We bring between 200 and 400 books to each storytent (depending upon the weather). Among these are 50 or 60 "must have" titles that we know families will be looking for. Some of these titles are popular because they are useful for new readers (young or old). Some are popular because they are popular.
Books that Help New Readers
Books that help new readers are books with few words per page, clear relevant pictures or illustrations, and a clear pattern. Examples of books with matching text and illustrations would be Big and Little by Samantha Berger and Blue Hat Green Hat by Sandra Boynton. An example of a predictable pattern book is Brown Bear Brown Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin Jr.
Crowd Pleasers
Crowd pleasers are books that hold the attention of children of different ages. In our tent, Mortimer and Stephanie’s Ponytail by Robert Munsch, or chanting and singing books like Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Miss Mary Mack, and Lady with the Alligator Purse work well.
Here is a partial list of crowd pleasers, easy-reads and otherwise effective books we try to always have in the storytent:
Robert Munsch
- 50 Below Zero
- Aaron’s Hair
- Alligator Baby
- Good Families Don’t
- Jonathan Cleaned Up…
- Look at Me
- Makeup Mess
- Moira’s Birthday
- Mortimer
- Mud Puddle
- Murmel Murmel Murmel
- Pigs
- Purple, Green and Yellow
- Smelly Sox
- Something Good
- Stephanie’s Ponytail
- The Boy in the Drawer
- The Dark
- The Paper Bag Princess
- Up, Up, Down
- Wait and See
Phoebe Gilman
- Jillian Jiggs
- Pirate Pearl
- Something From Nothing
- Grandma and the Pirates
- The Balloon Tree
Donald Crews
- Ten Black Dots
- Freight Train
- Truck
- Harbor
- School Bus
- Sail Away
Byron Barton
- My Car
- Trucks
- Trains
- Machines at Work
- Planes
- The Three Bears
- Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs
- I Want to Be an Astronaut
- Airport
- Boats
- Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones
- Little Red Hen Big Book
- Building a House
- Tools
- Airplanes
- Wheels
Dr. Suess
- Cat in the Hat (1957)
- Fox in Socks
- Green Eggs and Ham
- Hop on Pop
- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
- There's a Wocket in My Pocket!
- Are You My Mother?
Arnold Lobel
- Frog and Toad Are Friends
- Frog and Toad Together
- Owl at Home
- Frog and Toad All Year
- Mouse Soup
- Mouse Tales
- Days with Frog and Toad
Sandra Boynton
- Moo Baa La La La
- Going-To-Bed Book
- But Not the Hippopotamus
- Blue Hat, Green Hat
- Doggies
- Barnyard Dance!
- Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!
- Your Personal Penguin
Ezra Jack Keats
- A Letter to Amy
- The Snowy Day
- Whistle for Willie
- Peter's Chair
- Goggles!
- Dreams
- Regards to the Man in the Moon
Other noteworthy authors include:
- Betsey Chessen and Samantha Berger (nonfiction);
- Barbara Reid;
- Sheree Fitch;
- Paulette Bourgeois,
- Dav Pilkey;
- Frank Asch;
- Bill Martin Jr.;
- Eric Carle;
- David Shannon;
- Don Freeman.
Have fun!