Western books to use for a cowboy, Wild West, or desert theme in your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom. There are fiction and nonfiction titles for you to choose from. These are perfect for reading aloud or in a center where students can explore.
Grab the Western centers (coming soon!), the Little Learners Science All About Habitats pack, and the STEM I Can Build Landforms and Habitats pack to complete your theme.
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Fiction Western Books
Join Dee as she tries to conquer her biggest dream, winning a barrel race! She has practiced, but will she be good enough? Use this book to teach about setting goals and conquering their dreams.
Bo follows an armadillo across the Texas countryside, exploring all there is to see. A fun tale by Jan Brett with her incredible artwork!
What do the animals do in the desert when it is bedtime? Do you think they will howl and run about or do they snuggle up and dream?
Cowboy Boyd and Mighty Calliope
Calliope isn’t quite the most beautiful horse, but Cowboy Boyd loves her. The other ranchers just laugh because who rides a rhinoceros? But when a big storm comes and scares the cattle away, only Boyd and Calliope can save the day.
A bully is threatening the cowboys at camp, and Avery isn’t going to let that slide. He wasn’t sure he was cut out to be a cowboy, but now he is determined to put a stop to that bully.
Cowboy Small takes care of his horse, rounds up cattle, and sleeps under the stars in this cute fiction story for young learners. Its simple text and basic pictures are great for even the youngest learners.
This book is full of teaching points from rhyming to counting to alliteration; it is so much fun to read. It shares about many desert plants and animals while students listen to the rhyming text.
Nellie really wants to be a cowgirl! She uses her imagination each day to round up the animals and kids. On her birthday, her dad says he is getting her a horse, and she is thrilled, but he brings out a bicycle. Is her imagination big enough to turn that into a horse?
Learn about some of the tasks that cowboys complete each day and how they end their day when they are tired, and the sky is dark. This board book will be enjoyed by even your littlest cowboys and cowgirls.
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
A fun book to read at back-to-school time, about a boy’s imagination and about his wild adventures over summer vacation. Your students will laugh and chuckle while you read this book.
Rosie the Clydesdale wants to be a rodeo star! Can her cowgirl Oakley and her make it to the big arena? Your students will love this tale of working hard and being a team.
She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain
Bonnie Bandit is on the run! You and your children will have a blast singing and reading this book adapted from the popular tune.
The classic tale of the gingerbread boy but with a Western flair for your cowboys and cowgirls. The gingerbread boy can run past the rancher but he can escape the coyote?
There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea
Read about a coyote who thinks he can eat everything he sees. It starts with a flea, but they get bigger and bigger.
Read a story about the plants and animals that make their home in the Sonoran Desert. Your students will soon be singing along while you read this text.
Nonfiction Western Books
Learn some history about bull riding and how it has changed and developed over the years. The action-packed images are sure to keep your students in awe as you read.
A Day in the Life: Desert Animals
Follow desert animals as they eat, sleep, and go about their day. There are more animals in the series, too! Fennec Fox, Gila Monster, Meerkat, Arabian Oryx, Red Kangaroo, & Bactrian Camel
Learn about many kinds of cactuses and see incredible images of them. Your students will enjoy learning about this unique, spiky plant.
Students can learn about horses and see them in action in this nonfiction book. There are images of horses and lots of fun facts about this strong creature.
Introduce students to cowboys and all that they do on the ranch. Many students may have limited background knowledge about cowboys, so this book is a tool I use to help them become familiar.
Animals must adapt to life in the desert; this book shares some of those adaptations. I like that is is written with simple text but still provides students with a lot of information.
Take a tour of a desert canyon, where you can see the animals and plants that make their home in this rugged area. This is an illustrated nonfiction book for young readers to learn about this habitat.
See a foal right after birth and learn how quickly they get up and walk. Your little learners will love the pictures of the many kinds of horses while they learn about this amazing animal.
The Everything Book of Horses & Ponies
This nonfiction book is packed with so much information about the many things that horses can be used for. It is a great read for learning about the sports, work, equipment, and more that is associated with horses.
Go on a tour of the world to see the many kinds of landforms around the globe. The book explains how some landforms may have been made like a canyon being made from a river long ago.
See close-up images of some critters living in the desert while you learn how they survive and adapt to the hot, dry climate.
A Western theme is a fun one to add to your rotation to explore and expose your students to new ideas and information. Students will love learning about cowboys and all the tough things they do, and the desert habitat is an interesting place to learn about.
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For more of my favorite books, check out my themed Book List Blog Series that features themed book lists to accompany your lessons and activities! These are sure to keep your library shelves full! If there is a book list for a theme you need, just let us know so we can create it for you!
hey, i’m jackie!
I’m Jackie, your go-to girl for early childhood inspiration and research-based curriculum.
