Read Aloud Books for Preschoolers

I love giving books as gifts for kids. They can be such personal gifts, but for a lot of people, books can be daunting because unless you’re familiar with it, how do you know what to give? Many times, people will fall back on the books they remember as kids and there’s nothing wrong with that! Except one thing, often times the kids are already familiar with the story or may even have a copy of their own. So whether I’m looking for gifts for kids or books to read, I like finding recently published titles that are hopefully new to them and something they’ll love.

Below is a list of high-quality read alouds that would work wonderfully as gifts for preschoolers. Some are silly, some are heartfelt and all are perfect for that discerning preschool audience. Make sure to check out my read aloud list for toddlers that was published yesterday, you’ll find some amazing books on that list as well. And please, please remember, just because I say this list is great for preschoolers, it doesn’t mean that toddlers, elementary school age, and even older might find these books are perfect for them.

Reading aloud drops significantly once kids begin reading on their own and unfortunately, there are many studies that show reading aloud to kids of all ages is still really important. It increases family bonds, it teaches kids language skills, emphasizes empathy, and a host of other really positive things. So, start a new tradition this holiday season and find some time to read together as a family. It’s a benefit to everyone, I promise!

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Read Aloud Books for Preschoolers

Ahoy! by Sophie Blackall

Raise the mainsail!
Batten the hatches!
It’s time to set sail…on the couch!

There’s a storm coming, and a child is ready to captain the ship. “Make haste and climb aboard,” they call out to their parent, “before you’re swept out to sea!”

Sea? What sea? The parent is only trying to vacuum the rug. But the child is adamant. It’s not a rug–it’s the ocean. And that broom? It’s the ship’s mast. Soon enough, child and parent are both off on an imaginary nautical adventure!

Here is a thoroughly engaging, hilarious picture book that celebrates the joys of playing make-believe–and hanging out with a parent!

Built to Last by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat

Two kids build entire worlds out of blocks, cardboard, and imagination. From boats attacked by a sea creature to a castle crumbling into the ocean. And they don’t mind when these creations break apart and CRASH to the floor. In fact, they think it’s pretty funny! Every time, a creation falls apart, they pick up the pieces and keep building bigger and better.

But when their latest masterpiece tumbles down in spectacular fashion, the boys aren’t laughing anymore. Have these two friends reached their breaking point?

Dog Vs. Strawberry by Nelly Buchet, illustrated by Andrea Zuill

Welcome to the Greatest Race of All Time!
Give it up for our reigning champion, the one-and-only DOG!
And let’s have a hand for her opponent: the formidable STRAW-BER-RYYYY!

When Dog is handed a strawberry from the fruit bowl, she sizes it up, dances around it, and decides she is going to race the Strawberry–and win. She dashes left, then right, then–oh!– over the couch in an attempt to outrun her opponent. Strawberry doesn’t move, but that doesn’t stop Dog from continuing the race. Eventually, it’s neck-and-neck… until mom walks in to see what the fuss is about, and SPLAT!

Eyes That Kiss In the Corners by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Dung Ho

A young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her peers’. They have big, round eyes and long lashes. She realizes that her eyes are like her mother’s, her grandmother’s, and her little sister’s. They have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future.

Drawing from the strength of these powerful women in her life, she recognizes her own beauty and discovers a path to self-love and empowerment. This powerful, poetic picture book will resonate with readers of all ages.

Have You Seen My Invisible Dinosaur? by Helen Yoon

Help! This little girl has lost her best friend. He’s a dinosaur (not the extinct kind). He’s enormous (bigger than a panda!). He was last seen before she gave him a bath and washed off all the mud (maybe that wasn’t a good idea?). She’s tried to lure him with snacks and put up Lost Dinosaur posters, but nothing has helped. If only it weren’t such a clear day—if only it were raining, or snowing, or the leaves were falling, or . . . something. Would it help if she drew a picture? With delicate visual sleights of hand and an underlying sweetness, author-illustrator Helen Yoon invites us to see through a child’s eyes.

Hot Dog by Doug Salati

This hot dog has had enough of summer in the city! Enough of sizzling sidewalks, enough of wailing sirens, enough of people’s feet right in his face. When he plops down in the middle of a crosswalk, his owner endeavors to get him the breath of fresh air he needs. She hails a taxi, hops a train, and ferries out to the beach.

Here, a pup can run!

