Great Books for Kids

Use the dropdown menus below to find suggested reading lists lovingly curated by DC Public Library staff, one for each year of a child's life from birth through sixth grade. More book suggestions and new titles for kids can be found at Find and Borrow: Kids.

Adult and young child reading a book together on a library bench, both smiling.

Great Books for Birth to Pre-K

For more book suggestions for young children, as well as ways to build early literacy skills from birth, check out STAR: Sing, Talk, and Read. And if you know a young child who lives in DC, make sure they're signed up for the Books from Birth program so they'll receive a free book every month until their fifth birthday, mailed right to their home!

Babies

Book cover of This Little Piggy/Este Cochinito. Simple illustration of a baby touching their toes, holding a piglet, with another piglet in the background.

Mamá Goose : Bilingual Lullabies / Nanas by Alma Flor Ada

Global Baby Playtime by Maya Ajmera

Baby Signs : A Baby-Sized Guide to Speaking with Sign Language by Joy Allen

Whose Toes Are Those? by Jabari Asim

Mama Feeds Me All the Colors by Nathalie Beauvois

Pat-a-Cake by Mary Brigid Barrett

Toes, Ears, & Nose: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Marion Dane Bauer

Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer

Tickle Time! by Sandra Boynton

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Book cover of Peekaboo Morning. Illustration of a baby with brown skin and curly black hair, peeking out from behind a grown-up who is standing in front of them.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Jane Cabrera

My Very First Book of Animal Sounds by Eric Carle

Baby Bedtime by Mem Fox

Hello Baby! by Mem Fox

Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora

Ten Tiny Babies by Karen Katz

I'm a Little Teapot by Annie Kubler

Look at the Animals by Peter Linenthal

Baby Faces by Margaret Miller

I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy

The Baby Goes Beep by Rebecca O'Connell

Quiet Loud by Leslie Patricelli

The Every Baby Book by Frann Preston-Gannon

Peekaboo Farm by Camilla Reid

Calm by Jillian Roberts

Little Bear, Baby Bear by Marine Schneider

My Heart Beats by Rina Singh

Baby Dance by Ann Taylor

This Little Piggy / Este Cochinito adaptado por Yanitzia Canetti, illustrated by Annie Kubler

Grandma and Me by Carole Boston Weatherford

Tummy Time!

1-Year-Olds

Book cover of A Kiss Means I Love You. Photograph of a child kissing a caregiver on the cheek.

A Kiss Means I Love You by Kathryn Madeline Allen

Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang

Moo, Baa, La La La by Sandra Boynton

Hi-Five Farm by Ross Burach

My First I See You by Eric Carle

I Want to Be a Ballerina by Becky Davies

My Hair Is Like the Sun by St. Clair Detrick-Jules

If I Was the Sunshine by Julie Fogliano

What My Daddy Loves by Raissa Figueroa

Bath! Bath! Bath! by Douglas Florian

Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

Hat On, Hat Off by Theo Heras

Ten Little Fingers by Annie Kubler

Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee

Planes Go by Steve Light

Up to My Knees! by Grace Lin

Daytime Nighttime by William Low

Happy in Our Skin by Fran Manushkin

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin, Jr.

Watersong by Tim McCanna

Leo, Rise and Shine! by Anna McQuinn

Mad, Mad, Mad by Leslie Patricelli

Bright Brown Baby: A Treasury by Andrea Davis Pinkney

I'm Up! by Antoinette Portis

That's Mine! by Sumana Seeboruth

My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Smith

Fiesta Babies by Carmen Tafolla

All Kinds of Kisses by Nancy Tafuri

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler

The Wheels on the Bus by Paul O. Zelinsky

2-Year-Olds

Book cover for Hooray for Birds! Simple, brightly-colored illustration of a pink flamingo standing on one leg, surrounded by several other types of birds on a blue background.

