Six Preliteracy Skills and Picture Books That Promote Them
Storytimes include books that encourage all of the six preliteracy skills important for preschoolers to learn, so that they are ready to read when they enter kindergarten: Six Pre-Literacy Skills and How to Encourage Them – (lachapelhill.com) . Here are books that foster these same skills you can offer at storytime, or feature in displays or on handouts to encourage parents to read these books at home with their preschoolers.
Print Motivation—All books
Print Awareness
Atinuke. B Is for Baby.
Austin, Mike. Fire Engine No. 9.
Barnett, Mac. Noisy Night.
Beaumont, Karen. Wild About Us!
Brum, J.M. Our Car.
Cotter, Bill. Don’t Push the Button!
Escoffiert, Michael. Have You Seen My Trumpet?
Greene, Rhonda. No Pirates Allowed! Said Library Lou.
Grimes, Nikki. Off the See the Sea.
Krilanovich, Nadia. Chicken, Chicken, Duck.
LaRochelle, David. Moo!
Loney, Andrea J. Double Bass Blues.
Lyon, George Ella. Trains Run!
Marsalis, Wynton. Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!
Matheson, Christie. Tap the Magic Tree.
McMullan, Kate. I’m Cool!
Springman, I. C. More.
Sutton, Sally. Demolition.
Tullet, Herve. Mix It Up.
Tullet, Herve. Press Here.
Van Lieshout, Maria. Backseat A-B-See.
Viva, Frank. A Long Way Away: A Two-Way Story.
Phonological Awareness
Agee, Jon. It’s Only Stanley.
Alizadeh, Kate. Quiet!
Anderson, Airlie. Momo and Snap Are Not Friends!
Archer, Peggy. A Hippy-Hoppy Toad.
Arndt, Michael. Cat Says Meow and Other Animalopoeia.
Aswan, Jashar. I’m Going to Build a Snowman.
Austin, Mike. Fire Engine No. 9.
Aylesworth, Jim. Cock-a-doodle-doo, Creak, Pop-pop-, Moo.
Bardhan-Quallen, Sudipta. Splatypus.
Bee, William. Digger Dog.
Biddulph, Rob. The Grizzly Bear Who Lost His GRRRRR!
Bookless, Evelyn. Captain Green and the Tree Machine.
Brown, Margaret Wise. A Home in the Barn.
Bryant, Megan E. Alphasaurus.
Camper, Cathy. Ten Ways to Hear Snow.
Carle, Eric. The Nonsense Show.
Carle, Eric. Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, Said the Sloth.
Carr, Matt. Superbat.
Casanova, Mary. Wake Up Island.
Clarkson, Stephanie. Super Milly and the Super School Day.
Cordell, Matthew. Wolf in the Snow.
Cousins, Lucy. Splish Splash Ducky!
Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack, Surprise!
Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack, Quack to School!
Crum, Shutta. Thunder-Boomer!
Cushman, Abi. Soaked!
Dale, Penny. Dinosaur Rescue!
DePalma, Mary N. Bow-Wow, Wiggle-Waggle.
Dragonwagon, Crescent. All the Awake Animals Are Almost Asleep.
Dunklee, Annika. A Fire Truck for Chuck.
Ericson, Nora. Too Early.
Elliott, Rebecca. Dalmatian in a Digger.
Faber, Polly. Through the North Pole Snow.
Flake, Sharon. You Are Not a Cat!
Fleck, Jay. Tilly and Tank.
Fleming, Candace. Go Sleep in Your Own Bed!
Fleming, Denise. Tippy-Tippy-Tippy, Splash!
Fleming, Denise. Under Ground.
Frost, Maddie. Wakey Birds.
Gerstein, Mordecai. Moose, Goose, and Mouse.
Gibson, Amy. Split! Splat!
Gibson, Ginger F. Tiptoe Joe.
Going, K.L. Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump!
Gott, Barry. Honk! Splat! Vroom!
Grimes, Nikki. Bedtime for Sweet Creatures.
Hall, Michael. House Mouse.
Harney, Jenn. Swim Swim Sink.
Haughton, Chris. Don’t Worry, Little Crab.
