*Disclaimer- This post contains affiliate links.
Our youngest daughter loves to read. Starting at about age 2 she would load her arms full of books and come dump them in your lap for you to read to her. Now at age 4, she still loves many of those same books and will still come dump books on your lap for you to read to her. We have shelves full of books for the kids but without a doubt, there’s a few books that have become staples in our home. These few books are the ones that are read over and over. These are the books that make great gifts for birthdays or baby showers. We’ve read a lot of books but these are the best books for Toddlers and Preschoolers, according to my kids.
First is any book by Sanda Boynton. While these are basic board books, they are catchy and funny. These are the books that have gotten us through long car trips, sick nights when nothing else will make them happy, and hundred of bedtimes. These books will also be the ones that I duct tape back together and save for grandchildren to read one day. They are staples in our home. These books are also one of my go to baby shower gifts, especially now that book baby showers are becoming so popular.
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake (If You Give… Books)
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake is a great book for little children because it helps teach cause and effect in a fun way. Plus this book and other books in the series are fun to read! It’s not a boring book that you’re going to rush through a bedtime. It’s going to stick with you and the next morning you’ll find yourself singing something similar to “If I drive myself to Starbucks, I’m gonna want a scone to go with my coffee. When I buy the scone, I’m going to have to go to the gym.” Other books include, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, If you give a Pig a Pancake, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and if You Give a Pig a Party among others. They are well illustrated and some have hidden pictures that you have to look for. This is a great series of books to teach little ones cause and effect while still being great stories for older children as well.
Good Night Texas (Good Night Our World series)
I found this book last year at a country store in the middle of nowhere. This book is cute and goes town by town to each of their distinct features. You’ll find yourself saying goodnight to the bats under the bridge in Austin and the glowing lights of Dallas along with many other towns such as Galveston and and El Paso. It’s a great way to teach younger kids about cities in your state and the features that define them.
If you don’t live in Texas, that’s ok! They have books for almost all the states, areas, and even some countries – Good Night Our World Series.
What If the Zebras Lost Their Stripes?
This is one of those books that I wish I could give to every single child and read with them. The main point of this book is that skin color doesn’t matter. The Zebras could have been all white or all black but that God knew that black and white mixed together would make them amazing animals. It’s a simple message taught with zebras. The text isn’t too long or too hard for younger kids but older kids still appreciate this book as well.
I think by now I could recite this book by memory. This book was bought when I was a preschool teacher before I was even married and yet it’s still one of my kids favorites. It will walk you through simple emotions and explain them through rhymes and amazing illustrations. Part of me thing that my kids like it so much because it shows them that it’s ok to have the feelings they do whether it’s happy, angry, scared, or excited. The Way I Feel is a great book for parents to read to young children that are just learning how to deal with those feelings.
What are some of your family’s favorite books? We have a few bookshelves full already but we live close to Ikea! There’s always room for more books in our home.
Hollis Thornton says
I have a kindergartener and a third grader who are gung ho over “Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book.” My 8 year-old son, who never enjoyed writing, is writing every day in his own diary. The kids fought over it until my kindergartener went out and bought her own.I asked my son what was so special about this diary. He said it asks him questions. I looked and half the book is filled with pages prompting things like “Five things nobody knows about you because they never bothered to ask” or “The worst nightmare you ever had.” There are 16 pages of full color Zoo-Wee Mama comics followed by lined blank pages for the children to write freely.This Do-It-Yourself Book is a hit. My kids have shown their books to all their friends and I’ve seen other kids toting them around, as well. It inspired my children to go on and buy their own private locked diaries after having gone through this one. If you have a “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” fan, this book is sure to delight.