Predictable Books
Predictable Books
Education Materials Center
Polk Library
"Predictable books make use of rhyme, repetition of words, phrases, sentences and refrains, and such patterns as cumulative structure, repeated scenes, familiar cultural sequences, interlocking structure and turn-around plots. These stories invite children to make predictions or guesses about words, phrases, sentences, events and characters that could come next in the story."(from: Reading Resource Bookby Mary Jett Simpson)
Click below for type of predictable book:
Plot is interlinked so that the ending leads back to the beginning.
- Cumulative Stories Each time a new event occurs, all previous events in the story are repeated.
Each time a new event occurs, all previous events in the story are repeated.
Organized by recognizable theme, such as: days of week, numbers, etc.
Scenes are repeated with some variation.
The same or similar questions are repeated throughout the story.
Word order in a phrase, sentence, etc. is repeated.
Rhyming words, refrains, or patterns are used throughout the story.
Plot is interlinked so that the ending leads back to the beginning.
Aardema, Verna. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears. Dial, 1975.
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Agee, Jon. Terrific. Hyperion, 2005.
Baker, Keith. Who is the Beast. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990.
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Numeroff, Laura. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Harper & Row, 1985.
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Numeroff, Laura. If You Give a Moose a Muffin. HarperCollins, 1991.
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Cumulative Stories
Each time a new event occurs, all previous events in the story are repeated.
Aardema, Verna. Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: a Nandi Tale. Dial, 1981.
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Ada, Alma Flora. The Christmas Tree/ El Arbol de Navidad. Hyperion Books for Children, 1997.
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Andrews-Goebel, Nancy. The Pot that Juan Built. Lee & Low Books, 2002.
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Burningham, John. Mr. Gumpy’s Outing. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970.
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Cole, Henry. Jack’s Garden. Greenwillow Books, 1995.
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Cooke, Donald. The Old Woman and Her Pig. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963.
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Davol, Marguerite W. The Heart of the Wood. Simon and Schuster Books, 1992.
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Domanska, Janina. If All the Seas Were One Sea. Macmillan, 1971.
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Dragonwagon, Cresent. This is the Bread I Baked for Ned. Macmillan, 1989.
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Duff, Maggie. Rum Pum Pum. Macmillan, 1978.
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Dunbar, Joyce. This Is the Star. Harcourt Brace, 1996.
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Dunphy, Madeleine. Here is the African Savanna. Hyperion Books for Children, 1999.
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Emberley, Barbara. Drummer Hoff. Simon and Schuster Books, 1987. (1987 printing; check the catalog for other copies)
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Fox, Mem. Shoes from Grandpa. Orchard Books, 1990.
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Frasconi, Antonio. Snow and the Sun/ la Nieve y el Sol. Harcourt, Brace & World, 1961.
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Galdone, Paul. La Vieille Femme et Son Cochon (The Old Woman and Her Pig [French]). Whittlesey House, 1961.
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Gonzalez, Lucia. The Bossy Gallito/ El Gallo de Bodas: a Traditional Cuban Folktale. Scholastic Inc., 1994.
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Harley, Bill. Sitting Down to Eat. August House LittleFolk, 1996.
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Hayes, Sarah. This is the Bear. Lippincott, 1986.
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Hillenbrand, Will. Fiddle-I-Fee.
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Hogrogian, Nonny. One Fine Day. Simon and Schuster Books, 1971. (please check the online catalog for other copies of this book)
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Kalan, Robert. Jump, Frog, Jump! Scholastic, 1986. (please check the online catalog for other copies of this book)
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Kellogg, Steven. There Was an Old Woman. Four Winds Press, 1980.
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Manushkin, Fran. Matzah That Papa Brought Home. Scholastic, Inc. 1995.
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Melmed, Laura Krauss. The Marvelous Market on Mermaid. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1995.
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Oxenbury, Helen. The Great Big Enormous Turnip. F. Watts, 1968.
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Oxenbury, Helen. It’s My Birthday. Candlewick Press, 1994.
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Raskin, Ellen. Who, Said Sue, Said Whoo? Atheneum, 1973.
