20 Books to Build Narrative Skills

All of this week’s books help build narrative skills. Narrative skills is the ability to point out things and tell a story. As always reading any book, not just these, will help to build this early literacy skill. So just keep reading!

The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort
Seals, tigers, monkeys and more ride the bus and the fun they have making noise. Children and caregivers will have fun singing and playing with the actions in this book. Fun pencil and collage illustrations make the story all the more animated. Enjoy reading a new twist on a classic children’s song in The Seals on the Bus.

A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson and Joan Rankin
Children will have fun learning to count with this outrageously fun rhyming story of a frog on a log. How many insects can this little frog eat and how big will the frog become? A surprise ending will have everyone smiling as the little frog learns a big lesson. Beautiful watercolor illustrations create an enduring story children will want to hear again.

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
Duck creates a whole bunch of excitement when he decides to ride a bike around the farmyard. Cow, horse, chicken, dog and many others all have an opinion of Duck’s antics, but in the end can’t help but join in on the fun. Duck on a Bike is a humorous tale everyone will love.

The Tortilla Factory by Gary Paulsen
The Tortilla Factory is a beautiful artistic and eloquent description of how and why this delicious food is made. Exquisite oil paintings make up the illustrations which accompany the story of how a tortilla is made. Children will enjoy learning their colors while hearing the story of the tortilla factory.

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
Tacky the penguin is the odd bird out in this charming tale of how being different is a good thing. Tacky doesn’t act like the other penguins, but when the other penguins are threatened, being different is what saves them all. Children will enjoy reading this sweet and fun story.

Drummer Hoff adapted by Barbara Emberley
Rhythm and rhyme bring out the story in Drummer Hoff. Bold, colorful woodcut illustrations create an entertaining and enjoyable tale. Children will like building on the story as each verse is repeated to a vivid conclusion.

Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett
Sunny the meerkat leaves his family in search of a new home. The meerkat family motto, “stay safe, stay together” proves to be true in this fun and creative story. Sunny sends postcards home from the various stops in his journey and the reader gets the fun of turning them over and reading them. Children will enjoy this originally interactive story and caregivers will enjoy the moral.

Drive by Nathan Clement
Daddy is a semi-truck driver and Drive shows us a day in his life. Beautiful, colorful computer generated illustrations create a unique perspective. Big, bold text help children follow along with the words of the story. Caregivers and children will enjoy this creative, modern, and original story.

While Mama Had a Quick Little Chat by Amy Reichert
Children won’t believe all that happens to a little girl name Rose while her mama has a quick little chat on the telephone. Party guests, magician, drummers and more all happen into Rose’s house while mama has a quick little chat. Children will be delightfully surprised to see what happens next in this fun and sweet story.

Yikes! by Robert Florczak
Yikes is the depiction of a young boy meeting wild and dangerous animals and having lots of fun doing it. Bold, colorful pictures fill every page to tell the story of what it’s like coming face to face with different amazing creatures. Children will have a great time seeing what animal lays waiting on the next page. Big, bold words accentuate the entertaining story.

How Are You Peeling? by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
Innovative and extremely inventive, How Are You Peeling? is a book of fruits and vegetables with expressive faces. Rhyming text helps to describe the different emotions that the produce are depicting in the illustrations. Children will love to see how the food they eat everyday can take on a personality all their own, while also helping children to identify with their emotions.

The Magic Hat by Mem Fox
A beautiful story about a magic hat and the delightful enchantment it brings. Where the magic hat will land nobody can know and what wonderful changes occurs to those it lands on. Until a wizard appears and everything changes again. Children and caregivers will love this wonderful captivating story.

Two Old Potatoes and Me by John Coy
A young girl finds two old potatoes and before she can throw them away her father persuades her to plant them. Two old potatoes turn into a fun garden, a delightful story and many, many more potatoes. Unique painting illustrations lend charming detail to a lovely story.

The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the School by Judy Sierra
A fun story of a science experiment gone wrong, The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the School will have children and caregivers mesmerized to find out what happens next. A young girl is pressed to find the perfect science experiment and ends up purchasing some slime online guaranteed to win first prize at a science fair. The slime gets out of control though when it starts eating everything in sight. Who or what will be next? Rhyming text and captivating illustrations will make this book a family favorite.

Drat That Fat Cat by Pat Thomson
A fat cat is not fat enough, so he gobbles up everything in his path. A rat, a duck, a dog, even an old lady until finally that fat cat meets his match when he gobbles up a bumble bee. A delightful story in the same theme of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Children will enjoy reading along to find out what that fat cat eats next.

Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino
A sweet story, Every Friday tells of a father-son tradition of having breakfast together every Friday. After waking up in the morning the story takes us along on the walk to the dinner and what the father and son see along the way. Children will enjoy pointing out the sights they recognize in the book and start the tradition of pointing out what they see during their own outings about town.

Mr. Cookie Baker by Monica Wellington
For every child that loves to pretend to be a chef, Mr. Cookie Baker is the perfect book for them. Bold, colorful and charming illustrations draw the reader into the story of a day-in-the-life of a cookie baker. Simple, straight forward text will assist the early readers, while the story itself will enthrall all ages. Everyone loves cookies and what better way to reminisce than to read about how to make cookies. Recipes are included in the back for those do-it-yourselfers.

What a Hat by Holly Keller
What a Hat is the story of Newton who won’t take off his hat. When Newton arrives to visit his cousins, he won’t take off his hat. Not to play spaceship or to play circus, Newton simply doesn’t want to take off the hat. Until his cousin Wizzie needs a little comfort, then Newton is ready to sacrifice his hat so someone he loves can enjoy it too. A sweet story for children who enjoy security items, What a Hat shows how everyone needs a little comfort.

Punk Farm by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
When Farmer Joe heads off to bed the animals get ready to rock. Cow, pig, goat, and sheep set up their instruments and punk farm is in full swing. Animals line up to see the rock show, but will they get caught? Children will love this cool twist on Old McDonald. Caregivers will smile at this silly story.