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EARL: Early Childhood Education

This guide is intended for students in the Early Childhood Education program. It will help you locate children's picture books in the Library collection, and conduct research using our online databases.

Predictable Books

Predictable picture books are stories in which phrases or words are repeated, or the story has a pattern, so that the story can be easily predicted.  These stories help children practice their reading skills, and they are great for storytime!

Click here for an online document that breaks down the different types of predicable books:

  • Chain or Circular Story
  • Cumulative Story
  • Familiar Sequence
  • Pattern Stories
  • Question and Answer
  • Repetition of Phrase
  • Rhyme

Please note we do not own all of the books listed on the linked document above. For books owned by the NCC Libraries, please see below.

Predictable Books

17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore

Author: Jenny Offill; Nancy Carpenter (Illustrator)
Published: 2006
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"A young girl lists the 17 things she is not allowed to do anymore, including not being able to make ice after freezing a fly in one of the cubes"--Publisher's description.

Bear Snores On

Author: Karma Wilson; Jane Chapman (Illustrator)
Published: 2002
Location: Bethlehem
"On a cold winter night many animals gather to party in the cave of a sleeping bear, who then awakes and protests that he has missed the food and the fun."

Blue Rabbit and Friends

Author: Christopher Wormell
Published: 2000
Location: Bethlehem
"In his search for just the right home, Blue Rabbit helps a bear, a goose, and a dog find the perfect place to live"--Publisher's description.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Author: Bill Martin; Eric Carle (Illustrator)
Published: 1992
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
Children see a variety of animals, each one a different color, and a teacher looking at them.

The Carrot Seed

Author: Ruth Krauss; Crockett Johnson (Illustrator); Krauss
Published: 1945
Location: Bethlehem
When a little boy plants a carrot seed, everyone tells him it won't grow. But when you are very young, there are some things that you just know, and the little boy knows that one day a carrot will come up. So he waits...

Charlie Cook's Favorite Book

Author: Julia Donaldson; Axel Scheffler (Illustrator)
Published: 2006
Location: Bethlehem
"A circular tale in which each new book character is reading about the next, beginning and ending with Charlie Cook"--Publisher's description.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Author: Bill Martin; John Archambault; Lois Ehlert (Illustrator)
Published: 2012
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
An alphabet rhyme/chant that relates what happens when the whole alphabet tries to climb a coconut tree.

Clip-Clop

Author: Nicola Smee
Published: 2006
Location: Bethlehem
"When Mr. Horse gives a ride to his friends, Cat, Dog, Pig, and Duck, they urge him to go faster and faster"--Publisher's description.

Don't Slam the Door!

Author: Dori Chaconas; Will Hillenbrand (Illustrator)
Published: 2010
Location: Bethlehem
"A cumulative, rhyming tale of a slamming door which wakes a cat, setting into motion an absurd chain of events and resulting in chaos"--Publisher's description.

Duck! Rabbit!

Author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal; Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator)
Published: 2009
Location: Bethlehem
"Two unseen characters argue about whether the creature they are looking at is a rabbit or a duck"--Publisher's description.

First the Egg

Author: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Published: 2007
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"A picture book about transformations"--Publisher's description.

Goodnight Moon

Author: Margaret Wise Brown; Clement Hurd (Illustrator)
Published: 1982
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Goodnight to each of the objects in the great green room: goodnight chairs, goodnight comb, goodnight air."

Hattie and the Fox

Author: Mem Fox
Published: 1987
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Hattie, a big black hen, discovers a fox in the bushes, which creates varying reactions in the other barnyard animals"--Publisher's description.

Have You Seen My Duckling?

Author: Nancy Tafuri
Published: 1984
Location: Bethlehem
"A mother duck leads her brood around the pond as she searches for one missing duckling"--Publisher's description.

I Kissed the Baby!

