Music Books for Preschoolers

I had so much fun this summer planning and teaching "Summer Music for Preschoolers!".

Here are the books we used this summer.

1. "Gus and Me" by Keith Richards is a memoir about his introduction to the guitar and how is grandfather (Gus) encouraged him to learn music. The preschoolers (Pre-k's) loved the colorful pictures and got excited about a book written by a rock star!

2. "Making Music" by Arthur Paxton is a step by step guide to how new music is played by an orchestra. It is a little dated, but the photography is fun and the layout is creative. The Pre-k's loved pointing out the instruments they knew and were excited about the prospect of seeing an orchestra live one day!

3. "Oliva forms a band" by Ian Falconer brings the reader into the mind of a 4 year old. The Olivia books are always humorous and clever in the storytelling. There isn't much about music, but the passage about Olivia creating her own one-pig band out of house hold items is worth the read.

4. "Max Found Two Sticks" by Brian Pinkney is music book that can be interactive with children. Pickney uses onomatopoeia to show the way drums can imitate other sounds. Have Pre-k's make the same sounds and let them imitate pigeon wings, trains and all the other fun sounds this book offers.

5. "Over in the Meadow" by Susan Reed is a counting book with a repetitive melody. The pictures are colorful and entertaining. The Pre-k's can anticipate the next number and yell out the number when it's time.

6. "Summertime" illustrated by Dubose Heyward and Dorothy Heyward takes the words of "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess and puts them to beautiful works of art. The Pre-k's loved the artwork. It helps to listen to the music before, and then read the book. At the end of the book is the "Summertime" sheet music and the Pre-k's wanted to follow the notes along with the singer.