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Story rhymes for children


Nursery Rhymes, Books, and Felt Stories for kids

Beloved nursery rhymes such as "Jack and Jill," "Little Miss Muffet," "Hickory, Dickory, Dock," and "Baa, Baa, Sheep," have been cherished by children for generations. Their silliness, their rhyme and repetition make them fun for children to listen to and recite. Nursery rhymes are also a great tool to practice phonemic awareness and phonics skills. 

Jack and Jill 
(Traditional Nursery Rhyme)

Jack and Jill went up the hill,
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.

Up Jack got,
and home did trot,
As fast as he could caper,
To old Dame Dob,
who patched his nob
With vinegar and brown paper.

Jack Spratt 
(Traditional Nursery Rhyme)

Jack Sprat could eat no fat,
His wife could eat no lean,
And so between the two of them,
They licked the platter clean.

Little Bo Peep
(Traditional Nursery Rhyme)

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep,
And can't tell where to find them.
Leave them alone, and they'll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.

Little Jack Horner 
(Traditional Nursery Rhyme)

Little Jack Horner sat in the corner,
Eating his Christmas pie,
He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum,
And said "What a good boy am I!"

Old King Cole 
(Traditional Nursery Rhyme)

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
and a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe in the middle of the night,
And he called for his fiddlers three.

Every fiddler had a fine fiddle,
and a very fine fiddle had he.
Oh there's none so rare as can compare
With King Cole and his fiddlers three.

The Queen of Hearts 
(Traditional Nursery Rhyme)

The Queen of Hearts
She made some tarts,
All on a summer's day.

The Knave of Hearts
He stole those tarts,
And took them clean away.

The King of Hearts
Called for the tarts,
And beat the knave full sore.

The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vowed he'd steal no more.

Nursery Rhymes Books

And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon

Dimity Dumpty: The Story of Humpty's Little Sister

Favorite Nursery Rhymes from Mother Goose

 Hey Diddle Diddle
Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever  Sylvia Long's Mother Goose The Completed Hickory Dickory Dock 
My Very First Mother Goose Hickory, Dickory, Dock:
And Other Favorite Nursery Rhymes 		 Baa Baa Black Sheep Old King Cole

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet
sat on a tuffet,
eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider
who sat down beside her,
and frightened Miss Muffet away.

Bow-Wow

"Bow-wow," says the dog.
"Meow-meow," says the cat.
"Grunt-grunt," says the hog,
and "squeak," goes the rat.
"Buzz-buzz", says the bee.
"Tweet-tweet," says the jaya.
"Caw-caw," says the crow.
"Quack-quack," says the duck.
And what the cuckoo says, you know!

Litte Jack Horner

Little Jack Horner
sat in a corner
eating his holiday pie.
He stuck in his thumb
and pulled out a plum
and said, "What a lucky boy am I!"

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep Nursery Rhyme

"Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
havy you any wool?"

"Yes sir, yes sir,
three bags full.
One for my master.
One for my dame.
And one for the little girl
who lives down the lane."

The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

There was an old woman
who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children,
she didn't know what to do.

She gave them some broth
along with some bread,
then hugged them all soundly
and sent them to bed.

Little Boy Blue

Little Boy Blue
come blow your horn.
The sheep's in the meadow.
The cow's in the corn.

Where is the young boy
who looks after the sheep?
He's under a haystack
fast asleep.

Will you wake him?
No, not I,
for if I do,
he is sure to cry.

View also our preschool and kindergarten nursery rhymes activities and crafts

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

 

 

 

30 Best Rhyming Books for Preschool & Kindergarten

Exposure to rhyme helps children to develop phonemic awareness, listening and thinking skills, and vocabulary and comprehension skills, and despite all of that important literacy learning potential, rhyming picture books are just GREAT fun to read! With fun word play and often silly story lines, here is a huge list of our pick of the best rhyming books for kids.