Author: Mary Murphy
Published: 2003
Location: Bethlehem
"Various animals tell how they saw, fed, sang to, tickled, and kissed the new duckling"--Publisher's description.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin

Author: Laura Joffe Numeroff; Felicia Bond (Illustrator)
Published: 1991
Location: Bethlehem
"Chaos can ensue if you give a moose a muffin and start him on a cycle of urgent requests"--Publisher's description.

Jump, Frog, Jump!

Author: Robert Kalan; Byron Barton (Illustrator)
Published: 1995
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"A cumulative tale in which a frog tries to catch a fly without getting caught itself"--Publisher's description.

A Kitten's Year

Author: Nancy Raines Day; Anne Mortimer (Illustrator)
Published: 2000
Location: Bethlehem
"A kitten peeks at January, toys with February, stalks March, and eventually sniffs November and dreams December as it grows into a cat through the course of a year"--Publisher's description.

The Little Engine That Could

Author: Watty Piper; Richard Bernal (Illustrator)
Published: 1998
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"When the other engines refuse, the Little Blue Engine tries to pull a stranded train full of toys and good food over the mountain"--Publisher's description.

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

Author: Linda Williams; Megan Lloyd (Illustrator)
Published: 1986
Location: Bethlehem
"A little old lady who is not afraid of anything must deal with a pumpkin head, a tall black hat, and other spooky objects that follow her through the dark woods trying to scare her"--Publisher's description.

Millions of Cats

Author: Wanda Gág
Published: 1928
Location: Monroe
Once upon a time there was an old man and an old woman who were very lonely. They decided to get a cat, but when the old man went out searching, he found not one cat, but millions and billions and trillions of cats! Unable to decide which one would be the best pet, he brought them all home.

Move over, Rover!

Author: Karen Beaumont; Jane Dyer (Illustrator)
Published: 2006
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"When a storm comes, Rover expects to have his doghouse all to himself but finds that various other animals, including a skunk, come to join him... Suddenly that doghouse isn't quite so crowded after all!"--Publisher's description.

Owl Babies

Author: Martin Waddell; Patrick Benson (Illustrator)
Published: 1992
Location: Bethlehem
"Three owl babies whose mother has gone out in the night try to stay calm while she is gone"--Publisher's description.

The Runaway Bunny

Author: Margaret Wise Brown; Clement Hurd (Illustrator)
Published: 2005
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"A little rabbit who wants to run away tells his mother how he will escape, but she is always right behind him."

Silly Little Goose!

Author: Nancy Tafuri (Illustrator)
Published: 2001
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"A goose tries out a few odd places to make her nest before finally settling on an old straw hat"--Publisher's description.

Silly Sally

Author: Audrey Wood
Published: 1992
Location: Bethlehem
"A rhyming story of Silly Sally, who makes many friends as she travels to town--backwards and upside down"--Publisher's description.

Snip Snap! What's That?

Author: Mara Bergman; Nick Maland (Illustrator)
Published: 2005
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Three siblings are frightened by the wide mouth, long teeth, and strong jaws of the alligator who has crept up the stairs--until they decide they have had enough"--Publisher's description.

The Very Busy Spider

Author: Eric Carle
Published: 1984
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"The farm animals try to divert a busy little spider from spinning her web, but she persists and produces a thing of both beauty and usefulness. The pictures may be felt as well as seen"--Publisher's description.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Author: Michael Rosen; Helen Oxenbury (Illustrator)
Published: 2003
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Brave bear hunters go through grass, a river, mud and other obstacles, before the inevitable encounter with the bear forces a headlong retreat"--Publisher's description.

What a Treasure!

Author: Jane Hillenbrand; Will Hillenbrand (Illustrator)
Published: 2006
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Mole digs with his new shovel, finding useful things for the other animals and a new friend for himself"--Publisher's description.

What Shall We Do with the Boo-Hoo Baby?

Author: Cressida Cowell; Ingrid Godon (Illustrator)
Published: 2000
Location: Bethlehem
"A dog, a cat, a duck, and a cow try to think of things to do to soothe a crying baby"--Publisher's description.