Here we have listed out picture books by theme. If your kiddo is interested in something specific, chances are you’ll find some books here to satisfy their eager mind. Or just scroll through and find out that jumps out at you. Either way, these are all picture books that are great for kids in elementary school. Our favorites have been marked with an asterisk.* This booklist is updated weekly.

Adventure

• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Alphabet

• ABC’s of the American Revolution by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield
• ABC’s of Economics by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield
• ABC’s of Freedom by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by John Archambault & Bill Martin Jr.

Animals

• A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister
• The Giraffe That Walked to Paris by Nancy Milton
• Andy and the Circus by Elise Credle
• The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
• The Raft by Jim LaMarche

Barnyard

• Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin*
• Away Went the Farmer’s Hat by Jane Belk Moncure*
• Ice Cream Cows and Mitten Sheep by Jane Belk Moncure*
• Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

Bugs

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Circus

• Extraordinary Jane by Hannah E. Harrison
• One Tricky Monkey Up on Top by Jane Belk Moncure

Pets

• A Pocket Full of Pets by Jane Belk Moncure
• Polka-Dot Puppy by Jane Belk Moncure
• Mr. Doodle Had a Poodle by Jane Belk Moncure*

Amends & Apologies

• The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty*
• Bernice Gets Carried Away by Hannah E. Harrison*
• How Many Ways Can You Cut a Pie? by Jane Belk Moncure

America

• Betsy Ross: Designer of Our Flag by Ann Weil
• ABC’s of Freedom by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield
• 123’s of the Bill of Rights by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield
• ABC’s of the American Revolution by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield
• Those Rebels, John & Tom by Barbara Kerley

Art

• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
• Portrait of an Artist: Claude Monet by Lucy Brownridge

Bargaining

• Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin*

Bedtime

• Forty Winks by Kelly DiPucchio*
• Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherry Dusky Rinker*
• A Bedtime Full of Stories by Angela McAllister

Calendar

• Here We Go ‘Round the Year by Jane Belk Moncure*

Cause & Effect

• If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
• The Napping House by Audrey Wood

Colors

• A Color Clown Comes to Town by Jane Belk Moncure

Choices & Consequences

• Strega Nona by Tomie DePaola*
• Elbert’s Bad Word by Audrey Wood
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Counting

• Hop-Skip-Jump-a-Roo Zoo by Jane Belk Moncure
• One Tricky Monkey Up on Top by Jane Belk Moncure
• The Magic Moon Machine by Jane Belk Moncure

Culture

• Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard

Death of a Loved One

• Grandad’s Prayers of the Earth by Douglas Wood*

Decisiveness

• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Development

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Differences

• Those Rebels, John & Tom by Barbara Kerley
• The Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena

Emotions

• What Do You Do With a Grumpy Kangaroo? by Jane Belk Moncure

Exploring

• Giant Island by Jane Yolen

Fairytales

Fractured Fairytales

• The Three Little Wolves & The Big, Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas
• The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

Family

• Forty Winks by Kelly DiPucchio
• The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown*
• This is How We Do It by Matt Lamothe
• When a Dad Says I Love You by Douglas Wood
• Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
• I’ll Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
• No David! by David Shannon
• Fish for Jimmy by Katie Yamasaki
• Storm in the Night by Mary Stolz
• All Those Secrets of the World by Jane Yolen
• The Bravest of Us All by Marsha Diane Arnold

Forgiveness

• The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty*

Friendship

• Little Too-Tall by Jane Belk Moncure
• The Sandwich Shop by Her Majesty Queen Rania AlAbdullah
• The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills

Giving

• Ice Cream Cows and Mitten Sheep by Jane Belk Moncure*
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• The House That Jane Built: A Story About Jane Adams by Tanya Lee Stone
• Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile by Gloria Houston

Government

• ABC’s of the American Revolution by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield
• ABC’s of Economics by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield
• ABC’s of Freedom by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield
• 123’s of the Bill of Rights by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield
• 123’s of Helping by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield
• 123’s of Innovation by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield

