Quality picture books are a great way to encourage a love of reading, and expose children to rich vocabulary from an early age. There are so many wonderful books for teaching rhyme.
Many rhyming books contain rich vocabulary or can be used for developing oral language and comprehension skills. Many can also be used to teach and develop social-emotional skills (e.g. All The Ways To Be Smart is one of my FAVOURITE books of all time, and Giraffes Can’t Dance is another wonderful book for teaching perseverance and determination). Some are simply silly and funny, and will have your kids laughing.
Below are some of my favourite rhyming books- a mix of books from my own childhood, silly/funny books, Australian-themed books and books which can be used to complement literature units or social/emotional skill lessons.
ALL THE WAYS TO BE SMART
One of my all-time favourite books for demonstrating the many, many different ways that kids can be smart - from kindness, to dancing, to making paper airplanes, to feeling scared but taking chances.
'Every hour of every day, we're smart in our own special way'.
GIRAFFES CAN'T DANCE
A great book for teaching perseverance and determination. Gerald longs to go to the great Jungle Dance, but he doesn't know how to dance. This rhyming story is all about being yourself, and finding your own tune.
'His hooves had started shuffling, making circles on the ground.
His neck was gently swaying and his tail was swishing round."
THE KOALA WHO COULD
A comedic rhyming story which is all about dealing with change and overcoming worries. Kevin the Koala discovers that if you step outside your comfort zone and try new things, you might surprise yourself!
"In a wonderful place, at the breaking of dawn,
where the breezes were soft and the sunshine was warm,
a place where the creatures ran wild and played free
A Koala called Kevin clung to a tree."
EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM
This is a childhood favourite of mine, introducing characters from well-known stories such as the Three Bears, Mother Hubbard, and Tom Thumb. The book has strong rhythm and rhyme, and the kids will love trying to find the hidden characters in the pictures.
HAIRY MACLAREY FROM DONALDSON'S DAIRY
This book is another childhood favourite of mine! It features the characters Hairy Maclary (from Donaldson's Dairy), Hercules Morse (as big as a horse), Muffin McLay (like a bundle of hay), Bottomley Potts (covered in spots), Bitzer Maloney (all skinny and bony), and Schnitzel von Krumm (with a very low tum).
OI FROG, OI DOG and OI CAT
These stories are full of silly animals and hilarious rhymes which the kids will love!
'Cats sit on mats, hares sit on chairs, mules sit on stools, gophers sit on sofas, and frogs sit on logs'.
FROG ON A LOG?
Each animal's designated seat rhymes with that animal's name (e.g. cats sit on mats, hares sit on chairs, mules sit on stools, gophers sit on sofas, and frogs sit on logs). However, frog doesn't want to sit on a log! This book is lots of fun, and perfect for complementing rhyme and phonics lessons.
DOG ON A FROG?
This is the hilarious sequel to Frog on a Log, where the frog decides that not only does he not want to sit on a log, he does not want a frog to sit on a log! So, he changes the rules. This book contains lots more hilarious animal rhyme pairings, and is another great resource to complement phonics and rhyming lessons.
EDWARD THE EMU
This is another book which is great for teaching kids how to be comfortable with who they are. Edward the Emu is tired of being an emu, so he tries lounging with lions, slithering with snakes, and swimming with seals. Eventually, he realises that being an emu is the very best thing of all!
EDWINA THE EMU
A really sweet sequel to Edward the Emu. Edwina tries a variety of jobs, from chimney sweep to ballet dancer. It is again full of rhythmic, rhyming verse which will complement your rhyming lessons.
OLGA THE BROLGA
Another book set in Australia, from the illustrator who brought us Edwina and Edward Emu. Olga the brolga is in a terrible mood. She desperately wants to dance, but no-one will dance with her. More rhythmic, rhyming verses, and beautiful illustrations from Rod Clement!
THE VERY CRANKY BEAR SERIES
The Very Cranky Bear, The Very Hungry Bear, and The Very Noisy Bear are much-loved stories by Nick Bland. Full of rich vocabulary and with plenty of opportunities for comprehension activities, these books are also written in rhyme, making them another great addition to your rhyming lessons!
PIG THE PUG SERIES
Another much-loved series by Aaron Blabey. Whether you're reading the original (Pig the Pug) or some of the sequels (Pig the Fibber, Pig the Winner, Pig the Star, Pig the Grub or Pig the Blob), your kids will LOVE these stories, and there will be plenty of opportunities to consolidate rhyming skills too!
THE GRUFFALO
A much-loved story about a mouse taking a walk in the woods. I always love using the Gruffalo for descriptive language lessons - the kids draw their own versions of the gruffalo, based on the descriptive language in the book e.g. knobbly knees, poisonous wart at the end of his nose, purple prickles all over his back. The rhyming words will help to reinforce rhyme for your children as well.
RHYMING DUST BUNNIES
The dust bunnies love to rhyme, except for poor old Bob, who can never get it right! The kids will laugh and correct Bob, and you'll be brainstorming lots of rhyming words together!
ALIENS LOVE UNDERPANTS
Aliens love underpants, but there are no underpants in space, so they've come to Earth to try and steal your underpants! The kids will be giggling while you consolidate their rhyming skills!
DR SUESS BOOKS
Dr Suess books are jam-packed full of silliness and fun. The rhyme and rhythm will help students to identify and understand rhyme.
WHO'S IN THE LOO?
Beware- this one is centred around a favourite topic of conversation for kids - toilets! It is cheeky and funny, and chockablock full of rhyme!
THERE'S A BEAR ON MY CHAIR
Bear is on Mouse's chair. Mouse tries all sorts of tactics to move Bear off the chair, from glaring, to scaring, to luring him with a pear. A fun little story with lots of rhyme.
NONI THE PONY
A rhyming tale which is all about friendship.
'Noni the Pony is friendly and funny.
Her shimmering tail is the color of honey'.
What will we find in the foggy, foggy forest? Three brown bears on picnic chairs, a fairy queen on a trampoline, a unicorn blowing a horn, and ogre doing yoga... and so much more!
TIPS FOR TEACHING RHYME WITH PICTURE BOOKS
As you’re reading, you might like to get children to raise their hands every time they hear a word that rhymes. You could also brainstorm additional rhyming words to the ones found in the book.
Rhyme is an important part of phonological awareness as it requires children to listen closely to the sounds in words. Rhyme progresses in a variety of stages:
1.Hearing rhyme
2.Recognising rhyme
3.Producing a rhyming word- can initially be both real and nonsense words
LOOKING FOR RHYMING RESOURCES?
You'll find plenty of rhyme resources in the Phonological Awareness section of Miss Learning Bee.