Update: At present this post includes 5 more books for didactics story sequencing and retelling, for a total of fifteen.

Today I'm excited to explore with you lot 10 favorite books for teaching story sequencing and story retelling. I've focused on titles that are merely right for kindergarten. These volition also become a lot of love in preschool and first form.

collage of books and title "10 perfect books for teaching story sequencing"

Why Teach Story Sequencing?


Every bit you may know, story sequencing is a crucial skill for our petty ones to grasp.  Literal agreement of a text is the foundation they need to become independent, active readers later on!

That'south why in almost states y'all'll find sequencing or retelling "with prompting and support" listed in the kindergarten reading curriculum.

Even before you teach "showtime, middle, end", y'all tin help kids retell a story yous've read to them.

Teachers and children honey the story sequencing hats in my store for working on this skill. Sending the children home in their ambrosial hats likewise helps them work on verbal skills equally they explain their hats to their families.

So I'll also be showing you the hats I take that go along with many of these sequencing volume selections. Like this one:

printable story sequencing hat that says "brown bear" and is colored with crayon and assembled

(Disclosure: Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Plan, an chapter advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertizement fees past ad and linking to Amazon.com.)

Books for Story Sequencing and Retelling

Each of these books has a anticipated or like shooting fish in a barrel to follow structure that volition help children remember what's next.

1. Brown Comport, Brown Carry, What Do You See?

(chapter link)

brown bear, brown bear cover

This classic board book by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle can be used for more than just story sequencing. It's besides a repetitive rhyming book that'south sure to assist increase students' awareness of phonemes and give-and-take suffixes.

Plus, it reaffirms color and animal noesis – and it's fun to talk about the fact that horses aren't actually blue, and cats are never purple!

Believe it or non, you can fifty-fifty sing this story to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Lilliputian Star" .. how's that for a fun musical element!

2. Mrs. Wishy Washy'due south Farm

(affiliate link)

Mrs. Wish-Washy's Farm book cover

Joy Cowley is a much-loved author for beginner readers, and Mrs. Wishy Washy's Farm is no exception.

Students dear the book's comedic nature, rhyming, and piece of cake-to-follow along patterning every bit they watch each beast in the subcontract get bathed, find trouble, and get squeaky clean all over again.

Additionally, the repetitive "W" sounds in "Wishy Washy" are slap-up for an in-depth alphabetic character report!

Plus, I have a chapeau for this one too:

printable story sequencing hat that says "Mrs. Wishy Washy's Farm" and is colored with crayon and assembled

three. Room on the Broom

(affiliate link)

Room on the Broom book cover

With a friendly witch and a slightly scary dragon, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's Room on the Broom is a swell pick for a Halloween book!

The vibrant illustrations, rhyming, and animal coiffure of characters trying to fit on the witch'due south broom are certain to proceed your kindergartners' attending.

Here's my sequencing crown for information technology:

printable story sequencing hat that says "room on the broom" and is colored with crayon and assembled
600

4. The Gingerbread Man

(affiliate link)

book cover for The Gingerbread Man by Karen Schmidt

The classic version of this story by Karen Schmidt is corking for story sequencing because it follows a logical sequence of events: from the boy baking a cookie, to the cookie escaping the oven, and of class, inevitably encountering plenty of funny friends along the way.

This is a great mid to finish of year kindergarten read-aloud choice as information technology doesn't take a predictable rhyming design outside of the classic chant that your kids volition love to read along with you:

"Run, run every bit fast every bit you can!  Yous can't take hold of me! I'chiliad the Gingerbread man!"

…and you guessed it – here's a printable sequencing lid that goes with several different versions of the story:

printable story sequencing hat for The Gingerbread Man, colored with crayon and assembled

5. The Mitten

(chapter link)

The Mitten book cover

January Brett'due south The Mitten is a love classic. The detailed illustrations allow for rich picture analysis, and it introduces children to a collection of new animals who pass the mitten around.

Plus, many of the animals go outside of the classic farm creatures your kids likely already know, introducing them to some new vocabulary like: mole, hedgehog, and play a trick on.

RELATED: Activities and Crafts to go with The Mitten

Here'south the printable hat activity I made for it:

printable story sequencing hat for The Mitten, colored with crayon and assembled

6. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

(affiliate link)

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly book cover

This Caldecott honored text by Simms Taback will definitely keep your students' attention!

