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Children’s Books for the Music Classroom

Children’s Books for Music Class

If you’re anything like me, you have shelves and bins full of children’s books about music in your classroom, organized and ready to add some excitement to a music class. I have books about musical instruments, books to sing, and don’t forget one to cover every holiday and season! Over the years, I have found lots of children’s books for music class and added them to my library. 

Well, if you’re just starting your music library or looking to add a few new kid’s books to your collection, then read on for some of my favorites. And, by the way, I have included Amazon affiliate links to these books, but don’t worry – you won’t pay any more though.

When I’m looking for books to use in my music class, I try to determine how I could use it. Is it:

• A folk song?
• About an element of music?
• About instruments?
• Holiday or seasonal?
• About a musician or composer?

Today, I am sharing with you some of my favorite children’s books about music or that work well in the music room. These books are all currently sitting in my classroom library and have been very well-loved and appreciated by my students. So, I hope that you and your music classes can also benefit from them as well. 

The links below in this post are affiliate links. That means you pay the same price, and I get a small commission. 

Here we go!

1. Here Comes the High Notes and Look Out for Low Notes

High and Low Books by Marin Marka

These two books are the newest additions to my bookshelf, and they are amazing! They have beautiful illustrations by Alexandra Tatu, with little monsters that caught my students’ attention and excitement. These books are written by Marin Marka, who creatively wraps an adorable story around the little treble and bass monsters, helping them find their correct spots on the staff.

2. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

Now let’s jump to a little bit older one. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, by Linda Williams, is definitely in my top 10 favorite children’s book for music class. I use it in October for a halloween music lesson. My favorite part about it is that you can use it as a song, as a movement activity, or play instruments with it. Plus, it has just the right amount of scary without going over the top for my youngest students.

3. Mortimer

Next up is Mortimer by Robert Munsch. This is a perfect book for a lesson pitch and exploring high/low and up/down. As Mortimer is in his bed, supposed to be falling to sleep, lots of people “thump” up and down the stairs to yell at him. But he sings his song anyway – “clang, clang.”

4. The Name Jar

My next suggestion for children’s books is The Name Jar, by Yangsook Choi. This one would work well with grades 2-4. This past fall, I used it for the first time, and my third graders really enjoyed it and understood the theme – the importance of each person’s own name, diversity, and background. After that, I used a presentation that I created with a jar and papers showing 2 or 4-beat rhythms on each paper. As a class, students had to decipher whose name could fit with that rhythm. It was a great way to review rhythm while also learning each other’s names during that first week. It worked really well! 

5. Song Garden

Another great book about pitch and also new to my collection is Song Garden by Vicky Weber with illustrations by Zoe Mellors. I love all of her books, but I think this one is my favorite. It tells about a young girl who is so determined to create a song garden without anyone’s help. I really enjoy this one because it has a lot of different themes running through it – not only the melodic part, but also composition, determination, and creativity.

6. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

This classic story has been a favorite of mine for a while now. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly comes in lots of different versions, but my favorite is with illustrations by Pam Adams. I have the larger paper back book (rather than the board book), and I also have the matching doll and bean bag animal props that she actually swallows! Each year, I introduce my students to the doll, and they love taking turns putting in their animal when it is heard in the song or book.

7. Barn Dance

Well, now let’s look at Barn Dance written by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault. I love using this book with my 2nd graders around October or November. First, I read the book, which is set in a rhyming, sing-song style. It also has a repeated phrase throughout it – “come a little closer” – which is just perfect for singing. Then we add some instruments for each of thes pounds that the young boy hears on his full moon journey. He even goes square dancing with the animals in the barn, so I teach a similar dance to my students. This book includes singing, playing instruments, and dancing!

8. We All Go Traveling By

Finally, I’m excited to tell you about We All Go Traveling By. This children’s book and song is by Sheena Roberts. I absolutely love using this towards the end of the school year, right before summer. This cumulative book lists lots of different modes of transportations, and you can use it in a lesson with lots of other songs about boats, trains, planes, cars, etc. With my students, we love adding percussion instruments to each sound in this children’s book. If you’re interested in my instrument version for kindergarten, click here.

9. Children’s Books by Pat Hutchins: The Wind Blew and Ten Red Apples

Next, let’s look at two great children’s books by Pat Hutchins. Each year, I use both of these in my autumn music lessons. I use The Wind Blew with my young students as part of a lesson on steady beat and no beat. I just love using this book about chasing items that have blown away! Read more about how I join this children’s book and musical concept together by visiting this post: Steady beat vs. No Beat Post.

I also love her book Ten Red Apples, which is just perfect for September and apple season. All of the farm animals take an apple from the tree, as the story counts down from 10 to 1 with each new animal “chomps,” “nibbles,” “gobbles,” “munches,” and more on the apples. I use this children’ story to add different percussion instruments for each of the animals (i.e. tone block for the horse).

10. Children’s Books by John Feierabend: Jennie Jenkins, Had a Little Rooster, Over in the Meadow, My Aunt Came Back, and more!

I just love John Feierabend’s folk song collection books! The illustrations are beautiful, and my students always enjoy them. If you are not familiar with them, check your local or school library to see if they are there. My favorites in his collection are Jennie Jenkins, Had a Little Rooster, and My Aunt Came Back. Those three titles, as well as many of his others, feature a cumulative or growing type of song. That makes it perfect to add different percussion instruments to each animal (like in Had a Little Rooster) or to add motions (like in My Aunt Came Back). 

Thanks for joining me here with (only some of) my favorite children’s books about music. If you have any more suggestions, I would just love to hear them! Leave a comment below or you can DM me on Instagram @bethsmusicclassroom or email me at beth@bethsmusicclassroom.com.

Children’s Books for Music Class