Summer Reading 2021: Preschool Book List

Grab a shovel and get ready to plant some trees! From poplars to pines, alder, apple, peach, and plum, this rhyming story introduces the concept of orders of magnitude and celebrates the importance of planting different trees and preserving diverse ecosystems. Nurturing a new sapling is one of the first steps in growing hundreds, millions, even trillions of trees.

When Grandma comes to visit, and his parents leave them alone, the boy's grandmother encourages him to imitate a jaguar, until completely transformed they venture out into the night, exploring the world from a new perspective, and with a new freedom--until it is difficult to distinguish imagination from reality.

It's time for a nap but, just like stubborn toddlers everywhere, Annalise Devin McFleece won't have anything to do with bedtime. Dad tries to encourage sleepiness by pushing her around the park in her stroller. Along the way, they pass a man sitting on a bench, dog walkers walking dogs, a boy on a skateboard, kids playing ball, a girl practicing her juggling, and others. Each of them thinks that taking a nap is a great idea and if Annalise Devin McFleece doesn't want hers, they'll happily take it. And one by one, everyone falls asleep...except Annalise Devin McFleece. But when she's finally ready for her nap, all the naps are taken! Is there anyone who has an extra nap to spare? With every turn of the page, the busy city scene becomes more and more quiet...except for Annalise Devin McFleece. Will she ever take a nap?

When his busy father prompts him to get ready for an exciting family cookout, an exuberant young Pablo decides that he would rather not wear his pants and would have more fun finding other ways to use them.

Kitty, who looks like a kitten yet feels she is actually a unicorn, begins to doubt herself as others ridicule her, until she meets a unicorn that helps her discover and embrace who she is.

A touching story about a little boy whose worry monster follows him everywhere he goes. It's there when he gets dressed, when he wants to play with his toys, and even when his friends come over to visit. How can he escape his worries?

A scruffy stray dog follows a girl home, promising to stay by her side and be her loyal friend and companion for as long as she needs him.

Jeff the bear is sure he has forgotten something when he sets out from home, but none of the animals he meets initially inform him that he is only wearing his underwear, until he reaches his friend Anders the hare--who quickly thinks of a way to avoid embarrassing Jeff, by starting a fashion trend.

Wouldn't the world be a better place if everyone knew how to apologize? Luckily, this humorous guidebook is full of practical tips about when, why, and how to say you're sorry. From a porcupine who accidentally popped his friend's balloon to a snail who was running so fast he stepped on a sloth's toes, hilarious examples and sweet illustrations abound. For both listeners who are just learning and older readers who need a refresher, this book will come as a welcome reminder that even though apologizing can be hard, it doesn't have to be complicated.

Enjoying days spent with animal friends near her home in the Amazon, young Zonia wonders what to do on a day when the rainforest calls out to her for help, in a lushly illustrated story that is complemented by back matter about the Asháninka community.

When all of their special Saturday plans go awry, Ava and her mother still find a way to appreciate one another and their time together.

Ella is excited for her first day at a new school. Glimmering pencil case? Check! Shimmering backpack? Check! Glittery ribbons in her hair? Check! She can't wait to meet the other kids and share her sparkly personality. But her first day doesn't go quite as planned: Her new classmates don't like her disco-ball shoes, her PB&J-with-sprinkles sandwich, or her rainbow-y unicorn painting. Ella decides to try to be less sparkly at school the next day so the other kids won't make fun of her. But with a little help from her dad, she soon learns the importance of just being herself, no matter what other people say