Over 35 Great Children’s Books for Learning
Image description: A woman and a young boy read a book together while seated on a mattress.
One of the hallmarks of our practice is the use of play to bring out a wide variety of goals.
Play doesn’t always come in games and toys either, but in the simple act of cracking open a book on your own or with a friend, parent, guardian, or show-and-tell!
Below we have a few examples of specific types of books we use. Not necessarily genres of books (eg. fantasy, fiction), but mechanical features of children’s books from sounds, pop-ups and rhyming—and how they benefit both readers and coaches in creative learning. You can use these books to work at home on your own, too!
Our Communications Director collaborated with the Edmonton Public Library to find books you can borrow from our list! These will be marked with a Book Emoji. 📚
Touch and Feel Books
Image description: A set of Touch and Feel books on a bookshelf. These touch and feel books feature fluffy and soft textures on the cover.
Touch and Feel Books help children stay engaged, with different textures and sensations to touch and explore from page to page.
Touch and Feel Books are often sturdily built and great for very young children (ages 0 - 4) who may be rougher with typical books.
Touch and Feel books have all sorts of fun textures, such as soft fur, grainy sand, feathers, and rubber.
Peekaboo Kisses by Barney Saltzberg 📚
Never Touch a Polar Bear by Rosie Greening
See, Touch, Feel: A First Sensory Book by Roger Priddy
Wiggles by Claire Zuchelli-Romer 📚
The Game of Shapes by Hervé Tullet 📚
Pirate Pete by Nick Sharratt (This book allows you to change the story by putting different pictures in the slots on each page)
Once Upon a Time by Nick Sharratt (This book allows you to change the story by putting different pictures in the slots on each page)
Follow The Trail books series by various Authors (Follow The Trail books are great for finger isolation, overall fine motor, and visual motor integration skills. The trails can also be textured, like following bumpy, glittery, or fuzzy trails.)
Repeating Words and Sentences
Image description: A set of Touch and Feel books on a bookshelf. This book combines rhyming styles and touch-and-feel by using your finger to touch and follow the T. rex around!
Books with repeating text allow for multiple opportunities to practice speech goals—practice makes perfect, after all!
Repetitive text books are often written in poetic measures, styles and lullabies. One of the most famous books worldwide of this style are the works of Dr. Seuss, where simple words are arranged and rearranged in all sorts of fun sentences (eg. Fox, Socks, Knox, Blocks, Clocks)
Five Little Monkeys series by Eileen Christelow 📚
The Night is Deep and Wide by Gillian Sze (also uses black, white, and red to help children developing eyesight) 📚
Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss 📚
I Am Awesome! by Paula Audrey Rivero
Oi Frog! by Kes Gray
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin, Jr.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Jillian Jiggs by Phoebe Gilman
Pete the Cat by Kimberly and James Dean
Sound Books
Image description: A series of farm-based children’s books on a shelf. These books come with a built-in soundboard that makes different animal noises.
Some Sound Books create noises through touch. For example, a book could make an animal sound or a speech sound like a ‘pop’ that kids can play and practice back once heard.
Other Sound Books may not have a physical or electric soundboard, but can encourage the reader to make the sound that is written (eg. “Rooooar!” “Wooosh!” “Splash!”)
My Heart Beats by Rina Singh (features the sounds of heartbeats from world languages) 📚
B is for Baby by Atinuke 📚
Swish Slosh by Deborah Kerbel 📚
Poke-a-Dot: Who’s in The Ocean by Melissa & Doug company
Interactive Safari Animal Sounds by Ditty Bird
Potty Time! by Caroline Jayne Church (Includes sound module of a flushing toilet)
Say Zoop! by Herve Tullet
The Bunnies are Not in Their Beds by Marisabina Russo
Pop-Up Books
Image description: A series of books on a shelf from the Pop-Up Peekaboo series: Pop-Up Peekaboo Dragon, Monsters, First Words, and Baby Dinosaur.
Pop-Up books are a favorite of just about any kid around. Like Touch and Feel, they can add an extra tactile and visual experience to reading.
Pop-Up Peekaboo! Things That Go by Dawn Sirett
Pop-Up Seasons by Anna Milbourne
Pop-Up Dinosaurs: A Pop-Up Book to Get Your Jaws Into by Roger Priddy
Dear Zoo: A Pop-Up Book by Rod Campbell 📚
The Wide-mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner 📚
Counting and Alphabet Books
Image Description: A series of books on a shelf related to alphabets and counting.
Similar to other sound and repetition books, these are books meant to encourage children to practice numbers and counting, or letters and alphabetical order and association. They can also be a great reference to pull out and practice numbers and letters again and again.
Animal Numbers by Thomas Flintham 📚
We All Count: A Book of Cree Numbers by Julie Flett 📚
Kiss by Kiss a Counting Book for Families = Ocêtôwina : Peyak Ôskân Ohcih -- Akitâh-masinahikan by Richard Van Camp (A dual-language board book in English and Plains Cree) 📚
Counting by Fleur Star 📚
Reading Goals
Below is a non-exhaustive list of goals that can be developed through reading books. These goals may fit some of the books in our list, but seldom every book. Goals can change with needs, capacities, and ages.
As you go shopping or browsing shelves for your next book to buy or borrow, here are some goals to consider (and as a tip, you can ask a librarian to narrow down books for you!):
Rhyming
Subjective Pronouns (I, You)
Objective Pronouns (Me, Them)
Modals (Could, Would, Will, May)
Action Verbs
Prepositions (In, On)
Speech Sounds (/k/, /f/, /p/)
Character Description
Setting Description
Story Morals (Patience, cause and effect, generosity)
Antonyms/Opposites
Location Concepts
Quantity Concepts (Many, More, Fewer, None)
Adjectives
Counting
Location Concepts (On top, beside)
Negatives (Can’t, Won’t, Don’t)
Copying Sounds (eg. Animal sounds)
Onomatopoeia
Telepractice and Read-Alouds
Image Description: An image is accompanied by a narrated caption of a story. “Caring for a Pet”, a story with accompanying voiceover, is available on Early World of Learning with an Edmonton Public Library card and account.
Whether you’re a clinician offering remote telepractice, or leaving home is not in your plans, the internet contains endless videos for book read-alouds from several resources.
Vooks is an interactive reading system with a variety of books and read-alongs. You can get a free Vooks trial, or check out the selection of free vooks.
Early World of Learning helps preschoolers and early-grade children grasp critical early childhood themes. You need a library card from the Edmonton Public Library to access it, for free!
Download the Hoopla app on your phone or tablet or visit online and, with your Edmonton Public Library card, take out children’s e-books online.
FreeChildrenStories.com has a variety of books for all ages available to read online, including rhyming stories for kids.
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. ”