Great Kids' Books for Read Across America Day

Read Across America Day, an annual program of the National Education Association (NEA), is Friday, March 2. Read Across America is a celebration of reading and a celebration of the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss.

At SchoolFamily.com, we're all about encouraging reading! Parents reading aloud to their children and kids reading by themselves are both proven ways to help them do better in school—and develop a lifelong love of reading. Reading should be celebrated and applauded—even for so-called "average" readers.

Do you have a reluctant reader? Some kids will also be motivated by tracking their progress using our printable Reading Incentive Chart. For other tips on encouraging reading, check out our Building Reading Skills section.

The NEA lists recommended books under “Teachers’ Top 100 Books for Children.” And in honor of Read Across America, Voices From the Field—the official blog site of Save the Children—has posted a list of top books for children, by age, on their site in a series of posts called Love to Read. The books were chosen by Save the Children’s Early Childhood and Raising a Reader program leaders and specialists.

SchoolFamily.com is pleased to share this list with our readers. Note: The links below for each book are from online retailers. The books may also be found, however, at your local library. Not sure where the nearest library is? Do a library search through PublicLibraries.com, which lists all public libraries by state.

BOOKS FOR TODDLERS

Mine! A Backpack Baby Story by Miriam Cohen

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback

I Went Walking by Sue Williams

Flower Garden by Eve Bunting

Sail Away by Donald Crews

Nuts to You! By Lois Ehlert

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

All Fall Down by Helen Oxenbury

Pots and Pans by Anne Rockwell

Jungle Walk by Nancy Tafuri

BOOKS FOR PRESCHOOLERS