Heim, Alastair. Quiet Down, Loud Town!
Ivinson, Yvonne. Fox and the Box.
Janovitz, Marilyn. Play Baby Play!
Jenkins, Emily. A Greyhound, a Groundhog.
Johnston, Tony. Laugh-Out-Loud Baby.
Jonas, Ann. Watch William Walk.
Joosse, Barbara. Old Robert and the Sea-Silly Cats.
Judge, Lita. A Song for Snowman.
Kennedy, Anne Vittur. The Farmer’s Away! Baa! Neigh!
Kiernan, Pat. Good Morning, City!
Kim, Aram. Cat on the Bus.
Knapman, Timothy. Dinosaurs Don’t Have Bedtimes!
Knapman, Timothy. Follow the Track All the Way Back.
Krauss, Ruth. Roar Like a Dandelion.
Kvasnosky, Laura McGee. Little Wolf’s First Howling.
Kvasnosky, Laura McGee. Squeak!
Kim, Han-min. Tiptoe Tapirs.
Lambert, Jonny. The Great AAA-OOO!
Larios, Julie. Eek! A Noisy Journey from A to Z.
Lewin, Betsy. Thumpy Feet.
Lickens, Alice V. Can You Dance to the Boogaloo.
Mahy, Margaret. The Man from the Land of Fandango.
Maizes, Sarah. Atticus Caticus.
Martin, Jacqueline Briggs. Bim, Bam, Bop: and Oona.
McDonnell, Patrick. The Monsters’ Monster.
McLachlan, Brian. What Noise Do I Make?
Meadows, Michelle. Piggies in Pajamas.
Murray, Diana. Summer Color!
Parenteau, Shirley. Bears in a Band.
Paschkis, Julie. Magic Spell.
Paul, Ann Whitford. If Animals Went to School.
Pinder, Eric. If All the Animals Came Inside.
Pinkney, Brian. Puppy Love.
Ram, Praba. Thukpa for All.
Rao-Robinson, Anitha. A Family for Faru.
Regan, Jean. Turbo’s Special Delivery.
Rinker, Sherri Duskey. It’s So Quiet! A Not-Quite-Going-to-Bed Book.
Rosen, Michael J. In the Quiet, Noisy Woods.
Rosen Schwartz, Cori & Kirsti Call. Cold Turkey.
Salas, Laura Purdie. Zap! Clap! Boom! The Story of a Thunderstorm.
Sarcone-Roach, Julia. There Are No Bears in This Bakery.
Shand, Jennifer. Roar, Roar, Growl, Growl: Sounds from the Jungle.
Shaskan, Stephen. Big Choo.
Shaw, Nancy. Sheep Go to Sleep.
Sima, Jessie. Jules vs. the Ocean.
Slack, Michael. Wazdot?
Smith, Maggie. Pigs in Pajamas.
Snyder, Gabi. Listen.
Stead, Philip C. The Sun Is Late and So Is the Farmer.
Steggall, Susan. The Diggers are Coming!
Stevens, Janet. Find a Cow Now!
Sutton, Sally. Construction.
Sutton, Sally. Demolition.
Sutton, Sally. Dig, Dump, Roll.
Swenson, Jamie A. Big Rig.
Tafuri, Nancy. Daddy Hugs.
Tarpley, Todd. Beep! Beep! Go to Sleep!
Venable, Colleen. The Oboe Goes Boom Boom Boom.
Viau, Nancy. Storm Song.
Watkins, Rowboat. Go-Go Guys.
Willems, Mo. Nanette’s Baguette.
Willims, Russ.Elephants Do Not Belong in Trees.
Woodcock, Fiona. Hello.
Ying, Jonathan. Lost and Found What’s That Sound?
Zimmerman, Andrea. Firefighter Flo!
Vocabulary
Alexander, Rilla. You Rule!
Aston, Dianna Hutts. A Rock Is Lively.
Baker, Ken. Old MacDonald Had a Dragon.
Barton, Byron. The Three Bears.
Bell, Cece. You Loves Ewe!
Bloom, Suzanne. A Number Slumber.
