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BOOK LIST

This School Year’s Best-Selling Books for Grades PreK–2

These best-selling books for grades PreK–2 will delight beginning readers, helping to instill a life-long love of reading.

By Scholastic Editors
December 5, 2024

This School Year’s Best-Selling Books for Grades PreK–2

A diverse classroom library with a wide variety of characters, illustrations, and stories helps students become more confident readers. These best-selling books are perfect for engaging your students in grades PreK-2. 

You'll discover Frog on a Log?, a classroom favorite about where each animal is supposed to sit — and a frog who does not want to sit on a log just because it rhymes with his name! The colorful illustrations and fun rhymes in this picture book will entice your entire class. Plus, try these fun activities inspired by the book to extend their learning beyond story time. 

Meanwhile, in the wildly popular A Bad Case of Stripes, by David Shannon (also the author of the No, David! series), Camilla Cream is embarrassed to eat lima beans in front of her peers. But when she resists being herself, she gets a bad case of stripes! Your students will learn self-acceptance as you use this best-seller for read-aloud time. 

And of course, don't miss the loveable new Millie Fleur's Poison Garden, a charming story about a little girl who shakes up her perfectly tidy town with her wild, unique garden. Students will be reminded to embrace their best, true selves.

Shop best-selling books for grades PreK–2 below! You can find all books and activities at The Teacher Store

Students' Favorite Titles    

Paperback Book

My BIG Feelings

Grades Pre-K
$4.46$5.95
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Enjoy these very simple stories that teach hard-to-explain emotions, such as disappointment, that are so challenging for toddlers and preschoolers to control.

Paperback Book

The Very Impatient Caterpillar

Grades K - 2
$3.74$4.99
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Is it time yet? This STEM-focused romp about pupation will tickle little ones who know how hard it is to wait. “Absolutely charming” -SLJ

Paperback Book

The Day I Forgot to Wash My Hands

Grades Pre-K - K
$3.71$4.95
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The silly, funny, fantastic story of a boy who didn't wash his hands and the crazy consequences that ensue as he spreads a bit of grossness around.

Paperback Book

You Get What You Get

Grades Pre-K - 1
$3.71$4.95
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Melvin learns to control his behavior at school pretty quickly and when he spills the beans at home, his parents take on a new philosophy as well.

Paperback Book

Giraffes Can't Dance

Grades Pre-K - 3
$5.21$6.95
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Gerald the giraffe longs to dance, but his legs are too skinny and his neck is too long. His knees buckle whenever he tries to twirl.

Paperback Book

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Grades Pre-K - 1
$5.21$6.95
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When a generous boy shares a cookie with a hungry mouse, it is the beginning of a chain of events that keeps the boy busy all day long, and might keep him busy for days to come.

Paperback Book

If You Give a Pig a Pancake

Grades Pre-K - 1
$4.46$5.95
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If you give a pig a pancake, she'll want syrup to go with it. If you give her some of your favorite maple syrup, she'll probably get all sticky and will want to take a bath...

Paperback Book

Let It Fall

Grades Pre-K - 1
$2.99$3.99
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With soft colored art, adorable children, and colorful outdoor scenes, Let It Fall celebrates all the seasonal awe of autumn.

Board Book

You Are My Sunshine

Grades Pre-K - K
$5.24$6.99
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Lovingly illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church, the bestselling artist from I Love You Through and Through, this is the first of her new three book song series. You Are My Sunshine has become well-known and well-loved by parents and children everywhere. Using the uplifting chorus, this board book with a foil cover is perfect for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, or any day!

Paperback Book

Frog on a Log?

Grades Pre-K - 1
$4.46$5.95
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Frog does not want to sit on a log! But Cat tells him that's where he belongs. Doing his best to find an alternative place to sit, Frog asks Cat a whole lot of questions. For every answer Cat has, Frog has another question, until he finds out what dogs sit on!

Paperback Book

Only One You

Grades Pre-K - 1
$3.71$4.95
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In plain language, parents of a brightly colored rockfish share lessons about how to swim joyfully through life.

Paperback Book

The Gingerbread Man

Grades K - 1
$2.99$3.99
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The Gingerbread Man runs as fast as he can in this fast-paced classic about a very determined little cookie! A perfect gift for any little one starting his or her collection of children's stories. A gingerbread man escapes from the oven and runs through the countryside pursued by an old man, an old woman, a little boy, three farmers, a bear, and a wolf.

Paperback Book

Dragons Love Tacos

Grades Pre-K - 1
$5.96$7.95
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The award-winning team behind Those Darn Squirrels! has created an unforgettable, laugh-until-salsa-comes-out-of-your-nose tale of new friends and the perfect snack.

Paperback Book

The Big, Big: The Boy with Big, Big Feelings

Grades Pre-K - 2
$5.21$6.95
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In this thoughtful and compassionate book, a young boy struggles with his big, overwhelming feelings, until he discovers he isn't the only one who feels things in a big way.

$5.24$6.99
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This bundled-up gal isn't playing in the snow; she's slurping it up as fast as she can. Raccoons, reindeer, and bears look on with stunned amazement as she gobbles up even stranger items like a pipe, a scarf, two lumps of coal, and even the branches of a tree. What could she possibly be up to? What do all of these items add up to?

Paperback Book

Dragons Love Tacos

Grades Pre-K - 1
$5.96$7.95
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Dragons love tacos. They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Buckets and buckets of tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa...oh, boy. You're in red-hot trouble.

