45 Books for Little Kids
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“Watch out! The dragon will get you!”
“Not on my watch!” Swish. With a graceful leap, she soars through the sky with ease and precision. Fearlessly, she nears the dragon. Her arm draws back, over her head. Her sword is at the ready when suddenly . . .
When suddenly…
When suddlenly … What!?
Does this introduction leave you wanting to know what happens to our hero? To the dragon? Stories have the ability to draw us in. They transport us to far away lands. Give us the ability to imagine what could be. In stories we can defy reality.
In this post, I’m going to answer all the questions about reading to little kids including – why is reading to children so important? Where do I keep all these books? How do I enhance reading time? And of course, I’ll give a list of 45 books for little kids that we love in This Mama Bear’s Home.
My four year old doesn’t know how to read yet. Can you tell this is one of my kid’s favorite books? I love the inflections she uses as she recites this from memory!
Why Is Reading Books to Little Kids So Important?
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Families
- Reading boosts language development and
- Reading develops preliteracy skills
In addition, an article on Healthline cites these additional benefits of reading:
- It provides opportunities to bond with your child.
- It increases a child’s ability to listen.
- It increases cognitive development and language skills among infants.
- It improves children’s attention spans.
- It provides opportunities for social emotional learning development
These reasons are not exhaustive. If you do a quick google search on the benefits of reading to little kids, you’ll quickly be convinced that it is a worthwhile way to spend your time. So now, how do you pick what you read?
What Makes a Book for Little Kids Good?
Have you ever stopped to think about what makes a good book.. well . . . good? I have and here’s what I’ve come up with -4 attributes that make good books good for little kids.
1. Little Kids Love The Book
This is a no brainer but it has to be said. If your child isn’t interested in the book, it will make reading a chore when it doesn’t have to be.
If you’re struggling to get your child interested in books, find books on topics your child enjoys. For the tiny paleontologists, get dinosaur books. For little conductors get train books. For little dancers find ballerina stories.
You can also get interactive books. You know, like flipping flaps and sliding doors and pushing musical buttons. Finding the right books will help your children enjoy reading.
2. Parents Enjoy Reading The Book
If I am going to have to read it 1000 times then I might as well enjoy reading it. Anybody with me? There are countless little kid’s books that are fun for adults to read as well. It’s ok to be selective about the books you keep on your bookshelf. If you, as the parent, are not motivated to read then it won’t happen as often. Choose books that are fun for you to engage with to set yourself up for success!
3. The Book Has Beautiful Illustrations
Children see the illustrations before they focus on anything else. Good illustrations are powerful and inviting. They are an invaluable learning tool to help inspire your child’s imagination.
4. The Book Has a Good Message
It shouldn’t surprise you that in This Mama Bear’s Home we think about the message being taught. That does not mean there cannot be anything bad in the book but it does require discernment on your part.
Is your little kid old enough to handle the bad? Will they be more influenced by the good or the bad? This could be an opportunity to ask, “who is behaving in a way that honors God?” and “who is behaving in a way that dishonors God?”
As a quick side note: Bad is different from scary. Bad indicates something that dishonors God. Scary indicates something that dishonors God and evokes fear in the child. I haven’t found any benefit in scaring a child so if something evokes fear, we pick a different book.
In the end, you want to make sure the overarching message in the book is directly or indirectly guiding your child in a way that pleases the Lord.
How Do I Enhance Reading Time?
If you’re in a reading rut, try to enhance your reading time with one of these 7 ideas. For additional suggestions on reading, check out this post by PBS Kids.
- Ask questions while you read. Your basic who, what, when, where and why questions will be your guide here. Asking questions gets your little learners thinking. For the toddlers who can’t answer questions yet, ask them to point to a picture on the page. “Where is the mouse? Can you point to the mouse?” It engages the child at their level.
- Read in different voices. Being silly will engage your kids all the more. Every time we read, The Gruffalo our voice goes down a couple octaves when we pretend to be the Gruffalo. Likewise, when Detective Dinosaur starts to sing . . . well, we bust out our best singing voices all in the name of reading.
- Consider your setting. Make a fort. Pop open a play tent. Put a bunch of pillows and blankets on the floor. Get a blanket and sit outside. Change up where you read to transform reading into an adventure.
