1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a nationwide initiative to encourage reading to babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. To learn more about how to start the program, visit the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten page on our website. It can be daunting to try to find books that your child will love. The following book recommendations are meant to highlight newer, seasonal, and books you might have missed in the collection that are high interest and appropriate for different developmental ages. For more book recommendations, check out RPL’s Bookologist service and our Storytime at Home blog series.
Babies (0-18 months)
A classic book now in multiple languages!
That’s Not My Cow…by Fiona Watt
In this hands on book have your baby touch all the pages to feel different textures and sensations to explore!
Toddlers (18 months-3 years)
Fireworks by Matthew Burgess
This is a great book to get your kids excited for the upcoming Holiday! This book has great illustrations and encourages you to make all different kinds of sounds.
The Great Dinosaur Sleepover by Linda Bailey
When a kid plans a dinosaur themed birthday party the dinosaurs show up ready to rock out all night!
A Cup Of Quiet by Nikki Grimes
A sweet story of a child spending the day with their grandparent and collecting special sounds from the garden.
Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson
A hilarious book with a silly ending that will have your kid giggling throughout.
Preschoolers (3-5)
Little Big Man by Varian Johnson
When a dad has to pull an extra shift at work the son takes it upon himself to help out at home. It gives the family enough time to enjoy a fun outing together and teaches kids how to help to make everybody’s day better.
Orson And The Worlds Loudest Library by Laura Gehl
Orson likes his quiet and when his library is no longer quiet he SHHHs the whole place. When he goes to his special quiet room he starts to miss the loud. It encourages him to try new things and enjoy the different things to do in the library.
Wish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
For any kid who feels a little different this book talks about how your differences make the world a better place and how to find the people who are going to support you.
Wheetle: A Little Wagon With A Big Heart by Cindy Derby
Such a sweet story about a wagon who is very excited for his favorite day of the year but then pops a tire on his way to the field. Will all the people he helps every day help him see his favorite thing? Great story to show kids how to help someone who always helps them.
