Preschoolers delight in picture books and stories. From ages 2 to 5, children are exploding with language, perceptual skills, understanding, and questions. The richness of the language is important and the words matter. The sounds of the words, the poetry, the rhythms, and all the ways the words go together make a difference. Younger preschoolers love simple plots, predictable endings, and plot twists. They like to act out and retell situations. Older preschoolers like the same, but they are learning what is real and what is fantasy. Books allow them to explore what’s out there in the world, human emotions, and more complex social relationships. The illustrations also matter. Good pictures are the work of artists who introduce children to a variety of artistic styles and ideas about how to represent reality.

	Art from Her Heart, Written by Kathy Whitehead, illustrated by Shane Evans

	All Aboard! A Traveling Alphabet, Illustrated by Bill Mayer

	Up, Down, and Around, Written by Katherine Ayres, Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott.

	Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry, Compiled by Jane Yolen y Andrew Fusek Peters, Illustrated by Polly Dunbar

	*I'm a Duck* , written and illustrated by Teri Sloat

	The Story of Ferdinand, written by Munro Leaf and illustrated by Robert Lawson

	*Mama, written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter*

	Snip Snap What's That, written by Mara Bergman and illustrated by Nick Maland

	Mud Is Cake, written by Pam Munoz Ryan and illustrated by David McPhail

	The Teddy Bear, written and illustrated by David McPhail

	Rap a Tap Tap: Here's Bojangles- Think of That, written and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillion

	Tortillas and Lulla b ies, Tortillas y Cancioncitas, written by Lynne Reiser and illustrated by Corazones Valientes

	The Dot, written and illustrated by Peter Reynolds

	The Day the Babies Crawled Away, written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann

	My Lucky Day, written and illustrated by Keiko Kasza

	Yesterday I Had the Blues, written by Jeron Ashford Frame and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

	I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!, written and illustrated by David Catrow

	Knuffle Bunny, written by Mo Willems

	Apple Pie, 4th of July, written by Janet S. Wong, illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine

	ABC of Canada, written by Kim Bellefontaine, illustrated by Per-Henrik Gurth

	Shake It, Morena!: And Other Folktales from Puerto Rico, written by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, illustrated by Lulu Delacre

	Goodnight, America, written by Adam Gamble, illustrated by Suwin Chan

	A Child's Day: An Alphabet of Play, Written and illustrated by Ida Pearle

	Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Written by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, Illustrated by Lois Ehlert

	Sleepy Places written by Judy Hindley and illustrated by Tor Freeman

	Bread and Jam for Frances written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by Lillian Hoban

	*The Tale of Peter Rabbit* written by Beatrix Potter

	Harold and the Purple Crayon , written and illustrated by Crockett Johnson

	*The Little Red Hen, written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney*

	Mural on the Second Avenue and Other City Poems, written by Lillian Moore and illustrated by Roma Karas

	The First Thing My Mama Told Me, written by Susan Marie Swanson and illustrated by Christine Davenier

	Duck on A Bike, written and illustrated by David Shannon

	Bubba and Beau: Best Friends, written by Kathy Appelt and illustrated by Arthur Howard

	Each Peach Pear Plum, written by Janet and Allen Ahlberg

	Miss Molly Has a Dolly, written by Pamela Duncan Edwards and illustrated by Eleicia Castaldi

	Jamberry, written and illustrated by Bruce Degen

	The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith

	Goodnight Gorilla, written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann

	A Child's Garden of Verses and a Potpourri of Poetry, written by Robert Louis Stevenson

	Anasi and the Moss-Covered Rock, written by Eric Kimmel and illustrated by Janet Stevens

	Abiyoyo, written by Pete Seeger and illustrated by Micheal Hays

	The Story Goes On, written by Aileen Fisher and illustrated by Mique Moriuchi

	Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, written by Mo Willems

	Hello, Goodbye Window, written by Alma Flor Ada and illustrated by Vivi Escriva

	There's A Nightmare in My Closet, written by Mercer Mayer

	*He Came With the Couch, written and illustrated by Mini Grey*

	Ruby Sings the Blues, written by Niki Daly

	A Baby Sister for Frances, written and illustrated by Russell and Lillian Hoban

	A Birthday for Frances, written and illustrated by Russell and Lillian Hoban

	Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten

	How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, written by Joseph Slate and illustrated by Ashley Wolff

	Alphabet Under Construction, written by Denise Fleming

	*One Monday Morning*, written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz

	*Miss Rumphius, written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney*

	*The Snowy Day, written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats*

	*The Carrot Seed, written by Ruth Krauss* and illustrated by Crockett Johnson

	Alligator Alphabet, written by Stella Blackstone

	Nos fuimos todos de safari (We All Went on Safari), written by Laurie Krebs

	Happy to be Nappy, written by Bell Hooks and Chris Raschka

	There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, written by Simms Tayback

	I Stink, written by Kate and Jim McMullan

	Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

	Ben's Trumpet, written by Rachel Isadora

	Flossie and the Fox, written by Patricia C. McKissack

	The Three Pigs, written by David Weisner

	The Parrot Tico Tango, written by Anna Witte

	The Boy Who Grew Flowers, written by Jen Wojtowitz

	Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, written by Bill Martin and Eric Carle

	Sheila Rae's Peppermint Stick , written Kevin Henkes

	The Little Brute Family, written by Russell and Lillian Hoban

	The Story Tree: Tales to Read Aloud, written by Hugh Lupton and illustrated by Sophie Fatus

	Daddy Island, written by Phillip Wells and illustrated by Niki Daly

	We All Go Traveling By, written by Sheena Roberts and illustrated by Siobhan Bell