- Make a Silly Prediction. Little kids may not understand the concept of making a prediction yet but you can introduce the idea in a funny way. After reading the first page of a book ask, “what do you think is going to happen?” Then model making a prediction by saying, “I think the cat is going to end up with spaghetti on his head! Do you think I’m right?” “I think the cow is going to start quacking” “Do you think the ballerina will fly to the moon?” Laugh about it with your kid and keep making silly suggestions. At the end of the book say, “were any of my predictions, my guesses about what was going to happen, right?”
- Play I -Spy. Ah yes, the beloved game of I spy. You don’t need an I Spy Book for this. If you find your child is losing interest in reading, shift gears and say, “I spy something yellow” or for the littlest ones be direct, “I spy a cat.” After a few rounds of playing this you can resume reading with a simple redirect, “lets find out more about this cat on the next page!”
- Count. Reading and math skills at the same time? Big win! If you have a book with a lot of bugs or stars or houses or animals, pause and invite your child to count them. It’s an easy way to combine both of these fundamentals skills into one activity.
- Summarize to a Stuffy. You just finished reading the book and then you realize – ah man! Your child’s beloved teddy didn’t hear the story! Ask your child to tell them what it was about. For little ones you can give options, “can you tell Bear Bear if this story was about a cow or a boat?” “Was the cow happy or sad?” For older kids, give them a little more independence, “Can you tell Bear Bear what happened in the story?” This method makes summarizing stories less formal.
Where Should I Keep Our Books for Little Kids?
You’ve gathered book after book and now have enough to build your own library. Now what? I have two answers for you. The first answer is to invest in a good quality children’s bookshelf. The second is to do a book rotation!
Picking a Bookshelf
When picking a bookshelf, ask yourself these questions:
- How much floor space do I have to work with? Do I want the bookshelf to have a wide or narrow footprint?
- How many books do I want to have displayed at a time?
- Do I want the books easily accessible to kids?
Personally, I’m a fan of small profile furniture. There’s a time and a place for a statement piece but small profile furniture keeps spaces more open and overall looking cleaner.
How many books you have out may depend on how many children you have. If you have six children at various reading levels, the number of books out at a time will naturally be more. On the flip side, if you have two little kids at the same reading level, you could cut the amount down. In our home, we try to keep 25-30 books on the shelf. That’s around 8-10 books per kid. At the end of each day – I do not want to be picking 100 books up off the floor (because we all know that’s where they’re going to end up, amiright?).
Do you want your kids to have easy access to the books? The answer is YEESS!!
And the answer is NO!!
Say what? How can it be both yes and no? Well, I want my kids to be able to reach the books easily to encourage them to read. BUT I also want to have some books a bit higher so if they have paper pages, tiny two-year-old fingers can’t destroy their fragile pages.
So which bookshelf do we use? This one. And we absolutely love it! This bookshelf screws into the wall so you know it’s sturdy. Though it is narrow and has a small footprint, it holds a TON of books. I keep my board books for babies and toddlers on the lower shelves. On the top shelf, I put books with paper pages. My six year old can still access it but my toddler cannot. We have had this bookshelf since my son was an infant. It has stood the test of time and has been 100% worth the investment.
Book Rotation
Book rotation? What’s that? If you’ve ever heard of toy rotation, the concept is similar. You group books together into smaller piles. You keep one group of books out at a time. After a certain amount of time (however long you decide), you put those books away and put the next group of books on the bookshelf. Check back soon – I plan on writing a post detailing more on how to do this. 🙂
What Books for Little Kids Do You Recommend?
Whether it’s a hot humid day and you’re tying to escape the heat or a cold snowy day and you’re cozied up under a blanket – there is never a bad time to read a good book. So without further ado, here are the top 45 kid’s books we love most in This Mama Bear’s Home.
Pro tip: each photo is a link to where you can purchase the book! Hope this helps!
