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Reading to your child at a young age benefits their growth in many ways. Not only will your child become exposed to various sounds and words, but you will also instill in them an appreciation for books and a desire to read. Discover everything there is to know about age-appropriate books for children from newborn to five years old. Our Books section showcases children's educational books, with a focus on reading for kids and STEM subjects.

Birth - 12 months

BOOKS 0-3

(black and white, routines and repetitive language, faces, body awareness, and body vocabulary) 

Black and white

Routine and repetition 

Faces

Body parts 

BOOKS 3-6 months 

(Puppet books, Routine and repetitions are going strong you can continue re-reading your favorite books about this topic, new vocabulary - animals, objects of household, sound imitation and simple verbs) 

Puppet books

Routine and repetitions

Animals 

Objects of the household

Sound imitation

Verbs

BOOKS 6-9 months

(The new focus is on touch-and-feel books, flap books, sound imitation, food (fruits&veggies), colors, vehicles, toys, textures, and verbs) 

Touch and feel (6-9 months)

Sound imitation

Flap books

Colors

Food/fruits/veggies 

Plants

Vehicles

Verbs

Language - new words and sentences 

 

9-12 months

(early math, more complex language, opposites, counting and lots of verbs!) 

Early math

Language 

Opposites

Counting

JUST FUN READING ANYTIME 

12-24 months (1+)
  • Whistle for Willie
  • Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?
  • Adventures with Barefoot Critters
  • Use Your Words, Sophie
  • Wheels on the Bus
  • Duck & Goose, 1, 2, 3
  • Just for Me by Jennifer Hansen Rolli
  • You’re Two! by Shelly Unwin, illustrated by Katherine Battersby
  • That’s Me Loving You by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Teagan White
  • A Little Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
  • Up, Up, Up, Down! by Kimberly Gee
  • Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang, illustrated by Max Lang
  • A potty for me!
  • Who do you love? A touch and feel book
  • "The Little Red Hen."
  • The Tickle Book.
  • The Gruffalo.
  • Baby Tiger: Finger Puppet Book.
  • I Say, You Say Opposites Book.
  • Room on the Broom.
  • Happy Little Rabbit.
  • Llama Llama Misses Mama.
  • I Love My Daddy Because…
  • Toes, Ears, & Nose! A Lift-the-Flap Board Book
  • Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? A Lift-the-Flap Board Book
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Board Book
  • Moo Baa La La La Board Book
  • See, Touch, Feel: A First Sensory Book
  • Peek-A Who? Board Book

24-36 months (2+)

Weather

  • Lucy Cousins' Maisy's Wonderful Weather Book,
  • Jean Taft's Worm Weather,
  • and Taro Yashima's Umbrella

Properties

  • Red, Blue, Yellow Shoe; Is It Larger? Is It Less? Tana Hoban's Shapes and Look Book.

Pushes and pulls

  • How High Will It Fly? My Red Balloon by DC Swain. Talk about the different objects that get blown around by the wind. Check out Like a Windy Day by Frank Asch and Devin Asch about a little girl who pretends to be the wind. Invite your child to move her body like the wind. Can you be a strong wind? What about a soft breeze?
  • The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins
  • Check out How Far Will It Bounce? How High Will My Blue Ball Fly?
  • DC Swain's Red Balloon Mama Zooms by Jane Cowan-Fletcher is about a young boy who travels with his mother in her wheelchair.

 

Light and Sound

  • Read and talk about books like Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh and Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni, or check out the interactive book Mix It Up by Herve Tullet.
  • Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells and The Noisy Book and The Quiet Noisy Book by Margaret Wise Brown. Encourage your child to imitate the sounds you read about. Where have we heard those sounds?

36-48 months (4+)

They still enjoy picture books and those that challenge and widen their horizons. By age 4, many 4-year-olds are ready for chapter books. Preschoolers love to ask questions and make assumptions. Repetition is still important. They reread beloved novels frequently.

  • Take turns reading aloud. Allow them to take command whenever they want. Don't interrupt them if they start reading the text on a page before you do. Allow them to decide when to stop.
  • Talk about it. Stories can be a great way to start a great conversation at this age. When you've finished the book, ask your child what they liked and didn't like, and if they seem interested, broaden the discussion to include other themes. Discuss the moon and stars and why they appear at night if you've read a narrative about space. Discuss where you could discover animals in the world if you've read about them.
  • Develop the habit: It is common sense. The most important thing to remember is that you should not abandon your reading habit just because school is starting. It is still one of the most enjoyable activities you can have with your child.

Plants: (Tree Growth cycle, Apple Anatomy)

  • The little Acorn
  • Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert,
  • The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin,
  • Flower Garden and The Sunflower House by Eve Bunting

 

Earth and Sky: (Water cycle, Types of water - ocean, river, pond, lake; Seasons, Continents, Planets):

  • Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle.
  • Moon Bear by Frank Asch.
  • I Took the Moon for a Walk by Carolyn Curtis
  • Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes,
  • The little Raindrop
  • Luna Lucy and the Planets

Properties:

  • Dog’s Colorful Day: A Messy Story of Colors and Counting by Emma Dodd,
  • Mouse Paint by Ellen Stohl Walsh,
  • Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni,
  • Mix It Up by Herve Tullet,
  • When a Line Bends, a Shape Begins by Rhonda Gowler Greene,
  • Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stohl Walsh.

