Best Music Books For Children

Teach your child all about instruments, melody, and more with these recommended music books for preschoolers

Kids Go!

by They Might Be Giants; illustrated by Pascal Campion
Hipster rock group They Might Be Giants return after their Grammy-winning CD for kids, Here Come the 123s, with a book and song combination to get kids off the couch and get moving. The song was originally created in 2008 for a PBS Kids campaign that encourages an active lifestyle and is packaged here with a DVD. The splashy, frenetic pace of the cool retro art adds to the energy of the song. It's a great book to start the day or break up rainy Sunday doldrums.

Children's Songbag 

by Paul DuBois Jacobs and Jennifer Swender

The authors have gathered the music and lyrics of 50 classic folk songs for singing together. This perfect compendium for families contains favorites like "I've Been Working on the Railroad," "Oh!Susanna," and "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain." The authors provide other versions for singing along with related activities, such as a muffin recipe for "Do You Know the Muffin Man?" This is a wonderful resource for families.

The Wheels on the Bus
by Paul O. Zelinsky

Zelinsky has created a rollicking pop-up, lift-the-flap edition of this favorite preschool song, The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round all through the town. The many movable parts will keep young children engaged as the wheels really do go round and round, while the bus doors open and the wipers go 'swish, swish' as children pull the tabs and lift the flaps. The pictures contain visual clues including the bus arriving at the public library where a singer is singing the title song.

The Seals on the Bus
by Lenny Hort; illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Here is the Lenny Hort version of the ever popular "The Wheels on the Bus." Children will delight as they play the seals who go "errp, errp, errp" and the tiger on the bus who "roar, roar, roars." A literal zoo comes on board for a ride until the skunks cause a mass exit. Kara's silly drawings pair perfectly with the absurdity of this perfect read-aloud.

Down by the Bay (Raffi Songs to Read)
by Raffi; illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott

Raffi's version of this traditional rhyming song is a delightful sing-along. Parents: try singing along a few re-readings and then ask children to make up their own verses. Did you ever see a bear comb his hair? Did you ever see a moose kiss a goose? Did you ever see a cat pet a ______?

If You're Happy and You Know It!
Illustrated by Jane Cabrera

Brightly colored animals help us know what movements to make as we sing along together. This board book edition is a perfect first book. We clap our hands with the monkey, flap our arms with the bird, roar with a lion, and stamp our feet with the elephant.

Dog Train: A Wild Ride on the Rock-and-Roll Side (Book & CD)
by Sandra Boynton

For families ready for some original material, this book is for you. Boyton, the rock star of the board book set with the best-selling Moo Baa La La La has turned her talents to songwriting. In this book and CD set she has teamed up with diverse bands to create a collection of rock and roll songs. Read the book, then turn up the volume and dance!

Let it Shine: Three Favorite Spirituals
by Ashley Bryan

A 2005 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner for Beautiful Blackbird, Bryan creates joyous celebrations of three powerful songs. His bold cut-paper collages explode in beams of radiance for "This Little Light of Mine" and the joy of joining with your community for "Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In" and sweeping visions of diversity in "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."

 Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf: With a Fully-Orchestrated and Narrated CD
adapted by Janet Schulman; illustrated by Peter Malone

Generations of children have been introduced to instruments in the orchestra through the story of Peter and the Wolf. This classical piece was originally commissioned for that purpose. As we listen, we hear the strings sing Peter's theme, the flute as the Bird, the duck as the oboe, the clarinet as the sound of the Cat, and grumbling Grandfather as the bassoon. Watch out for the French horns, it's the Wolf!

Story of the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music!
by Robert Levine

This is music writer Robert Levine's lighthearted survey of composers of classical music and the instruments of the orchestra. He begins with the Baroque period, with Vivaldi and Bach suggesting we play track two on the accompanying CD that contains a snippet of The Four Seasons. The 37 excerpts will give children a taste of classical music as well as a preliminary introduction to the sounds of the strings, woodwinds, and percussion.

Source: Lisa Von Drasek, nickjr dot com

Lisa Von Drasek is the Children's Librarian of the Bank Street College of Education. She teaches pre-K through 8th grade as well as children's literature to graduate students. Lisa has served as a juror on the New York Times Best Illustrated, the Newbery Committee, American Library Association's Notable Children's Books, and the Bank Street College of Education's Children's Book Committee.

Best Music Books