The 12 Days of Bookish: "Again! Again!" Preschoolers

For many children, "preschool" is the perfect age range for beginning to read those longer picture books that adults love and children finally have the patience to enjoy. It's also the height of "Again! Again!!" those eager requests to hear the same story over and over and over... and over. Parents and caregivers might find themselves thinking "I like The Hungry Caterpillar too, but enough is enough!" For these young kids, repetition is an important part of learning.

These 2013 titles will be welcome additions to a preschooler's book collection. Who knows? One of them may just become an instant favorite, cheered on by calls of "Again! Again!!"

From left to right, top to bottom...
1. Crankenstein by Samantha Berger and Dan Santat // On par with the classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
2. Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown // A story about being yourself while still respecting others.
3. Train by Elisha Cooper // In a year of tons of train books, this one stands out. Beautiful illustrations with lots of detail.
4. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers // Funny and endearing, this cute book shares the gripes of all the crayons, who have frankly had enough.
5. Mitchell Goes Bowling by Hallie Durand and Tony Fucile // A high-energy story for kids who like to go, go, go!
6. How to Train a Train by Jason Carter Eaton and John Rocco // Kids will relish the idea of owning a pet train.
7. If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano and Erin C. Stead // Whimsical illsutrations and a funny story all lead to delight when little readers spot the whale before the narrator does.
8. Moo! by David LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka // A cow in a car. What could go wrong?
9. Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea // Super hilarious, it's a sincere story about getting to know someone before you judging them.
10. That is NOT a Good Idea! by Mo Willems // The much-awarded author and illustrator proves again that he is the master of children's books.
11. What Does the Fox Say? by Ylvis // This is admittedly a novelty choice, but it's a strange fact that all kids love the ridiculous song upon which this picture book is based.
12. Dot. by Randi Zuckerberg // An adorable book for tech-savvy kids and their parents who worry about too much screen time.