If you’re homeschooling kindergarten, picture books can be one of the most powerful tools in your toolbox. You likely already know the power of reading aloud to your young learner, but with so many fantastic books out there—where to start?

We offer a literature-based kindergarten curriculum that schedules out a delightful year of reading aloud and learning with your kindergartener. Here are some of the best picture books and book series for kindergarteners that you’ll find in that list: classics both old and new.

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Let’s dive right into the list of best kindergarten picture books, shall we?

McLerran’s Roxaboxen earns its enduring appeal through its depiction of a quintessential childhood experience: finding a special place, and allowing imagination and ingenuity to transform it into a kingdom of one’s own. A group of children collaborate to create their own town in Arizona’s desert, making memories that stay with them for decades to come.

Kate Messner’s Over and Under series combines lyrical text with vivid illustrations in an exploration of outdoor adventures in a variety of different habitats. Each book ends with a series of pages with non-fiction information about each living creature featured throughout the book. These books are ones that you’ll want to read and re-read, which is why they are scheduled for repeat readings throughout The Curious Kinder, allowing you and your child to discover new aspects of the book upon each reading.

John Rocco’s Blizzard is based on a real-life blizzard experience from the author’s own childhood. Detailed illustrations cleverly demonstrate the passing of a week of days snowed in by integrating the names of each day of the week into each page. A young boy’s determination, cleverness, and hard work help him to make it to the grocery store and back to deliver groceries to his snowed-in family and neighbors. This book opens up the world of wintery blizzards to children who have never experienced them, and will be a relatable tale for those who have.

The illustrations of Isabel Quintero’s touching tale of quality time between a father and daughter bring a Southern California neighborhood vividly to life. Over the course of a single motorcycle ride, we realize how interconnected a community is, as father and daughter greet grandparents, coworkers, and their librarian before returning home to enjoy raspados with the rest of the family.

The Elephant & Piggie series is so engaging that we schedule the entire series over the course of the 30 weeks of The Curious Kinder. Emotions can run strong and big in the hearts of our tiny kindergarteners, and the same is true for friends Gerald & Piggie, who face a variety of exciting opportunities and disappointments in these short stories. These books are excellent conversation starters as we seek to discuss ways to respond to life’s frustrations and to our own emotions.

Are You a Dragonfly? is part of a series of similar books by the same author, each informing the reader of interesting details about a small creature’s way of life, through the literary device of asking the reader if they share these characteristics or habits. By the end, you will indeed come to the conclusion that you are, in fact, not a dragonfly, but you now know a lot more about the way they live.

Knight Owl is perfect for anyone who appreciates a good pun, a cute owl, and medieval history, all rolled up into one delightful tale of a small owl who works hard to pursue his dream of becoming a knight, and uses both courage and creativity to defeat the enemy.

Sleep Tight Farm will give you a new perspective on the amount of work involved in farming, even in the off season. Planting time and harvest time might get the most fanfare, but there is much work to be done in the process of putting the farm to bed for winter. Each season is necessary in the rhythm of farm life.

The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson features this author’s recognizable rollicking rhythm and rhyme, making it a delight to read aloud. This is a classic tale of discovering that you’re never too small to embark on big adventures…or to help others in need.

The sky is the limit when it comes to a child’s imagination, a fact celebrated in the “If I Built…” series by Chris Van Dusen. When we grown-ups design houses, we consider finances and practicality above all else, but the main character in this book designs a house filled with whimsy and delight. This book is a great starting point to get our own children thinking creatively about unique designs that they can create.

Each of these books is featured in The Curious Kinder, which includes a Parent Guide filled with teaching notes, activity suggestions, as well as coordinating activity pages in the Student Activity book. This literature-based homeschool kindergarten curriculum is designed to make story-based learning easy and delightful to implement, leading to a rich, developmentally-appropriate year of kindergarten learning at home. Don’t forget to check out the FREE SAMPLE or the FAQs page if you’re interested in learning more!