Books.
  • Can You Tell a Bee from a Wasp?, by Buffy Silverman. 2011. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications.
  • Dinosaur Time, by Rachel Griffiths & Margaret Clyne. Illus. by Sharyn Madder. 2002. Northborough, MA: Sundance.
  • Fish, by Brenda Parkes. 2016. Marlborough, MA: Newbridge Educational Publishing.
  • Heads and Tails, by John Canty 2017. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
  • Hey, Water!, by Antoinette Portis. 2019. New York: Neal Porter Books.
  • It’s Okay to Be Different, by Todd Parr. 2009. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
  • Little Shark, by Anne Rockwell. Illus. by Megan Halsey. 2005. London: Walker Books for Young Readers.
  • Making Art, by V. Susan Bennett-Armistead. 2013. Vista, CA: Hameray Publishing.
  • My Big Dinosaur Book, by Roger Priddy. 2004. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
  • National Parks of the USA, by Kate Siber. Illus. by Chris Turnham. 2018. London: Wide Eyed Editions.
  • Rocks, Sticks, and the Forest Floor, by Robin Twiddy. 2019. San Diego, CA: Kidhaven Publishing.
  • Seeds Move, by Robin Page. 2019. San Diego, CA: Beach Lane Books.
  • The Animal Book: A Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest—and Most Surprising—Animals on Earth, by Steve Jenkins. 2013. Boston, MA: HMH Books for Young Readers.
  • UnderGROUND, by Denise Fleming. 2012. San Diego, CA: Beach Lane Books.
  • Wiggly Worms at Work, by Wendy Pfeffer. Illus. by Steve Jenkins. 2003. New York: HarperCollins.
  • What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You?, by Steve Jenkins. 2001. Boston, MA: HMH Books for Young Readers.
  • Whoever You Are, by Mem Fox. Illus. by Leslie Staub. 2006. Boston, MA: HMH Books for Young Readers.
  • Worms Are Gross, by Leigh Rockwood. 2010. New York: PowerKids Press.

Fictional Narrative

  • Seven Hungry Babies, by Candace Fleming. Illus. by Eugene Yelchin. 2010. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
  • Finkelhopper Frog, by Irene Livingston. Illus. by Brian Lies. 2003. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press.
  • Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, by Mo Willems. 2006. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Mentor Texts

  • Bigmama’s, by Donald Crews. 1991. New York: Greenwillow Books.
  • Chester, by Mélanie Watt. 2007. Toronto, Ontario: Kids Can Press.
  • Dreamers, by Yuyi Morales. 2018. New York: Neal Porter Books.
  • Each Kindness, by Jacqueline Woodson. Illus. by E.B. Lewis. 2012. London: Penguin Young Readers Group.
  • Elephant and Piggie series, by Mo Willems. 2007-2015. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.
  • If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series, by Laura Numeroff. Illus. by Felicia Bond. 1985-2017. New York: Scholastic.
  • Jabari series, by Gaia Cornwall. 2017-2020. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
  • Owen, by Kevin Henkes. 1993. New York: Greenwillow Books.
  • Pigeon series, by Mo Willems. 2003-2019. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.
  • Pluto Gets the Call, by Adam Rex. Illus. by Laurie Keller. 2019. San Diego, CA: Beach Lane Books.
  • Ralph Tells a Story, by Abby Hanlon. 2012. New York: Two Lions.
  • Scaredy Squirrel series, by Mélanie Watt. 2006-2021. New York: Random House Books for Young Readers.
  • The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss. 1971. New York: Random House Books for Young Readers.
  • The Relatives Came, by Cynthia Rylant. Illus. by Stephen Gammell. 1985. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Innovative Design Elements

  • A Child of Books, by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston. 2016. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. A young girl takes a boy on a journey, showing him how books can open the imagination.
  • A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin, by Jen Bryant. 2013. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers. This is the biography of a famous artist with a disability who—after a wound to his arm in World War I—painted by using his left hand to move his right hand.
  • Alma and How She Got Her Name, by Juana Martinez-Neal. 2018. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. This 2019 Caldecott Honor book tells the story of a little girl with a very long name: Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela. Her father explains to her how she got each of her names, which come from various family members. (Also good for inclusivity/transnationalism.)
  • Cat Says Meow: And Other Animalopoeia, by Michael Arndt. 2014. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. Arndt’s book features 25 animals “that look the same as they sound.” The noises the animals make are cleverly incorporated into the illustrations with letters.
  • Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story, by Kevin Noble Maillard. Illus. by Juana Martinez-Neal. 2019. New York: Roaring Brook Press. This story portrays the significance of fry bread to American Indian communities and culture. (Also good for inclusivity/transnationalism.)
  • Hello, Lighthouse, by Sophie Blackall. 2018. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. This book is historical fiction about the daily life of a man raising his family while working as a lighthouse keeper.
  • Home Is a Window, by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard. Illus. by Chris Sasaki. 2019. New York: Neal Porter Books. This story follows a young girl and her family as they move to a new home.
  • Lifesize, by Sophy Henn. 2019. San Diego, CA: Kane Miller Books/EDC Publishing. This book provides readers with information and pictures of the actual sizes of certain parts of large animals such as elephants, polar bears, squid, and Siberian tigers.
  • Nighttime Ninja, by Barbara Dacosta. Illus. by Ed Young. 2012. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. A young ninja goes on a late-night secret mission for “treasure,” which is eventually revealed to be chocolate ice cream.
  • Niño Wrestles the World, by Yuyi Morales. 2015. New York: Square Fish. This book is a winner of the Pura Belpré Award, given to outstanding books written or illustrated by people of Latino/a descent about the Latino/a experience. A young boy pretends to be a lucha libre wrestler. (Also good for inclusivity/transnationalism.)
  • The Twins’ Blanket, by Hyewon Yum. 2011. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This story is about identical twin sisters who have slept in the same bed since birth but who are now getting their own beds.
  • Trombone Shorty, by Troy Andrews. Illus. by Bryan Collier. 2015. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers. This is an autobiography of a musician from New Orleans named Troy Andrews, also called Trombone Shorty.
  • Tuck Me In!, by Dean Hacohen. Illus. by Sherry Scharschmidt. 2010. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. In this charming book, turn the pages to tuck a variety of baby animals into bed.
  • Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions, by Chris Barton. Illus. by Don Tate. 2016. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge. This is the biography of an engineer who created one of the most popular toys of all time.

