Looking for farm books to read with your preschool farm theme? We’ve got over forty of them!
I’m on a mission to create a giant set of themed book lists for preschool parents and teachers. My two preschool boys and I loved finding our favorites from our library visits! We hope you find some new titles here and perhaps a few classic books you’ve missed.
Joy Cowley
Mrs. Wishy-Washy is a well-loved character in early childhood classrooms, and this book did not disappoint! We love this hilarious story about the day the animals run away to the city because they are tired of Mrs. Wishy-Washy scrubbing them in her big tub. The rhymes, vibrant pictures, and silly story are fantastic. It’s one we own.
Christine Tricarico
Things at the farm have gotten boring: all work and no play. But one day “rooster catches a jitterbug that shakes the barnyard beams.” Soon the turkeys are doing the tango, the chickens do the cha-cha, and the sheep swing until the sun goes down. This is a hilarious rhyming book that both my preschoolers enjoy.
Nancy Tafuri
You’ll read this book in just a minute or two, but I like the simplicity. “This is the farmer who kisses his wife…who pats the dog…that scratches a flea…” What a wonderful book for predicting what comes next!
Tim Egan
Farmer Fred has no reason to smile or laugh. “Farmin’ is serious business. Nothin’ funny about corn.” The animals do everything they can to make Farmer Fred laugh, but nothing works. Finally, fed up, they leave the farm. In the end they learn that Farmer Fred has a funny bone after all. Not a hilarious book, but a good one.
Phyllis Root
Annalisa is the most stubborn of Mama May’s many children. And when she gets it into her head that she is going to milk the cow, no one can stop her. Unfortunately, she refuses to finish the special milking song with a kiss, and Luella won’t give any more milk until she gets her kiss. Finally, overcome by curiosity, Annalisa does kiss the cow. (It’s not so bad after all.) This was a favorite of my Three.
Doreen Cronin
This is the first in a series of funny farm books by Doreen Cronin. In this one, the cows find an old typewriter in the barn. Using it, they type up their demands to Farmer Brown. No more milk until they get electric blankets! Farmer Brown refuses to give in, but he’s no match for the cows and their typewriter.
Alexander Steffensmeier
You have got to check it out if you haven’t seen it yet! Every day on the farm, Millie the cow anxiously waits for her favorite thing… scaring the mail carrier! She loves finding a new place to hide so that the mailman is scared right off his bicycle. The poor man tries sending Millie her own package so that she’ll start being nicer to him… it doesn’t have the effect he wants, but the happy surprise ending had me laughing out loud.
Linda Williams
Everything’s wacky on the farm today. The farmer’s daughter tells her mom what’s going on, but Ma is too busy to make things right. Have your young preschooler tell you what’s wrong on each page – and what each animal should be doing. We love this silly story.
P. E. King
This is a goofy book that we own and love. A man wants to be a farmer, but where can he find a farm? As it turns out, he runs into an old farmer who offers him his farm for $1. The man can’t pass up this deal. But all isn’t right on this farm! The cat is hitched up to the wagon, the horse is on the roof… After straightening out the farm the young farmer finds a woman to marry. As it turns out, her father needs a place to stay. Can you guess who her father is?
David Shannon
When Duck finds a bike, he wonders what it would be like to ride one. The other animals watch with interest, and when a group of kids leave their bikes parked at the farm, all the animals ride bikes. A favorite!
Aliki
I love the Read and Find Out books, but they are not for every preschooler. If your child is very interested in the world, he may enjoy all the details of how cow milk is tested for freshness, homogenized and pasteurized, and poured into milk and cartoons. If the book’s length tests your child’s patience, talk about the pictures instead of reading all the text.
Gail Gibbons
Like most of Gibbons’ nonfiction books for kids, this one is packed with information. My three -year-old loves to be read to, but he doesn’t have the patience for long informational books. We still enjoyed looking at the pictures and talking about farms throughout the seasons. Since he often struggles with basic vocabulary, I found it helpful to ask him to find things in the pictures. “Where is she canning the vegetables? Where do you see hay going into the hayloft? Where is the farmer harvesting the corn?”
Margaret Wise Brown
This is a simple rhyming board book which is on most farm book lists. Even though I love the illustrations, I find the text a little dull and the rhymes awkward. I was surprised that my Three liked it, but it wasn’t one that he kept requesting.
Chip Lovett
This is a nonfiction book that is too heavy for most preschoolers. However, your child may enjoy looking at the pictures as you name the different farm vehicles. (We skipped the long descriptions.) The sidebars also include things to spot in the pictures, which are perfect for keeping a preschooler’s interest.
Jane Miller
If you’re looking for a simple, photo-illustrated book to teach a little one about the farm, choose this one. The pictures are very authentic, and their captions are just the right length and complexity for young listeners. “Egg. Birds lay eggs. These eggs were laid by a hen.”
