50 Picture Books Everyone Should Know

Much to my excitement, my daughter completed her pre-kindergarten screening this past spring. We are very fortunate to be living in an excellent school district - our children will be attending one of the best public elementary schools in the area and for that we are extremely thankful. During Marissa's kindergarten screening, we (parents) met with the principal and went over school year and logistical info, etc. Also during this time, he passed out a sheet listing "50 Picture Books Everyone Should Know." Mr. G. stressed the importance of our kids knowing (or at least listening to once) these particular books before they begin kindergarten. They assist in helping children learn to read, teach morals, values, and many are classics! I've had multiple friends ask for a copy of the list and so I thought I would share online as well!

Here they are:

1. Abuela - by Arthur Dorros
2. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - by Judith Viorst
3. Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing - by Judi Barrett
4. Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock - by Eric A. Kimmel
5. Andy and the Lion - by James Daugherty
6. Ben's Trumpet - Rachel Isadora
7. Blueberries for Sal - by Robert McCloskey
8. The Bossy Gallito: A Traditional Cuban Folk Tale - retold by Lucia M. Gonzalez
9. Bread and Jam for Frances - by Russell Hoban
10. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? - by Bill Martin, Jr.
11. Caps for Sale; A Tale of a Peddler, Some Mondays and their Monkey Business - by Esphyr Sloboclkina
12. The Carrot Seed - by Ruth Krauss
13. A Chair for My Mother - by Vera B. Williams
14. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault
15. Corduroy - by Don Freeman
16. Curious George - by H.A. Rey
17. The Day JimmyU's Boa Ate the Wash - by Trinka H. Noble
18. Dear Zoo - by Rod Campbell
19. Doctor De Soto - by William Steig
20. Farmer Duck - by Martin Waddell
21. The Fortune - Tellers - by Lloyd Alexander
22. Freight Train - by Donald Crews
23. George and Martha - by James Marshall
24. Go Away - Big Green Monster - by Ed Emberly
25. Goodnight, Gorilla - by Peggy Rathmann
26. Goodnight Moon - by Margaret W. Brown
27. Grandfather's Journey - by Allen Say
28. Happy Birthday, Moon - by Frank Asch
29. Harold and the Purple Crayon - by Crockett Johnson
30. Harry the Dirty Dog - by Gene Zion
31. Henny Penny - by Clarion
32. Horton Hatches the Egg - by Dr. Seuss
33. I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly - Illustrated by Glen Rounds
34. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - by Laura J. Numeroff
35. Is it Red? Is it Yellow? Is it Blue? An Adventure in Color - by Tana Hoban
36. It Could Always Be Worse. A Yiddish Folktale - retold by Margot Zemarch
37. John Henry - by Julius Lester
38. The Judge: An Untrue Tale - by Harve Zemach
39. Julius - by Angela Johnson
40. Komodo! - by Peter Sis
41. Leo the Late Bloomer - by Robert Kraus
42. Little Blue and Little Yellow - by Leo Lionni
43. The Little Dog Laughed and Other Nursery Rhymes - by Lucy Cousins
44. The Little Old Lady who was not Afraid of Anything - by Linda Williams
45. Little Red Riding Hood - retold by Paul Galdone
46. Lunch - by Denise Fleming
47. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile - by Bernard Waber
48. Madeline - by Ludwig Bemelmans
49. Maisie Goes Swimming - by Lucy Cousing
50. Make Way for Ducklings - by Robert McCloskey

Suggestions for gathering all of these books:
- buy used at a bookstore, library, or on amazon.com
- hunt for books at garage sales
- trade or swap books with friends and family members


thank you to Tipp City Broadway Elementary school for the book list!