• Day Care Days by Mary Brigid Barrett, illus. by Patti Beling Murphy. (1999) Ages 2-5
  A little boy recounts the events of his family's busy day, from waking up, getting dressed, and going off to day care, until his daddy picks him up and brings him home.
• Don’t Go! by Jane Breskin Zalben. (2001) Ages 2-5
  Daniel the elephant is fearful on his first day at preschool, but he’s quickly drawn into the crowd on the story rug, then makes friends as the kids play outside, bake pumpkin cookies, and share crayons. Ends with tips for parents, a checklist for the first day of preschool, and a cookie recipe.
• Giggle-Wiggle Wake-Up by Nancy White Carlstrom, illus. by Melissa Sweet. (2003) Ages 2-5
  Sammy heads to preschool on a busy Monday in this cheerful book full of rhyme and word-play.
• Going to Day Care by Fred Rogers, illus. by Michael Garland. (1985) Ages 2-5
  Mr. Rogers describes the typical activities and feelings children have at day care, including the apprehensions involved. Out of print, but available from Family Communications.
• Going to My Nursery School by Susan Kuklin. (1990) Ages 2-5
  Little Heath describes what he does at nusery school, including free choice time, pretend play, snack, and circle time. Includes information for parents on how to find high-quality child care.
• Meatball by Phyllis Hoffman, illus. by Emily Arnold McCully. (1991) Ages 3-6
  Meatball (a nickname for Marilyn) gets dropped off at school by her mom, who then rushes off to her school. Meatball’s best friend Lu (short for Soo Fung Lu) also arrives late. The day proceeds with traditional child care activities—circle time, snack, nap—portrayed realistically.
• My Day, Your Day by Robin Ballard. (2001) Ages 2-5
  In short, simple sentences, shows what parents do at work while their children are busy at child care. Both mothers and fathers are shown in a variety of jobs, both blue- and white-collar.
• My Preschool by Anne Rockwell. (2008) Ages 2-5
  Here we see circle time (when the children get to tell “special stories”), music, yoga time, and outdoor play time. The teacher helps resolve a conflict between the narrator and his friend.
• We Play by Phyllis Hoffman, illus. by Sarah Wilson. (1990) Ages 1-4
  Rhyme and repetition (each phrase starts with “we ___”) make it easy to follow the familiar child care activities (napping, playing outside) and also learn some new vocabulary words (“we punch” for clay, “we munch” for snack). There is a gray cat to find in each picture.

You can download the booklist as a pdf.