Buitrago, Jairo. Lion and Mouse.
Clark, M.H. T.L.C.
Crute, Josh. Hornswoggled! A Wacky Words Whodunit.
Hale, Christy. Out the Door.
Helakoski, Leslie. Big Pigs.
Henkes, Kevin. In the Middle of Fall.
Heos, Bridget. Stegothesaurus.
Hitchman, Jess. In Every House, on Every Street.
Horowitz, Ruth. Are We Still Friends?
Hunter, Anne. Possum and the Summer Storm.
Hunter, Anne. Where’s Baby?
Klostermann, Penny. There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight.
Lambert, Jonny. Look Out! It’s a Dragon!
Leduc, Emilie. All Year Round.
McIntyre, Sarah. The New Neighbors.
Melling, David. Ruffles and the Red, Red Coat.
Pinder, Eric. The Perfect Pillow.
Pyke, Josh. Lights Out, Leonard!
Read, Kate. One Fox: A Counting Book Thriller.
Rowe, Chelsea H. Ebenezer Has a Word for Everything.
Sendak, Maurice. Where the Wild Things Are.
Slade, Suzanne. The Universe and You.
Stockdale, Susan. Bring on the Birds.
Storms, Patricia. Sun Wishes.
Tallec, Olivier. Life of a Mini Hero.
Van Dusen, Chris. If I Built a School.
Ward, Helen. The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse.
Woodcock, Fiona. Look.
Yuly, Toni. Early Bird.
Narrative Skills
Alexander, Jed. Red.
Allen, Kathryn M. A Kiss Means I Love You.
Alonso, Cynthia. Aquarium.
Atinuke. Baby, Sleepy Baby.
Barnett, Mac. The Great Zapfino.
Barton, Byron. The Little Red Hen.
Beck, JiWon. Lost and Found.
Becker, Aaron. The Last Zookeeper.
Becker, Aaron. A Stone for Sascha.
Becker, Aaron. The Tree and the River.
Blexbolex. Vacation.
Bloom, C. P. The Monkey Goes Bananas.
Boyd, Lizi. Flashlight.
Boyd, Lizi. Inside Outside.
Browne, Christopher. Marlo and the Dinosaurs.
Buitrago, Jairo. Afterward, Everything Was Different: A Tale of the Pleistocene.
Burningham, John. Picnic.
Camcam, Princesse. Fox’s Garden.
Castrillon, Melissa. The Balcony.
Cole, Henry. Forever Home: A Dog and Boy Love Story.
Cole, Henry. One Little Bag: An Amazing Journey.
Cole, Henry. Spot, the Cat.
Colon, Raul. Draw!
Colon, Raul. Imagine!
Cordell, Matthew. Wolf in the Snow.
DiCamillo, Kate. La La La: a Story of Hope.
Dotlich, Rebecca Kai. One Day, the End.
Dubuc, Marianne. The Fish and the Cat.
Fitzpatrick, Marie-Louise. Owl Bat Bat Owl.
Fox, Mem. Tell Me About Your Day Today.
Frazee, Marla. The Farmer and the Circus.
Frazee, Marla. The Farmer and the Clown.
Frazee, Marla. The Farmer and the Monkey.
Gordon, Domenica. Archie.
Graegin, Stephanie. Little Fox in the Forest.
Hare, John. Field Trip to the Moon.
Hare, John. Field Trip to Volcano Island.
Harren, Kayla. Mary Had a Little Lizard.
Hevron, Amy. Dust Bunny Wants a Friend.
Hillenbrand, Will. Snowman’s Story.
Hills, Tad. Rocket Writes a Story.
Idle, Molly. Flora and the Flamingo.
Idle, Molly. Flora and the Penguin.
Ikegami, Aiko. Hello.
Impala. Lola Loves Animals.
Jay, Alison. Bee & Me.
Jay, Alison. Out of the Blue.
Johnson, Ruiz. While You Are Sleeping.
Judge, Lita. Red Hat.
Kasza, Keiko. Silly Goose’s Big Story.
Kerascoet. I Forgive Alex: A Simple Story About Understanding.