Jessica Greenwell
This is a brilliant board book perfect for kids who like noisy fun. On each page we read about what the tractor does, and your child can press the little button that makes the tractor’s sound. A quick, fun read.
Paulette Bogan
I’ll admit that the Lulu books aren’t my favorite, but I can’t quite put my finger on why. It might be because it bugs me that Lulu, the chick, is a miniature chicken rather than a yellow chick. Details, details. Both my boys requested this one many times, however, so it earned a place on the list. Lulu is tired of being the littlest chick and decides to go far, far away. Finally she realizes that her place is at home.
Claire Llewellyn
This nonfiction book explains how wheat is grown, harvested, ground, and made into bread. I like the big pictures and informational text, but it might be a little much for young preschoolers. If your child enjoys it, be sure to check out the many other books in the What’s for Lunch? series.
Nancy Shaw
If you like the classic “Sheep in a Jeep,” be sure to check out this book by the same creators. We love the weary sheep and the trusty collie who brings them everything they need to finally fall asleep. The rhymes are a bonus. After you read this a number of times, see if your child can fill in the rhymes at the end of each rhyming pair.
Mary Ling
I love See How They Grow series of nonfiction animal books. The bright photos on white background are perfect on the eyes, and the text is just right for preschoolers. That said, I’m really disappointed with the newer editions. The same pictures are on colorful pages (not as appealing), and they use a trendy font that is already out of style. Try to find the originals, which have white covers. To me they are far superior.
John Lawrence
This is a sweet little board book with gorgeous illustrations. The little chick learns to say all the animal sounds when he visits the other animals in the barnyard.
Sandra Boynton
This is a book my kids loved as toddlers, but Sandra Boynton’s books never lose their appeal. My preschoolers still appreciate the funny barnyard animals and the catchy song they dance to.
Sue Williams
This is a popular book in early childhood classrooms because it’s predictable. It’s one children quickly learn to read on their own, and Mem Fox’s illustrations are stellar, as always.
Arnold Lobel
This is an older story (1988) with somewhat dull illustrations (very little color) by the author of the Frog and Toad books. At first glance you might want to pass it up, but my kids love this book. We own it, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read about the small pig who resents his bath and clean pigpen. When he escapes from the farm, he gets into all kinds of trouble- including nice soft mud that turns out to be wet cement!
Trinka Hakes Noble
As a kid, this was one of my favorite picture books. It’s the story of a class trip to the farm… and the trouble that comes about when Jimmy brings his pet boa constrictor. From an egg fight to pigs on the bus, it’s a wild tale that shouldn’t be missed.
Wendy Cheyette Lewison
This is a lovely bedtime story in which each animal on the farm prepares to go to sleep. I really love the story and the fantastic artwork, but I’ll admit that my kids haven’t gotten too attached to it. Please do give it a try, though, because it’s a treasure of a book.
Richard Waring
This is a story about a greedy fox who watches a hen every morning. Instead of pouncing on her, he waits for many days so she can grow bigger and fatter. When he decides she is finally big enough to eat, he has grown so weak and scrawny that… can you guess the surprise ending?
Bernard Most
I am including this book because my preschool boys think it’s absolutely hilarious. To be honest, I find it annoying and tedious, but it’s such a hit with them I have to include it. Cow says “Oink” instead of moo, and all the animals laugh at him. “Moo-ha, Oink-ha, Neigh-ha, etc. etc. ETC.) One day he meets a pig who says “Moo.” The new friends teach each other to say the correct animal sound. My boys love how many mistakes they make until they get it right. This is one I’ll be glad to return to the library!
Denise Fleming
I feel a little like a grump for saying I don’t care for Denise Fleming’s artwork. She’s a Caldecott Honor winner, for goodness sake, but I just don’t like her illustrations. They seem so blurry. Clearly I have no artistic taste. Illustrations aside, it’s a cute story about a cow who has lost her moo and goes to all the barnyard animals to find it.
Annie Kubler
This is part of a series of books called Books with Holes. On each page a hole opens up to reveal something that’s coming on the next page. We love singing books based on popular children’s songs, and this one is no exception.
Lynn Downey
Poor flea! He just can’t sleep. All the other animals are fast asleep until his sneeze wakes them up. We like the pictures and the rhymes, but you might notice that some of the rhymes seem a little forced. One to get from the library, but probably not one to own.
Karma Wilson
Truthfully, this wasn’t my favorite, but my just-turned Five requested it over and over. Farmer is ready to spring clean, but the pigs won’t have it. They refuse a bath and won’t let him into their pigpen. After each of his attempts to clean them up, they leave a rhyming sign outside their pigpen. Finally, the farmer learns that taking a mud bath feels so good he comes every week.