Song in the City by Daniel Bernstrom

Hippos Go Berserk! by Sandra Boynton

Dear Zoo : A Lift-the-Flap Book by Rod Campbell

Hooray for birds! by Lucy Cousins

Dancing Feet! by Lindsay Craig

Maria Had a Little Llama/Maria Tenia una Llamita by Angela Dominguez

Race Car Count by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell

5 Little Ducks by Denise Fleming

We All Play by Julie Flett

Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox

Green is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors

Run, Run, Run! by Tarō Gomi

Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett

Hush! by Minfong Ho

Blue Floats Away by Travis Jonker

The Poop Song by Eric Litwin

Every Little Thing by Cedella Marley

One Leaf, Two Leaves, Count With Me by John Micklos

Bright Star by Yuyi Morales

How Kind! by Mary Murphy

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by Jerry Pinkney

We're Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

Supertruck by Stephen Savage

The Rice in the Pot Goes Round and Round by Wendy Wan-Long Shang

No, David! by David Shannon

Fire Truck by Peter Sís

Pride Puppy! by Robin Stevenson

The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone

I See Kitty by Yasmine Surovec

Green Is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors by Roseanne Greenfield Thong

You are a Lion!: And Other Fun Yoga Poses by Taeeun Yoo

3-Year-Olds

Book cover of Fire! Fuego! Brave Bomberos! Illustration of three firefighters and a Dalmatian dog in a red firetruck with lights flashing.

Fire Chief Fran by Linda Ashman

Wild About Us! by Karen Beaumont

Olu's Teacher: A Story About Starting Preschool by Jamel Campbell

A Good Place by Lucy Cousins

Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment by Parker Curry

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert

Fire! ¡Fuego! Brave Bomberos by Susan Middleton Elya

Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley

The Red Hen by Rebecca Emberley

The Wide-Mouthed Frog : A Pop-Up Book by Keith Faulkner

Bodies are Cool by Tyler Feder

Oh, No! by Candace Fleming

Old MacDonald Had a Boat by Steve Goetz

Book cover of Squeak! Rumble! Whomp, whomp, whomp! Illustration of a child in a red and white striped shirt playing a trumpet with one hand and holding a white cloth in the other, with a black cat sitting behind them. A tiny mouse is drawn in the upper right corner of the cover next to the word "squeak."

Change Sings by Amanda Gorman

Puppy In My Head: A Book About Mindfulness by Elise Gravel

My City Speaks by Darren Lebeuf

Squeak! Rumble! Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! : A Sonic Adventure by Wynton Marsalis

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. & John Archambault

Bathe The Cat by Alice McGinty

I'm Smart! by Kate McMullan

Princess Hair by Sharee Miller

City Shapes by Diane Murray

If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson

The Button Book by Sally Nicholls

If You Give A Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park

The Family Book by Todd Parr

How to Say Hello to a Worm by Kari Percival

Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage

Green by Laura Seeger

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

The Mouse Who Carried a House on His Back by Jonathan Stutzman

Ball by Mary Sullivan

Construction by Sally Sutton

What Can You Do with a Paleta? by Carmen Tafolla

Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman

What Is Science? by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Colors Shelley Rotner and Anne Woodhull

Feel the Fog by April Pulley Sayre

Who Am I?: An Animal Guessing Game by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page

Wheels on the Tuk Tuk by Kabir Sehgal & Surishtha

Pre-K

Book cover of Marta! Big & Small. Illustration of a child wearing a backpack and standing on one foot atop a rock, with one arm stretched upwards. On one side of the child is a large elephant saying "hello" and on the other side is a tiny bug saying "hola."

Marta! Big & Small by Jen Arena

I Am Golden by Eva Chen

Rex Wrecks It! by Ben Clanton

Little Excavator by Anna Dewdney

Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola

Don't Hug Doug! by Carrie Finison

I Don't Care by Julie Fogliano

Berry Song by Michaela Goade

The Coquíes Still Sing by Karina Nicole González

Big by Vashti Harrison

Book cover of Rex Wrecks It! Cartoonish illustration of a green dinosaur, open mouthed and jumping enthusiastically, surrounded by colorful rectangles that appear to be askew or tumbling.

