2024 A Baker's Dozen: The Best Children's Books for Family Literacy

Presented by Pennsylvania Center for the Book, a Baker’s Dozen is a nationwide, annual initiative to screen over 2,000 picture books each year with the goal of identifying the top thirteen books that support family literacy program goals and are suited to the interests and developmental characteristics of children between three and six years of age.

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14 items

10 Dogs

Bursting with energy and fun, young children will love to count the dogs and the sausages, as well as looking out for all the funny details on each page. The book explores numbers one going up to ten, and ten going down to zero, touching on several simple concepts like half, all, more, less along the way.

ABC and you and me
Corinna Luyken.

In this original ABC book that encourages readers to sit up and move, kids and grownups use their bodies to make the shapes of each letter (and observant readers will notice details on each page that represent those letters).

Bear with me
Kerascoët.

A child's favorite stuffed animal is a member of the family. This little girl and her bear are no different. The two are inseparable. Bear joins the girl for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and every moment in between. So when the first day of school arrives and Bear can't come along, the little girl is worried. At first, being in school feels hard, but as the day goes on, the girl finds ways to make herself feel better. This reassuring story, which is accessible and kid-friendly, beautifully captures a child's use of coping skills to work through her separation anxiety.

The concrete garden

After a long, cold winter, doors finally open, and children spill out like candies from a box. Amanda is the last one out of the apartment building, with a carton of chalk in her hands. On every inch of the pavement outside, the children draw pictures of flowers and trees, mushrooms and snails, and a few very unexpected things. It's a concrete garden. Their creativity, unfettered in the open air, brings something beautiful, something hopeful, to the residents there, and to many more across the globe.

How to count to one
written by Caspar Salmon ; illustrated by Matt Hunt.

Get ready to show off your skills in this fun new counting book! But not everything is as it seems . . . is this book really only about counting to "ONE?" Because there are SO MANY fun things that you could count. But wait --maybe there's a way to outsmart the book . . . and count all the way up to 100!

I Am a Dragon!

A squad of frogs is excited when they spot a Very Big Frog in their pond. But when the creature says that he isn't a frog, the frogs insist that he's the one who is wrong. What happens when the creature has had enough of the frogs' quibbling? Find out in this pitch-perfect, hilarious read-aloud about misunderstandings, imagination, forgiveness, and friendship!

If I Was a Horse

If you were a horse, what would you do? Could you fit in your clothes? (Would you even wear clothes?) Would you roll in the mud and laugh and laugh? Could anyone make you take a bath? Would you give your little sister a ride? Would your friends at school be very surprised? Gallop along with two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall through this riotous day in the life of a child who's a horse.

The Kitten Story

A family must learn to compromise as they set out to choose the perfect pet, in this heartwarming story about conflict resolution and overcoming disappointment until finally, an adorable kitten is welcomed into their home.

Mr. s

When a kindergarten class arrives for the first day at school, they are greeted only by the words "Mr. S" on the chalkboard and a delicious-looking sandwich, resulting in merry mayhem as the kids wonder if the sandwich is their teacher.

Night in the city
by Julie Downing.

When children are fast asleep, some people are hard at work keeping the city safe and clean, and when daylight comes they go home to sleep.

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