How to Say Hello to a Worm by Kari Percival

The beautiful simplicity of a garden is depicted through digital woodcut illustrations and engaging nonfiction text presented as a series of sweet questions and gentle replies. Less of a traditional how-to and more of a how-to-appreciate, this soothingly sparse text paints an inviting and accessible picture of what a garden offers. And with an all-child cast, the absence of an adult presence empowers readers to view the garden and its creatures through their own eyes, driven by curiosity and wonder.

In the Night Garden by Carin Berger

In the night garden fireflies look like fallen stars.
Moonflowers unfurl and release their intoxicating perfume.

In the night garden you can lie
on the cool grass and look up to the
millions and trillions of stars…

In the night garden, nothing is as it seems and everything is made new. Blinking stars and pale moonlight might reveal a lone cat tiptoeing across a roof, luminous flowers unfurling in the cool air, a mama fox escorting her sleepy cubs home. Listen closely and you might hear the wind blowing through the trees, the murmur of a slow stream, or the gentle song of crickets and bullfrogs, lulling you to sleep.

Let’s Go! by Julie Flett

Every day, a little boy watches kids pass by on skateboards, and dreams of joining them. One day, his mother brings a surprise: her old skateboard, just for him! haw êkwa! Let’s go! Together, they practice on the sidewalk, at the park, in Auntie’s yard—everywhere. But when it comes time to try the skatepark, the skateboarders crash down like a waterfall. Can he find the confidence to join them?

Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor

Sometimes, you might fall down, down, down,

before you learn to fly up, up, up…

The Noisy Puddle: A Vernal Pool Through the Seasons by Linda Booth Sweeney, illustrated by Miki Sato

In this vibrant and poetic informational picture book, two curious siblings observe the hidden world of a vernal pool: a special kind of puddle habitat that pops up in the spring, dries up by summer, reappears in the fall, and freezes over in the winter―only to come back again in the spring.

Young naturalists and future water stewards will be encouraged to listen, watch, and wait to witness the seasonal changes of the ever-changing puddle and its inhabitants. As readers follow along with the rhythmic text, they will be fascinated to discover many familiar and not-so-familiar creatures that make up the surprising web of interrelationships living in these vital pop-up pools.

One Family by George Shannon, illustrated by Blanca Gomez

Just how many things can “one” be? One box of crayons. One batch of cookies. One world. One family.

In this unabridged board book edition of the beloved picture book, One Family, author George Shannon and artist Blanca Gomez craft a playful, interactive story that shows how a family can be big or small and comprised of people of a range of genders and races.

The Only Way to Make Bread by Cristina Quintero, illustrated by Sarah Gonzales

What’s the only way to make bread? You might use white flour in your bread, or whole wheat flour or corn flour. You might use water or milk, maybe an egg or two. You’ll use a handful of this, a dash of that, a bit of this and a splash of that. Some dough will rise, some dough will bubble. Sometimes it will be sticky, sometimes it will be shaggy. What’s the only way to make bread? Your way!

This tasty celebration of all kinds of bread will tempt bread lovers big and small. No matter what kind of bread YOU like to make, this book is for you!

A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis

To understand how a seed becomes a sunflower, you have to peek beneath the soil and wait patiently as winding roots grow, a stalk inches out of the earth, and new seeds emerge among blooming petals.

“A seed falls,
And settles into the ground,
And the Sun shines,
And the rain comes down,
And the seed grows…”

Leading up to a striking fold-out spread of a full-grown sunflower, the lively, bold illustrations in A Seed Grows offer a close-up view of each step of the growth cycle.

Additional material in the back of the book explains the science of plant life cycles, and goes into more detail on the ways in which flowers and seeds depend on other creatures.

Snail Crossing by Corey R. Tabor

When Snail spies a plump, crisp cabbage across the road, nothing will stop him—not a speeding car or even a hungry crow.

But then kindhearted Snail stops to help a crew of antsy ants in a rainstorm, and he loses his way. It looks like he will never get his treat—until Snail’s new friends come up with an ingenious idea…

Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer

When two curious kids embark on a “wonder walk,” they let their imaginations soar as they look at the world in a whole new light. They have thought-provoking questions for everything they see: Is the sun the world’s light bulb? Is dirt the world’s skin? Are rivers the earth’s veins? Is the wind the world breathing? I wonder . . . Young readers will wonder too, as they ponder these gorgeous pages and make all kinds of new connections. What a wonderful world indeed!