A calendar is the first machine most children are handed, and it takes years to learn. A three-year-old knows “now” and “not now.” A four-year-old learns that Saturday is the good one. Somewhere around five, a child works out that the days come back around in the same order every single time, that twelve months make a year, and that a birthday is not a mood the grown-ups are in but an actual square on a grid you can count toward. That is why the calendar corner is the busiest ten minutes of a preschool morning, and why the question “how many more sleeps?” never gets old — it is a child doing arithmetic on time itself.
Bookroo’s collection of 58 calendar books breaks into the three things children actually have to learn, and our editors picked the twelve that teach them best: the seven days in order, the twelve months in order, and the shape of a whole year that ends where it started. Some are chants a class can recite by October, some are quiet poems for one month at a time, and one is a mystery series with a book for every month on the calendar. Start with the shortlist, then browse by age — board books for the calendar corner, picture books for the read-aloud years, and chapter books for readers who want a month-by-month series to work through.
On Monday he eats one apple. By Saturday he has eaten through a slice of cake, an ice-cream cone, a pickle, and a great deal more.
Twelve months, twelve verses, and one small boy who would happily eat chicken soup with rice in every single one of them.
Twelve poems for twelve months, following one New England family from a January of “cold and blue” all the way back around.
Monday Cookie fell in the toilet. Tuesday she pulled the plant off the table. By Saturday the house has taken all it can.
Monday is string beans, Tuesday spaghetti, Wednesday soup — a week of dinners marched through by a parade of animals.
January on a working farm, then February, then March — the whole year told through what the animals are doing that month.
Sunday has had enough of being taken for granted and quits — so the other six days hold auditions for a replacement.
January first, a penguin arrives by delivery. So does one on January second. By December the family is housing three hundred and sixty-five of them.
Twelve wordless spreads, January to December, as an empty snowfield slowly fills with a village — and the numbers zero through twelve fill with it.
In October he fills the cart, walks to Portsmouth Market, sells everything — including the ox and the cart — and walks home to begin again.
Bradley and Brian’s New Year’s prank goes sideways when their friends — and then their pets — start actually disappearing.
A grandmother walks two children through the family year, one month at a time, and what each one is for.
Sturdy first books for the days of the week and the twelve months — short, chantable, and built for the hands of a child who is still deciding whether tomorrow is a real place. Ages 0–4.
Join playful peas as they explore the months and seasons in a fun, rhyming journey.
Guess the animal's antics each day in this interactive journey.
Celebrate Friday's joy with family, food, and community in this delightful board book.
Explore Rome's wonders while learning the days of the week.
Explore the seasons with a book that withstands baby's curious hands and mouth.
Read-alouds for calendar time: a day of the week per page, a poem for every month, and years that turn all the way around from one October to the next. Ages 3–8.
On Octember the First, all your wildest wishes come true. What will you wish for?
Animals build a playground, teaching teamwork and days of the week.
A grandfather's routine transforms on special Thursdays with his granddaughter.
Discover whimsical adventures in a pocket-sized library of rhymes and tales for young readers.
Discover the magic of each month through whimsical rhymes and illustrations.
Mrs. Jolly Bones turns chores into whimsical adventures with her animal friends.
Two friends have various adventures together throughout the year, learning valuable lessons about friendship and the changing seasons.
Discover a year of nature through daily poems.
Discover the secrets of twelve moons through folklore and art.
Discover time through nature's rhythms and events beyond the ticking clock.
A boy and his dad cherish their Friday breakfast ritual.
Mouse twins witness a tree's transformation through the seasons.
Longer books organized by the calendar — one short mystery for every month of the year, plus family years told a month at a time. Ages 6–11.
Discover a year of celebrations, from winter sledding to summer picnics and autumn fairs.
Discover Rome's origins and legendary tales in this mythic collection.
Four friends try to solve a mystery involving a stolen laptop and a suspicious couple in their town.
A lost puppy on Christmas Eve leads to a mystery. Can the kids find its owner?
Four kids search for hidden Easter eggs and solve a mystery involving a family of swans.
A group of kids try to help a struggling circus by finding a mysterious acrobat.
A group of kids try to solve the mystery of stolen leprechaun statues in their town.
A missing hamster and mysterious sneakers lead four friends on a puzzling quest.
Pets vanish before a Fourth of July parade. Can the kids find them in time?
A family's life is turned upside down when the mother is hypnotized and starts acting like a duck.
A group of friends try to find the owner of a mysterious rabbit that was left in their classroom closet.
Four kids try to uncover the mystery of their new neighbors' secret project in their backyard
