NOTE: This is currently an ongoing project so expect the list to be updated regularly as I continue to add our favorite children’s books to it and finish adding the summaries to those currently available.
On this page I’ve compiled some of our favorite Montessori-friendly children’s books.
Simply click on a category and suggested books will appear.
Interested in learning more about what criteria I consider to be important when selecting books for our Montessori-inspired home? Click here to read more.
If you have any recommendations or things you’d like to see added in terms of categories or any additional picture book suggestions that you would like to see included on this page, I’d love to hear about them! Feel free to send me an e-mail or connect with me through social media, and we’ll be sure to check them out.
DISCLOSURE: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS AT NO COST TO YOU. THIS MEANS I MAY RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF YOU MAKE A PURCHASE USING THESE LINKS.
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Nell and her dog Rusty love to dig in the dirt, but their neighbor Norman refrains from joining in on their fun because he doesn't like to get dirty. That is until he starts to see the treasures they uncover when digging and, in the process, discovers the joy that can come from trying something new. -
After completing his swim class, Jabari is excited to jump from the diving board for the first time. But he's also a little scared. Aided by his father's patience and gentle encouragement, Jabari gathers his courage and takes the leap. Jabari Jumps is a must for summer reading picture book lists.
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A Navajo family waits expectantly to hear their baby's first laugh. Readers will learn about the Navajo's First Laugh Ceremony as well as other celebrations around the world to welcome new babies.
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In a gentle tale about sibling rivalry, a mother lovingly reassures her son that there will always be room on her lap. A perfect readaloud for older siblings who are adjusting to a new baby at home.
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A father plays along in a silly game of hide-and-seek with his daughter. Kids are sure to enjoy finding Emily Greene on each page.
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Laura celebrates Christmas with her family and enjoys playing in the snow, eating Molasses candy, and receiving a special gift in her stocking.
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Seven persnickety eaters set out to bake their patient and loving mother 'a breakfast made of all the foods that kept them in such happy moods' as a surprise for her birthday.
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When a fearsome storm rolls into their Tennessee farm, a young girl named Lorraine is able to summon her courage through song and dance with the help of her Pa Paw's reassurance, despite the loss of her favorite instrument.
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Nell loves to knit, and she especially loves to knit for others. Eventually she inspires her friends to take up knitting as well.
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Learn how people around the world celebrate the full moon. Several pages in the back of the book provide additional information for each poem, making this a fun resource for cultural studies.
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If you have a kid that's curious about what's underground, here's a collection of poems for you. Jane Yolen features everything from seeds and roots to ants and earthworms to fossils and magma pools.
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A mother shares her enthusiasm for dance with her daughter throughout the changing seasons.
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A young boy recalls the special bond he shared with his grandmother and fondly remembers how they would bake teacakes every Saturday afternoon during the summer.
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In this modern Jewish folktale, a young girl knits a mother and her baby a special gift.
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Rose and her friend Ed set off on a butterfly hunt to see who can catch and release the most butterflies. Written in rhyme, the story can be used as a supplemental resource for children learning addition. The book also provides factual information about several different types of butterflies, the life cycle of a butterfly, and its body parts, making it a fun life science resource as well.
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Follow along as a family prepares their farm for the upcoming winter season. This book details how they work together to care for their homestead.
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Inspired by a true story, Margaret and the Moon recounts how Margaret Hamilton's code saved the Apollo 11 mission and encourages kids to tackle problems and never give up on their dreams.
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Irene Bobbin, the daughter of a dressmaker, volunteers to deliver a ball gown to a duchess when her mother falls ill. In order to arrive on time, she must battle a fierce snowstorm and other obstacles along the way.
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A young girl spends the summer with her Gran on an island in the Salish Sea and enjoys eating huckleberry muffins, nestling in her favorite big-leaf maple tree, watching harbor seals, exploring sandstone caves, going clamming, and making blackberry jam and pies before finally getting to see a pod of orcas on her way home with the assured knowledge that she will return again.
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Photographer Yoshio Komatsu teams up with illustrator Akira Nishiyama to feature families' homes in ten different countries around the world. Pairing real photographs of their homes alongside a detailed illustration plus information about the families' everyday activities makes this a quality addition to any family's library.
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When she's tasked with measuring something in many different ways, Lisa selects her dog Penny. Readers are introduced to standard and non-standard units of measurement.
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A pair of siblings observe birds in their backyard, taking special note of the robin who never leaves her nest or sings like the rest of the birds.
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Nick spends the summer with his grandma in the woods in Wisconsin and discovers a raft that helps unearth his passion for art and nature.
