Research Guides: Early & Emergent Readers: Emergent Readers

About Emergent Readers

The emergent reader is typically between the ages of four and five and is just beginning to form letters into words. In these books the pictures should tell the story with few words and the reader should begin to formulate shapes, letters, and sounds. Rhyme and repetition are used within these books with a high level of imagery content. Parents should easily be able to guide their new reader through this beginning vocabulary.

Emergent Readers (Lexile 0-100)

Thump, Thump, Rat-a-Tat-Tat by Gene Baer; Lois Ehlert (Illustrator)
Call Number: YE BAE
Publication Date: 1989
A distant marching band grows larger and louder as it nears and then softer and smaller as it goes away again.
Machines at Work by Byron Barton
Call Number: YE BAR
Publication Date: 1987
During a busy day at the construction site, the workers use a variety of machines to knock down a building and begin constructing a new one.
My Car by Byron Barton
Call Number: YE BAR
Publication Date: 2001
My car has wheels. My car has gas. The horn goes beep. Come take a ride.
Drive by Nathan Clement
Call Number: YE CLE
Publication Date: 2008
A little boy tells the story of what his dad does in his long day of driving a truck.
I Love Bugs by Emma Dodd
Call Number: YE DOD
Publication Date: 2010
A little boy loves all kinds of bugs, from spiky spiny bugs to pretty spotty bugs. But the best bugs are hairy bugs.
Billy and Milly, Short and Silly by Eve B. Feldman; Tuesday Mourning (Illustrator)
Call Number: YE FEL
Publication Date: 2009
Follow Billy and Milly through thirteen adventures in these funny and simple short stories.
Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka
Call Number: YE RAS
Publication Date: 1993
Two lonely characters, one black and one white, meet on the street and become friends.
Dogs by Emily Gravett
Call Number: YE GRA
Publication Date: 2010
Big dogs, small dogs, stripy dogs, spotty dogs. There are so many different kinds of dogs. How can anyone pick one type of dog to love the most?
Hello, Day! by Anita Lobel
Call Number: YE LOB
Publication Date: 2008
What will baby's first word be? Hello? Sun? Dog? Cat? Cow? Owl?
Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
Call Number: YE POR
Publication Date: 2006
A box is just a box . . . unless it's not a box. From mountain to rocket ship, a small rabbit shows that a box will go as far as the imagination allows.
Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
Call Number: YE POR
Publication Date: 2008
An imaginative young pig shows some of the many things that a stick can be.
Will Sheila Share? by Elivia Savadier (Illustrator)
Call Number: YE SAV
Publication Date: 2008
Nana helps teach her toddler granddaughter to share.
Pouch! by David Ezra Stein
Call Number: YE STE
Publication Date: 2009
A baby kangaroo takes his first tentative hops outside of his mama's pouch, meeting other creatures and growing bolder with each outing.
The Doghouse by Jan Thomas
Call Number: YE THO
Publication Date: 2008
Mouse, Pig, Cow, and Duck are playing a carefree game of ball when (horror of horrors!) their ball gets kicked into . . . THE DOGHOUSE.
Red Sled by Lita Judge
Call Number: YE JUD
Publication Date: 2011
At night, a host of woodland creatures plays with a child's red sled.
I Went Walking by Sue Williams; Julie Vivas (Illustrator)
Call Number: YE WIL
Publication Date: 1990
During the course of a walk, a young boy identifies animals of different colors.
Cat the Cat Who Is That? by Mo Willems
Call Number: YE WIL
Publication Date: 2010
An exuberant cat introduces readers to her friends.
I Love My New Toy! by Mo Willems
Call Number: YE WIL
Publication Date: 2008
Piggie can't wait to show Gerald her brand new toy, but will an accidentally broken toy accidentally break a friendship?
I Will Surprise My Friend! by Mo Willems
Call Number: YE WIL
Publication Date: 2008
Gerald and Piggie want to play a game and surprise each other, but the biggest surprise is the one they least expect.
My Friend Is Sad by Mo Willems
Call Number: YE WIL
Publication Date: 2007
Gerald is down in the dumps. Piggie is determined to cheer him up but finds after many tries that it only takes the simplest thing to change Gerald's mood.
What's Your Sound Hound the Hound? by Mo Willems
Call Number: YE WIL
Publication Date: 2007
Cat's animal friends make many different sounds.
Crab Cab by Harriet Ziefert; Yukiko Kido (Illustrator)
Call Number: Y 428 Z
Publication Date: 2009
These unique, interactive early-reading books invite children to flip the pages and presto-change-o! a different word and picture appear.
Night Lights by Susan Gal
Call Number: YE GAL
Publication Date: 2009
While preparing for bedtime, a little girl and her dog note all the different kinds of lights that brighten up the night, from headlights to moonlight.
Up! by Kristine O'Connell George; Hiroe Nakata (Illustrator)
Call Number: YE GEO
Publication Date: 2005
A trip to the park with Daddy is full of joyful opportunities to climb, to jump, to swing, to be lifted . . . Up!
Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett
Call Number: YE GRA
Publication Date: 2007
Explores concepts of color, shape, and food, using only five simple words, as a bear juggles and plays.
Chicken Said, "Cluck!" by Judyann Ackerman Grant; Sue Truesdell (Illustrator)
Call Number: YE GRA
Publication Date: 2008
Earl and Pearl do not want Chicken's help in the garden, until a swarm of grasshoppers arrives and her true talent shines.
Whose Mouse Are You? by Robert Kraus; Jose Aruego (Illustrator)
Call Number: YE KRA
Publication Date: 2000
In a series of delightfully imaginary achievements, "nobody's mouse" transforms himself into the beloved hero of his mother, father, sister, and brand-new baby brother.
Circle Dogs by Kevin Henkes; Dan Yaccarino (Illustrator)
Call Number: YE HEN
Publication Date: 1998
The circle dogs live in a big, square house with a big, square yard. See the dogs? See the circles? Mama calls them pooches. Papa calls them hounds.
Ivy Loves to Give by Freya Blackwood
Call Number: YE BLA
Publication Date: 2010
Ivy loves to give gifts, even though she doesn't always give the right present to the right person.
Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett
Call Number: YE GRA
Publication Date: 2008
Excited about their trip to the zoo, a young girl and her stuffed monkey delight in mimicking all the animals they see.
First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Call Number: Y 571 S
Publication Date: 2007
WHICH CAME FIRST? The chicken or the egg?
Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas
Call Number: YE THO
Publication Date: 2009
As three dust bunnies, Ed, Ned, and Ted, are demonstrating how much they love to rhyme, a fourth, Bob, is trying to warn them of approaching danger.
One Boy by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Call Number: YE SEE
Publication Date: 2008
A boy creates ten paintings in this counting book that also explores the relationship of words within words.
Chicken Soup by Jean Van Leeuwen; David Gavril (Illustrator)
Call Number: YE VAN
Publication Date: 2009
Rumor has it that Mrs. Farmer is making chicken soup, so the chickens are on the run except for poor Little Chickie, who has a bad cold and her sneezes won't let her hide.
The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson; Beth Krommes (Illustrator)
Call Number: YE SWA
Publication Date: 2008
A spare, patterned text and glowing pictures explore the origins of light that make a house a home.
The Life of a Car by Susan Steggall
Call Number: YE STE
Publication Date: 2008
Many things happen in the life of a car: it's built, sold, driven, washed . . . sometimes it even crashes!