14 Sensational Books for Letter S

Today I’m sharing twelve fun books for letter S!

Hurray!  We’re on our last letter of the week book list! Now you can find a great list of favorite picture books for every letter of the alphabet.  Whether or not you do Letter of the Week, these lists are helpful for choosing books for your next library trip or even planning birthday or Christmas gifts.

On to the list!

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The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear, by Don and Audrey Wood

This is one of those adorable books that you should really have on your bookshelf.  The narrator is speaking to an excited mouse who has found a beautiful red strawberry. But he must find a way to hide it so the big hungry bear won’t get it.  Burying it, locking it up, and disguising the strawberry won’t work. What is the little mouse to do?

Go! Go! Go! Stop! by Charise Mericle Harper

Little Green rolls into town and says his first word: “Go!”  He finds a place to sit (the top of a traffic light), and construction begins at a furious pace at Little Green’s direction. But what happens when the construction vehicles need to stop?  Thankfully, Little Red rolls into town.  This book marks the first time my Two (almost three) found a word in a book and wanted to read it on every page.  It’s easy to do, with the word “go” in bold green and “stop” in bright red.  Fun story!

You Are Not Small, by Anna Kang

This is one of my new favorite books for beginning readers, and it’s a great read aloud too.  Two creatures can’t agree on who is tall and big, until some surprise guests drop in and settle the issue.  I’m in love with the bright, expressive drawings and the simple text.  Highly recommended!

 Scaredy Squirrel, by Melanie Watt

Scaredy Squirrel is a nervous little guy who is perfectly comfortable staying in his tree all day.  He’s just not ready to face the dangers that lurk in the great unknown (germs, martians, killer bees, sharks….).

One day, when he accidentally leaves the comfort of his nut tree, Scaredy discovers there’s more to the outside world than he thought.  This book is absolutely hilarious and a favorite at our house.  All the Scaredy Squirrel books are great, but younger preschoolers might not appreciate all the funny captions and text.   If your child isn’t ready for this book, save it for another year or so.

Wake Up, Sun! by David Harrison

This is a book I own from my teaching days, since it’s a great early reader. But my preschoolers have also loved listening to it.  When Dog wakes up early and notices the sun hasn’t risen, the animals believe they must wake it up.  They try everything they can, but nothing works… until the baby cries at daybreak, and the sun miraculously rises.   Your preschooler will appreciate the humor.

Katy and the Big Snow, by Virginia Lee Burton

At first glance, you might wonder about whether your preschooler will enjoy this book.  It’s quite long, and the pictures have very little color.  But when you remember that this 70+ year old book is by the author of the classic Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel, you’ll want to give it a second look.  My boys were mesmerized by this story of Katy, a snow plow who rescues the entire city of Geoppolis after a giant snowstorm.

Spiders Are Not Insects, by Allan Fowler

It’s hard to find nonfiction that will interest a preschooler all the way to the end of the book, but Allan Fowler never disappoints. These simple Rookie Read About Science books have just the right amount of text and photographs.  We love ’em!

Strega Nona, by Tomie DePaola

Strega Nona is the kindly woman whom all the townsfolk visit when they need magical cures.  Her helper, Big Anthony, is intrigued by her magic pasta pot – which cooks by itself when Strega Nona says the magic words.  When Strega Nona leaves town, she warns Anthony not to touch the pot.  But Anthony disobeys and makes the pot do its magic.  There’s spaghetti for the whole town!  Unfortunately, he doesn’t know the trick to make it stop…

Stone Soup, by Marcia Brown

You probably know the old folktale about the hungry soldiers who visit a town and ask for food. All the villagers claim they have nothing to share.  But when the soldiers begin to make soup from a stone and remark how wonderful it would taste it only it had a few potatoes (and carrots, onions, etc.) the villagers find whatever is asked for.  At the end they marvel at the tasty soup made from a stone!

You can find many modern versions of this tale, but I love classic books. This one won the Caldecott Medal (for best pictures) in 1947.

The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss

Some of the longer Dr. Seuss books test my patience, but I never get tired of this one!  The Sneetches are yellow creatures that are divided into two groups: those with stars on the bellies and those without.  Those with stars believe they are far superior to the plain-bellied Sneetches.  But when a sly visitor comes to town and tricks them into spending loads of money to prove they’re the best, all the Sneetches learn a valuable lesson.

Stella Star of the Sea, by Marie-Louise Gay

If you haven’t met Stella yet, you’re in for a treat!  She’s an imaginative, irresistible little girl with a cautious and careful little brother.  The pictures are wonderful, the dialogue will make you smile, and I love Stella and Sam’s sibling relationship.  Put this on your library list for sure!

Ten Seeds, by Ruth Brown

I thought this book was so beautiful and creative I had to show it to my husband (he has a huge garden, so I knew he’d appreciate it).  Ten seeds are planted, but on each page something happens to one of them.  A mouse digs one up, a ball lands on a plant, bugs eat another one, etc.  Finally one seed blossoms into a sunflower.  Great counting book!

How to Catch a Star, by Oliver Jeffers

My Four often requested this engaging book about a little boy who loves stars so much that he wants one for his very own.  He tries everything he can think of, but the stars are always out of his reach.  When he’s finally ready to give up, he finds his very own star on the seashore.  Sweet story.

Perfectly messed up story, by Patrick McDonnell

I’ll finish with these fun book we discovered at the library just this week.  Little Louie is prancing along through his perfect story when he notices a glob of jam on the page (and it looks real, which kids love).  He’s very upset that someone is not taking care of his book.  But he continues on until… now it’s peanut butter! The chunky kind!  The book becomes more and more damaged until Louie collapses, refusing to continue the story. “This story is ruined!  It will end up in a garage sale!”

Get it.  You’ll love it. 😉

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