Singable Picture Books
These are volumes that Jess has collected (and kept) on her teaching shelf over the years. Personal favorites for the classroom include Mary Had a Little Glam, What a Wonderful World, The Wheels on the Bus, Skip to My Lou, and The Aunts Go Marching. Personal favorites for family reading include The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night, Good King Wenceslas, Baby Beluga, De Colores, and both versions of Over the River.
One all-time favorite picture book for the classroom is not on this page because it’s not singable, but Troy Andrews’ autobiography Trombone Shorty is the book I would pick if I could only have one for read aloud in the classroom. It ties in to many facets of our work in adaptive music education and is simply brilliant at showing (not telling) what culture is, and affirming cultural identity through storytelling.
A Tisket, A Tasket as covered by Ella Fitzgerald, illustrated by Ora Eitan
America the Beautiful, lyrics by Katherine Lee Bates, illustrated by Chris Gall
Baby Beluga, a classic children's song by Raffi, illustrated by Ashley Wolff
Build a House, an original song by Rhiannon Giddens, illustrated by Monica Mikai
De Colores, a Spanish folk song that serves as the anthem of the United Farm Workers, illustrated by Ariana Stein
Every Little Thing (Three Little Birds) by Bob Marley and Cedella Marley, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Five Little Ducks by Raffi, illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey
Follow the Drinking Gourd, a spiritual embedded within a story by Jeanette Winter
Good King Wenceslas, a traditional carol by John Neale, illustrated by Tim Ladwig
Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah, illustrated by Susan L. Roth
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, illustrated by Sophie Fatas
I Have a Little Dreidel by Maxie Baum, illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Inch By Inch (The Garden Song) by Dave Mallet, illustrated by Ora Eitan
Lovely Day by Bill Withers, illustrated by Olivia Duchess
Mary Had a Little Glam by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton
My Aunt Came Back, a classic echo song illustrated by Pat Cummings
There Were No Mirrors in My Nana's House, written by Ysaye Maria Barnwell for Sweet Honey in the Rock, illustrated by Synthia Saint James
Octopus's Garden by Ringo Starr, illustrated by Ben Cort
Old King Cole, a classic nursery rhyme illustrated by Iza Trapani
Old MacDonald Had a Farm, illustrated by Hannah Wood
Old MacDonald Had a Farm, illustrated by Jane Cabrera
Old MacDonald Had a Farm, illustrated by Jonas Sickler. No text. Illustrations suggest the farm is in a Peruvian village.
Old MacDonald Had a Farm. No artist named. There is a cow finger puppet through the center of the board book.
Over the River & Through the Wood: A holiday adventure by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Kim Smith. Different households of a diverse extended family converge at the grandparents' for Thanksgiving.
Over the River and Through the Woods by Lydia Maria Child, illustrated by John Steven Gurney
Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow, illustrated by Eric Puybaret
Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Iza Trapani
Skip to My Lou, adapted and illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott
The Aunts Go Marching, illustrated by Maurie J. Manning
The Bear Went Over the Mountain, adapted and illustrated by Iza Trapani
The Erie Canal, illustrated by Peter Spier
The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night, illustrated by Peter Spier
The Itsy Bitsy Spider, illustrated by Iza Trapani
The Wheels on the Bus by Raffi, illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz
This Jazz Man (tune of This Old Man), by Karen Ehrhardt, illustrated by R.G. Roth
This Land is Your Land by Woodie Guthrie, illustrated by Kathy Jakobsen
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, adapted and illustrated by Iza Trapani
We All Sing with the Same Voice by J. Philip Miller and Sheppard M. Greene, illustrated by Paul Meisel
What a Wonderful World as sung by Louis Armstrong, by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss, illustrated by Tim Hopgood. Hopgood also has illustrated Singin' in the Rain, Walking in a Winter Wonderland, and Moon River.