Cumulative stories are not only perfect for emerging readers, but they are fantastic read-alouds! With predictable rhythms and storylines that build with every page, cumulative stories allow emerging readers to predict upcoming text and gain confidence in their reading skills.
Here are ten of our favorites!
Who Woke the Baby? By Jane Clarke and Charles Fuge
This tale follows a baby gorilla as it wakes up, eventually adding many more jungle animals to the baby gorilla’s day. Each page is filled with lovely illustrated animals, from a hippo to a crocodile, each with their own expressive and endearing faces. This is a great story to read to your little ones not only as they wake, but anytime!
The House That Jack Built by Simms Taback
This fun version of the famous nursery rhyme keeps a few of the original elements and adds a few new tweaks. Not only that, but the pages are bursting with colorful and quirky illustrations, as well as interesting details and font. This is definitely an upgrade from the traditional nursery rhyme that your little ones will love!
There Was an Old Monster! by Rebecca, Adrian, and Ed Emberley
There Was an Old Monster! was written by a grandfather, daughter, and granddaughter trio. It’s a great book to read or sing together, and it even includes a website to find an audio version of the song. The book is filled with rhymes, wonderfully vivid sound words, and colorful monster illustrations!
Chooky Doodle Doo by Jan Whiten and Sinead Hanley
Chooky Doodle Doo makes for an engaging read-aloud, with words that twist your tongue in knots! The story follows a “chooky chick” as it tries to pull a stubborn worm from the ground. Each page adds another “chooky chick,” making for a great counting practice. With bright colors, fun illustrations, and a surprise ending, this one is a keeper!
Chicken Story Time by Sandy Asher and Mark Fearing
This clever story begins with one librarian, one storytime, a few children, and one chicken. Each week, that one storytime becomes even more popular, resulting in more and more children and chickens! Children will enjoy the story and its clever ending—the librarian’s solution to so many chickens and children in the library! Above all else, this story is a great reminder of the incredible value of libraries, librarians, and storytime!
The Piñata That the Farm Maiden Hung by Samantha R. Vamos and Sebastia Serra
The Piñata that the Farm Maiden Hung also plays with the traditional “The House that Jack Built” structure. It provides a wonderful introduction to many Spanish words with its fun bilingual tone. The illustrations are bright, bold, and colorful, full of interesting characteristics and details. Plus, the end includes plenty of bonus material—how to make your own piñata, a glossary of Spanish words, and even more definitions!
This Is the Nest that Robin Built by Denise Fleming
Another spin-off of “The House That Jack Built,” this version features all sorts of woodland creatures as they help Robin build her nest. The fun, repeating text gradually builds and includes a fold-out page revealing all the things Robin did to build the nest for her eggs. Not only is this story engaging, but it is also very informative, including lots of content-related vocabulary to teach children how a robin builds a nest.
And the Robot Went… by Michell Robinson and Sergio Ruzzier
This story begins with Nosy Fox and a box filled with a pile of robot parts. He and a crowd of cleverly-named animals build a robot. There are plenty of fun sound words, lots of rhyming words, clever illustrations, and a very grateful robot to boot. And the Robot Went… is a clever and engaging story!
Baby Says “Moo!” by JoAnn Early Macken and David Walker
This adorable story follows a baby and her parents as they go on a drive, shop at the store, visit a farm, enjoy a picnic, and more. As various animals appear throughout these travels, Mom asks the baby a variation of “What do they say?,” to which the baby consistently responds “Moo!” Little ones and parents alike will delight in this clever, well-written story.
Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
This delightful story begins with a boy named Floyd, whose red kite gets stuck in a tree. In order to dislodge the kite, he throws his favorite shoe at the tree. But his shoe gets stuck, too! He continues to throw various objects into the tree, from a cat, to a ladder, and even a boat! The tree quickly fills up with all of these items, making for some hilarious illustrations. Both parents and children will love this book!