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
5. Fiesta! by Ginger Foglesong Guy (bilingual text)

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. My Arctic 1,2,3 by Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak & Vladyana Langer Krykorka (bilingual text-Inkutitut)
10. Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
11. Cha-Cha Chimps by Julie Durango
12. Ten Tiny Babies Karen Katz
13. Uno, Dos, Tres by Pat Mora (bilingual text)
14. Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
15. Eight Animals On the Town by Susan Middleton Elya (bilingual text)
16. Ten Flashing Fireflies by Philemon Sturges
17. Beep Beep, Vroom Vroom! by Stuart Murphy Mathstart activity
18. My Signing Book of Numbersby Patricia Bellan Gillen (1-20 and 30-100 by 10's)
19. One Moose, Twenty Mice by Clare Beaton (1-20)
20. One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab by April Pulley Sayre & Jeff Sayre (1-10 and 20-100 by 10's)
21. Let's County by Tana Hoban (1-100)
22. Count! by Denise Fleming (1-10, 20, 30, 40, & 50)
23. Ten Little Hippos by Bobette McCarthy (counting down from 10-1)
24. Twenty is Too Many by Kate Duke (subtraction from 20-1)

Goal CD-5: mathematical thinking and expression~~identify and describe simple POSITIONS AND 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. Ollie All Over by Denis Roche (spatial awareness)
6. Where's Spot by Eric Hill (spatial awareness)
7. Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh What's My Shape?
8. Perfect Square by Michael Hall
9. Round Is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes, by Roseanne Thong
10. Round Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes, by Roseanne Thong
11. Shapes, Shapes, Shapes by Tana Hoban
12. Skippyjon Jones Shape Up by Judy Schachner
13. Circle Dogs by Kevin Henkes
14. My Shapes/Mis Formas by Rebecca Emberley (bilingual text)
15. The Shape of Things by Dayle Ann Dodds
16. Shape Space by Cathryn Falwell
17. Dots, Spots, Speckles and Stripes by Tana Hoben

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 (sequence)
4. A Pair of Socks by Stuart J. Murphy Mathstart activity
5. You Are (Not) Small by Anna King (measurement and compare)
6. Actual Size by Steve Jenkins (measurement)
7. Big Bug by Henry Cole (measurement)
8. Just a Little Bit by Ann Tompert (measurement)
9. The Best Bug Parade by Stuart Murphy Mathstart activity
10. How Big is the Lion? My First Book of Measuring, by William Accorsi (measurement)
11. Rabbit’s Pajama Party by Stuart Murphy Mathstart activity
12. Pattern Bugs by Trudy Harris (patterns)
13. A-B-A-B-A—A Book of Pattern Play by Brian P. Cleary (patterns)
14. The Napping House by Audrey Wood (sequence)
15. Big and Little by Margaret Miller (measurement/compare)
16. Is it Larger? Is it Smaller? by Tana Hoban (measurement/compare)
17. The Button Box by Margarette S. Reid (patterns)
18. A High, Low, Near, Far, Loud, Quiet Story by Nina Crews (compare)
19. Missing Mittens by Stuart J. Murphy (compare and group)
20. My Opposites/Mis Opuetos by Rebecca Emberley (bilingual text)

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
6. Eating Fractions by Bruce McMillan (mathematical problem solving)
7. Give Me Half! by Stuart J. Murphy (mathematical problem solving)
8. Pete's Pockets by Eve Rice (mathematical problem solving)
9. The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins (mathematical problem solving)
10. Now, Soon, Later by Lisa Grunwald (time problem solving)
11. 7 Ate 9: The Untold Story by Tara Lazar

Goal CD-8 and CD-9: scientific exploration, INVESTIGATIONS 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
11. I Swapped My Dog by Harriet Ziefert (observations and predictions)
12. The Marvelous Toy by Tom Paxton (observations and predictions)
13. Tail, Toes, Eyes, Ears, Nose by Marilee Robin Burton (observations and predictions)
14. Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee (observations and predictions)
15. Asking Questions and Finding Solutions by Riley Flynn

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. Con Mi Hermano/With My Brother by Eileen Roe (bilingual text)
4. And Tango Make Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
5. Quackenstein Hatches a Family by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen Storyline Online read-aloud
6. Annie Rose Is My Little Sister by Shirley Hughes
7. Black Is Brown Is Tan by Arnold Adoff
8. Please Please the Bees by Gerald Kelley Storyline Online read-aloud
9. It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr
10. Daddy Makes the Best Spaghetti by Anna Grossnickle Hines
11. Every Year on Your Birthday by Rose A. Lewis
12. Me and My Cat by Satoshi Kitamura Storyline Online read-aloud
13. Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers
14. The Family Book by Todd Parr YouTube read-aloud (ASL)
15. Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
16. Fred Stays with Me! By Nancy Coffelt
17. Has Anyone Seen My Emily Greene? By Norma Fox Mazer
18. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion Storyline Online read-aloud
19. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
20. Jamaica Tag-Along by Juanita Havill
21. Taking a Walk: Caminando by Rebecca Emberley (bilingual text)
22. In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall, African Americans Celebrating Fathers by Javaka Steptoe
23. Lots of Grandparents by Shelley Rotner and Sheila Kelly
24. My Hippie Grandmother by Reeve Lindbergh
25. You Are Not Small by Anna Kang YouTube read-aloud
26. On Mother’s Lap by Ann Herbert Scott
27. Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen Storyline Online read-aloud
28. Quinto, Day, and Night by Ina Cumpiano YouTube read-aloud
29. Trio: The Tale of a Three-Legged Cat by Andrea Wisnews
30. The Ugly Five by Julia Donaldson
31. I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll Storyline Online read-aloud
32. We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio
33. Only One You by Lind Kranz Only One You activities
34. Hello World! by Manya Stojic (hello in 42 languages)