
Check out this list of 49 nursery rhyme books for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten students. These are perfect for little learners to practice rhyming, word patterns, and boost language development. Nursery rhymes are so fun for young children to hear and recite since they are whimsical and silly.
Check out the Nursery Rhymes Math and Literacy Centers and the Nursery Rhymes STEM pack for tons of printables that will make your classroom theme complete.
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Sets of Nursery RHyme Books
This flip chart includes 20 nursery rhymes in a large font for easy display. There are also questions included to aid in teaching and engagement. You could place this flip chart in the library center for students to practice reading.
Grab this set of 12 nursery rhymes for your students. They are small in size, about the size of my hand. So they aren’t great for read-alouds but would be wonderful in the library center or for a small group.
Mary Had a Little Jam and Other Silly Rhymes
This book has tons of nursery rhymes with a silly spin! Read the original version and then this silly version to give your students another form of the story.
Give your students another dose of nursery rhymes with a fun twist. This book is full of common nursery rhymes with a vehicle-theme. This would be great for a transportation or nursery rhyme theme.
My First Book of Nursery Rhymes (board book)
A great book to start a little learner’s journey to love reading. It includes several of the most popular nursery rhymes and would be a great addition to a preschool or nursery room.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Nursery Rhyme Books
Grab this classic book of Twinkle, Twinkle to share with your students. They will love hearing this familiar song/rhyme in their classroom. I like sharing familiar stories because the students can join you while reading.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (board book)
Another book with the classic rhyme while animal parents tell their little ones the rhyme before bed. The illustrations are amazing and some of my favorite.
A fun twist on the classic rhyme! The car theme is so cute and will captivate your readers during a transportation or nursery rhyme theme.
Hickory Dickory Dock Nursery Rhyme Books
This is a fun twist on the classic rhyme. It tells about a mouse that meets a new animal each time the clock strikes. This book includes counting and telling time with a great ending.
The Completed Hickory Dickory Dock
Have you ever wondered what happens to the mouse after the clock strikes one? Read this book to see how the rhyme ends.
Share the classic tale with your students to encourage rhyming, counting, and an introduction to time.
Hey Diddle Diddle Nursery RHyme Books
Grab this book to share the classic nursery rhyme with your classroom. It comes with an audio version, too.
Cindy Moo is the cow from the Hey Diddle Diddle rhyme. She wants to jump over the moon so badly but fails each time. After continuing to try, she finally makes it over the moon!
Three Little Kittens
Change up the classic version of The Three Little Kittens with this fun, comic-book-style book. It encourages students to read along as they accompany the kittens on an adventure of losing their mittens and finding them again.
Mary Had A Little Lamb Nursery Rhyme Books
Mary had a little lamb that followed her everywhere, but not in this story. Her lamb is a little adventurous and wants to go out independently. See what happens when you read the book.
Introduce your students to Spanish and Peruvian culture with this fun twist on a classic story. It has Spanish and English text for multiple readers. The illustrations are amazing, and your students will love it.
Mary’s lizard sneaks into her backpack and causes mayhem in the kindergarten room. This is a cute, modern twist on the classic tale.
Have some fashionistas in your room? They will LOVE this story about Mary and her glam! You will also find some other classic nursery rhyme characters in this story, like Jack, Little Bo Pee, and Georgie Porgie, to name a few.
Mary has some new skills and likes to build things. In this story, she built a little snowplow. It follows her around and they have a great day in the snow.
This Little Piggy
This Little Piggy (board book)
This is a finger puppet book that your students will delight in. They will love to see you read it but also will enjoy reading it themselves and playing the character.
Pat- A-Cake Nursery Rhyme Books
Pat-A-Cake (board book)
A simple book for young learners. Nursery rhymes are great for developing students to hear natural speech rhythms, interactive and fun movements, and so much more.
Patty Cake (board book)
Go through the steps of creating a cake in a simple format for young children. This is a cut-out book that features easy-to-turn pages for little hands.
Jack and Jill
The classic story of Jack and Jill. This simple text is perfect for young students to practice reading and develop language skills.
Old Mother Hubbard
This new version is so funny and will keep your kids on the edge of their seats! Mother Hubbard is on a shopping spree for her dog, but she is picking up things he doesn’t want or need. Meanwhile, at home, he is up to no good!
Humpty Dumpty Nursery Rhyme Books
Humpty Dumpty is trying to get the best seat in the house for a parade, and the king is trying to hide from the parade. What will happen when they cross paths?
Humpty fell off the wall, but what happened after the fall? Did he get back up again or stay down? Read the story about perseverance and trying again.
There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
The woman has tons of kids, but she is on a mission to help the planet. Read about how the family reuses items to make something new and reduces their load on the planet. A great book for an Earth Day or nursery rhyme theme.
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
The little girl loves to knit; lucky for her, she has a sheep with plenty of wool. But what happens when she keeps knitting, and her sheep is too kind to tell her no?
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Row, Row, Row Your Boat (board book)
Join dog and cat as they row through the rainforest, learning about the animals, all to a familiar tune. Your students will enjoy this book with the vibrant pictures and cheerful story.
One, Two Buckle My Shoe
Rabbit needs to buckle her shoe and get out the door because she needs to help her friend prepare a birthday surprise for their neighbor. Practice counting to 20 in this tale with a familiar rhyme.
Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet wants to eat her curd and whey in peace, but she keeps getting bothered by bugs! Your students will laugh and shout with excitement as new bugs come to bother her throughout the story.
I’m a Little Teapot
Join this adventurous teapot as he gets steamed up to tell you tales from China to Mexico and places in between. Share the familiar rhyme with your students with a new twist.
This Old Man
Practice counting skills with this classic rhyme. It comes with a CD to sing the song and do the actions. The book features cut-outs and child-friendly illustrations.
Wheels on the Bus
This book features the classic rhyme of the wheels on the bus with bright illustrations. It is perfect for a preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom!
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
The classic tale of Old MacDonald with lively illustrations to captivate your young audience. Help students develop language skills and practice repetition and rhyming.
The Itsy Bitsy Spider Nursery Rhyme Books
This book shares all the verses of the song that most people don’t know! The rhymes go throughout the text and share a cute story about the spider.
The wind blows this little spider all over the place. He meets many farm animals along the way back to his mother’s web. This title features a glitter trail that readers can feel/trace with their fingers.
Jack Be Nimble
Get the attention of all your readers with this tale of a ninja boy. He must use his ninja skills to complete his mission. But he falls into a trap; will he make it out?
I hope you have enjoyed this round-up of 49 of my favorite nursery rhyme books for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten students. Some share the classic rhyme, while others share a new take on the classic tale that will delight your students. Remember, nursery rhymes are a great way to help students develop language skills with their repetitive text, rhythm, and rhymes.
Need some ideas for your nursery rhymes theme? Check out this blog post for activities and center ideas!
Grab the nursery rhyme math and literacy center printables here!
Check out the nursery rhymes STEM pack for hands-on learning!
Check out the video all about nursery rhyme activities here!
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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.