My Favorite Rhyming Picture Books

Rhyming

Rhyming is an early pre-reading skill. Some children pick it up quickly, others struggle. There is some research suggesting that ability to rhyme can be a predictor of future reading success.

Rhyming is fun. It can be silly, and most preschoolers love to play with sounds and words in this way.

I begin all of my Preschool, Pre-K and Kindergarten lessons with a picture book. I choose the books that have a strong rhyme or another element that I can use in our lesson.

My Favorites

These books all have a strong rhyme pattern and are fun to read aloud.

1. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
2. Rhyming Dust Bunnies and the sequel Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny! both by Jan Thomas
3. The Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
4. Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
5.  Down by the Bay Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Wescott (A Raffi Songs to Read book)
6. Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? By Nancy Whit Carlstrom
7. Hippos Go Berserk! By Sanda Boyton
8. The Spiffiest Giant in Town by Julia Donaldson
9. The Monster Who Lost his Mean By Tiffany Strelitz Haber
10. Parts by Tedd Arnold
11. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
12. Silly Sally by Audrey Wood
13. The Piggy in the Puddle by Charlotte Pomerantz
14. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Dieson
15. My Truck is Stuck! by Kevin Lewis

When a Bear Bakes a Cake by Jasper Tomkins would be at the very top of my list but it is sadly out of print. I’ve read this to my students for years and love it. If you can find a copy, it is certainly worth adding to your collection.

Some of these books are now available as board books. I much prefer to use a paper version. It is usually larger and 4 and year-olds may dismiss a board book as a “baby book”.

Sometimes I just read the book. Sometimes we go back and we find rhyming words in the text. And sometimes I plan an entire lesson around the book.

Lesson time that includes reading a silly rhyming book is always time well spent!

What are some of your favorites?