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Seeger, Pete. I Had a Rooster: A Traditional Folk Song. Viking, 2001.
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Shannon, George. This Is the Bird. Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
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Sierra, Judy. The House That Drac Built. Harcourt Brace, 1995.
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Stutson, Caroline. By the Light of the Halloween Moon. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1993.
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Tolstoy, Alexey. The Great Big Enormous Turnip. F. Watts, 1968.
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Van Laan, Nancy. Possum Come A-Knockin’. Knopf, 1990.
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Waber, Bernard. Bearsie Bear and the Surprise Sleepover Party. Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
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Williams, Linda. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything. Crowell, 1986.
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Wood, Audrey. The Napping House. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984. (please check the online catalog for more copies of this book)
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Zemach, Harve. The Judge, an Untrue Tale. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1969.
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Familiar Sequence
Organized by recognizable theme, such as: days of week, numbers, etc.
Sendak, Maurice. Chicken Soup With Rice. HarperCollins, 1962.
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Williams, Sue. Dinnertime! Harcourt, 2001.
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Pattern Story
Scenes are repeated with some variation.
Brown, Margaret Wise. The Runaway Bunny. Harper & Row, 1972.
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Gag, Wanda. Millions of Cats. Coward-McCann Inc., 1928.
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Galdone, Paul. The Little Red Hen. Clarion Books, 2006. (please check the online catalog for other versions of this story)
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Galdone, Paul. The Three Bears. Seabury Press, 1972. (please check the online catalog for other versions of this story)
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Galdone, Paul. The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Clarion Books, 2006. (please check the online catalog for other versions of this story)
EMC: Non-fiction 398.2 A799th 1973
Krauss, Ruth. The Carrot Seed. Scholastic, 1945. (please check the online catalog for other copies of this book)
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Maris, Ron. Are You There Bear? Greenwillow Books, 1984.
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Nodset, Joan. Who Took the Farmer’s Hat? Harper & Row, 1963.
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Question and Answer
The same or similar questions are repeated throughout the story.
Brown, Margaret Wise. Where Have You Been? Crowell, 1952.
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Jenkins, Steve & Page, Robin. What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
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Kraus, Robert. Whose Mouse Are You? Macmillan, 1970.
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Martin Jr., Bill. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Holt, 1992.
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Repetition of Words, Phrases, Questions & Sequences
Word order in a phrase, sentence, etc. is repeated.
Agee, Jon. Terrific. Hyperion, 2005.
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Ahlberg, Janet and Allen. Each Peach Pear Plum. Viking Press, 1979.
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Allen, Pamela. Who Sank the Boat? Coward-McCann, 1983.
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Baker, Keith. Who is the Beast? Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990.
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Brown, Margaret Wise. Goodnight Moon. Scholastic, 1975. (please check the online catalog for other copies of this book)
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Brown, Margaret Wise. Two Little Trains. HarperCollins, 2001. (please check the online catalog for other copies of this book)
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Carle, Eric. Do You Want To Be My Friend? Crowell, 1971.
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Carle, Eric. The Very Busy Spider. Philomel Books, 1984.
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Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Scholastic, 1991. (please check the online catalog for other copies of this book)
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Carle, Eric. The Very Quiet Cricket. Philomel Books, 1990.
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Cowell, Cressida. What Shall We Do With the Boo-Hoo Baby? Mantra Lingua, 2002.
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De Regniers, Beatrice Schenk. How Joe the Bear and Sam the Mouse Got Together. Lothrop, Lee and Shepard, 1990.
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Fleming, Denise. Mama Cat Has Three Kittens. Holt, 1998.
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Fox, Mem. Boo to a Goose. Dial, 1998.
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Fox, Mem. Zoo Looking. Mondo Pub., 1996.
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Guarino, Deborah. Is Your Mama a Llama? Scholastic, 1989. (please check the online catalog for other copies of this book)
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Hoberman, Mary Ann. A House is a House For Me. Scholastic, 1978. (please check the online catalog for other copies of this book)
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Joose, Barbara. Mama, Do You Love Me? Chronicle Books, 1991.