Habitats

• Where Is Baby Bear? by Jane Belk Moncure

Habits

• Rabbits Habits by Jane Belk Moncure
• “Smile,” Says Little Crocodile by Jane Belk Moncure

Happiness

• The Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena

Health

• “Smile,” Says Little Crocodile by Jane Belk Moncure

History

• The Giraffe That Walked to Paris by Nancy Milton
• Those Rebels, John & Tom by Barbara Kerley
• Betsy Ross: Designer of Our Flag by Ann Weil

Historical Fiction

• The Pumpkin Runner by Marsha Diane Arnold
• All Those Secrets of the World by Jane Yolen
• The Bravest of Us All by Marsha Diane Arnold
• Warm as Wool by Scott Russell Sanders
• Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran

Holidays

• Mousekin’s Special Day by Jane Belk Moncure

Christmas

• The Clown of God by Tomie dePaola

Easter

• It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler

Imagination

• Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood
• The Bears Upstairs by Jane Belk Moncure
• What Can We Play Today? by Jane Belk Moncure
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Inspirational

• The Pumpkin Runner by Marsha Diane Arnold

Kindness

• Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
• The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth
• Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Love

• When a Dad Says I Love You by Douglas Wood
• I’ll Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
• Seven Spunky Monkeys by Jackie French Koller

Manners

• What Do You Say When a Monkey Acts This Way? by Jane Belk Moncure

Magic

• Strega Nona by Tomie DePaola*
• Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood*

Music

• Listen to the Music: A World of Magical Melodies by Mary Richards
• Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins

Nature

• Grandad’s Prayers of the Earth by Douglas Wood*
• Quiet by Tomie dePaola
• My Little Red Wellies by Lorne Sleem
• A World Full of Nature Stories by Angela McAllister
• The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
• Storm in the Night by Mary Stolz
• The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins
• Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Numbers

• 123’s of the Bill of Rights by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield
• 123’s of Helping by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield
• 123’s of Innovation by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield

Obedience

• Tiki Tiki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
• No David! by David Shannon

Overcoming

• What do you do with a problem? by Kobi Yamada

Prayer

• Grandad’s Prayers of the Earth by Douglas Wood*

Reading

• The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty*
• The Story Book Knight by Helen Docherty
• Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

Rhyming Books

• Forty Winks by Kelly DiPucchio
• The Story Book Knight by Helen Docherty
• The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty*
• Nanny Goat’s Boat by Jane Belk Moncure
• Ned the Knitting Pirate by Diane Murray
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
• Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherry Dusky Rinker*
• Mighty, Mighty Construction Site by Sherry Dusky Rinker
• Mr. Doodle Had a Poodle by Jane Belk Moncure*
• Seven Spunky Monkeys by Jackie French Koller

Safety

• Yes, No, Little Hippo by Jane Belk Moncure

School

• Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Seasons

• Here We Go ‘Round the Year by Jane Belk Moncure*

Winter

• Snowmen at Night by Carol Buehner*

Solving Problems

• What do you do with a problem? by Kobi Yamada
• The House That Jane Built: A Story About Jane Adams by Tanya Lee Stone

Teamwork

• Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherry Dusky Rinker*
• Mighty, Mighty Construction Site by Sherry Dusky Rinker
• Those Rebels, John & Tom by Barbara Kerley
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

Trying Something New

• Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
• The Sandwich Shop by Her Majesty Queen Rania AlAbdullah

Uniquely You

• Extraordinary Jane by Hannah E. Harrison
• The Story Book Knight by Helen Docherty
• Ned the Knitting Pirate by Diane Murray
• Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes*
• No One But You by Douglas Wood
• The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

War

• All Those Secrets of the World by Jane Yolen
• Betsy Ross: Designer of Our Flag by Ann Weil
• ABC’s of the American Revolution by Connor Boyack and Elijah Stanfield

World

• This is How We Do It by Matt Lamothe
• A Bedtime Full of Stories by Angela McAllister
• A Year Full of Stories by Angela McAllister
• A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister
• Listen to the Music: A World of Magical Melodies by Mary Richards