In kindergarten, we read books aloud every day. it’s a way to grow readers and teach a love of learning. these are the best books kindergarten teachers say their class begs them to read almost every day.
These read aloud books are recommended by real kindergarten teachers!
You are reading: Kindergarten books to read
You know it strikes a chord with five and six-year-olds when they ask for the same book over and over again.
Most of the time, these books have “perfect” kid humor or a fair amount of repetition that we as teachers can appreciate too.
I’ll share some video previews of my take on each book and affiliate links so you can check it out for yourself.
the book without pictures
Although this book has no pictures, the reader must say all kinds of nonsense. this book proves that books can be much more about words than pictures.
video preview:
You have to read this book using silly voices and with a lot of intonation, but your students will love that you have to read exactly what it says. *classroom warning: contains the word “butt”
See Also: Max Brand – Book Series In Order
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Piranhas don’t eat bananas
This fun book of rhymes is short. It’s about a piranha that eats fruits and vegetables who tries to convince her friends of her piranhas that eat people to try what she likes.
This book is wonderfully short reading for the classroom. you can read it quite quickly and the students will enjoy the rhyme and the conversation between the fish. students will have fun with the preference of eating piranhas.
See Also: Max Brand – Book Series In Order
get the book >>
the day the crayons ran out
A young child finds a letter from each of the missing crayon colors. He reads the letter on each crayon and then watches as Duncan tries to solve the problem at the end of the story.
This book has a lot of text, but kids can relate to the coloring and humor issues. you’ll find the peach crayon with peeling paper especially amusing towards the end of the book.
This is not a speed read aloud, so save it for when you have a good reading time. And if your class loves it, there are more crayon books to follow.
See Also: Max Brand – Book Series In Order
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dragons love tacos
Find out how to make a dragon happy and make dragon friends by having a taco party, because dragons love tacos. But be careful: watch what happens if you accidentally feed the dragons hot sauce on their tacos.
Kindergartners will enjoy this light-hearted story about tacos and stomach problems. The ending, when the dragons start breathing fire, will definitely be my favorite part of the story.
is a medium length read aloud featuring dragons of all shapes, sizes, and colors. And if your class loves it, there’s a Dragons Love Tacos 2 book to go on.
See Also: Max Brand – Book Series In Order
get the book >>
the crooked donkey
Discover something new about a three-legged “crooked donkey” on every page of this rhyming, singing story.
here’s the song version of the story so you can hear the beat and use it to your advantage when you read it aloud to your class.
students will enjoy the repetition and the growing list of characteristics to describe the donkey. is a medium length read aloud that will make students enjoy the absurd.
See Also: Max Brand – Book Series In Order
get the book >>
favorite read-aloud series for kindergarteners
The above read alouds are now stand-alone books.
however, in many classrooms students fall in love with one character (or set of characters) and will fall in love with more books in the same series.
Teachers agree that almost any book on these lists can quickly become a class favorite in any given year.
These are the best read aloud series for kindergarten.
pete the cat
pete the cat is a famous blue cat who takes hearts in your kindergarten classroom. Kindergarteners love the bright, simplistic illustrations, rhymes, and repetitions in books.
You’ll find the most popular books are more likely to be a hit with kindergarten kids at the beginning of the year.
like these:
- pete the cat: I love my white shoes
- pete the cat: rocking in my school shoes
- pete the cat and his four wonderful buttons
See Also: 10 Brilliant Fonts for Your Book Layout
and then you can spread out other little books, like these, throughout the rest of the school year:
- pete the cat: the first thanksgiving day
- pete the cat saves christmas
- pete the cat and the new guy
- pete the cat and his magic sunglasses
- pete the cat: too cool for school (my first time reading)
- pete’s big lunch (my first time that I can read)
- valentines day is cool
- pete the cat: a pet for pete (the first that I can read)
- pete the cat: big easter adventure
- pete on the beach (first one i can read)
- pete the cat: play ball! (the first one I can read)
- pete the cat: construction destroys
- pete the cat and the bad banana (the first one I can read)
- pete the cat: let’s dance, mommy and daddy!
- cavecat pete
if your class loves pete, you might want to check out these 87 awesome pete the cat gifts and teaching resources.
without David
David is a character that resonates with children: he is loud, mischievous most of the time, but he has a soft heart.
There are four main “No David” books that are just right for the kindergarten classroom.
- no, david!
- david gets into trouble
- david goes to school
- it’s christmas, david!
read the david series books during the first semester of school to better connect with your kindergarten audience.
If your class loves David, you might want to check out these 21 David-Free Activities and Quick Giveaways.
the dove
And it wouldn’t be a list of kindergarten favorites without mentioning the pigeon.
the dove is a character much loved by mo willems who is very cheeky, continually inquisitive, often ready to apologize, and sometimes demanding.
but above all, the dove relies on his love of nonsense.
My two favorite pigeon books are:
- don’t let the pigeon drive the bus
- don’t let the pigeon stay awake
which we used as a springboard for this don’t let the dove writing extension activity…
but other very popular pigeon books for kindergarten include:
- pigeon finds a hotdog
- pigeon has feelings too!
- pigeon wants a puppy!
- pigeon needs a bath!
These books are great books to read any time of the school year, but they will definitely be a big hit during the second semester when kindergarteners have matured a bit more but still like silly stuff.
let’s finish
There you have it: stories ready to read aloud to your class that they’ll probably ask for on a regular basis, so read at your own risk.
thanks to all the kindergarten teachers who chimed in to share their favorites on the kindergartenworks facebook page!
If you like what I do here at kindergartenworks, then be sure to subscribe today. I look forward to sharing ideas with you on a weekly basis.
See Also: The 10 Best Russian Textbooks for Self-studying Beginners | FluentU Russian
more read alouds recommended by kindergarten teachers
- 18 Kindergarten Books for January: Teacher Favorites
- 7 Christmas Kindergarten Books You Won’t Skip
- 20 Printable Famous Retelling Ideas