books for toddlers and preschoolers

We love books in our house! Especially these ones, which I have broken up into categories: stories, educational, and relational

This page contains affiliate links. Basically, if you choose to purchase any items through the links provided, you will be helping to support this blog and our family at no cost to you. 

stories

Storyworlds: Nature

This unconventional and gorgeous story book is absolutely one of our new favorites. It is a huge book with detailed, amazing images of wildlife and nature, and while “each picture tells a story”, there are no words to read. The reader gets to make up what’s happening in each image, which is incredible for building imagination. (There are descriptions of each picture in the back so that when your kid asks, “What animal is that?!” you have an answer). It truly is a work of art!

 

Bear Snores On

This is so fun to read. It’s the story of a sleeping bear that misses out on the goings-on of his forest friends, and what happens when he wakes up. The rhythm and rhyme are mesmerizing for children and adults alike. There are several other Bear books, including holiday ones for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Cause and effect is the main theme in this silly classic. We also have If You Give a Moose a Muffin which is written in the same style with a much larger protagonist.

Little Blue Truck

This was Levi’s favorite book when he was a baby. As parents, we enjoy rhythm and rhyme, the gorgeous illustrations, and the message of kindness. We also enjoy reading about Little Blue’s adventures in the city in Little Blue Truck Leads the Way.

Little Cub

I picked this book up for a quarter at the thrift store, not knowing what a gem I had found. The story is about a little cub and an old bear who are equally lonely. Then their paths meet. It may just bring tears to your eyes.

Little Excavator

By the author of the beloved Llama, Llama books, Little Excavator is a story about Little E who wants to roll with the big-rigs, but continually runs into trouble. It’s a story about everyone’s inherent value and that even the smallest of us has something to offer.

Mighty, Mighty Construction Site

We loved Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site so much that we picked this one up, too. It celebrates cooperation and friendship and is especially great for little ones that love machines.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This classic should be on every shelf. It’s educational, fun, and beautiful. Our children adore it.

educational

Jane Foster’s 123

On a whim, I picked up Jane Foster’s ABC and 123 books, and my kids love them. They have bright, vibrant, clear images and are a lot of fun to read! Every little one should have an alphabet and counting book, and these are great.

Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering!

Lucy’s favorite book right now. It is a colorful introduction to basics of flying, starting with how a bird flies, ending with that bird taking a rocket ship to space. This series includes many other books that introduce science concepts to little, inquisitive minds.

My Big Animal Book

Lucy loves this one. It’s exactly as the title states: a big book about animals.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

This book, along with Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?, gets read on repeat by our kids. They have learned to identify a lot of their animals through these books and love the cadence of it.

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb

This one is engaging to read and is special for its rhythm. It explains hands, fingers, and thumbs with a troop of monkeys who play drums.

Roadwork

Our little guy loves construction vehicles, and this book is an exciting look at the process of building a road. It also has a catchy rhyme scheme which makes reading it aloud especially fun. We also have the book Construction which is about building a library.

Press Here

This book is fun and interactive for little hands. Each page has an action for the reader to do. Watch as the dots move and change throughout the text.

Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever

This, along with Richard Scarry’s Best First Book Ever, are our car books. Our kids each get one, then they switch periodically. They have literally looked at these books for hours. Each page has a different theme, from a trip to the zoo to types of aircraft, and there’s so much to look at without being overwhelming.

Trains Go

We have this one, as well as Cars Go and Trucks Go, all of which celebrate different types of machines with onomatopoeia. It’s a sensory experience!

relational

Love

This book one of Emma Dodd’s “Love You Books”, each of which celebrate the special relationship between parent and child. It’s a sweet little read to remind your little one that you love them.

Mama Loves You So

This precious book is one of my favorite gifts to buy for new moms. The illustrations and message are so sweet. I picked this one up for Lucy when she was first born, and both my children enjoy having this book read to them.

Daddy Kisses

This sweet little board book is especially great for bonding with Daddy. Each page depicts how one dad in the animal kisses his little one, and ends with a great big kiss-fest from the reader’s own Daddy. It makes our kids squeal with delight every time.

I Love You More and More

This book is a proclamation of love. “I love you more than…” each page states alongside colorful illustrations of woodland creatures and their little ones.

Guess How Much I Love You

Like many others, this is our favorite bedtime book. As parents, we identify with the great love that Big Nutbrown Hare expresses for his little one. The story is sweet, the message is sincere: we do love our children right up to the moon, and back.

See more of our favorite book recommendations here on our children’s books page.

Check out our toddler and preschooler products and toddler and preschooler play pages, too!