The Early Years bookshelf is a collection of our favorite, well-loved picture books.
Ideal for Preschool through 2nd Grade, but it’s never too early or too late for any of these books!
Fables, Fairy Tales, & Folk Tales
Aesop’s Fables Illustrated by Charles Santore
Aesop’s Fables for Children Illustrated by Milo Winter
Beauty and the Beast by Mahlon F. Craft
The Children’s Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett
Cinderella by Kinuko Y. Craft
The First Strawberries by Joseph Bruchac
The Folk Tale Classics Heirloom Library (The Three Little Pigs, Three Billy Goats Gruff, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Gingerbread Boy) by Paul Galdone
The Folk Tale Classics Keepsake Collection (The Three Bears, Three Little Kittens, The Little Red Hen and The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse) by Paul Galdone
The Magic Nesting Doll by Jacqueline K. Ogburn
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe
Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky
The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin
Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth
History, Biographies, & Culture
Children Just Like Me by DK
Geography from A to Z by Jack Knowlton
Give Your Child the World by Jamie C. Martin (a resource for you)
Global Babies by The Global Fund for Children
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman
Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney
People by Peter Spier
Rechenka’s Eggs by Patricia Polacco
Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story by Pat Zietlow Miller
Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi
The Story of Johnny Appleseed by Aliki
A Weed is a Flower by Aliki
Literature
Adventures in Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem
All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon
Andrew Henry’s Meadow by Doris Burn
A Year in Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
Brave Irene by William Steig
Breathe Like a Bear by Kira Willey (mindfulness resource)
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Chanticleer and the Fox by Geoffrey Chaucer
The Classic Tales of Brer Rabbit by Chandler Harris
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
Corduroy by Don Freeman
The Empty Pot by Demi
Feelings by Aliki
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Homeplace by Anne Shelby
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown
Luba and the Wren by Patricia Polacco
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
The Magical World of Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
Make Way for McCloskey by Robert McCloskey
Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Otis by Loren Long
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall
Pooh’s Library (Box Set) by A. A. Milne
The Raft by Jim LaMarche
Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The World of Peter Rabbit (Collection) by Beatrix Potter
Math
Anno’s Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno
Math for All Seasons by Greg Tang
Preschool Math at Home by Kate Snow (playful math activities)
Poetry
A Child’s Book of Poems by Gyo Fujikawa
A Child’s Garden of Verses by Gyo Fujikawa
Eloise Wilkin’s Poems to Read to the Very Young by Eloise Wilkin
A House Is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman
Outside Your Window by Nicola Davies
Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce Sidman
Sing a Song of Popcorn by Mary Michaels White
Science & Nature
Air Is All Around You (Let’s Read and Find Out Series) by Dr. Franklyn M. Branley
The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Big Tracks, Little Tracks (Let’s Read and Find Out Series) by Millicent E Selsam
Clouds (Let’s Read and Find Out Series) by Anne Rockwell
Crinkleroot’s Guide to Knowing the Animal Habitats by Jim Arnosky
Crinkleroot’s Guide to Knowing the Birds by Jim Arnosky
From Caterpillar to Butterfly (Let’s Read and Find Out Series) by Deborah Heiligman
From Seed to Pumpkin (Let’s Read and Find Out Series) by Wendy Pfeffer
The Golden Glow by Benjamin Flouw
How Do You Lift a Lion? by Robert E. Wells
Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is? by Robert E. Wells
Mossy by Jan Brett
My Five Senses (Let’s Read and Find Out Series) by Aliki
A Nest Full of Eggs (Let’s Read and Find Out Series) by Priscilla Belz Jenkins
Pond by Jim LaMarche
Rabbits and Raindrops by Jim Arnosky
Raccoon On His Own by Jim Arnosky
Slow Down: 50 Mindful Moments in Nature by Rachel Williams
The Usborne Flip Flap Body Book by Alastair Smith and Judy Tatchell
What’s Smaller Than a Pygmy Shrew? by Robert E. Wells
Where Are the Night Animals? (Let’s Read and Find Out Series) by Mary Ann Fraser
The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice Provensen