Reading Themes -> Picture Books -> Jobs People Do

JOBS PEOPLE DO: Picture Books & Readers

Anderson, Peggy Perry. WE GO IN A CIRCLE. [Picture Book AN]
An injured racehorse is rehabilitated  to carry riders in hippo therapy – horseback riding used as physical therapy.

Ballard, Robin. MY DAY, YOUR DAY.  [Picture Book BA]
Children have a busy day at day care while their parents have a busy day at work.

Banks, Kate. NIGHT WORKER.   [Picture Book BA]
Alex wants to be a "night worker" like his father who goes to work at a construction site after Alex goes to bed.

Berenstain, Stan. HE BEAR, SHE BEAR.  [Early Reader B]
Two little bears speculate on all the things they could grow up to be.

Best, Cari .  RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT, MAMA AND ME.   [Picture Book BE]
After taking the train downtown, Lizzie spends the day at the public library, helping her mother who is a children's librarian.

Blacker,Terence . IF I COULD WORK.  [Picture Book BL]
A child dreams about the different kinds of work he would do if he weren’t so young.

Borden, Louise . A+ CUSTODIAN. [Picture Book BO]
The students and teachers at Dublin Elementary School make banners, posters, and signs for their school custodian to show how much they appreciate him and all the work he does.

Burleigh, Robert . MESSENGER, MESSENGER.  [Picture Book BU]
Calvin Curbhopper, a bicycle messenger, makes his way through the city in all kinds of conditions to make sure his messages are delivered on time.

Chardiet, Bernice . BEST TEACHER IN THE WORLD.  [Early Reader C]
Mrs. Darcy teaches Bunny not to be afraid to ask questions.

Demarest, Chris L. FIREFIGHTERS A TO Z.  [Alphabet/Counting Picture Book BE]
An alphabetic look at a firefighter's day.

Demarest, Chris. HOTSHOTS! [Picture Book DE]
Rhyming text introduces the equipment and work of at team of fire fighters as they battle a blaze caused by a spark from a train.

Demarest, Chris . SMOKEJUMPERS ONE TO TEN. [Alphabet/Counting Picture Book DE]
With action-packed pictures and simple informative text, this story shows how smokejumpers perform their unusual and difficult job of parachuting into remote woodlands to extinguish fires.

Desmini, Lisa . POLICEMAN LOU AND POLICEWOMAN SUE. [Picture Book DE]
Policeman Lou and policewoman Sue work hard to make their small town a safe place to live.

Duble, Kathleen Benner . PILOT MOM. [Picture Book DU]
Jenny and her best friend accompany Jenny’s mother, a tanker pilot in the Air Force, to the air base where they explore her plane, a KC-135.

Freeman, Don. CORDUROY GOES TO THE FIRE STATION. [Picture Book FR]
Corduroy’s school class takes an exciting trip to the Fire Station (with lift-flaps).

Glassman, Peter . MY DAD’S JOB. [Picture Book GL]
Listening to his father talk about his job, a young boy imagines all the fun he must have at work everyday.

Goodall, Jane . DR. WHITE.  [Picture Book GO]
Every day, a small white dog goes to the hospital to visit sick children and help them recover.

Hazen, Barbara Shook . MOMMY’S OFFICE.   [Picture Book HA]
Emily accompanies Mommy downtown to see where she works.

Hendershot, Judith . IN COAL COUNTRY.  [Picture Book HE]
A child growing up in coal mining country finds both excitement and hard work in a life deeply affected by the local history.

Henkes, Kevin . GOOD-BYE, CURTIS.  [Picture Book HE]
Everyone in the neighborhood says a fond farewell to Curtis, their beloved mail carrier, on his last day of work after 42 years.

Inns, Christopher . NEXT, PLEASE!  [Picture Book IN]
Doctor Hopper and Nurse Rex Barker treat their fellow stuffed animals' ailments at the animal hospital.

Kessler, Ethel . STAN THE HOTDOG MAN.  [Early Reader K]
After he retires, Stan becomes a Hotdog Man.

Krebs, Laurie . BEEMAN. [Picture Book KR]
A heartwarming story of a child and a grandfather and a season of beekeeping.

Lang, Glenna . LOOKING OUT FOR SARAH. [Picture Book LA]
Describes a day in the life of a seeing eye dog, from going with his owner to the grocery store and post office, to visiting a class of school children, and playing ball. Also describes their three-hundred mile walk from Boston to New York.

Lee, Chinlun . GOOD DOG, PAW!  [Picture Book LE]
When April the veterinarian treats animal patients in her office, her well-loved dog, Paw, helps her and lets her patients know the secret to good health.

