10 Music Themed Children Books for Preschoolers

Most children love music, which means there’s no better time to introduce them to books about music! Inspire not only a love of reading but also for music with the following picture books for your children!

1) Wild Symphony by Dan Brown

Travel through the trees and across the seas with Maestro Mouse and his musical friends! Young readers will meet a big blue whale and speedy cheetahs, tiny beetles and graceful swans. Each has a special secret to share. Children and adults can enjoy this picture book as a traditional read-along, or listen to original musical compositions as they read – one for each animal – with a free interactive smartphone app, which uses augmented reality to play the appropriate song for each page when a phone's camera is held over it.

2) The Animal Orchestra Plays Mozart by Sam Taplin

Children can discover the magic of Mozart by pressing the buttons in this enchanting sound book. The animal orchestra travel through the forest playing five different pieces of Mozart's music and telling the other animals a little bit about the extraordinary man who wrote them. The beautiful illustrations and spellbinding music are a perfect introduction to one of the greatest composers of all time. The series musical books includes "The Animal Orchestra Plays Beethoven" and "The Animal Orchestra Plays Bach".

3) Little People, Big Dreams: Music Stars by Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Meet three inspirational women from the world of music: Ella Fitzgerald, Dolly Parton, and Josephine Baker! This boxed gift set of three hardcover books from Little People, BIG DREAMS series introduces little dreamers to the lives of these incredible women who worked in music and changed the world. In these remarkable true stories, learn how three women overcame hardship to achieve great success in music.

4) Never Play Music Right Next To The Zoo by John Lithgow

A concert gets out of hand when the animals at the neighboring zoo storm the stage and play the instruments themselves in this hilarious picture book based on one of John Lithgow’s best-loved tunes. This package includes a CD of John and an orchestra performing the song!

5) Welcome to Jazz: A Swing-Along Celebration of America’s Music by Carolyn Sloan

Discover the wonders of jazz: How to get in the groove, what it means to play a solo, and the joy of singing along in a call-and-response. In this interactive swing-along picture book with 12 sound chips, you’ll hear the instruments of jazz—the rhythm section with its banjo, drums, and tuba, and the leads, like the clarinet, trumpet, and trombone. Along the way, you’ll learn how this unique African American art form started in New Orleans, and how jazz changed over time as innovative musicians added their own ideas to it.

6) 88 Instruments by Chris Barton

A boy who loves to make noise gets to pick only one instrument (at his parents urging) in a music store, but there is too much to choose from! There’s triangles and sousaphones! There’s guitars and harpsichords! Bagpipes and cellos and trombones! How can he find the one that is just right for him out of all those options?

7) Rhythm Rescue by Wicky Weber

Welcome to Music Metropolis, where there's always a song to sing and instruments playing all around. Everyone has something special to share, but Beat Street is where the real magic happens... The musicians of Beat Street have super abilities. The people who live here can do extraordinary things... with the power of music!

8) Moses Goes to a Concert by Isaac Millman

Moses and his school friends are deaf, but like most children, they have a lot to say. They communicate in American Sigh Language, using visual signs and facial expressions. This is called signing. And even though they can't hear, they can enjoy many activities through their other senses. Today, Moses and his classmates are going to a concert. Their teacher, Mr. Samuels, has two surprises in store for them, to make this particular concert a special event. You can learn sign language, too! At the end of the book are two full conversations in sign language and a page showing the hand alphabet.

9) M is for Melody: A Music Alphabet by Kathy-jo Wargin

From the oom pah pah of the brass section to the tickle and tease of the keyboard ivories, "M is for Melody" gives a music lesson in alphabet form. Instruments, composers, terms, and even musical styles are examined from A-Z in easy, read-aloud rhymes and expository, accompanied by colorful and engaging artwork. Educators will find this a valuable addition to their classroom material!

10) The Music of Life: Bartolomeo Cristofori & the Invention of the Piano by Elizabeth Rusch

Award-winning biographer Elizabeth Rusch and two-time Caldecott Honor – recipient Marjorie Priceman team up to tell the inspiring story of the invention of the world’s most popular instrument: the piano. Bartolomeo Cristofori coaxes just the right sounds from the musical instruments he makes. Some of his keyboards can play piano, light and soft; others make forte notes ring out, strong and loud, but Cristofori longs to create an instrument that can be played both soft and loud. At last Cristofori gets his creation just right. It is called the pianoforte, for what it can do. All around the world, people young and old can play the most intricate music of their lives, thanks to Bartolomeo Cristofori’s marvelous creation!