Why read rhyming stories to children?
Rhyme is important to language learning. The ability to identify rhyme is important to phonemic awareness – that is the ability to identify and manipulate the sounds within words, in both spoken and written language. Both anecdotal and researched evidence suggests that being familiar with rhyme helps children to detect the small, phonetic components that make up words, and that this detection is an essential skill to learning to read and write.

Rhyming books are wonderful for toddlers (check out our list of toddler rhyming books) through to children in preschool and kindergarten (and even beyond!) From a young age children can learn to recognise that cat sounds like mat. Their detection of the ‘at’ word segment will help them to be able to also hear that hat and bat and fat are also part of this ‘at’ word family.

As words that sound similar are generally spelled similarly, children who make this type pf important connection are in a prime position when it comes time to begin to formally learn to read and write, making inferences about new and unfamiliar words in print as they read and write – for example, if dog and log have an ‘og’ sounds, then so might frog or hog.

30 Rhyming Books for Preschool & Kindergarten 

As with all of the lists in our Best Books for Kids collection, each title in this list links to an Amazon and/or Book Depository page (these are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission at no cost to you) where you can find more information and reviews for titles you might not be personally familiar with. 

Oi Frog (book 1 in a wonderful series) by Kes Gray
“It’s very simple, really. Cats sit on mats, hares sit on chairs, mules sit on stools, gophers sit on sofas, and frogs sit on logs.” But Frog does not want to sit on a log! With magical rhyming word play, this hilarious series of stories will have children of all ages in fits of laughter. We love them all!
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
The Koala Who Could by Rachel Bright
Kevin the koala likes to keep things the same. But sometimes change comes along whether we like it or not and, as Kevin discovers, if you step outside your comfort zone and try new things, you might just surprise yourself!
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Macca the Alpaca by Matt Cosgrove
When a friendly alpaca comes face-to-face with a meanie llama, llama dram lies ahead. But perhaps the differences that separate the two will be exactly what brings them together in the end.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Noni the Pony by Alison Lester
“Noni the Pony is friendly and funny. Her shimmering tail is the color of honey.” A beautiful rhyming tale about friendship.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas by Aaron Blabey
‘Hey there guys. Would you like a banana? What’s wrong with you, Brian? You’re a Piranha.’ Can Brian the vegetarian piranha convince his friends to pass on the bums and give fruit a try??! A hilarious story that even children in the lower elementary/primary grades will love.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen
This is the delightful story of five animal friends who decide to go for a row on the bay. Do you know who sank the boat?
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors by Davina Bell
When Frankie’s mother protests at him borrowing ANOTHER book about tractors from the local library, Frankie launches into all the various, glorious factors that contribute to his love for tractors!
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

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There’s a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins
Poor Mouse! A bear has settled in his favorite chair and it just isn’t big enough for two. Nothing Mouse tries will move that pesky Bear! What is Mouse to do?
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Pig the Pug (book 1 of the series) by Aaron Blabey
Children love Pig the very naughty pug! He’s more than a little greedy and selfish (Pig the Pug), tells fibs (Pig the Fibber), cheats and is a very sore loser (Pig the Winner) but his naughty plans never quite work out the way Pig hopes they will, with very entertaining results! A great series shared with  the stories shared in catchy rhyme.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
How Many Legs? by Kes Gray
Children of all ages will enjoy the funny rhyme and hilarious animal characters of How Many Legs?, with older children engrossed with the challenge of remembering just how many legs there are!
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast by Josh Funk
Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast have a beautiful friendship-until they discover that there’s only one drop of maple syrup left! Off they go on a race to claim it, leading to the funniest food fight ever.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
The Rhyming Rabbit by Julia Donaldson
A rabbit who feels lonely and misunderstood as none of the other animals appreciate his poetry. Until one night he meets someone who shares his enthusiasm.
Available: Amazon | Book Depository
The Magic Hat by Mem Fox
When a magic hat sails into town it transforms the townspeople, one by one, into a parade of animals. The clever use of rhyming couplets offers the opportunity for children to make a guess at which animal will be next.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
I’ve long loved this wonderful rhyme featuring a host of well known fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters hiding in the illustrations.
Available:  The Book Depository

List continues below.