With a hilarious plotline, illustrations, and page cut-outs, they'll all be on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens side by side: aka what the old lady swallows next!

Fifty-fifty better, this book can be sung – check it out for yourself on YouTube!

Want printable crowns for this story? I dearest how cute these look with cotton wool glued on for the sometime lady'south hair!

printable story sequencing hat labelled "I Know an Old Lady", with cotton glued to the lady's hair, and colored with crayon and assembled

7. The Napping House

The Napping House cover

Audrey and Don Wood's The Napping Business firm is a bully book not but for sequencing, but also for identifying patterning in texts and making text-to-self connections.

Readers will get an inside await into the Napping Business firm, where first a granny, and so a kid, then a canis familiaris, a cat, and more keep falling asleep on top of ane some other until humorous chaos awakes them.

eight. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

(chapter link)

Hungry Caterpillar cover

No listing of books about story sequencing would be consummate without The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Odds are, whether you're a parent or educator, y'all've heard of this timeless book by Eric Carle.

Kids honey the vibrant illustrations, and to keep track of just how much the caterpillar eats each day of the week.

More than than just sequencing, though, this book is a great overview of counting, numbers, days of the week, and the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly!

RELATED: Hole Punching Activity for The Very Hungry Caterpillar

child's hands hole punching a strip of paper with fruit from the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar

9. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

(affiliate link)

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie book cover

Another archetype loved past kids and adults alike is If You Give a Mouse a Cookie  by Laura Joffe Numeroff. The progression of this story is logical yet hysterical all at once- ensuring your students will stay engaged while besides honing their skills for story sequencing.

It'southward likewise the perfect pick for talking about crusade and effect. Y'all could even accept fun and have students help y'all write your own class book modeled after this story!

I as well at present have a story hat for working through this much-loved book and several others in the same series.

10. Ox-Cart Man

(affiliate link)

Ox-Cart Man cover

Next, we continue our story sequencing list with Ox-Cart Man, a Caldecott Medal Winner, by Donald Hall. Kids will dear keeping track of everything the farmer's family packs in their cart, while likewise grasping new vocabulary like "shearing" and "wool."

I dear using this book to teach almost seasons and farming likewise.

RELATED – DIY Storytelling Basket for Ox-Cart Man

11. Conduct Snores On

(affiliate link)

Bear Snores On past Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jane Chapman is an autumn and wintertime favorite. This cumulative story is most animate being friends visiting, and finally waking, a hibernating bear. Children can recount how each of the critters arrives and so retell the funny ending.

Yeah, at that place's a sequencing lid for Bear Snores On too!

12. Turkey Problem

(affiliate link)

Wendi Silvano's popular story has children disguising a turkey in classrooms across America. In the volume, Turkey tries to alloy in with a series of other animals in an attempt to avert the farmer'southward Thanksgiving dinner table. It'due south a fun pick for education students most making predictions as well every bit story retelling.

13. Stellaluna

(affiliate link)

Stellaluna has a more involved storyline with singled-out sections and a clear plot. It is an splendid book for more advanced students to retell and sequence. Plus, the content integrates well with life science and character education lessons.

14. Sneezy the Snowman

(chapter link)

This hilarious, adorable story is perfect for wintertime sequencing lessons. Sneezy the Snowman is cold, and and then he tries to warm upwardly with hot chocolate, a campfire, and even a hot tub. Of course, he melts each fourth dimension, but the children re-build him. Y'all can teach cause and issue as well as sequencing with this fun book.

xv. The Gruffalo

(affiliate link)

Finally, Julia Donaldson'southward book The Gruffalo works actually well every bit a story sequencing text. It likewise has a distinct beginning, center, and cease for students who are set to do a trivial summarizing.

Story Sequencing Crowns Bundle

Some teachers have ready story sequencing as a literacy center. I think that's such a fun thought! If y'all want, you can purchase all my printable story sequencing hats in one discounted parcel.

collage showing 8 story sequencing crowns

FYI, I've been adding sets to this from time to time, and and so if you buy it be sure to check back to see if there's an update for you to download for gratuitous.

I hope you enjoyed these story sequencing volume suggestions! If you've used whatsoever of these books to teach a lesson on story sequencing, or have any other suggestions for texts to use, permit united states of america know in the comments below.

Happy teaching,

Heather