Read Across America Day is March 2nd! I’ve shared my thoughts about using Seuss in storytime on the blog before – originally in this 2019 post and again in a follow up 2021 post. This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a genre freebie, so here are my top ten alternative rhyming read-alouds for popular Seuss titles:
Counting to Bananas: A Mostly Rhyming Fruit Book by Carrie Tillotson & Estrela Lourenço
Swap Ten Apples Up on Top for this laugh out loud, rhyming mathematical adventure! This book makes a great buddy read if you can find a partner.
Frog on a Log? by Kes Gray & Jim Field
If you’re looking for lots of rhyming words families like in Hop on Pop, look no further than Frog on a Log and the sequel, Dog on a Frog?
Hats Are Not For Cats! by Jacqueline K. Rayner
No need to read the Cat in the Hat (based on minstrel stereotypes) when you can read this book instead! A bossy dog attempts to prevent all the cats from wearing their fabulous hats before realizing that hats are for everyone. This book pairs perfectly with a Hiding Hats flannelboard game!
Let’s Count Goats! by Jan Thomas and Mem Fox
Who needs Go, Dog. Go! when you can count the goats in boats?
One Red Sock by Jennifer Sattler
Do you love Fox in Socks? Try One Red Sock on for size! In this rhyming read-aloud, a purple hippo struggles to find the match for her lone red sock. This story also makes a super fun flannelboard!
Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas by Aaron Blabey
Instead of making the same old Green Eggs and Ham, celebrate Read Across America Day with a fresh “awesome fruit platter” and this hilariously funny read aloud!
Here’s some more great rhyming, romping read-alouds featuring food:
- Dozens of Doughnuts by Carrie Finison
- Goodnight Veggies by Diana Murray
- Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz and Micah Player
- The Runaway Pea by Kjartan Poskitt & Alex Willmore
The Magical Yet by Angela DiTerlizzi
Swap out that tired old graduation gift of Oh, the Places You’ll Go! for this rhyming inspirational adventure instead!
This Zoo is Not for You by Ross Collins
If there’s one Seuss title I’d stay far away from, it would be If I Ran the Zoo. This one is a popular pairing with elementary school field trips to the zoo, but it’s riddled with racist and stereotypical imagery. In fact, Dr. Seuss Enterprises decided to cease selling this title in 2021. This Zoo is Not For You is a MUCH better rhyming book with a much better message!
We Want a Dog by Lo Cole
Explore twenty-seven unexpected varieties of dogs that you could get as a pet in this super silly story! I love the high contrast illustrations and interesting vocabulary. Swap in this title for Go, Dog. Go! or What Pet Should I Get?
Here’s some more fabulous rhyming read-alouds featuring our furry friends:
- Bathe the Cat by Alice B. McGinty & David Roberts
- Max Attacks by Kathi Appelt
- Pippa & Percival, Pancake & Poppy: Four Peppy Puppies by Deborah Diesen
- Some Pets by Angela DiTerlizzi
Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek
Reminiscent of the silly rhymes in One Fish Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish.
The Artsy Reader Girl currently hosts Top Ten Tuesday, an original feature created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic.
Looking for more new rhyming read-alouds? Watch for Betsy Bird’s Rhyming Picture Books in her 31 Days, 31 Lists annual feature at School Library Journal!
Storytime in the Stacks 
These all sound super cute!
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-xenofiction/
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