The Foggy, Foggy Forest by Nick Sharrat
Take a trip through a mysterious foggy, foggy forest filled with fairytale fun!  There’s a fairy queen on a trampoline and an ogre doing yoga, what else will you see?
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Where’s My Teddy? by Jez Alborough
“Eddie’s off to find his teddy. Eddie’s teddy’s name is Freddie.” When Eddie heads into the woods to look for his lost teddy bear, he is surprised by what he finds.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson
Julia Donaldson is a master of rhyme and this fabulous romp through a farmyard as the animals band together to stop a team of rascally robbers from stealing the farmer’s fine prize cow.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky
In this very funny tale shared in rhyme, a terrible plopping sound has the forest animals running for their lives but is there really anything to fear?
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
The Very Cranky Bear (book 1 of the series) by Nick Bland
We love this series of books about the adventures of a rather cranky bear and his four new friends. Who will have the answer to help Bear when he’s feeling so cranky?
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith
A hilarious rhyming song introducing a donkey, but not just any donkey! This one is a spunky, hanky-panky, cranky, stinky, dinky, lanky, honky-tonky, winky, wonky donkey!
Available: Amazon  |  Book Depository

List continues below.

Don’t Forget the Bacon! by Pat Hutchins
“Six farm eggs, a cake for tea, a pound of pears, and don’t forget the bacon.” I love this classic for its clever and playful use of rhyme.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Some Dogs Do by Jez Alborough
“All dogs walk and jump and run, but dogs don’t fly-it can’t be done.” Or maybe it can. A memorable book with a special secret at the end.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Monster Trouble! by Lane Fredrickson
The funny, fast paced rhyming tale of Winifred Schnitzel who can’t sleep because of the monsters invading her home!
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes by Eve Sutton
This is such a fun, rhyming story and it is perfect for beginning readers – in fact, it was the first book my big girl decoded independently so it holds a special place in my heart. It’s all about the crazy actions of cats from around the world.
Available:  The Book Depository

List continues below.

Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw
“Beep! Beep! Sheep in a jeep on a hill that’s steep.” When five foolish sheep take a drive in a jeep, the results are a hilarious rhyming story perfect for preschoolers and kindergarteners.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles
When Edward the Emu tires of life as an emu he decides to try out the lifestyles of the other animals in the zoo! Will swimming with the seals, lounging with the lions or slithering with the snakes make Edward happy?
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae
“There’s a curious commotion, at the bottom of the ocean; I think we ought to go and take a look. You’ll find every sort of creature, that lives beneath the sea; swimming through the pages of this book.” I love this series of fabulous animal rhyming books by Giles Andreae and just had to include them all! Each page includes a short rhyme about a different creature.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae
“There’s a rumble in the jungle, There’s a whisper in the trees, The animals are waking up, And rustling the leaves …” There are lions, elephants, chimpanzees, zebras, hippos and more, introduced through wonderful, engaging rhyme.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Cock-a-doodle-doo! Farmyard Hullabaloo by Giles Andreae
Take a journey through a bright and noisy barnyard with fun animal rhymes that children will enjoying chanting along with you.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Dinosaurs Galore! by Giles Andreae
A funny, rhythmic and fact-filled picture book about the lives of the great dinosaurs.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Looking for more great reads for your preschool or kindergarten classroom? Check out our list of Funny Books for Kids, Best Children’s Books from the 80s and 90s and 101 Books to Help Develop Social Skills.

Or take language learning further with 7 Alphabet Books that Teach Much More Thank ABC and this list of 21 Fun Picture Books About Words.

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Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.

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