Our Tried and True Preschool Booklist (+ A Last-Minute Free & Simple Assumption Printable!)

One of my favorite things about the preschool stage is all the picture books! While I try to be fairly minimal with toys and other activities, picture books are definitely my Achilles’ heel—you can’t have too many!

The benefits of reading aloud can’t be overstated. From fostering early literacy and cognitive development to learning emotional awareness and spiritual truths, reading aloud is probably the most essential “educational” aspect of the preschool years. The beauty of this is that it’s so easy and fun!

Not only does reading aloud support your child’s overall development, its also one of the most natural ways to begin teaching the truths of our Faith. Many young children aren’t ready for structured catechesis, nor should they be, but they love learning about God’s love and the virtues through stories. I love to approach early Faith formation as a process of gently fostering the life of grace that is already present in their souls since baptism - and picture books, both explicitly Catholic or not, are a great way to do this!

There are already a good number of curated book lists out there, so I’ve narrowed mine to the ones that have stood the test of time for our family. This list is not meant to be exhaustive—we own many more that we enjoy and are always on the lookout for new ones! But after nine years and five children, these are the books that we return to over and over again. Some are classics or Catholic books you may recognize, while others are more obscure or recent offerings. But all of them pass the family test—meaning every family member, including parents, enjoys them!

After sharing our favorite books, I’ll also share how we plan on celebrating the Feast of the Assumption this week! If you’re anything like me, you may find yourself scrambling to put together a kids’ activity and explanation of the Feast last minute—possibly on the day of. If that’s you, don’t worry! I’ve got simple and actionable ideas at the end…including one you might not have thought of before!

⛪Religious Books

• I Go to Jesus by Carissa Douglas - I thought I’d start with a hidden gem more people should know about! This rhyming book was one of the first we were gifted with our first child, and it’s been a family favorite ever since. It explores the ups and downs of family life and encourages children to take their feelings—both positive and negative—to the feet of Jesus.

• The Forgotten King by Kenneth Padgett and Shay Gregorie – A beautifully illustrated, clothbound book, this is a rhyming allegory of the Redemption story. While not Catholic, it contains nothing contrary to Catholic teaching. This book is bound so luxuriously that it makes for a great gift!

• Catholic Princess Saint Stories by Laurie J. Schmitt– A favorite with my boys as well as my girl! This story gives a fairly in-depth overview of the lives of St. Margaret of Scotland, St. Bathild of France, and St. Jadwiga of Poland, without being too wordy for short attention spans.

• Saints Around the World by Meg Hunter-Kilmer – A compendium of saints both new and old, I learned about many saints I’d never heard of in this book! It gives special emphasis to modern saints as well as older ones whose cause for canonization has only recently begun, making it a great addition for adding variety to your saint stories.

• Listening for God by Katie Warner– A newer one in our house, this tells the story of the prophet Elijah and how he learned to hear God’s still, small voice. The second half introduces children to the practice of Catholic meditation by encouraging them to still themselves and listen for God.

• Our Lady’s Wardrobe by Anthony DeStefano - A wonderful all-around Marian book that explores her various apparitions and attire.

• Once Upon a Time Saints (Vol. 1) by Ethel Pochocki - A book I remember from my own childhood, these are whimsical retellings of classic Saint stories. While some artistic interpretation had been given to make the stories more compelling, they retain the heart of the story and my children have found them VERY engaging!

• The Weight of the Mass by Josephine Nobisso - A beautifully original story that helps children (and adults!) comprehend just how valuable the Mass is.

• The Clown of God by Tomie DePaolo - This one is a real tear-jerker, a very heartfelt story of giving our all to God, with a Marian twist.

• The Squire and the Scroll by Jennie Bishop - This book recounts the story of a squire who must guard his eyes, ears, heart, and mind on a quest to defeat the dragon and save his kingdom.

• The Princess and the Kiss by Jennie Bishop - A great age-appropriate intro to purity and self-worth.

📖Other Family Favorites

• The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman - Probably my favorite picture book of all time, this book tells the tale of 7 well-intentioned children’s attempt to make their mother a birthday cake. The illustrations are fun and cozy, and the rhyming scheme is impeccable!

• New Goops and How to Know Them by Gillet Burgess - Unfortunately out of print, although it still pops up secondhand quite a bit. Earlier books in the series have been reprinted (and are also quite good!), so I have hope for a future republication. This 1900 rhyming book of manners, virtues, and vices still feels relevant and hilarious today - without being too harsh.

• Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey - From the hand-drawn illustrations to the timeless tale, this book is a keeper!

• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey - A surprisingly relatable tale of a mother and father duck, searching for a safe home for their ducklings.

• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton - We love all the Virginia Lee Burton books we have read, but this one stands out as everyone's favorite!

• A House Is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman - You may have noticed that we like rhyming books in our house, here's another! This book goes full meta on how different things are houses for other things. It's clever, amusing, and thought provoking.

• Fables by Arnold Lobel - Honestly, this one gets more traffic than Aesop. The morals are great, and so are the stories.

• Classic Fairy Tales (Vol. 1) by Scott Gustafson - Our favorite fairy tale book so far features stunning oil-painted illustrations that truly come to life. The stories flow more seamlessly than many others I have encountered.

• Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches the Egg, and Horton and the Kwuggerbug by Dr. Suess - Horton stands out as one of the most captivating children's characters of all time. In these tales, the innocent elephant humbly and cheerfully endures hardship in his unwavering commitment to truth, beauty, and goodness.

• Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss - I don't appreciate Dr. Seuss' nonsense books as much as his full stories but, out of all of them, this one does hold a special place in my heart. It's so much more fun to read than the others, albeit a good deal more challenging because of all the tongue twisters!

• Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood - This tale has a touch of darkness, as the wicked Heckedy Peg entices the seven siblings to defy their mother, ultimately transforming them into food that she plans to eat. However, it is the strong bonds between mother and child that enable her to find and rescue them.

• The Caboose Who Got Loose by Bill Peet - This piece is mainly for fun, yet it subtly explores themes of gratitude, surrender, and contentment through the struggles of the Caboose as he grapples with his role in the world.

• Hubert’s Hair-Raising Adventure by Bill Peet -This author deserves more recognition, so I'll recommend another one of my favorites. This story is hilariously absurd—it follows a vain lion on his quest to regrow the magnificent mane he lost in a fire. Chaos ensues.

• The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone - Our favorite retelling of the classic tale. A hardworking red hen finds some wheat and asks her friends for help turning it into bread at each step. They all refuse, and even the most reluctant helpers amongst our children find themselves shaking their head alongside the hen.

• Madeline, Madeline's Rescue, Madeline and the Bad Hat by Ludwig Bemelmans -This story about a self-assured young girl who needs an appendectomy, along with the envious comments from her classmates wishing for the same, remains delightful and relatable. The sequels deserve more recognition too; Madeline's subsequent adventures are even more captivating than her first.

• Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner - an educational rendering of all the happenings above and below the garden during the four seasons.

• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter - I nearly left this one off the list since it is already so cherished, but we have read it so frequently that it deserves a spot. Recently, I've come to appreciate how distinct its vocabulary is compared to other books. I love its use of complex words and phrases—it truly trusts a child's capacity to understand them, and they do.

Board Book must haves

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

• Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

• Anything by Sandra Boynton—for some reason, my toddlers eat up her books, both figuratively and literally.

A Simple & Last-Minute Feast of the Assumption Activity

Today happens to be the Feast of the Assumption! Since this is a major feast in the Church—celebrating Mary’s assumption into heaven—it’s fitting to do something to commemorate the day. As it’s a Holy Day of Obligation in the US, the obvious way to celebrate is to go to Mass!

If you’re like me, you may also want to do something to make the day feel special for the kids so it doesn’t feel like just any daily Mass. I’d love to say I’m always prepared for such events, but honestly, I often scramble at the last minute. Over the years, though, some of our most beloved traditions have been born from this very procrastination!

For the Feast of the Assumption, one of our favorites is making a crown for Mary. While this is traditionally done in May, it’s also a beautiful way to celebrate the Assumption, since I imagine Mary was crowned in heaven upon her arrival.

Here’s how we like to commemorate the feast:

🌸 Make Marian crowns – Place them on a statue of Mary, or use them as table or home altar decorations.

📚 Read Our Lady’s Wardrobe – While not specifically about the Assumption, it beautifully depicts Mary returning to us from heaven.

🍝 Make Italian for dinner – A little nod to my Italian roots! We usually make spaghetti and meatballs—a quick, family-favorite meal that works well before an evening Mass. Plus, since it’s a solemnity, the Friday penance obligation is lifted today if it falls on a Friday!

🙏 Attend Mass as a family – The heart of the celebration.

🍰 Have dessert! – Holy days deserve a sweet finish.

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Your Turn! 📚✨

What are some of your family’s tried-and-true picture books? Have you found any new ones that have quickly become favorites? Share them in the comments below so we can all add to our lists!

And if you end up wanting to make the Marian Crown Craft, heres the link to download. You can also check out our overview of other August Feasts here!