Back to nursery school

By Published On: August 1st, 2016

TO THE LETTER Grab your lasso! This wild-West-inspired primer teaches […]

Alphabetical-Order
TO THE LETTER
Grab your lasso! This wild-West-inspired primer teaches tots their ABCs with a bit of American history and a lot of fun. Yeehaw! V is for Vittles: A Wild West Primerby Greg Paprocki, $10
YOU NAME IT
Inside you’ll find more than 200 terms for everyday items that your growing sprout will love to spot both on and off the page. My Little World: Finding First Words, Tiger Tales, $13
LANGUAGE ARTS
Learn the difference between a part and the whole, whether you’re discussing a car (traffic) or a page (book), through clever illustrations and foldout pages. One and All, by Élisa Géhin, $15
CONTACT PAPER
Take a more hands-on approach to learning with touch-and-feel textures that even the youngest readers will appreciate. My First Alphabet Touch and Feel, by Roger Priddy, $13
SPELL BINDING
With pop-out letters, the alphabet (and a few extra vowels for good measure) is at your fingertips, so you can discover a plethora of words together. ABC Word Play, by Fany Perret, $20
ClassPet
CREATURE COMFORTS
A wee elephant struggles to stay in line and march with his herd because there are so many cool critters to see, like leggy giraffes and toothy crocodiles. Little Why, by Jonny Lambert, $17
CONNECT THE DOTS
The other ladybugs are quick to point out Lucy’s lack of spots, but when she sets off to find some she ends up stumbling onto something infinitely better. Lucy Ladybug, by Sharon King-Chai, $17
ONE FOR THE AGES
Playful rhymes reveal what young animals grow up to be —including a little boy who will always be his mother’s bundle of joy. Once I was a Pollywog, written by Douglas Florian, illustrated by Barbara Bakos, $7
DWELL ON IT
Bored of the forest, bear decides to move. He visits a desert, dives in the sea and treks to the Arctic— but nowhere feels quite right until he’s home sweet home. Welcome Home, Bear, by Il Sung Na, $8
PAL AROUND
In this endearing read Rory can’t wait to have a pet, but he’s having trouble finding one. Sometimes, though, what you’re looking for finds you instead. Rory the Dinosaur Wants a Pet, by Liz Climo, $17
Recess
WELL SEASONED
Tap, shake and jiggle this fun find to watch the tree sprout blooms and drop leaves as it transforms from spring to summer to fall to winter. Tap the Magic Tree, by Christie Matheson, $16
SLEUTHING SKILLS
Petite poets will have a ball trying to uncover what animal each haiku is about in this amusing guessing game. Guess Who, Haiku, by Deanna Caswell, illustrated by Bob Shea, $15
BORDER CONTROL
Lines come in so many different shapes and sizes—some straight, some curvy, some really tangled. See how many you can spot! Find the Line, by Britta Teckentrup, $7
EYE SPY
Uh-oh! Looks like granddad needs some keen eyes to help him find his misplaced glasses—and more—in this hodgepodge house. The Lost House, by B. B. Cronin, $19
PRESS HERE
Push a shape on each spread, and turn the page to complete a new picture in this ongoing game of opposites. Give and Take, by Lucie Félix, $20
Show-&-Tell
SNACK HAPPY
A whimsical twist on a familiar story with a surprise ending that’s all that and dim sum. The Ugly Dumpling, by Stephanie Campisi, illustrated by Shahar Kober, $16
YOU DO YOU
Let wee ones know it’s wonderful to be yourself, whether you’re a girl who loves running fast and making messes or a boy who plays with dolls. I’m a Girl, by Yasmeen Ismail, $17
ALL REVVED UP
Oh, the wonders of an empty cardboard box! Tag along for the ride as one little guy pretends to cruise around town. If I Could Drive, Mama, by Cari Best, illustrated by Simone Shin,  $17
SOUND IT OUT
This rhythmic story is packed with words, like ooey-gooey, that are just plain fun to say. Clearly it was made to be read (and laughed at) aloud. One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree, by Daniel Bernstrom, illustrated by Brendan Wenzel, $18
MAKE BELIEVE
When the weirdly wonderful creatures from Poppy’s imagination come to life in her upstairs bedroom, she finds herself in a real pickle. Poppy Pickle, by Emma Yarlett, $17
Arts&Crafts
LOVE HUE
How can art change a community? Mira is about to find out in this inspiring tale that’s based on the true story of the Urban Art Trail in San Diego. Maybe Something Beautiful, by F. Isabel Campoy, Theresa Howell and Rafael López, $17
HIGH CONTRAST
Zebras and penguins and pandas, oh my! This charming picture book relies on black-and-white creatures to make splashes of color stand out. Not Quite Black and White, by Jonathan Ying, illustrated by Victoria Ying, $15
BROAD STROKES
An easy-to-grasp board book (pun intended) introduces tots to the names of colors with simple but vibrant illustrations. Jane Foster’s Colors, by Jane Foster $8
REFINED PALETTE
Pascal the well-intentioned platypus wants to pick the very best color to paint his room, but it takes many messy coats before he gets it just right. What’s Your Favorite Color, Pascal?, by Magali Le Huche, $13
SUNNY DISPOSITION
You’ll fall hard for this cheery ode to autumn that celebrates the changing leaves, the crunch under- foot and the crisp air. Yellow Time, by Lauren Stringer, $18
Naptime
POSTSCRIPT
For the tiring toddler who stretches out the bedtime routine for as long as possible. An After Bedtime Story, by Shoham Smith, illustrated by Einat Tsarfati, $17
SLEEPLESS IN STORYLAND
A humorous (all too relatable) look at what would happen if no one went to bed. Bedtime is Canceled, by Cece Meng and Aurélie Neyret, $17
TIME’S UP
When your wee one wants to hear one more book, reach for fun 60-second poems that succinctly say goodnight. One Minute till Bedtime, by Kenn Nesbitt and Christoph Niemann, $20