Lewis, Thomas . FRIDA’S OFFICE DAY.  [Early Reader L]
Frida the Cat has fun going to work with her father.

Numeroff, Laura. SHERMAN CRUNCHLEY. [Picture Book NU]
Sherman is expected to succeed his father as Biscuit City’s chief of police, but the only thing he likes about being a police officer is the hat he wears.

Osborne, Mary Pope. NEW YORK’S BRAVEST.  [Picture Book OS]
Tells of the heroics deeds of the legendary NY firefighter, Mose Humphreys.

Paulsen, Gary. WORKSONG.  [Picture Book PA]
Illustrations and rhyming text depict people doing all kinds of work.

Pilkey, Dav. PAPERBOY.  [Picture Book PI]
A paperboy and his dog enjoy the quiet of the early morning as they go about their rounds.

Polacco, Patricia. THANK YOU, MR. FALKER.  [Picture Book PO]
Mr. Falker, a new teacher, helps a student learn to read.

Rathmann, Peggy. OFFICER BUCKLE AND GLORIA.  [Caldecott Picture Book RA]
The children at Napville Elementary School always ignore Officer Buckle's safety tips, until a police dog named Gloria accompanies him when he gives his safety speeches.

Rockwell, Anne. CAREER DAY. [Picture Book RO]
Each child in Mrs. Madoff’s class brings a visitor who tells the group about his or her job.

Rossiter, Nan. RUGBY AND ROSIE. [Picture Book RO]
A family and their dog help prepare a puppy for training as a guide dog for the blind.

Rylant, Cynthia. MR. GRIGGS’ WORK.  [Picture Book RY]
Mr. Griggs so loves his work at the post office that he thinks of it all the time and everything reminds him of it.

Spinelli, Eileen. NIGHT SHIFT DADDY.  [Picture Book SP]
A father shares dinner and bedtime rituals with his daughter before going out to work the night shift.

Steig, William. DOCTOR DE SOTO. [Picture Book ST]
Dr. De Soto, a dentist, copes with the toothaches of various animals.

St. George, Judith. SO YOU WANT TO BE AN INVENTOR?  [Picture Book ST]
Presents some of the characteristics on inventors by describing the inventions of people.

Suen, Anastasia. DELIVERY.   [Picture Book SU]
A rhyming look at a number of deliveries that take place in a day, from a morning newspaper delivery to people being transported by airplanes.

Vaughan, Marcia. LEMONADE STAND.  [Early Reader V]
Two animal friends plan to make money at their lemonade stand, but find that selling can be thirsty work.

Waber, Bernard. LYLE AT THE OFFICE.  [Picture Book WA]
When Lyle the crocodile visits Mr. Primm's advertising office, he is almost recruited as the Krispie Krunchie Krackles cereal spokesperson.

Watts, Bernadette. HARVEY HARE, POSTMAN EXTRAORDINAIRE.  [Picture Book WA]
To show their appreciation for the reliability and hard work of their postman Harvey Hare, the other animals plan to give him a perfect present.

Weller, Frances. MADAKET MILLIE.  [Picture Book WE]
After the Coasties close the Madaket Station on Nantucket Island, Millie appoints herself warden, rescue squad, and sentry providing lifesaving services along the coast.

Wellington, Monica. FIREFIGHTER FRANK.  [Picture Book WE]
Frank and his team race to the scene to fight fires and keep everyone safe.

Wellington, Monica. NIGHT CITY.  [Picture Book WE]
An hour by hour look at some night workers in a city that never sleeps, including firefighters, a museum night watchman, musicians and newspaper pressmen.

Williams, Sherley. WORKING COTTON.  [Picture Book WI]
A young girl relates the daily events of her family’s migrant life in the cotton fields of central California.

Williams, Suzanne. LIBRARY LIL.  [Picture Book WI]
A great librarian makes readers out of the most resistant residents of her small town.

Early Nonfiction

Bauld, Jane Scoggins. WE NEED LIBRARIANS.  [JE 020 Early Nonfiction]
Simple text and photographs present librarians and their role in elementary schools.

Behrens, June. I CAN BE A PILOT.  [JE 629 Early Nonfiction]
Explains the training pilots go through before they can fly various kinds of airplanes.

Boraas, Tracey. SCHOOL PRINCIPALS.  [JE 371 Early Nonfiction]
A simple introduction to the clothing, tools, schooling, and work of school principals.

Bowman-Kruhm, Mary. DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FIREFIGHTER.  [JE 628 Early Nonfiction]
Describes the daily responsibilities, tasks, and life of a firefighter.

