Cognitive Book Recommendations

The following is a list of children's books divided by the goals of Cognitive Domain. Some of these books will overlap with other goals of the SDELG. The list was compromised of recommendations from NAEYC, Scholastic, US Department of Education, CDC, Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations, and more. These are just suggestions and there are many skill-building books that may not be included on this list.

Some titles include a link to a read-aloud and/or activities.

Goal CD-3: construction of knowledge: thinking and reasoning~~reasoning, taking perspectives, decision-making

1. Crab Cake: Turning the Tide Together by Anread Tsurumi (Taking care of environment)
2. Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni Learning4Kids Activity
3. Red, Blue, Yellow Shoe by Tana Hoban Learning4Kids Activity
4. Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano Storyline Online read-aloud

Goal CD-4: mathematical thinking and expression~~Counting, how many, describe order, and compare

1. More, More, More Said the Baby, by Vera B. Williams
2. One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root
3. Two of Everything by Lily Toy Hong
4. One…Two…Three…Sassafras! by Stuart Murphy Mathstart activity
5. The Three Bears…The Three Little Pigs…The Three Billy Goats Gruff…The Three Little Kittens…
6. Quack and Count by Keith Baker
7. Five Little Monkeys…Jumping on the Bed, …Swinging in a Tree, …
8. Every Buddy Counts by Stuart Murphy Mathstart activity
9. Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
10. Cha-Cha Chimps by Julie Durango
11. Ten Tiny Babies Karen Katz
12. Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
13. Ten Flashing Fireflies by Philemon Sturges
14. Beep Beep, Vroom Vroom! by Stuart Murphy Mathstart activity

Goal CD-5: mathematical thinking and expression~~identify and describe simple geometric shapes

1. Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins (Spatial awareness)
2. Up, Down, and Around by Nadine Bernard Westcott (Spatial awareness)
3. Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch, by Mary Peterson and Jennifer Rofe (Spatial awareness)
4. The Berenstain Bears Inside Outside Upside Down by Stan Berenstain (Spatial awareness)
5. Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh What's My Shape?
6. Perfect Square by Michael Hall
7. Round Is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes, by Roseanne Thong
8. Round Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes, by Roseanne Thong
9. Shapes, Shapes, Shapes by Tana Hoban
10. Skippyjon Jones Shape Up by Judy Schachner

Goal CD-6: mathematical thinking and expression~~compare, sort, group, organize, measure, and create simple patterns

1. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
2. 3 Little Firefighters by Stuart Murphy Mathstart activity
3. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
4. A Pair of Socks by Stuart J. Murphy Mathstart activity
5. You Are (Not) Small by Anna King
6. Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
7. Big Bug by Henry Cole
8. Just a Little Bit by Ann Tompert
9. The Best Bug Parade by Stuart Murphy Mathstart activity
10. How Big is the Lion? My First Book of Measuring, by William Accorsi
11. Rabbit’s Pajama Party by Stuart Murphy Mathstart activity
12. Pattern Bugs by Trudy Harris
13. A-B-A-B-A—A Book of Pattern Play by Brian P. Cleary
14. The Napping House by Audrey Wood

Goal CD-7: mathematical thinking and expression~~mathematical thinking and solving problems

1. The Greatest Gymnast of All by Stuart Murphy Mathstart activity
2. Henry the Fourth by Stuart Murphy Mathstart activity
3. A House for Birdie by Stuart Murphy Mathstart activity
4. It’s About Time! by Stuart Murphy Mathstart activity
5. The Rain Came Down by David Shannon Michigan State University activity

Goal CD-8 and CD-9: scientific exploration and knowledge

1. I Spy series by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick (Observations and questions)
2. Mix It Up by Herve Tullet (Predictions and questions)
3. Freight Train by Donald Crews (Engineering) YouTube read-aloud
4. Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (Living versus nonliving)
5. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Life cycles) YouTube read-aloud

   YouTube read-aloud (ASL) (ASL)

6. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (Earth and sky) YouTube read-aloud
7. The Snowy Day by Ezra Keats (Properties of matter)
8. The Happy Egg by Ruth Krauss
9. Rainbow by Marion Dane Bauer
10. Rainbow Colors Peekaboo! by DK Mess-Free Color Mixing

Goal CD-10 and CD-11: social studies, family and community connections

1. A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
2. A Day with Dad by Bo R. Holmberg
3. And Tango Make Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
4. Quackenstein Hatches a Family by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen Storyline Online read-aloud
5. Annie Rose Is My Little Sister by Shirley Hughes
6. Black Is Brown Is Tan by Arnold Adoff
7. It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr
8. Daddy Makes the Best Spaghetti by Anna Grossnickle Hines
9. Every Year on Your Birthday by Rose A. Lewis
10. Me and My Cat by Satoshi Kitamura Storyline Online read-aloud
11. Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers
12. The Family Book by Todd Parr YouTube read-aloud (ASL)
13. Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
14. Fred Stays with Me! By Nancy Coffelt
15. Has Anyone Seen My Emily Greene? By Norma Fox Mazer
16. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion Storyline Online read-aloud
17. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
18. Jamaica Tag-Along by Juanita Havill
19. In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall, African Americans Celebrating Fathers by Javaka Steptoe
20. Lots of Grandparents by Shelley Rotner and Sheila Kelly
21. My Hippie Grandmother by Reeve Lindbergh
22. You Are Not Small by Anna Kang YouTube read-aloud
23. On Mother’s Lap by Ann Herbert Scott
24. Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen Storyline Online read-aloud
25. Quinto, Day, and Night by Ina Cumpiano YouTube read-aloud
26. Trio: The Tale of a Three-Legged Cat by Andrea Wisnews
27. The Ugly Five by Julia Donaldson
28. I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll Storyline Online read-aloud
29. We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio
30. Only One You by Lind Kranz Only One You activities