Kerbel, Deborah. Whirl.
Kim, Aram. Cat on the Bus.
Kim, Jihyun. The Depth of the Lake and the Height of the Sky.
Klassen, Jon. This Is Not My Hat.
Lam, Thao. The Line in the Sand.
Lamb, Albert. Tell Me the Day Backwards.
LaRochelle, David. Moo!
Lawson, JonArno. A Day for Sandcastles.
Lee, JiHyeon. Pool.
Lee, JiHyeon. Door.
Lee, Suzy. Lines.
Lehman, Barbara. Red Again.
Mack, Jeff. Ah Ha!
Mack, Jeff. Mine!
MacKay, Elly. Waltz of the Snowflakes.
McDonnell, Patrick. Little Red Cat Who Ran Away and Learned His ABCs (the Hard Way).
Misdea, Dan. The Light Inside.
Miyares, Daniel. That Neighbor Kid.
Moreira, Henrique Coser. The First Day of May.
Moriconi, Renato. The Little Barbarian.
Muller, Gerda. Whose Footprints Are These?
Murrow, Ethan and Vita Murrow. Zero Local: Next Stop: Kindness.
Newgarden, Mark. Bow-Wow’s Nightmare Neighbors.
Newman, Jeff. Found.
Nolan, Dennis. Hunters of the Great Forest.
Nordqvist, Sven. The Dog Walk.
Oswald, Peter. Hike.
Otoshi, Kathryn. Draw the Line.
Pett, Mark. The Boy and the Airplane.
Pett, Mark. The Girl and the Bicycle.
Ramstein, Anne-Margot. Inside Outside.
Robinson, Christian. Another.
Ruth, Greg. Coming Home.
Ruzzier, Sergio. The Real Story.
Savage, Stephen. Where’s Walrus? And Penguin?
Savage, Stephen. Sign Off.
Shatokhin, Oleksandr. Yellow Butterfly: A Story from Ukraine.
Sima, Jessie. Spencer’s New Pet.
Singh, Rina. Once, a Bird.
Stead, Philip C. Bear Has a Story To Tell.
Sterer, Gideon. The Midnight Fair.
Tanaka, Yoko. Dandelion’s Dream.
Teague, Mark. Fly!
Tobia, Lauren. Oscar’s Tower of Flowers.
Valerio, Geraldo. At the Pond.
Valerio, Geraldo. Blue Rider.
Valerio, Geraldo. Turn on the Night.
Wiesner, David. I Got It!
Willems, Mo. Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs.
Yelchin, Eugene. Pip & Pup.
Yelchin, Eugene. Spring Hare.
Zobili, Giovanna. Professional Crocodile.
Letter Knowledge
Bingham, Kelly. Z Is for Moose.
Cotler, Joanna. If I Were a Dog.
Dealey, Erin. K is for Kindergarten.
Gehl, Laura. May Saves the Day.
Hall, Michael. Little i.
Houppert, Anne Marie. What About X? An Alphabet Adventure.
Johnston, Tony. The Magic of Letters.
Kontis, Alethea. Alpha Oops! The Day Z Went First.
Lazar, Tara. 7 Ate 9: The Untold Story.
Lazar, Tara. Time Flies.
Levis, Caron. May I Have a Word?
Loney, Andrea J. Double Bass Blues.
Lichtenheld, Tom. E-mergency!
Maccarone, Grace. The Three Bears ABC: An Alphabet Book.
Martin, Bill. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.
McDonnell, Patrick. The Little Red Cat Who Ran Away and Learned His ABC’s (the Hard Way).
McMullan, Kate. I’m Smart!
Melling, David. D Is for Duck!
Raczka, Bob. Beware!
Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. Awake Beautiful Child.
Schaefer, Carole Lexa. ABCers.
Shea, Bob. Oh, Are You Awake?
Sierra, Judy. The Sleepy Little Alphabet.
Slate, Joseph. Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten.
Underwood, Deborah. Every Little Letter.
Vamos, Samantha. Alphabet Trucks.
Wade, Stef. Q and U Call it Quits.
Penny Peck, San Jose State University iSchool