100 Books to Read Before Kindergarten

by Eliza Clark

One of the very favorite articles we've written here at The Savvy Source is 100 Things to Do Before Kindergarten. It captures all of the dreaming and hoping and planning that comes with parenting young children. It's a pre-elementary school life list of sorts. So we thought, wouldn't it be nice to have a book list, too?

Many of us at Savvy have children in elementary school by now, and these are the books that have carried us through bedtimes, sick afternoons, and quiet moments on the couch. And our children still enjoy them...even in the older and wiser years of second grade.

Just in time for your summer reading list, here are 100 books to read before kindergarten.

In no particular order....

1. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelsman
2. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
3. Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak
4. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
5. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
6. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
7. The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson
8. A Hole is to Dig by Ruth Krauss
9. The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne
10. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
11. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
12. Arrow to the Sun by Gerald McDermott
13. Eloise by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight
14. Olivia by Ian Falconer
15. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
16. Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
17. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
18. A House for a Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
19. The Mixed Up Chameleon by Eric Carle
20. The Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry
21. What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry
22. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
23. The Tale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter
24. The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter
25. Corduroy by Don Freeman
26. Fly High, Fly Low by Don Freeman
27. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
28. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
29. Wynken, Blynken, and Nod by Eugene Field and Johanna Westerman
30. The Original Mother Goose
31. The Maggie B. by Irene Haas
32. Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban
33. Amos and Boris by William Steig
34. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
35. Play With Me by Marie Hall Ets
36. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems
37. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
38. Time for Bed by Mem Fox
39. The Owl and the p----cat by Edward Lear
40. A Child's Book of Poems by Gyo Fujikawa
41. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
42. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
43. Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss
44. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
45. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
46. Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
47. George and Martha by James Marshall
48. Goldilocks and the Three Bears by James Marshall
49. Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
50. Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
51. Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
52. Children Just Like Me by Anabel Kindersley and Barnabas Kindersley
53. People by Peter Spier
54. A Color of His Own by Leo Leonni
55. Swimmy by Leo Leonni
56. The Story of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff
57. Curious George by H.A. Rey
58. Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
59. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
60. A Time to Keep by Tasha Tudor
61. Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
62. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
63. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
64. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
65. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Tabach
66. There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer
67. How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
68. Angus and the Ducks by Marjorie Flack
69. The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack
70. Count and See by Tana Hoban
71. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
72. The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
73. Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
74. May I Bring a Friend? by Beni Montresor and Beatrice Schenk de Regniers
75. Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
76. Are You My Mother? By P.D. Eastman
77. Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
78. Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch
79. We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
80. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
81. Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone
82. The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone
83. The Princess and the Pea by Lauren Child and Polly Borland
84. Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathman
85. Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus and Jose Aruego
86. The Happy Lion by Louise Fatio and Roger Duvoisin
87. Many Moons by James Thurber and Louis Slobodkin
88. Strega Nona by Tomie DePaola
89. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond
90. Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
91. Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
92. Jamberry by Bruce Degen
93. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault, and Lois Ehlert
94. Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
95. Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
96. The House on East 88 th Street (Lyle the Crocodile series) by Bernard Waber
97. The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
98. Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault and Fred Marcellino
99. My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann
100. The Three Pigs by David Wiesner