Merrily Kutner
While this rhyming board book will appeal most to toddlers, the rhythmic and repeating text make it a great book to read aloud to a group of preschoolers. They can chime in with the repeated refrain, “Down on the farm!”
Janet Morgan Stoeke
I am in love with this book. I just adore Minerva Louise, a sweet hen who finds her way into the house. She loves the friendly cow (a cat), the tractor (a red tricycle), and the field of flowers (the bedspread). At the end of the book she comes back to visit by taking a rest on the nice warm pie sitting on the windowsill. You’ll be amazed at how little text the author needs to captivate you. I can’t wait to check out more Minerva Louise books!
Karen Beaumont
The sheep is tired and ready to settle down for a good night’s sleep. But each visitor to the barn is louder than the one before. Will the sheep get his rest before the rooster crows? We enjoy the nice, predictable rhythm.
Judi Barrett
This may be our favorite book on this list. By the creators of “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” this is the story of Old MacDonald, the super at an apartment building. Eventually he learns that vegetables make better tenants than people, and his garden becomes a farm that overtakes the whole apartment building. I can’t do justice to this book in a review. Do check your library for it!
Joan L. Nodset
This book will always be special to us because it’s the first library book my middle son (almost five) could read all by himself. After I read it to him a few times, he was able to read the entire book using his sight words, phonics knowledge, and context clues. He read it five times the first day! What was especially darling was watching my Three try very much to do the same thing as his older brother.
Molly Coxe
This is a funny book, and another one that my just-turned-Five can read by himself. When Hen hatches a giant egg, she tries to figure out who it belongs to. The fox claims the egg (and the rest of Hen’s eggs) as his own, but the book has a sweet and satisfying ending.
Loren Long
Otis is an dependable red tractor who has outlived his usefulness. Banished to a pile of weeds, he befriends a timid young calf who is comforted by Otis’ “soft putt puff puttedy chuff.” When the calf gets stuck in Mud Pond, it’s Otis who comes to her rescue.
Lori Haskins Houran
This is a simple nonfiction book that we own and return to often. We like the bright pictures and short, simple sentences.
Teri Sloat
This is a silly story that both my boys requested many times. Not only does the book make them laugh, it’s also taught them about how wool is made. When Farmer Brown shears his sheep, they’re miserable and cold. The shivering sheep follow their wool through all the steps on its way to becoming yarn. In the end, Farmer Brown knits sweaters for his sheep to wear until their wool grows back. The rhymes are great!
Diane Muldrow
You can’t go wrong with this simple telling of the classic tale. There are many versions of The Little Red Hen, but I chose to feature this one because it most resembles farm life.
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Margit
Great list. Thanks for sharing. Which of these would you most recommend for an ESL play, 6 year olds. (Very basic language skills)
Anna G
Some of the simplest books on the list are Big Red Barn, Farm Alphabet Book, I Went Walking, and Who Took the Farmer’s Hat.
Brandi
My favorite farm book, hands down, is The Cow That Laid an Egg. (If you can, check out the audio available from scholastic)
Marjorie is just an ordinary cow with no special talents, while the other cows are riding bicycles and doing all sorts of other tricks. She starts feeling a bit down from her lack of abilities, so the chickens devise a plan. They paint one of their eggs to look like Marjorie’s spots and place it under her while she’s sleeping. You can imagine the commotion when Marjorie wakes up an exclaims she’s laid an egg! The whole town comes to see. There’s a surprise ending that I won’t spoil on the rare chance you haven’t read this book yet. (I noticed the original post was a few years ago)
Anna Geiger
That sounds like a great book – I just reserved it from my library and look forward to sharing it with my preschoolers! 🙂
Brandi Barnett
I hope you like it as much as my students and I do!
Ashley
Thank you, thank you, thank you! As a first year kindergarten teacher I was feeling daunted by being told I need to do a farm unit, until I found this amazing list!
Anna Geiger
I’m glad to hear this can help you out, Ashley!
Corey Rosen Schwartz
Great list! But you are missing my favorite – COCK-A-DOODLE OOPS!- by Lori Degman. Super cute and clever rhyming book. Rooster goes on vacation and despite their best efforts, no one else is able to wake the farmer.
Anna Geiger
Thank you for the recommendation, Corey – I’ll have to check that one out!
M. Taylor
What a great list! Just wanted to mention “Oh, Crumps!,” by Lee Bock as a great farm book as well.
Anna Geiger
Thank you for the suggestion! That’s a new one for me.
Aileen Stewart
These books all look great but Minerva Louise, Small Pig, and The Little Red Hen were definite favorites when my daughter was small :0)
Anna Geiger
Your daughter obviously has great taste in literature. 🙂 I can’t wait to get the other Minerva Louise books from the library!