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This beautifully illustrated book featuring the Silent Night carol is a wonderful addition to your family's Christmas book collection.
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In Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars, Douglas Florian presents 20 playful poems about space for young astronomers.
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In this collection of stories by Shirley Hughes, Alfie goes camping with his father, sets up shop in his backyard, searches for a stray sheep, and visits the seashore.
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A collection of 20 sweet and playful poems about Annie Rose and her older brother, Alfie, that are sure to be popular among young children.
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When her grandmother has to move into an assisted living facility, Emily and her mother sew a one-of-a-kind quilt to help keep her memories of home by her side.
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An ice cream truck breaks down in the middle of a neighborhood street and, one by one, trucks of all different types pile up behind until a young boy riding his bicycle suggests a clever way to clear the traffic jam.
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A girl and her family play and work together in their yard throughout the year. Due to its sparse text, it's a good option for young toddlers or emergent readers.
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A pair of siblings sneak downstairs and find their parents singing and dancing while cleaning up the kitchen at night.
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Multi-layered text combines fun facts about some of the world's most famous bridges with a sweet story about building connections with each other.
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Written to the tune of 'This Old Man', here's a fun introduction to jazz music that features nine of the best jazz legends.
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Inspired by the life of Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space, this book demonstrates that anything is possible with confidence, hard work, and determination.
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Photographs of famous buildings around the world mirror children's creative building constructions in this text that also features short, playful poems along with biographical information of the featured architects.
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Laura and Mary enjoy summertime and spend their days playing outdoors and helping their Ma and Pa.
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A simple story of persistence and patience and, ultimately, trusting in your own beliefs — all wonderful traits to instill in a young child.
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When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons by Julie Fogliano chronicles the emotions and feelings that often accompany the passage of time and the changing of seasons.
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Mama Panya begins to worry there will not be enough food when her son invites everyone he meets at the market to a pancake dinner. This is a heartwarming tale about community and generosity.
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Yuko-Chan is determined to help her village recover from the eruption of Mount Asama. Motivated by the belief, "If you fall seven times, you must pick yourself up eight times," she figures out how to build Daruma dolls and, in the process, inspires her village with her optimism even in the face of obstacles.
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When a young boy has trouble falling asleep, he decides to count the stars in the sky outside his home. His father joins him and they go on a night adventure to discover how many stars are in the sky.
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A young boy named Liam inspires others to make the world a prettier place – one garden at a time. The book creatively illustrates how small, intentional acts can have a long-lasting and far-reaching impact.
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Simple, rhyming text and fun illustrations highlight the importance of our skin -- and how it is unique to everyone. A beautiful celebration of diversity that also highlights the interconnectedness between everyone.
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A humorous book about a baby who accompanies his mother to an outdoor market in Nigeria.
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Speaking in the first person, twelve children from around the world tell a little bit about their lives -- the food they eat, the homes they live in, the schools they attend, the hobbies they have.
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Each year the children in a small village in Chad, Africa begin their schoolyear by learning how to make mud bricks and walls and thatch a straw roof in order to construct a school where they will receive their lessons. And each year when the rainy season comes the school is washed away, but the knowledge the children will carry with them forever.
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While the text is sparse, How to Two is a lovely celebration of friendship and inclusivity at a neighborhood playground. Lovely illustrations make this a wonderful counting book for toddlers and preschoolers. In addition to counting the groups of children, don't forget to count the animals hidden on each page as well.
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A young girl enthusiastically explores the outdoors with her grandma throughout northern Minnesota's changing seasons.
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Charlie helps his Nan tend her garden throughout the year. Lyrical text accompanies gentle illustrations that depict the life cycle of plants, the changing of the seasons, and the affectionate bond between a grandmother and her grandson.
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Maya Angelou presents Christmas as a time for hope, peace, love, and kindness among all.
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A boy learns how to harvest Myrrh resin from trees under the patient guidance of his father. At the marketplace, they meet a spice merchant who is assisting three strangers in finding the perfect gift for a very special baby.
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A young boy helps his new puppy feel comfortable in his new home and comforts him throughout the night.
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Categorized by habitat, David L. Harrison highlights twelve amazing animal architects and the homes they build for their families in this collection of poems. Back matter contains additional information as well as suggested resources to learn more.
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Written in free verse, this book is a portrayal of a quiet fishing excursion by siblings in the early morning hours on a Canadian lake.
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Pat Brisson details all the hard work and preparation that accompanies the production of food.
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Readers will learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin when a young boy is relunctant to throw away his old jack-o'-lantern and instead sets it out in his garden to decompose naturally.
