Books About Kindergarten

This post combines two of my very favorite things... great children's books and kindergarten!  I am so excited to be teaching kindergarten again next year and I have been really looking forward to pulling out all my favorite kindergarten books for the first few weeks.  It took me five years in kindergarten to pull this collection together.  That's a long time searching.  So, as I celebrate my move down the hall, I want to share my research with you! 

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten- I'm sure most of you are familiar with this classic.  It is an absolute must read for the first day of kindergarten!  I wish I knew how that Miss Bindergarten does it!  Her classroom was in shambles when she walked in and a mere two hours later it was a functioning kindergarten class.  It takes me about two months to make that happen!  I love to read this book and then take my students on a tour of our classroom.  I take a few minutes to explain to them that when I walked into the classroom it was a mess and I worked just as hard as Miss Bindergarten to get ready for kindergarten.  I refer back to this book a lot during the first week when I am teaching them how to care for our classroom.

The Night Before Kindergarten- This is such a sweet book.  I often read it with my students and ask how they felt the "night before kindergarten".  However, I really love to recommend it to the parents of my students.  I recommend this book at our "Kindergarten Roundup", Kindergarten Orientation, and "Meet the Teacher" night.  It is a really sweet book for students to experience on the actual night before kindergarten!

Kindergarten Rocks- I love, love, love this book!  LOVE it! This is a story about a little boy who is nervous about starting kindergarten.  However, his sister is a true "kindergarten expert" and is constantly telling him he doesn't need to worry because "Kindergarten Rocks!".  We read this book just before we take a tour of the school.  Then we do have a (very) quick "connection conversation" and note all the things that are the same between our school and the school in the book.  Somehow "Kindergarten Rocks" becomes our unofficial motto every year.  I leave this sweet book on display on top of a bookshelf all year long.  Did I mention that I love it?  Okay, good.

Kindergarten! Here I Come!- This is a sweet little book that highlights all the "big moments" of kindergarten in a fun to read, poetic format.  It is a "quick read" with great illustrations.  Perfect for a 5 minute time filler during the first week.  (If you are a total nerd like I am, be sure to squeal on each page and tell them how you "can NOT wait" for that event this year.  Trust me, they eat it up.)

Tiptoe into Kindergarten- This is a cute story about a preschooler sneaking into her brother's kindergarten classroom and seeing all the wonderful things about kindergarten.  It makes for a fun conversation about what they thought kindergarten would be like when they were in preschool.  (It also lends to a quick survey of who went to preschool and if they ever toured or visited a kindergarten.)

The Pirate of Kindergarten- This is a GREAT story to introduce students to exceptionalities and the idea that "Everyone is different and everyone belongs here".  In this story the main character has trouble with her eyes and begins seeing double.  She needs an eye patch to help with her vision problems and decides that she will be "the pirate of kindergarten".  It is a very sweet story and a great read at any time during the year. 

Adventure Annie Goes to Kindergarten- This is a great, funny book that your students will love!  It is fun to read when discussing class rules.  I especially like to use this book to point out that everyone makes mistakes but everyone should try their best all the time.  "Mistakes are okay... you can still save the day!"

A few other books you may want to check out are: My Kindergarten, Countdown to Kindergarten,

Welcome to Kindergarten, Off to Kindergarten, Kindergarten ABC, On the Way to Kindergarten,
Kindergarten Countdown and The Twelve Days of Kindergarten.

I hope you and your students love these books as much as I do!  These books are perfect for establishing you classroom community and celebrating the fact that "Kindergarten Rocks!".

If you are looking for any resources to make your kindergarten reading more meaningful please consider checking out my Kindergarten Close Reading Guide!  Happy Reading!