It’s a funny thing that it can be much harder to write something short than something long. To tell a story as concisely as possible, you have to cut everything unnecessary. I haven’t counted, but I’d bet most of these books clock in at well under 500 words, and that’s just perfect for young ones, especially at library storytimes (their individual attention spans might be longer in a quieter environment at home).
Rhyming is a plus (Jamberry, Some Bugs, There’s A Bear on My Chair, etc.), concepts are good (The Very Hungry Caterpillar introduces counting, foods, and days of the week; A Seed Grows shows the life cycle of a sunflower), and a story with a pattern helps little ones follow what’s happening – and can deliver humor when the expectation established by the pattern is broken (The Giant Jumperee, Mr. Scruff). Books for littles can deal with managing feelings (The Rabbit Listened, Grumpy Pants), play with sound (Let’s Be Bees, Who Meows?), and even be interactive (Huff & Puff, There’s A __ In This Book).
Here are some of the books I reach for when I need short, captivating books for toddler and preschool storytimes:
- The Rainbow Snail by Karin Akesson
- Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony
- Marta! Big and Small by Jen Arena
- Every Monday Mabel by Jashar Awan
- Roll, Roll Little Pea by Cecile Bergame
- If I Was A Horse by Sophie Blackall
- Hippos Go Berserk by Sandra Boynton
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- There’s A Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins
- Jamberry by Bruce Degen
- Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi
- The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
- The Giant Jumperee by Julia Donaldson
- Oh, No! by Candace Fleming
- There’s A ___ In This Book by Tom Fletcher
- Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
- Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
- Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee
- The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett
- Let’s Be Bees by Shawn Harris
- Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton
- A House by Kevin Henkes
- Dig Dig Digger by Morag Hood
- Mr. Scruff by Simon James
- What Can A Mess Make? by Bee Johnson
- Just One Flake / Just One Wave by Travis Jonker
- A Cat Like That by Lester Laminack
- Will Ladybug Hug? by Hilary Leung
- Chicken Wants A Nap by Tracy Marchini
- Ten Little Squirrels by Bill Martin, Jr.
- Grumpy Pants by Claire Messer
- Who Meows? by Robin Page
- Mister Kitty Is Lost! by Greg Pizzoli
- A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis
- Somewhere in the Bayou by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey
- My Spring Robin by Anne Rockwell
- Huff & Puff by Claudia Rueda
- Little Penguins by Cynthia Rylant
- One of These Is Not Like the Others by Barney Saltzberg
- One Little Blueberry by Tammi Salzano
- Pete’s A Pizza by William Steig
- Goose by Laura Wall
- Spots in a Box by Helen Ward
- Hello Hello by Brendan Wenzel
- More, More, More Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams
- Hooray for Hat by Brian Won
- Where’s My Nose? by Lucas Zanotti
What are your favorite books to share at preschool and toddler storytimes?
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Jenny Arch 