Waiting by Kevin Henkes

Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

Ten Blocks to the Big Wok: A Chinatown Counting Book by Ying-Hwa Hu

A Room of Your Own by Beth Kephart

Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets: A Muslim Book of Shapes by Hena Khan

I Want My Hat Back by John Klassen

Tell Me a Lion Story by Kara Kramer

Families, Families, Families by Suzanne Lang

Isabel and the Invisible World by Alan Lightman

My Friend Earth by Patricia MacLachlan

I Love My Fangs! by Kelly Leigh Miller

Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora

Princess! Fairy! Ballerina! by Bethanie Deenie Murguia

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold

We're Rabbits! by Lisa Westberg Peters

The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

This Is a School by John Schu

My Baba's Garden by Jordan Scott

Don't Worry, Murray by David Stein

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters : An African Tale by John Steptoe

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback

Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas

Red Is a Dragon : A Book of Colors by Rosanne Thong

We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems

Place Hand Here by Katie Yamasaki

Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling

Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years by Stacy McAnulty

Move! by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page

Cold, Crunchy, Colorful : Using Our Senses by Jane Brocket

Dreaming Up by Christy Hale

Digger, Dozer, Dumper by Hope Vestergaard

Sandy's Circus by Tanya Lee Stone

Elementary school aged child sitting cross-legged on a carpeted library floor reading a book.

Great Books for Kindergarten to Third Grade

For more great titles, as well as access to special events, activities, resources, and tips for developing readers in Kindergarten to third grade, join the Beyond the Book Club! And don't forget to check out fun programs happening at your neighborhood library.

Kindergarten

Book cover of Jabari Jumps. Illustration of a young child in a bathing suit and goggles standing on a diving board leaning out over the edge, with trees and a city skyline in the background.

Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

Windows by Julia Denos

Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman

We Move Together by Kelly Fritsch

May Your Life Be Deliciosa by Michael Genhart

To Dogs, With Love by Maria Gianferrari

Julia's House for Lost Creatures by Ben Hatke

Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

Quit Calling Me a Monster by Jory John

The Thing About Bees by Shabazz Larkin

Book cover of Summer Birds. Illustration of a woman in a green dress and white apron and bonnet holding plants among butterflies and foliage, with a yellow background.

Wave by Suzy Lee

Double Bass Blues by Andrea Loney

Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard

The Summer Nick Taught His Cats to Read by Curtis Manley

What Will You Be? by Yamile Saied Mendez

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

The Itchy Book by LeUyen Pham

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

A Sky-Blue Bench by Bahram Rahman

Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka

Vamos! Let's Go Read by Raul the Third

Book cover of Gravity. Illustration of a toy astronaut, a banana, a beach ball, and other items floating in outer space in front of one part of the very large planet Earth in the background. The sun is partially visible behind the Earth with a large halo of light around it.

Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen

What this Story Needs Is a Pig in a Wig by Emma J. Virján

Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler

Guess What!? by Mo Willems

Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter

Gravity by Jason Chin

I'm Trying to Love Spiders (It Isn't Easy) by Bethany Barton

From Wax to Crayon by Robin Nelson

Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews

Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix by Jacqueline Briggs Martin & June Jo Lee

Summer Birds : The Butterflies of Maria Merian by Margarita Engle

Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior by Carole Lindstrom

Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson

First Grade

Book cover of Yo Soy Muslim. Illustration of a head-and-shoulders close-up of a young child hugging their father on a colorful background

Fly Guy Presents : Castles by Tedd Arnold

Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt by Ben Clanton

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña

Yo Soy Muslim : A Father's Letter to his Daughter by Mark Gonzales

The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig

Bring Me a Rock! by Daniel Miyares

Niño Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales

Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers

Madlenka by Peter Sís

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith

Diego Rivera : His World and Ours by Duncan Tonatiuh

This Is the Rope : A Story from the Great Migration by Jacqueline Woodson

Eyes that Kiss in the Corners book cover

Fish and Wave by Sergio Ruzzier

Ty's Travels: All Aboard! by Kelly Starling Lyons

Knight Owl by Christopher Denise

Training Day by Raul the Third

What About Worms? by Rian T. Higgins

See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog by David LaRochelle

Gigi and Ojiji by Melissa Iwai

Unlikely Friends by Norman Feuti

Negative Cat by Sophie Blackall

The Mosquito by Elisa Gravel

Starla Jean: Which Came First, The Chicken or the Friendship? by Elana K. Arnold

Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends by Kaz Windness

Saturday by Oge Mora

Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho

Three Ways to Be Brave: A Trio of Stories by Karla Clark

Mama and Momma and Me in the Middle by Nina LaCour

A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis

Reina Ramos Works It Out by Emma Otheguy

Sir Ladybug by Corey Tabor

Sunday Funday in Koreatown by Aram Kim

Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider by Jessica Lanan

Small in the City by Sydney Smith

Butt or Face? Can You Tell Which End You're Looking At by Kari Lavelle

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul by Carole Boston Weatherford

Watercress by Andrea Wang

Something Great by Jeanette Bradley

Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas by Jeanne Harvey

Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold

Emily's Art by Peter Catalanotto

Gifts from Georgia's Garden by Lisa Robinson

Black and White by David Macaulay

Pizza!: A Slice of History by Greg Pizzoli

Where I Live: Poems About My Home, My Street, My Town by Paul Janeczko, ed.