Sentimental Books for Little Kids
A sweet book about spending time with your dad. For ages 0-4 years
A sweet book about spending time with your mom. For ages 0 – 4 years
The beautiful pictures and sweet message make this a perfect bedtime story. For ages 0 – 4 years old
An adorable book with beautiful illustrations. For ages 0 – 4 years
A cleverly written book leaves parents appreciating the plays on words and kids loving the animals. For ages 0 – 4 years
Two kids go through their bedtime routine. For ages 0 – 3 years
A sweet reminder that no matter your childs mood, you love them the same. For ages 0 – 3 years
Teach your toddlers body parts with this cute book. For ages 0-3 years
This adorable story with beautiful imagery is a cute way to say goodnight. For ages 0-4 years
This book of hugs is so cute. Kids love seeing the animals snuggle with their parents. For ages 0-3 years
A classic book about the love between a child and parent. “I love you to the moon and back” warms my heart every time. For ages 0-4 years.
Christian Books for Little Kids
I love this book! A story about how our actions change when Jesus lives in our hearts. For ages 0 – 5 years
Love Love Love this book! Beautiful illustrations. Theologically sound. Makes Christological connections while telling the meta narrative (big picture story) of the Bible). For ages 3-8 years
Filled with rhyming prayers for sadness, anger, mealtimes, bedtime and more. For ages 2 -8 years old
All Time Favorite Books for Little Kids
Say goodnight to each construction vehicle in this cute rhyming book. For ages 2-5 years
Learn how to be different in this rhyming book. For ages 2-5 years
A fun rhyming book about finding your identity. For ages 1-5 years old
My kids love the steady beat this rhyming scheme creates! For ages 0- 3 years
Another classic. A longer story but a fun one to read. For ages 2- 8 years
We *ADORE* this book. we read it so much that we could recite it to the kids on long car rides. There’s a whole series of little blue truck books out there now. For ages 0- 6 years
Trains and animals combine in this whimsical adventure. A fun read for kids and parents. For ages 2-5 years
Practice counting numbers with this cute story of Little Quack playing Hide and Seek. For ages 2-4 years
This book teaches that it’s ok to look different from someone else – you might find you have something in common! For ages 2 – 4 years
The little ducks uncover different sounds and shapes that scare them at night. For ages 2-4 years
This has a fairy tale feel to you so be aware that the main plot is a bit grim. That aside, my kids adore this book. I appreciate how the mouse uses his wit to outsmart others. For ages
Silly Books for Little Kids
A fun way to practice animal sounds. For ages 0-3 years
A fun way to talk about farm animals. For ages 0-3 years
A great book to read before bedtime. For ages 0-3 years
A silly book that introduces colors. For ages 0-3 years
A great way to talk about animals. For ages 0-3 years
A fun way to discover emotions. For ages 0-3 years
A book for dinosaur lovers. For ages 0-3 years
A great way to introduce bedtime routines. For ages 0-3 years
A great boo to talk about morning routines. For ages 0-3 years
Dinosaur Books for Little Kids
Detective Dinosaur is a silly character who solves mysteries. It is not scary in the least. Fun to read. For ages 3 – 8 years
Detective Dinosaur is a silly character who solves mysteries. It is not scary in the least. Fun to read. For ages 3 – 8 years
Detective Dinosaur is a silly character who solves mysteries. It is not scary in the least. Fun to read. For ages 3 – 8 years
This book features dinosaur who bakes cake! For ages 2-6 years
This dinosaur who needs a bath. A cute book to read with kids. For ages 2-6 years
This book has dinosaurs of all sizes! It’s cool to imagine what dinosaurs may have looked like. Parents – you’ll have to sift through which facts line up with your beliefs. For ages 4- 8 years
Interactive Books for Little Kids
These are books that have buttons to push, flaps to open or decisions to make.
This book helps your kids find a match while also introducing animal sounds. For ages 0 – 5 years
This book has entertained my kids many a nights while I was cooking dinner. Less about reading, more about the pictures and music. For ages 1 – 5 years
There are 4 books in this set and I love every one of them. Cute stories. Beautiful illustrations. Fun open the flap books. My kids love them. For ages 0 – 3 years
An open the flap book that uncovers zoo animals. For ages 1 -4 years
These ME Readers are great!! I love how I can read the books to my kids or they can use the ME Reader to “read” to themselves. For ages 4 -8
I love these books and am so glad we have all three! It’s a series of choose your own ending. It reflects how the choices we make impact our days. Fun to read! For ages 4 – 10