Social and Emotional Development

  • Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes. 1991. New York: Greenwillow Books. This book illustrates various types of teachers, the importance of supportive families, the effect of bullies in the classroom, and the importance of a name.
  • Extra Yarn, by Mac Barnett. Illus. by Jon Klassen. 2012. New York: HarperCollins.
  • How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids, by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer. 2009. Washington, DC: Gallup Press. A grandfather tells his grandson that everyone has an invisible bucket on their heads, and when someone does something positive for us, our buckets start to get full.
  • If You Plant a Seed, by Kadir Nelson. 2015. New York: HarperCollins.
  • I’ll Love you Forever, by Robert Munsch. Illus. by Sheila McGraw. 1986. Richmond Hill, Ontario: Firefly Books.
  • I Wish you More, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. 2015. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.
  • Owl Babies, by Martin Waddell. Illus. by Patrick Benson. 1975. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.
  • The Biggest Bear, by Lynd Ward. 1952. Boston, MA: HMH Books for Young Readers. A boy is angry because his grandfather won’t let him hunt for bears like everyone else. So he goes to the woods, intent on hunting the biggest bear in the valley. What he finds is a little bear cub, whom the boy befriends and brings home, causing problems for his family and neighbors.
  • The Farmer and the Clown, by Marla Frazee. 2014. San Diego, CA: Beach Lane Books. This story follows a baby clown who is accidentally separated from his circus family and rescued by a reluctant farmer.
  • The Rabbit Listened, by Cori Doerrfeld. 2018. New York: Penguin Random House.
  • The Rough Patch, by Brian Lies. 2018. New York: Greenwillow Books. Life for the fox and the dog was good—until “the unthinkable” happened. Because of the fox’s grief, he became so angry that all he wanted to do was surround himself with ugly, sad things.
  • The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown. Illus. by Clement Hurd. 1942. New York: Harper & Row.
  • Tell Me a Tattoo Story, by Alison McGhee. Illus. by Eliza Wheeler. 2016. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Infants and Toddlers

  • A Good Day, by Kevin Henkes. 2007. New York: Greenwillow Books.
  • Beautiful Oops!, by Barney Saltzburg. 2010. New York: Workman Publishing Co.
  • Bee-Bim Bop!, by Linda Sue Park. Illus. by Ho Baek Lee. 2008. New York: Clarion Books.
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, by Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle. 1967. New York: Henry Holt & Co.
  • Building a House, by Byron Barton. 1990. New York: Greenwillow Books.
  • Carrot Soup, by John Segal. 2006. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.
  • Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo, by Kevin Lewis. 1999. New York: Little Brown Books for Young Readers.
  • Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, by Mo Willems. 2003. New York: Hyperion Books.
  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears, by Jan Brett. 1996. New York: Putnam & Grosset.
  • Growing Vegetable Soup, by Lois Ehlert. 1987. Boston, MA: HMH Books for Young Readers.
  • Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson. 1955. New York: Scholastic.
  • I Stink!, by Kate McMullan. Illus. by Jim McMullan. 2002. New York: HarperCollins.
  • Jamberry, by Bruce Degan. 1982. New York: HarperCollins.
  • Llama Llama Misses Mama, by Anna Dewdney. 2009. New York: Viking Books for Young Readers.
  • Lola Reads to Leo, by Anna McQuinn. 2012. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
  • My Car, by Byron Barton. 2003. New York: Greenwillow Books.
  • My Friend and I, by Lisa Jahn-Clough. 1999. New York: HMH Books for Young Readers.
  • Plant the Tiny Seed, by Christie Matheson. 2017. New York: Greenwillow Books.
  • Rosie’s Walk, by Pat Hutchins. 1967. New York: Aladdin.
  • Saturday, by Oge Mora. 2019. New York: Little Brown Books for Young Readers.
  • The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats. 1962. New York: Viking Press.
  • Wemberly Worried, by Kevin Henkes. 2000. New York: Greenwillow Books.
  • Wheels on the Bus, by Raffi. Illus. by Sylvie Wickstrom. 1998. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Topics: Subject Areas, Literacy, Children's Books, YC
Young Children
Fall 2021

Vol. 76, No. 3

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