LOOKING FOR A GOOD TODDLER BOOK?
Prior to five years ago, my wife and I had zero children’s books in our house. Since that time we’ve had two boys and our collection of kids books has grown into the hundreds. Our nightly ritual has always included reading to the boys, usually a book (or two) of their choosing. This has inevitably led to certain books getting more attention than others. At this point, it has become very apparent which books belong on our toddler’s greatest hits list. If you’re looking for books to add to your own collection or searching for great gifts to give to friends and family during the holidays, check out this list of my kiddos favs. Enjoy our top 25 toddler books!
“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” – Walt Disney
This Daddy Does | Top 25 All-Time Toddler Books
1. Good Night Beach – Adam Gamble, Cooper Kelly
This is a fun little book that walks you through a typical day at the beach. It highlights all the exciting things to see including surfers, boats, hermit crabs, and more. It’s a great way to help our kids identify things that they see on the coast.
2. Where’s Spot – Eric Hill
This is a lift-the-flap book that leads you on a hunt for Spot. The search takes you through a house, behind doors, and under beds. It is part of a three-book series that are all great. My kids love to check behind the flaps for Spot which has kept this book on their hit list for a long time.
3. The Very Busy Spider – Eric Carle
I’ll start by saying my boys love Eric Carle books and that is why I’ve included three of them on this list. In this book, our very busy spider is visited by many different animals that want to play, but she is very busy spinning her web. It is a fun book that teaches children the sounds that different animals make.
4. The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a story about the life of a caterpillar. In the book, we learn about what our caterpillar friend eats each day of the week, and about his life cycle. It has been a great resource in teaching the boys the names and sequence of the days of the week.
5. From Head to Toe – Eric Carle
From Head to Toe teaches children how to move different body parts in a very clever way. It shows animals moving their various body parts and then asks the question “can you do it?”. It has been a fabulous way for our boys to identify their different body parts and also learn the different animal names.
6. One.Two.Three! – Sandra Boynton
Sandra Boynton’s books are always a hit in our house. As the name suggests, One.Two.Three! is a counting book. It has a witty rhyme throughout the book that teaches the appropriate number of participants required for certain games or races.
7. Dinosaur Dance – Sandra Boynton
Dinosaur Dance is a fun little rap about dinosaurs and how they dance. The rhythm of the book keeps the boy’s attention and they love naming the dinosaurs. Plus there is a tiny little dino, what could he be?
8. Baby Baby Baby – Marilyn Janovitz
In a fun little way, Baby Baby Baby teaches the names of different family members, and how to Clap! Clap! Clap! Splish! Splish! Splash! and so much more. It is a really interactive book that pulls the boys right in.
9. Jon Scieszka’s TrucksTown Sand Castle Bash – Hunter McKown
In Sand Castle Bash a bunch of trucks get together in TrucksTown and have a sand castle contest. The book’s focus is on teaching kids how to count from 1 to 10 and it does it by counting sand castles.
For some reason, every time this book is read in our house we do it with a heavy southern draw. Not sure where that came from but the boys like it.
10. If Animals Kissed Good Night – Ann Whitford Paul
If Animals Kissed Good Night has a catchy little jingle that introduces children to the animal kingdom. It has a funny side story about sloths kissing soooo slooowwwww that the boys get a kick out of it every time.
11. The Pout Pout Fish – Deborah Diesen
This book is hilarious. It is definitely a top pick in our house and we have even gifted it to other parents. The main character, The Pout Pout Fish has conversations about his sad face with all his buddies in the sea. It does a great job of introducing sea life to the kids while keeping the adult in the room entertained.
12. Trashy Town – Andrea Zimmerman, David Clemesha
In Trashy Town, we follow the trash collector Mr. Gilly on his route through Trashy Town. At each stop, he “Dumps it in, smashes it down, and drives around the trashy town!”. It is a small book in terms of size, maybe six inches tall but the boys seek it out on the shelf.
13. I’ll Hug You More – Laura Duksta
This is a flip-sided book…it never ends. This book is a sweet story that helps parents connect with their kids by offering confirmations of love. The kids like it because the book is never-ending. It is a great way to draw out bedtime.
14. Never Touch A Dragon – Rosie Greening
This book contains touch-and-feel silicone pieces. The story goes, you must never touch a dragon with…each page has a fun dragon that the kids can touch for a tactile experience.
My kids jockey for position around me when I’m reading this book because they both want to be the first to touch the Dragon on each page.
15. Little Giraffe Finger Puppet Book – Chronicle Books
This book is an easy win with the kids. The reader’s finger is the magic that creates the giraffe puppet. The giraffe spots something blue and the book takes you through all the possibilities it could be. Quick and interactive.
16. Little Monkey Calms Down – Michael Dahl
We have used this book to help the boys identify their emotions. In this story, our poor little monkey is having a rough day and takes us through a range of emotions before he figures out how to calm down and relax.
17. I Am a Dump Truck – Happy Books
This book is a winner even before you open it because it is shaped like a dump truck. Half toy, half book! In this story, heavy equipment is introduced including backhoes and bulldozers. On each page, we learn what the equipment is used for.
18. Are You My Mother – P.D. Eastman
P.D. Eastman leads us through a tale of a little bird that falls out of its nest and goes on an epic journey meeting all sorts of new animals and ends up having a scary encounter with the big SNORT before finally finding his mother. This one is a classic.
19. Who’s Hiding In the Jungle? – The Quarto Group
In Who’s Hiding, kids get to slide the tabs and pretend they are a monkey trying to find animal characters hiding in the jungle. In the end, the monkey is hiding in the leaves with a message about bedtime.
20. My Peekaboo Book – Big Box Entertainment
This is a book about farm animals. On each page of this book, you find a surprising question and the kids get to lift the flaps to find the answer. Find out what the chicken lays in her nest.
21. Little Blue Boat – Ginger Swift
This is an ocean lift-the-flap book that explores ocean creatures on the journey of a little blue boat. The element of surprise makes these lift-the-flap books exciting over and over again. Watching the kids learn about the ocean makes dad happy!
22. What’s on my Farm – Priddy Books
This is a lift-the-flap type book that has a farm setting but this book has a twist. It also has slide-and-find tabs that offer a whole other level of fun. Can you spot a muddy chicken?
23. Baby Robot – Dawn Sirett
This book is currently my boy’s favorite book in the nightly rotation. Baby Robot is a beep-buzz, light-up story. In this story, the baby robot does so many things that his battery gets low and he needs his rest. It teaches the importance of getting your sleep. This book requires three batteries and my kids have used it so much that we’ve had to replace them.
24. My Shape Book – Southwestern
My shape book is a friendly introduction to shapes, colors, and pattern recognition. For my boys, it has been a great point-and-say book. Every time I hear “blue circle” or “red star” I know what book the kids have selected for the night. The shapes make if fun for my two-year-old while the puzzles and games have kept it relevant for my five-year-old as well.
25. Clifford’s Furry Friends – Norman Bridwell
This is a touch-and-feel book that is different from the others. Animals are introduced on each page and their fur feels real. Find out what it is like to “pet the woolly lamb”.
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