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Kalan, Robert. Jump, Frog, Jump! Scholastic, 1981. (please check the online catalog for other copies of this book)
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Krause, Robert. Where Are You Going Little Mouse? Greenwillow Books, 1986.
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Krause, Robert. Whose Mouse Are You? Macmillan, 1970.
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Lindbergh, Reeve. The Day the Goose Got Loose. Dial, 1990.
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Mahy, Margaret. A Summery Saturday Morning. Viking, 1998.
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Martin Jr., Bill. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Holt, 1992. (also available in French and Spanish)
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Martin Jr., Bill. Here Are My Hands. Holt, 1987.
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Martin Jr., Bill. Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? Holt, 1991.
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Nodset, Joan. Who Took the Farmer’s Hat? Harper & Row, 1963.
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Numeroff, Laura. If You Give a Moose a Muffin. HarperCollins, 1991.
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Numeroff, Laura. If You Give Mouse a Cookie. Harper & Row, 1985.(check the catalog for other copies of this book - also available in Spanish)
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Numeroff, Laura. If You Give a Pig a Pancake. Scholastic, 1999.
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O'Donnell, Elizabeth Lee. I Can’t Get My Turtle to Move. Morrow Junior Books, 1989.
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Rathmann, Peggy. Good night, Gorilla. Putnam, 1994.
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Root, Phyllis. What Baby Wants. Candlewick Press, 1998.
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Rosen, Michael. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. McElderry Books, 1989.
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Sawicki, Norma Jean. The Little Red House. Lothrop, Lee and Shepard, 1989.
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Serfozo, Mary. Who Said Red? McElderry Books, 1988.
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Serfozo, Mary. Who Wants One? McElderry Books, 1989.
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Shannon, George. Dance Away. Greenwillow Books, 1982.
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Shannon, George. The Piney Woods Peddler. Greenwillow Books, 1981.
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Tafuri, Nancy. Have You Seen My Duckling? Greenwillow Books, 1984.
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Van Laan, Nancy. Possum Come A-Knockin’. Knopf, 1990.
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Watanbe, Shigeo. How Do I Put It On? Collins, 1979.
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Williams, Sue. I Went Walking. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990. (check the online catalog for other copies of this book -- also available in Spanish)
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Wilson, Karma. Bear Snores On. McElderry Books, 2002.
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Wood, Audrey. King Bidgood’s In the Bathtub. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985.
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Wylie, Joanna and David. A Big Fish Story/ Un Cuento de un Pez Grande. Childrens Press, 1984.
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Wylie, Joanna and David. A More or Less Fish Story/ Un Cuento de Peces Mas O Menos. Childrens Press, 1988.
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Zamorano, Ana. Let’s Eat. Scholastic Press, 1997.
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Rhyme
Rhyming words, refrains, or patterns are used throughout the story.
Ahlberg, Janet and Allan. Each Peach Pear Plum. Viking Press, 1979.
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Brooke, Leslie. Johnny Crow’s Garden. Frederick Warne, 1903.
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Fleming, Denise. Barnyard Banter. Holt, 1994.
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Florian, Douglas. A Beach Day. Greenwillow Books, 1990.
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Gag, Wanda. The ABC Bunny. Coward McCann, 1933.
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Guarino, Deborah. Is Your Mama a Llama? Scholastic, 1989. (check the online catalog for other copies of this book)
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Hoberman, Mary Ann. A House Is a House For Me. Scholastic, 1978. (check the online catalog for other copies of this book)
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Shaw, Nancy. Sheep in a Shop. Houghton Mifflin, 1991.
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Williams, Sue. Dinnertime! Harcourt, 2001.
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Winthrop, Elizabeth. Shoes. Harper & Row, 1986.
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*Many more stories in rhyme found in the Polk Library Online Catalog, under the subject heading “Stories in Rhyme”.
Database of Award-winning Children’s Literature
www.dawcl.com
Allen County Public Library- “Cumulative Tales”
www.acpl.lib.in.us/children/cumulative.html
compiled 4/06
revised 3/09; 5/10
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