Deedrick, Tami. TEACHERS.  [JE 371 Early Nonfiction]
Explains the tools, schooling, and work of teachers.

Dubois, Muriel. OUT AND ABOUT AT THE FIRE STATION.  [JE 628 Early Nonfiction]
Children visit a fire station and learn how firefighters do their work.

Ericsson, Jennifer. OUT AND ABOUT AT THE BAKERY. [JE 641 Early Nonfiction]
A field trip to a bakery introduces the process by which baked treats are made.

Florian, Douglas. AN AUTO MECHANIC.  [JE 629 Early Nonfiction]
Simple text and illustrations introduce the daily work of an auto mechanic.

Greene, Carol. ASTRONAUTS WORK IN SPACE.  [JE 629 Early Nonfiction]
Photographs and simple text describe some of the jobs that astronauts do aboard a space shuttle and what they do to prepare on the ground.

Greene, Carol. DENTISTS TAKE CARE OF OUR MOUTHS.  [JE 617 Early Nonfiction]
Describes the different kinds of work which dentists do such as checking teeth and filling cavities.

Greene, Carol. GROCERS SELL US FOOD.  [JE 381 Early Nonfiction]
Describes, in simple text and photographs, the jobs of the various people who work in a grocery store.

Greene, Carol. VETERINARIANS HELP ANIMALS.  [JE 636 Early Nonfiction]
Briefly describes the work of veterinarians and includes information about their education, qualifications, and possible financial earnings.

Jordan, Denise. CIRCUS PERFORMERS.  [JE 791 Early Nonfiction]
Introduces various types of performers and their roles in the circus.

Kunhardt, Edith. I WANT TO BE A POLICE OFFICER.  [JE 363 Early Nonfiction]
A young girl describes some of the things that her father and other police officers do each day on the job.

Landau, Elaine. SMOKEJUMPERS. [JE 634 Early Nonfiction]
Learn about what it takes to be a smokejumper – a job that involves parachuting out of planes equipped with tools to fight raging forest fires.

Liebman, Dan. I WANT TO BE A BUILDER. [JE 624 Early Nonfiction]
Easy text and photographs describe the job of a builder.

Maynard, Christopher. JOBS PEOPLE DO.  [JE 331 Early Nonfiction]
Text and photographs of real people at work as well as authentic detailed costumes present the key aspects of over fifty occupations.

Moses, Amy. ZOOKEEPERS CARE FOR ANIMALS.  [JE 636 Early Nonfiction]
Explains what zookeepers do and how they work with the animals.

Owen, Ann & Sarah Wohlrabe. COMMUNITY WORKERS Series:
CARING FOR YOUR PETS: A BOOK ABOUT VETERINARIANS. [JE 636 Early Nonfiction]

HELPIHNG YOU HEAL: A BOOK ABOUT NURSES. [JE 610 Early Nonfiction]

HELPING YOU LEARN: A BOOK ABOUT TEACHERS. [JE 371 Early Nonfiction]

KEEPING YOU HEALTHY: A BOOK ABOUT DOCTORS. [JE 610 Early Nonfiction]

KEEPING YOU SAFE: A BOOK ABOUT POLICE OFFICERS. [JE 363 Early Nonfiction]

PROTECTING YOUR HOME: A BOOK ABOUT FIREFIGHTERS. [JE 628 Early Nonfiction]

TAKING YOU PLACES: A BOOK ABOUT BUS DRIVERS [JE 388 Early Nonfiction]

Owen, Ann. DELIVERING YOUR MAIL: A BOOK ABOUT MAIL CARRIERS. [JE 383 Early Nonfiction]
Describes some of the things that letter carriers do to make sure people in the community get their mail.

Press, Judy. ALL AROUND TOWN: EXPLORING YOUR COMMUNITY THROUGH CRAFT FUN. [307 P Parent-Teacher]
Explores different jobs and places in a community and fun corresponding craft activities.

Ready, Dee. DOCTORS.  [JE 610 Early Nonfiction]
Explains the clothing, tools, schooling, and work of doctors.

Ready, Dee. FARMERS.  [JE 630 Early Nonfiction]
Explains the clothing, tools, schooling, and work of farmers.

Ready, Dee. NURSES. [JE 610 Early Nonfiction]
Explains the clothing, tools, schooling, and work of nurses.

Rotner, Shelly. EVERYBODY WORKS. [JE 306 Early Nonfiction]
Photos and simple text show the many ways in which work can be accomplished]

Schaefer, Lola. CONSTRUCTION SITE (WHO WORKS HERE). JE 690 Early Nonfiction
An introduction to the people who work at a construction site, including salespeople, site excavator, contractor, framer, painter, plumber, and electrician.