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Reminiscent of Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeline, Miss Lina's Ballerinas is a fun tale about ballet, mathematics concepts, and the importance of being flexible and open to change.
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When Caroline moves into a new home on Meadowview Street, she's disappointed to discover there's no meadow! She takes matters into her own hands and slowly transforms her family's suburban yard into a meadow and, in the process, inspires her neighbors to do the same.
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When baby needs to sleep, it becomes a family affair as each member of the family joins in the singing and tapping and dancing in this lyrical lullaby.
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When Dave loses his favorite stuffed animal, Dogger, he is devastated. Then he sees him for sale at a school fair. The only problem is someone else has purchased Dogger before Dave was able to. This is a sweet story about a loving relationship between siblings.
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Disappointed with the stormy weather on the day of her big parade, Jazmin grabs her baton and heads outside to release her frustration in this lyrical and rhythmic story about making the best out of a disheartening situation.
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With the aid of a birding checklist, readers are encouraged to seek and find several different types of birds within each watercolor illustration.
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After traveling the world, Miss Rumphius sets out to make the world a more beautiful place by planting lupine seeds along the coast of Maine.
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Donning a yellow raincoat and boots, Joshua enjoys a rainy day outside. Simple text accompanied by beautiful watercolor illustrations make this a great book for infants and young toddlers.
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With simple poetic language, Laura Knowles depicts how a seed transforms into a mighty tree, season by season and year by year.
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A grandfather performs an old Vaudeville act for his grandchildren in this warmhearted family tale by Karen Ackerman.
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When his friend is hospitalized, Mr. Nick knits a special gift to brighten her spirits.
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A grandmother helps her granddaughter overcome her fear of thunder by embarking on an adventure to collect all the ingredients to bake a special cake before the storm arrives.
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Determined to help her mother, Ixchel comes up with a creative way to learn to weave and, in the process, helps clean up her Guatemalan village and inspires others in the community to help.
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Following the noctural adventures of an ordinary housecat, readers are introduced to basic map reading skills as well as a variety of different types of maps they may encounter, including transportation maps, botanical and anatomical diagrams, constellation charts, and building blueprints, among others.
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Wendy and her family take walks along Rambling Road throughout the year, and along the way she collects treasures that she finds.
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Elly MacKay’s Butterfly Park pairs beautifully unique illustrations with a charming story about the power of community and friendship and the importance of persistence.
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Featuring soft, muted, and simple earth-tone colors, author Julie Fogliano’s book is a charming story about patience and anticipation. Written with a simple rhyming text, a boy and his faithful companions – a dog, a bunny, and a turtle – plant a garden and then have to wait for it to emerge.
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In this rendition of 'Old McDonald', Rachel Isadora presents fourteen African animals and their sounds.
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Follow along as a girl and her family build a new house in the country from the ground up.
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A young boy wishes he knew how to whistle so that he can call his dog to him, and he practices and practices until he learns how.
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A girl eagerly anticipates becoming a big sis and then subsequently experiences the wonderful -- and sometimes challenging -- position this can be.
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The daily lives of eight children in eight different countries are featured in Alice B. McGinty's beautiful multicultural book that celebrates our similarities as well as our differences.
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Seven-year-old Marisa is excited about helping her family make dumplings for their annual New Year's Eve celebration, but she's worried no one will like them when they turn out a bit different than the rest.
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When Finn sets off on a nature walk with her dog, Skeeter, readers are introduced to animal tracks and scat for common forest animals. Additional zoological information is provided for each animal encountered.
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A beloved apple tree is destroyed by a winter storm, and a young girl is devastated. Her thoughtful father then surprises her with a special gift for Christmas.
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Highlighting a community coming together to turn an empty lot into a garden, Phyllis Root's Anywhere Farm encourages kids that as long as you have access to soil, water, sunshine, and seeds a farm can be cultivated anywhere!
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A rainy summer day turns out to be a perfect opportunity for a grandpa and his grandkids to harvest vegetables from his garden and then prepare Rainbow Stew together.
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Based on a true story, Molly's Organic Farm recounts how a stray cat found a home on an organic farm. Kids are introduced to the different aspects of organic gardening through Molly's eyes.
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In what originally started as a family tradition, author Edwidge Danticat affectionately shares with readers a variety of ways to nurture a loved one who isn't feeling their best. The book is a wonderful mother-daughter readaloud, but the concept of 'Mommy Medicine' could easily be extended to any caretaker.
If you’re interested in our favorite read aloud chapter books, be sure to check out this post: Montessori-Friendly Read Alouds Perfect for Preschoolers.