Preschool and Kindergarten Summer Picture Book Reading List
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A reader asked me to make a preschool and kindergarten summer reading list of picture books for pre-readers. So, I’ve compiled some of my favorite books to read.
I hope this book list helps you and your kids enjoy many new picture books this summer!
Download the free printable of this summer reading list. NOTE: If you don’t see the printable sign-up below, please clear your cache and try again.
Preschool & Kinder Summer Picture Book Reading List
Kindergarten & Preschool Books to Read: Read Aloud Favorites

- Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz
- Looking for a Jumbie by Tracey Baptiste
- Blue Baboon Finds Her Toon by Helen Docherty and Thomas Docherty
- The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
- The Rice in the Pot Goes Round and Round by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
- Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
- The Bear’s Song by Benjamin Chaud
- It’s So Quiet: A Not-Quite-Going-to-Bed Book by Sherri Duskey Rinker
- Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee
- Silly Sally by Audrey Woods
- Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
- Atticus Caticus by Sarah Maizes
- 100 Dogs: Playful Pups to Count by Michael Whaite
- Group Hug by Jean Reidy
- Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter
- Mina by Matthew Forsythe
- My Fade is Fresh by Shauntay Grant
- I Can Explain by Shinsuke Yoshitake
- Ear Worm! by Jo Knowles
- The Rice in the Pot Goes Round and Round by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Kindergarten & Preschool Books to Read: Funny Picture Books

- The Little Butterfly That Could by Ross Burach
- Unicorns Are the Worst by Alex Willan
- The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming
- Here Comes the Big Mean Dust Bunny by Jan Thomas
- This Is a Moose by Richard T. Morris, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
- The Bear Who Wasn’t There by LeUyen Pham
- I Am Not a Penguin: A Pangolin’s Lament by Liz Wong
- Pizza with Everything on It by Kyle Scheele
- I Can Only Draw Worms by Will Mabbitt
- Z for Moose by Kelly Bingham, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
- Not Now Cow by Tammi Sauer
- Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea
- The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
- Those Darn Squirrels by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
- Like by Annie Barrows and Leo Espinosa
- We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
- Poo-Dunit? A Forest Floor Mystery by Katelyn Aronson
- Too Many Pigs and One Big Bad Wolf by Davide Cali and Marianna Balducci
- Mina by Matthew Forsythe
- Don’t Eat Bees (Life Lessons from Chip the Dog) by Mike Boldt
- A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree by Daniel Bernstrom
- One Sheep, Two Sheep by Tami Sauer
- Room for Everyone by Naaz Khan
- Walrus in the Bathtub by Deborah Underwood
Kindergarten & Preschool Books to Read: Picture Books with Lessons

- Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham
- Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
- Lulu the One and Only by Lynnette Mawhinney
- The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
- The Tale of the Valiant Ninja Frog by Alastair Chisholm
- When Charley Met Emma by Amy Webb
- The Camping Trip by Jennifer K. Mann
- I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes
- Chopsticks by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
- Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
- One of These Is Not Like the Others by Barney Saltzberg
- After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat
- Pigeon Math by Asia Citro, illustrated by Richard Watson
- The Donkey Egg by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
- Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
- How to Apologize by David LaRochelle
- Sometimes, All I Need is Me by Juliana Perdomo
- Donut the Unicorn Who Wants to Fly by Laura Gehl
- Thankful by Elaine Vickers
- Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! by Cori Doerrfeld
Kindergarten & Preschool Books to Read: Imaginative, Magical Stories

- Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
- Anzu the Great Kaiju by Benson Shum
- Brave As a Mouse by Nicolo Carozzi
- Kat Hats by Daniel Pinkwater
- Another by Christian Robinson
- Quest by Aaron Becker
Kindergarten & Preschool Books to Read: Nonfiction Books

- Caves by Nell Cross Beckerman
- Pizza: A Slice of History by Greg Pizzoli
- Peculiar Primates Fun Facts About These Curious Creatures by Debra Kempf Shumaker
- Except Antarctica! by Todd Sturgell
- Mars: Earthlings Welcome by Stacy McAnulty
- Odd Beasts Meet Nature’s Weirdest Animals by Laura Gehl
- Let’s Go for a Walk by Ranger Hamza
- Walrus Song by Janet Lawler
- Fiona the Fruit Bat by Dan Riskin
- Hippos Can’t Swim and Other Fun Facts by Laura Lyn DiSiena and Hannah Eliot

Hi I love your summer reading lists. I tried getting a printable list, but have been unsuccessful. Do you have a printable one available?
I’m sorry the printable list isn’t showing up– sometimes it’s glitchy. Here’s the link: https://imaginationsoup.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Summer-Picture-Book-Reading-List-for-Preschoolers.pdf
This is a great list, we already have several books listed here but will be adding more. We love going to our local store and picking out new books!
That’s wonderful!
I love this activity I’m a teacher at a preschool in South Florida and I can’t wait to try these out check out some of our pictures at http://www.shinebrightacademy.com