Great Books to Read Aloud

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Please, Baby, Please
by Spike and Tonya Lewis Lee, illustrations by Kadir Nelson
An energetic toddler keeps her parents busy from sun-up to bedtime.

Infants and Toddlers

Good Night, Gorilla
by Peggy Rathmann
A gorilla nabs the zoo guard’s keys, releases the other animals, and follows the guard home in this hilarious bedtime book.

Infants and Toddlers

Tikki Tikki Tembo
by Arlene Mosel, illustrations by Blair Lent
An additively rhythmic retelling of an old Chinese folktale about two brothers: one named Chang and the other Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo. It’s a mouthful, but one kids adore hearing—and chanting—themselves.

Preschoolers and Kindergartners

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
by Mo Willems
This book is a scream—literally, as kids can shout “No!” to a pigeon’s repeated requests to drive a bus. Willems’s books (including the great Knuffle Bunny series) are fun reads for both kids and adults.

Preschoolers and Kindergartners

Swimmy
by Leo Lionni
A small fish in a big pond thinks up a way to avoid being eaten by a tuna.

Preschoolers and Kindergartners

Hey! Listen to This: Stories to Read Aloud
by Jim Trelease
An anthology of fifty great read-aloud stories grouped by topic.

Preschoolers and Kindergartners

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale
by Verna Aardema, illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon
To answer the title question, bold illustrations depict simultaneously two parallel plots—what supposedly happened and what really happened.

Preschoolers and Kindergartners

Mr. Popper’s Penguins
by Richard & Florence Atwater, illustrations by Robert Lawson
Mr. Popper takes a troupe of penguins on tour, where shenanigans ensue. A great way to introduce chapter books.

Elementary Grades

The Reluctant Dragon
by Kenneth Grahame, illustrations by Inga Moore
A meek dragon avoids combat with a knight thanks to a faithful friend.

Elementary Grades

Frindle
by Andrew Clements, illustrations by Brian Selznick
A fifth-grader invents a new word in language arts class, leading to an uproarious series of events. Omniscient narration makes it perfect for reading aloud.

Elementary Grades

Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis
A ten-year-old runs away from his foster home to seek a jazz musician he thinks is his father. Clever writing sets off the characters as well as the Great Depression setting.

Elementary Grades

The Giver
by Lois Lowry
An ideal society that has no crime or unemployment turns out to be a dystopia when Jonas discovers its secrets.

Elementary Grades

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
by Jeff Kinney
A boy is forced to keep a diary in which he records his pithy thoughts about life in middle school.

Elementary Grades

Canterbury Tales
adapted by Barbara Cohen, illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman
This adaptation of Chaucer’s classic work is an accessible version for reluctant and younger readers—or those who would never pick up a book written more than 500 years ago.

Teens

To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
A young girl observes her Depression-era southern town as racial tensions flare.

Teens