Picture Books to Sing in Kindergarten Music Class - From Epic Books
Here is a list of books to sing from Epic Books! At the time of this post, all these books are live, and available on the free plan.
This is an accompaniment post to this podcast episode about how to create activities around picture books.
Let’s get singing!
Singing Books about Animals, Insects, and Arachnids
Cat Goes Fiddle-I-Fee
By: Harriet Ziefert
Illustrated by: Emily Bolam
This cumulative song is so fun to sing! Throughout the story we collect more and more animals, making our song longer and longer.
The Itsy Bitsy Beetle
By: Artie Bennett, Wes Magee
Illustrated by: Tomislav Zlatic
After Itsy Bitsy Spider goes up the waterspout, Itsy Bitsy Beetle has his own adventure in the snow!
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
By: Scarlett Wing
Illustrated by: Rob McClurkan
Scarlett Wing extended the story of The Itsy Bitsy Spider to be a tale about perseverance. At the end of each page the author wonders if Itsy Bitsy Spider goes up the spout again… read to find out!
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Illustrated by: Hazel Quintanilla
Quintanilla has a knack for reimagining the story of children’s songs through her illustrations. In this classic song and nursery rhyme, Mary is a lamb herself, going to a school run by a hen and playing with bunny, bear, and dog friends.
Oh Where Oh Where Has my Little Dog Gone
Illustrated by: Hazel Quintanilla
This song is well-loved by many children already, but Quintanilla gives it a new story with the illustrations. Join a loveable family of dogs as they play a fun game of hide-and-seek. Where could the little dog be?
Over in the Meadow
Illustrated by: Jill McDonald
This is one of my all-time favorite books to sing! I love using it on the first day of school. Students quickly pick up on the call-and-response form of the dialogue.
The Wheels on the Bus
By: Scarlett Wing
Illustrated by: Jannie Ho
This classic children’s song gets a fun twist from author, Scarlett Wing! In this version step on the bus with circus animals, and sing all through the town.
Sing a Book Up in the Sky
Star Light Star Bright
By: Artie Bennett, Melissa Everett
Illustrated by: Oksana Pasishnychenko
This book extends the classic nursery rhyme, adding different things a parent wishes for their child.
In the classroom, we can choose a few pages to sing together, then students can take turns singing their own wishes.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
By: Ann Taylor and Jane Taylor
Illustrated by: Katherine Duffy
Duffy illustrates the classic text of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” by sisters Ann and Jane Taylor. This is a great opportunity to introduce students to the poem’s full text!
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
By: Scarlett Wing
Illustrated by: Stacy Peterson
Author Scarlett Wing adds charming additional verses to this well-loved children’s song. Each page is set in a different children’s story: Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack and the Bean Stalk, etc.
Sing a Story about Nature
Jack and Jill
Illustrated By: Hazel Quintanilla
Hazel Quintanilla has illustrated several books in this collection! This is the classic text of Jack and Jill, acted out by two adorable mountain goats.
I Love the Mountains
Illustrated By: Haily Meyers
Speaking of mountains, Haley Myers set the classic song, ‘I Love the Mountains” to beautiful illustrations in this book! In addition to singing the song, we can also consider creative movement opportunities by asking students to act out the different scenes in the book: mountains, meadows, water, etc.
Sing About Water
There’s a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
By: Jessica Law
Illustrated by: Jill McDonald
Jessica Law took a different spin on this classic children’s song! This time, Law uses each new verse to sing about a different animal: snail, squid, shark, etc., and each new animal has a different place in the food chain of the ocean!
Rain Rain, Go Away
By: Melissa Everett
Illustrated by: Carrie Wendel
In this book, children start the song by singing about how they wish the rain would go away so they could play outside. By the end of the book, the children realize they can play outside in many different kinds of weather! They decide the rain can stay after all.
Down by the Bay
By: Kim Mitzo Thompson, Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand
Illustrated by: Roberta Collier-Morales
This is a well-loved children’s song, and such a fun way to work on echo singing! Collier-Morales illustrated the book cumulatively, so each time we sing about a character, they stay on the page. By the end of the book, we have collected a host of silly characters down by the bay.
Down by the Bay
By: Kim Mitzo Thompson, Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand
Illustrated by: CIA Students
This second installment of “Down by the Bay” is only slightly shorter than the first version, which is great for classes where we are short on time!
Books to Sing On the Farm
A Farmer’s Life For Me
By: Jan Dobbins
Illustrated by: Laura Huliska-Beith
While this isn’t technically a book to sing, the rhyming text is delightful. Dobbins added the repeated refrain, “1 2 3 it’s a farmer’s life for me” throughout the book. Take this opportunity to compose a simple melody to this repeated phrase and have students sing it with you!
Old MacDonald had a Farm
By: Kim Mitzo Thompson, Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand
Illustrated by: Patrick Girouard
The classic! Sing this lively and well-loved song at the end of class, and then consider exploring the variations listed below.
Old MacDonald Had a Band
By: Scarlett Wing, Dan Taylor
Illustrated by: Dan Taylor
Students may already know that Old MacDonald had a farm… but do they know about the band? Join these animals as they get ready to put on a show at the end of the book. In a future reading, consider talking about what students notice about the book, and how the instruments make sounds.
Old MacDonald Had a…. Zoo?
By: Iza Trapani
Iza Trapani has several delightful children’s stories to sing, and luckily for us, this one is available on Epic Books! In this story, students follow Old MacDonald as he tries to go about his day, taking care of his cow as well as his kangaroo, elephant, zebras, and more!
Singing Books About People
Diddle Diddle Dumpling
By: Melissa Everett
Illustrated by: Imodraj
After John goes to bed with one shoe off and one shoe on, we learn about other children in this nursery rhyme adapted by Melissa Everett.
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
By: Alan Mills, Rose Bonne
Illustrated by: PisHier
In this silly (and somewhat morbid) children’s classic, the old lady swallows a fly and proceeds to swallow a host of other animals.
This Old Man
By: Kim Mitzo Thompson, Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand
Illustrated by: Laura Ferrar-Close
Students will love helping us count to ten as we tell the story of an old man who loves to play his rhythm sticks all over town! This is a great story to lead into or out of another rhythm stick activity in class. Students can also quickly pick up the repeated refrain at the end of each page and sing along.
Bonus: Sing a Book About a Beat!
We Got the Beat
By: Charlotte Caffey
Illustrated by: Kaitlyn Shea O'Connor
This book deserves to be in a category all on its own!
The text of the Go-Go’s song “We Got the Beat” is set to lively illustrations. Read the book, then sing along with the recording and move!
