The BEST Apple Books for Preschoolers

Someday I’m going to write the perfect apple book for reading aloud to a whole group of preschoolers. Yes, there are many books out there featuring apples, but I haven’t found one that is perfect for reading aloud to a group of brand-new preschoolers. However, there are many that come close. I’ve rounded up the best apple books for preschoolers to read at circle time and those that better shared in small group or one-on-one.

Apple Books For Preschoolers

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The Best Apple Stories to Read Aloud for Circle Time

Reading aloud to a whole group of preschoolers at circle time at the beginning of the year is challenging. You need something short and engaging. This list fits the bill.

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Bunny needs to get the apples for apple pie in [easyazon_link identifier=”1452162557″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Hungry Bunny[/easyazon_link] by Claudia Rueda. There is a shiny red ribbon in the book that you use to interact with the book.

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[easyazon_link identifier=”0142401242″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Apple Farmer Annie[/easyazon_link] by Monica Wellington is a wonderful introduction to life as a farmer on an apple farmer. It’s a busy job!

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[easyazon_link identifier=”0807503983″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Apple Countdown[/easyazon_link] by Joan Holub is a good pick to read before a field trip to the apple farm. In this colorful countdown story from twenty to one, the students grab their name tags, board the bus, and head to the farm. It’s a fun one to use for counting apples and lots of number fun.

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Fox is trying to solve an apple mystery in [easyazon_link identifier=”0399555625″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Apples for Little Fox[/easyazon_link] by Ekaterina Trukhan. Can you help discover why the apples are missing?

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[easyazon_link identifier=”1934706671″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]One Red Apple[/easyazon_link] by Karla Gudeon is a short read accompanied by beautiful illustrations. It starts by picking an apple and enjoying it. Then, the birds come and eat the core and the life cycle of the apple starts back over from seed to sprout to new apples.

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Before you make applesauce with the children, read [easyazon_link identifier=”1596432160″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Applesauce Season[/easyazon_link] by Eden Ross Lipson. It’s fun to learn that applesauce can taste different depending on the apples you use. Plus, you learn about the applesauce making process along with some other yummy apple treats.

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Children will enjoy following the dog throughout [easyazon_link identifier=”1408308029″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Apple Pie ABC[/easyazon_link] by Alison Murray. Plus the alphabet book allows you to spend time identifying letters of the alphabet.

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For another apple themed alphabet book try [easyazon_link identifier=”0439728088″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Apples A to Z[/easyazon_link]by Margaret McNamara. For wiggly listeners, you can easily skip over the detailed section on each page or just read a few descriptions based on the attention span of students.

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[easyazon_link identifier=”0761451811″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Apples, Apples, Apples[/easyazon_link] by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace follows a rabbit family to the orchard. The story includes a chart of five apple varieties and what they are best used for. Other diagrams include the parts of an apple to seed to tree.

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[easyazon_link identifier=”0805089357″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Ducking for Apples[/easyazon_link] by Lynne Berry is full of rhythm as the duck team heads to the apple tree to load up with apples. Plus, there is lots of counting to do throughout the story.

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For more apple counting fun, read [easyazon_link identifier=”0688167977″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Ten Red Apples[/easyazon_link]by Pat Hutchins.

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Lots of bartering and trading happens as Granny takes a walk to get the apples she needs to make an apple pie for dinner in [easyazon_link identifier=”0761454527″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]An Apple Pie for Dinner[/easyazon_link]by Susan VanHecke. She even invites a crowd to enjoy it. This is a good book to work on sequencing. There is even a recipe for apple pie at the end of the book.

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Another good one for sequencing is the cumulative book, [easyazon_link identifier=”1416912401″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]The Apple Pie That Papa Baked[/easyazon_link], by Lauren Thompson.

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If you have young preschoolers, [easyazon_link identifier=”1442476567″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Apples and Pumpkins[/easyazon_link]by Anne Rockwell is a good pick. It’s short, engaging, and informative.

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[easyazon_link identifier=”0807504017″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]How to Grow an Apple Pie[/easyazon_link] by Beth Charles is the story of a little girl who waits six years to pick up apples from her family’s apple trees. Children will learn about pruning, the role of bees, and how to pick apples from the tree while listening to the story too. Yep, an apple pie recipe is included.

Informational Books About Apples to Explore in Small Groups or One on One

Seed by Maggie Li explores the life cycle of an apple seed named Pip. Travel with Pip as it gets eaten, released as poop from a bird, and planted in the ground. (board book)

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[easyazon_link identifier=”1426305230″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Apples for Everyone[/easyazon_link]by Jill Esbaum has stunning photographs of apples in the orchard from blossom to the time you cut the apple open. Lots of information about how apples grow and all the things you can make with them.

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[easyazon_link identifier=”143294150X” locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]An Apple’s Life[/easyazon_link] by Nancy Dickmann is a simply explained life cycle of an apple tree complemented with photographs. It’s more simple and shorter than the book above.

Secrets of the Apple Tree (Shine-a-Light) is an interactive book that allows you to hold the pages up to the light or shine a flashlight behind the pages to reveal hidden pictures.

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I love Gail Gibbons’ work but most of it is best shared with a little bit older group. However, [easyazon_link identifier=”0152712453″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree[/easyazon_link] works with preschoolers. Children will watch Arnold take care of his apple tree through the seasons.

Fun Apple-Themed Books to Explore in Small Groups or One on One

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Imagine so many apples that they fill the closets, the wagons, and even the piano. That is just what happens in [easyazon_link identifier=”1843653028″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Apple Pigs[/easyazon_link]by Ruth Orbach. Of course, if you have that many apples you need to share with everyone.

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[easyazon_link identifier=”0153524790″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Up, Up, Up! It’s Apple-Picking Time[/easyazon_link] by Jody Fickes Shapiro is the story of a family that visits their grandparents to pick apples and sell at their apple stand. Of course, there is plenty of apple centered foods to have while they are there. A recipe for microwave-baked apples is included at the end of the book.

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It’s a fun tradition to make applesauce as a family. Learn all about it in [easyazon_link identifier=”0807503924″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Applesauce Day[/easyazon_link] by Lisa Amstutz. A recipe for applesauce is included.

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We all want to read about Johnny Appleseed during an apple unit. Try the [easyazon_link identifier=”0545223067″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Johnny Appleseed[/easyazon_link] by Jodie Shepherd version for young children.

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[easyazon_link identifier=”0590623826″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]The Apple Pie Tree[/easyazon_link] by Zoe Hall takes us through the seasons of an apple tree right through harvesting the apples for pie. Back matter includes information on how bees pollinate the apple trees.

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[easyazon_link identifier=”071124779X” locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Apple Cake a Gratitude[/easyazon_link] by Dawn Casey showcase the gratitude for all the things and people who help to create a delicious apple cake. A recipe is also included for apple cake.