Singable Books for All Ages

If you read my last post on books based on popular songs, this one is its slightly different cousin. These are singable picture books, which is to say, books that either have their own built-in melody or repeating musical part that you sing as you go. Some have a CD or QR code so you can hear the tune, some you can set to whatever melody fits, and a few have become so iconic that there's basically one "right" way most therapists sing them.

Either way, singable books are some of the hardest-working tools in my bag. They support sequencing, vocal participation, joint attention, predictability, and engagement, and they're really good for that "I need a session theme idea to jump off of."

Here are 20+ of my favorites, grouped by what they tend to do best in session. Bookmark this one!

Some of these are affiliate links, so that means I earn a small commission if you choose to purchase from the link provided. I always recommend looking at your local bookstores and libraries first!

The Barefoot Books Singalongs

If you don't already own a few of these, just go ahead and budget for it. Barefoot Books singalongs come with a QR code (older ones came with a CD) that links to a sung version of the book, so you can hear exactly how the melody goes. The illustrations are vibrant and inclusive, and the songs are catchy enough that they get stuck in your head for days. You've been warned.

1. The Animal Boogie by Stella Blackstone, illustrated by Debbie Harter

   The Barefoot bestseller, and for good reason. Set in the jungles of India, kids leap, shake, stomp, flap, and slither along with the animals. Built-in movement, repeating verses, and the song itself is so catchy. Sung by Fred Penner on the QR code version. A must-have.

2. Port Side Pirates! by Oscar Seaworthy, illustrated by Debbie Harter

   Pirate adventures set to a sea shanty. So good for sessions with a nautical theme, or honestly anytime you want to bring a little drama into the room. Bonus: it teaches port and starboard, so educational AND fun. (pro tip- pair this with the free resource we have in our store: Sea Shanty Songwriting (coming soon)!)

3. If You're a Robot and You Know It, illustrated by David A Carter

   The traditional song with robot actions. A classic that works for almost any age.

4. Walking Through the Jungle by Stella Blackstone, illustrated by Debbie Harter

   Another Stella Blackstone and Debbie Harter winner. Kids "walk through the jungle" and encounter different animals along the way. Great for action songs and predictable repetition.

5. The Wheels on the Bus illustrated by Annie Kubler (Child's Play International version)

   There are about a million versions of Wheels on the Bus out there, but I like the Child's Play board book version for younger kids. The Barefoot singalong version is also lovely if you want a sung recording.

6. The Rattlin' Bog by Jessica Law, illustrated by Brian Fitzgerald

   This is one of Barefoot's newer ones and it's so good. A cumulative Irish folk song about a tree in a bog that contains a nest, that contains an egg, that contains a bird, and on and on. The cumulative structure is gold for memory and sequencing work, and the recording is sung by an actual traditional Irish band.

7. Driving My Tractor by Jan Dobbins, illustrated by David Sim

   A farmer picks up 15 animals on his route until his trailer hits a stone and everything goes flying. Counting, repetition, animal sounds, AND a chaos moment that kids LOVE. Sung by SteveSongs.

8. We All Go Traveling By by Sheena Roberts, illustrated by Siobhan Bell

   Different modes of transportation, multilingual sounds, and a really fun repeating refrain. Great for vehicle-themed sessions or anyone working on identifying environmental sounds.

Eric Litwin / Pete the Cat Books

Eric Litwin's books are basically singable on every page. The melodies are simple, the repetition is built in, and kids learn them fast. The original Pete the Cat books illustrated by James Dean are the ones you want.

8. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean

   Pete steps in all kinds of things and his shoes change color, but he just keeps singing. Such a great lesson on resilience snuck into a really fun song. The "I love my [color] shoes" refrain is perfect for vocal participation.

9. Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean

   Same Pete energy, school theme. Good for back-to-school sessions or anytime you want to talk about navigating new spaces.

10. The Nuts: Sing and Dance in Your Polka-Dot Pants by Eric Litwin, illustrated by Scott Magoon

    Less famous than Pete, but honestly just as fun. A peanut family throws a dance party. Built-in movement and a catchy refrain.

Songs Set to Familiar Tunes

11. I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello by Barbara S. Garriel, illustrated by John O'Brien

    A take on "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," but with musical instruments. A shy guy swallows a cello, harp, sax, fiddle, and a bunch of other instruments, then coughs them all back up as an orchestra. Hilarious, sneakily educational about instrument families, and the cumulative structure makes it perfect for sequencing goals.

12. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly illustrated by Pam Adams

    The original. Still a banger. The Pam Adams version with the die-cut pages is the one I grew up with and it's still going strong.

13. Lucille Colandro's "There Was an Old Lady" series, illustrated by Jared Lee

    She swallows a shell, a frog, some leaves, a bell, a chick, a clover, a rose, a fly… honestly there's one for every season and holiday. Stock up. (If you are looking for visuals to go along with these, check out our store! I draw many of the visuals for clients and upload them so others can use them as well.)

14. Down by the Bay illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott

    The Raffi song in book form. So fun for silly rhyme generation and easy to extend into your own made-up verses with clients.

15. Mary Had a Little Lamb illustrated by Bruce McMillan

    The classic nursery rhyme with photographs of an actual little girl and her actual little lamb. Simple, sweet, perfect for early childhood.

16. Dinosaur vs. the Library by Bob Shea

    Okay, technically not a "song" book, but Bob Shea's Dinosaur series has so much built-in rhythm and ROAR-able refrain ("Dinosaur ROARS!") that it works as a chanted singable.

17. Tingalayo! by Raffi, illustrated by Dan Taylor

    Raffi's classic about a donkey, turned into a picture book. Easy to set to instruments, easy to sing, and a really good one for clients who haven't encountered the song before.

Repeating Pattern Books

These don't have a "set" melody, but the predictable, repeating structure makes them easy to sing or chant on whatever simple tune you want.

18. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle

    The OG repeating-pattern book. I have at least three different melodies I use depending on the group, and they all work. Joint attention, color identification, vocal participation, everything.

19. Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle

    Brown Bear's animal-sound cousin. Excellent for making silly noises together.

20. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert

    This one practically sings itself. Letter recognition + the most rhythmic, chantable text in any picture book ever made. I sing it to a simple call-and-response melody and clients pick it up immediately.

21. From Head to Toe by Eric Carle

    "I am a penguin and I turn my head. Can you do it? I can do it!" Such a great movement-and-imitation book, and the predictable structure makes it perfect for singing.

22. Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss

    Sound effects + repeating refrain + Dr. Seuss rhythm. Beautiful for vocal play, oral motor goals, and just plain fun.

23. Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Bruce Wood

    A countdown book with a strong, steady beat you can keep on a drum or with clapping. Each page loses a fish in a different funny way. So good for keeping a steady tempo and for sequencing work.

A Few More Worth Owning

24. Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz and Eda Kaban

Animal sounds, vocal participation, identification skills. A classic for a reason.

25. Over in the Meadow (the Barefoot Books version illustrated by Anna Vojtech is lovely, and the Ezra Jack Keats one is gorgeous if you want something more vintage)

    Counting song + animal habitats. Good for math goals snuck into music.

26. Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton, illustrated by Eric Puybaret

    The Peter, Paul and Mary classic in book form with stunning illustrations. A little more wistful than the others on this list, but absolutely worth it.

27. Hello, Hello by Brendan Wenzel

    A repeating "Hello, hello" refrain with stunning illustrations of animals from around the world. Simple enough to sing on any melody, gorgeous enough that clients want to keep looking. Good greeting song extension too.

28. The Lady with the Alligator Purse illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott

    The traditional jump-rope song, which I think a lot of people don't realize was published as a picture book! Silly, fast-paced, and so much fun for clients who like a story with a goofy ending.

29. Knick Knack Paddy Whack illustrated by Christiane Engel (Barefoot Singalong)

    The traditional counting song reimagined as a multicultural street parade of kids playing instruments. So fun.

A Few Tips Before You Go

Don't be afraid to make up a melody. Half of these books don't have an "official" song, and that's a feature, not a bug. Pick a simple melody you can repeat, or adapt one you already use in sessions. Clients won't know the difference, and you'll have something that fits your style.

Build in movement when you can. Animal Boogie, From Head to Toe, and If You're Happy and You Know It are basically begging for it, but almost any of these can have actions added.

Use the predictability for goal work. The repeating structures in these books are gold for prediction, anticipation, joint attention, fill-in-the-blank vocal participation, and sequencing. Pause before the predictable word and watch what happens.

Stack a few into a session. Singable books transition really nicely into songwriting, instrument play, or movement activities, so they're rarely a "one and done." Use them as a launchpad.

That's my list (for now)! Did I miss one of your favorites? I'd love to know. Comment below, send me a message, or tag me on social. 😊