Pushes and Pulls:

  • Building a House by Byron Barton,
  • Dreaming Up by Christy Hale,
  • Block City by Robert Louis Stevenson
  • Light and Sound (Color mixing, Electricity)
  • Shadows and Reflections by Tana Hoban,
  • Flashlight by Lizi Boyd,
  • Bear Shadow by Frank Asch

Animals: (Pets, Wild animals, Animals living on different continents):

  • Pet Show by Ezra Jack Keats,
  • The Perfect Pet by Margie Palatini.
  • Art & Literature, Musical Stories:
  • Peter and wolf by Sergei Prokofiev (Book and Music) 
  • Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann, Music (Ballet) by Tchaikovsky
  • Myths (Greek, Scandinavian, Persian etc use your cultural myths)
  • First Day at Bug School by Sam Lloyd
  • Mr Big by Ed Vere
  • The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
  • This Book Just Ate My Dog! by Richard Byrne
  • Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson
  • Swapsies by Fiona Roberton
  • I Am Bear Ben Bailey Smith
  • Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin and James Dean
  • The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
  • Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman
  • The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
  • Billy and the Beast by Nadia Shireen
  • There’s a Bear on my Chair by Ross Collins
  • If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen
  • Land Shark by Beth Ferry
  • The Red Lemon by Bob Staake
  • Bluebird by Bob Staake
  • Shifty McGifty by Tracey Corderoy
  • Rufus the Writer by Elizabeth Bram
  • The Book Boat’s In by Cynthia Cotten
  • James Herriot’s Treasury for Children
  • Farewell to Shady Glade by Bill Peet
  • You Choose by Nick Sharrat
  • The Wartville Wizard by Don Madden

Books about making friends

If you feel your child struggles to make friends, start reading and discussing specific books that promote that type of relationship.

  • Bob and Otto by Robert O. Bruel
  • Fuzz and Curly by Russell Ginns
  • George and Martha by James Marshall
  • Friends by Rob Lewis
  • Sometimes My Friends Don't Look Like Me by Pat Nicholson
  • How to Be a Friend: A Guide to Making Friends and Keeping Them by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown
  • Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
  • Gossie and Gertie by Olivier Dunrea
  • Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
  • Martha Calling by Susan Meddaugh
  • The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
  • Words to Make a Friend by Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Naoko Stoop
  • Oliver’s Tree by Kit Chase
  • Llama Llama Time to Share by Anna Dewdney
  • EllRay Jakes the Recess King! by Sally Warner, illustrated by Brian Biggs
  • Can I Play Too? by Samantha Cotterill
  • My Friend Maggie by Hannah E. Harrison
  • How to Grow a Friend by Sara Gillingham
  • Dust Bunny Wants a Friend by Amy Hevron
  • Bird, Balloon, Bear by II Sung Na
  • I Got A New Friend by Karl Newsom Edwards
  • The Monster Next Door by David Soman
  • Ladybug Girl and the Best Ever Playdate by Jacky Davis, illustrated by David Soman
  • The Name Jarby Yangsook Choi

 

Topics to explore - Art, Culture, Nature, History, Language

The topics below might be interesting for kids of 4 years old in all your home languages.

Plants: Tree Growth cycle, Apple Anatomy, Flower and vegetable Garden

Earth and Sky: (Water cycle, Types of water - ocean, river, pond, lake; Seasons, Continents, Planets)

Properties of things and mixes

Pushes and Pulls:

Light and Sound: Color mixing, Electricity

Animals: Pets, Wild animals, Animals living on different continents

Empathy

Friendship: People on different continents diversity

Social problem solving

Classic Art & Literature

Musical Genres: operas and kids' music stories

 

48-60 months (5+)

PLANTS

 

ANIMALS

  

EARTH AND SKY

 

PROPERTIES

 

PUSHES AND PULLS

 

LIGHT AND SOUND

 

EMPATHY

ART

LANGUAGE AND FUN

  • Amelia Bedelia by Herman Parish  Treasury 1 | Treasury 2| Amelia Bedelia Chapter Book 10-Book Box Set
  • The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. Favorite for Emotional Intelligence (youtube)
  • Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae. Learning Self-Confidence. (youtube)
  • Ice Cream Soup By Ann Ingalls (youtube)
  • Bob Books by Bobby Lynn Maslen, Set One (youtube)
  • Curious George by Margret Rey and H. A. Rey (There are both books and cartoons)
  • If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond. (Digital version)
  • The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. (youtube)
  • The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires (youtube)
  • Richard Scarry's Busytown Treasury (There are both books and cartoons Busytown Mysteries)

BOOKS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

  • Bob and Otto by Robert O. Bruel youtube
  • Fuzz and Curly by Russell Ginns
  • George and Martha by James Marshall
  • Friends by Rob Lewis
  • Sometimes My Friends Don't Look Like Me by Pat Nicholson
  • How to Be a Friend: A Guide to Making Friends and Keeping Them by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown
  • Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
  • Gossie and Gertie by Olivier Dunrea
  • Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
  • Martha Calling by Susan Meddaugh
  • The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
  • Words to Make a Friend by Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Naoko Stoop
  • Oliver’s Tree by Kit Chase
  • Llama Llama Time to Share by Anna Dewdney
  • EllRay Jakes the Recess King! by Sally Warner, illustrated by Brian Biggs
  • Can I Play Too? by Samantha Cotterill
  • My Friend Maggie by Hannah E. Harrison
  • How to Grow a Friend by Sara Gillingham
  • Dust Bunny Wants a Friend by Amy Hevron
  • Bird, Balloon, Bear by II Sung Na
  • I Got A New Friend by Karl Newsom Edwards
  • The Monster Next Door by David Soman
  • Ladybug Girl and the Best Ever Playdate by Jacky Davis, illustrated by David Soman
  • The Name Jarby Yangsook Choi
GRAB FREE Printable - Books from Birth to 1 yo!
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