Organized into color-coded levels, these short, compelling stories will have both emergent and more advanced readers entertained and engaged as they explore new stories with their favorite characters.

Hardcover Book

Millie Fleur's Poison Garden

Grades Pre-K - 3
$14.24$18.99
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Wednesday Addams meets The Curious Garden in this delightfully peculiar story about finding joy in being wonderfully weird.

Paperback Book

Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale

Grades Pre-K - 2
$5.21$6.95
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It's a whale of a tale in which a terrible misunderstanding escalates, putting Rainbow Fish and his friends in great danger, and Rainbow Fish must try to make peace with a big blue whale to save them all from disaster.

$4.46$5.95
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Ever since the first youngster in history had a pet, cats versus dogs has been a hotly debated issue on playgrounds and at lunch tables worldwide. Before kids can choose which animal they prefer, though, they'll need to get the facts!

Paperback Book

How Do Dinosaurs Go To School?

Grades Pre-K - 2
$5.96$7.95
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Everyone's favorite dinosaurs are back, and this time they are going to school. More fun dinosaur antics await. These prehistoric pupils are in a class of their own! As in their previous books, Yolen and Teague capture children's rambunctious natures with playful read-aloud verse and wonderfully amusing pictures.

Paperback Book

Creatrilogy: The Dot

Grades 1 - 3
$5.21$6.95
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With a simple, witty story and free-spirited illustrations, Peter H. Reynolds entices even the stubbornly uncreative among us to make a mark, and to follow where it takes us.

Paperback Book

There's Only One You

Grades Pre-K - 2
$6.71$8.95
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This inclusive picture book rejoices in the specialness of each person's beauty and ability.

Paperback Book

What Does It Mean to be Kind?

Grades Pre-K - 2
$6.71$8.95
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A girl in a red hat finds the courage to be kind to the new student in class. Her kindness spreads, until her whole community experiences the magical shift that happens when people understand what it means to be kind, and act on their best impulses!

Paperback Book

I Spy™ Letters

Grades Pre-K - 2
$4.49$5.99
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See the picture? Now read the clue. Then start looking for everything! A is for apple and airplane and ant. But where are they? Are those balloons on the letter B? See the snow-white ice on the cold letter C? Alright, the D is dotty, the E is a soft pink eraser, the F is on fire, and the G is glittery. But where are these other objects that begin with those letters?

Paperback Book

The Spooky Wheels On The Bus

Grades Pre-K - 2
$4.49$5.99
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The Spooky Wheels on the Bus is a humorous Halloween-themed version of the classic song "The Wheels on the Bus"...with a few ghoulish tricks and treats up its sleeves!

Paperback Book

Hi! Fly Guy (Fly Guy #1)

Grades Pre-K - 3
$4.49$5.99
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Some kids have dogs and some kids have cats, but Buzz has a pet fly! In this first book of the hilarious series, Buzz enters his winged buddy in the Amazing Pet Competition. The judges scoff until they see all the extraordinary tricks the little fly can do.

Paperback Book

The Cool Bean

Grades K - 2
$5.99$7.99
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The third hilarious book in the series features a has-bean trying desperately to fit in, until the cool beans show him that it's cooler to be kind.

Paperback Book

How to Catch...: How to Catch a Mermaid

Grades K - 2
$3.71$4.95
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Many claim to have caught a mermaid, but can YOU?

Paperback Book

What If You Had Animal Hair!?

Grades 1 - 3
$2.99$3.99
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If you had a polar bear's double coat, you would never have to wear a hat when playing in the snow. If you had reindeer hair, it could help you stay afloat in water. And if you had a porcupine's hair, no bully would ever bother you again!

Paperback Book

A Bad Case of Stripes

Grades 2 - 3
$5.96$7.95
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Camilla Cream loves lima beans, but she never eats them. Why? Because the other kids in her school don't like them. Camilla Cream is very worried about what other people think about her, but at the very moment she most wants to fit in, she becomes completely covered in colorful stripes! 

Paperback Book

A Ticket Around the World

Grades 2 - 4
$5.96$7.95
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This boy visits friends in 13 different countries spanning all six populated continents. Along the way, he introduces readers to each friend's environment and customs. Each country has a dedicated spread with a small map that shows geography, letting readers imagine they are traveling too.

Best-Selling Book Sets & Collections

Paperback Book Collection

Pete the Cat Grades K-2

Grades K - 2
$20.00$32.88
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Paperback Book Collection

Fly Guy Grades K-2

Grades K - 2
$15.00$26.79
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A creative young boy wants a pet for The Amazing Pet Show, so he catches a fly-little knowing that Fly Guy will become a great friend!

Paperback Book Collection

Pigeon Grades PreK-1

Grades Pre-K - 1
$21.00$34.75
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A persnickety pigeon just wants what he wants-and kids will delight in his hilarious behavior!

Paperback Book Collection

Favorite Characters Grades K-1

Grades K - 1
$83.00$128.28
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This collection of quality Scholastic titles was hand selected to provide you with the best books at the best prices.

Paperback Book Collection

Elephant & Piggie Grades K-2

Grades K - 2
$35.00$52.72
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Best-selling picture book creator Mo Willems leaps into the early reader arena with the Elephant & Piggie series.

Paperback Book Collection

I Spy Collection

Grades K - 2
$40.95$104.60
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Reading becomes a game as children hunt for the treasures on each page!

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