Second Grade

A Bear for Miguel by Elaine Marie Alphin

Up We grow! : A Year in the Life of a Small, Local Farm by Deborah Hodge

The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey

In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz

The Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems

Cornbread and Poppy by Matthew Cordell

Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business by Lyla Lee

Jada Jones: Rock Star by Kelly Starling Lyons

She Persisted in Science: Brilliant Women Who Made a Difference by Chelsea Clinton

I Eat Poop: A Dung Beetle Story by Mark Pett

Stella Endicott and the Anything Is Possible Poem by Kate DiCamillo

Mr. Wolf's Class by Aaron Paul Steinke

You So Black by Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D

The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld

The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Levinson

Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord

Awesome Orange Birthday by Mitali Banerjee Ruths

Smart Cookie by Jory John

Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beatty

Surviving the Wild: Rainbow and Koala by Remy Lai

Every Dog in the Neighborhood by Philip Stead

Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond

Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued by Peter Sís

Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada Kelly

What's Inside a Flower? by Rachel Ignotofsky

The Secret of the Magic Pearl by Elisa Sabatinelli

Diana: Princess of the Amazons by Shannon Hale

Henry, Like Always by Jenn Bailey

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander

Haunted House Next Door by Andres Miedoso

Happy Paws by Vicky Fang

Radiant Child by Javaka Steptoe

The Gardener by Sarah Stewart

The Fire of Stars: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made of by Kirsten Larson

Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius by Lynne Cox

Marian Anderson by Pam Muñoz Ryan

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Behold Our Magical Garden: Poems Fresh From a School Garden by Allan Wolf

The Legend of Gravity: A Tall Basketball Tale by Charly Palmer

Third Grade

Real Friends by Shannon Hale

Leeva at Last by Sarah Pennypacker

Washed Ashore: Making Art from Ocean Plastic by Kelly Crull

The Skull by Jon Klassen

Pawcasso by Remy Lai

Jailbreak at Alcatraz by Tom Sullivan

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca

The Titanic by Kate Messner

Spy School: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs

Marya Khan and the Incredible Henna Party by Saadia Faruqi

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

El Deafo by Cece Bell

The People's Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice by Evan Turk

Chinese Menu by Grace Lin

Violet and Jobie in the Wild by Lynn Rae Perkins

Too Small Tola by Atinuke

The Real Dada Mother Goose by Jon Scieszka

All for One by Terry Catasus Jennings

Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport by Caren Stelson

Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series by Traci Sorell

The Case of the Haunted History Museum by Steven Brezenoff

Endlessly Ever After by Laurel Snyder

No Talking by Andrew Clements

Zara's Rules for Living Your Best Life by Hena Khan

The Grand Canyon by Jason Chin

Blue Whale vs. Mosquito: Who Would Win? by Jerry Pallotta

Listen to the Language of the Trees book cover

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Real Friends by Shannon Hale

Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

Sandor Katz and the Tiny Wild by Jacqueline Briggs and June Jo Lee

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

Link + Hud: Heroes by a Hair by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey

Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Listen to the Language of Trees by Tera Kelley

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967 by Lauren Tarshis

Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner by Janice N. Harrington

Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian

The Typewriter by Bill Thomson

Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing

Upper elementary or middle school aged child holds a large stack of books and smiles while standing in an aisle surrounded by library shelves.

Great Books for Fourth to Sixth Grade

In addition to the fantastic titles below, browse the collection of 4th-6th Grade titles available to read on your digital device through Overdrive Kids (or download the Libby app to access the same titles). Check out our Homework Help tools if you're looking for online resources for school projects, learning support, and even live tutoring -- all available to you for free with your library card!