10 Engaging Read-Aloud Hits to Capture Preschoolers' Attention by Jodie from Growing Book by Book
Pull out an engaging book and release the kryptonite to preschool development. Reading aloud to preschoolers is a wonderful way to build early literacy skills from enriching vocabulary to modeling fluent reading. It is also a time to build connections and community.
The first key to this powerful read-aloud experience is book selection. There are just some books that have that “it factor” and can take your read-aloud time to super power levels.
Here are ten books that are sure to get the command, “Read it again.” from the preschoolers in your life.
Towed by Toad by Jashar Awan
A positive message, ample alliteration, rhythmic rhyming, and a variety of vehicles are all in this charming and fun read-aloud.
Jump in the truck with Toad as he travels around town helping those in need. Toad is there for flat tires and engine trouble. But, in all the hustle and bustle, Toad forgets to slow down and take care of himself and his vehicle. Who will help the helper when help is needed?
The Quiet Forest by Charlotte Offsay and Abi Cushman
Cumulative stories are repetitive making them ideal for working on retelling and comprehension skills.
This cumulative tale takes us to the forest and starts with a mischievous mouse and quickly snowballs into a very loud day in the forest. Will things ever calm down?
Lucky Duck by Greg Pizzoli
Preschoolers love to point out when something is different than what is seen or told in books. They will get lots of opportunities in our next read-aloud.
Susan the Duck is feeling very unlucky one day. Things seem to not be going her way. Her new roller skates arrived and were too large and her pickle jar is empty. The list goes on and on.
Then, a wolf arrives at her door proclaiming that it is her lucky day. She’s won a pot. Wolf keeps returning with more goodies for her from celery to onions.
Do you have an idea where this is going? Yep, the wolf returns for duck soup which is feeling very unlucky!
Here is a fun one to get listeners involved in a very vocal way.
Mr. Fox instructs us at the beginning of the book that every time a question is asked, we must respond, “NO!” If we fail, we must return to the beginning of the book and start over.
That clever Mr. Fox is really going to make it hard on us with questions that we really want to say yes to. Will you be able to make it through the book without starting over? Probably not because the kids are going to want you to read this one over and over again.
Hen in the Bed by Katrina Charman and Guilherme Karsten
Another way to get little ones involved and engaged in books is to invite them to SING along.
Everyone is in a crowded bed and the speckled hen asks everyone to roll over and the countdown begins until no one is left in the bed.
Ten Blocks To The Big Wok: A Chinatown Counting Book by Ying-Hwa Hu
Books can be wonderful ways to introduce children to other cultures. Plus, it is important that all children see themselves represented in books.
In this story we meet a child and her uncle who are on their way to a restaurant. On the ten block walk, Mia counts all the sights along the way, noticing everything from pandas to lanterns. At the restaurant, they order ten soup dumplings counting their way down to one special dish to share with someone when they leave.
We can also help children develop other academic skills besides literacy through read-alouds. This title helps young ones improve counting skills.
Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter and Oge Mora
Our next title is full of onomatopoeia. Invite the kiddos to repeat them after you to add some sound effects to the reading experience.
Everyone inside the red brick building is sleeping until the baby howls, “Waaaaaah!” Now someone wakes and before you know it everyone is awake. But just as quickly as the sounds wake everyone up, different sounds lull everyone back to sleep.
After the Buzz Comes the Bee: Lift-the-Flap Animal Sounds by Robie Rogge and Rachel Isadora
Interactive books have built in attention grabbers to keep young children engaged. These books naturally invite children into the story asking them to participate through dialogue or manipulation of the book or their bodies.
After the Buzz Comes the Bee invites listeners to guess which animal is making different sounds in nature. Then, kids can lift the flap to reveal the animal and confirm their guess. Explore the noises animals make in nature in this playful read-aloud.
Five Hiding Ostriches by Barbara Barbieri McGrath and Riley Samels
I don’t think I’ve met a preschooler who didn’t enjoy a game of hide-and-seek. In this next title we get to take the game right inside a book.
Imagine playing hide-and-seek with a lion.Well, that's what these five ostriches are doing in this playful, counting, rhythmic book.
The Little Red Fort by Brenda Maier and Sonia Sánchez
Traditional stories such as The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks and the Three Bears are stories that are returned to over and over again from generation to generation. It’s fun to read spins on the classics in the form of fractured fairy tales. And, they also provide a great literacy opportunity to compare and contrast.
The Little Red Fort is a variation of The Little Red Hen. Ruby wants to build a fort but her three brothers don’t want to help with the planning or building. So, Ruby sets off to do it herself. However, when it comes time to play in the fort, the brothers come up with a creative way to add to the fort and contribute to the endeavor.
Now, that you have unleashed these super books into your read-aloud experiences, check out other books by the authors shared. Most of them have other read-aloud treasures awaiting you.
If you’d like to follow Jodie for more book suggestions, book activities, and early literacy ideas, find her on Instagram @growingbookbybook and on her blog, Growing Book by Book.
