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)
Beep! Beep! Vehicles on the Go by Byron Barton
Byron Barton is a master children’s illustrator who incorporates bright, vivid colors in his designs. Beep! Beep! is no exception and is sure to be eye-catching for any babies. Read about all different types of vehicles and make fun sounds as you go!
Yeah, Baby! by Flowerpot Press
Babies love to see real people and things as they listen to vocabulary of every day life. Books with repetitive phrases (“Yeah, baby!”) are also great for learning and reiterating vocabulary. Another great book in this Baby Firsts series is What Is Baby Wearing?.
Toddlers (18 months-3 years)
Cat Nap by Steve Antony
It is cat’s nap time, but cat keeps delaying the inevitable! Toddlers will be entertained by (and possible relate to) Cat’s stalling tactics.
Dinosaurs by Elizabeth Doyle
An interactive board book for dinosaur enthusiasts! Every page includes a manipulative such as a lift-the-flap or moveable wheel. These will keep a toddler engaged while learning introductory facts about dinosaurs.
Mama Hug by Emma Straub
A mom and toddler spend the day interacting and playing together. Told in simple words, this is a perfect sweet story for Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 11th.
Mommy Loves You, Little Sea Otter by A.J. Wood
Another great story for Mother’s Day–Baby otter doesn’t know what to get his mom as a gift and travels the sea to find something perfect. Little does he know that his mom’s favorite gift from him is a hug!
Preschoolers (3-5)
Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories by Jarvis
Similar to the Frog and Toad series, Bird and Bear is a great series to introduce preschool aged children to short chapter books.
Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme by Betsy Bird
This is a silly twist on classic nursery rhymes that will make preschoolers laugh out loud! If your preschooler isn’t familiar with some of the nursery rhymes, use this book as a guide to teach them some of the originals.
So Tortoise Dug by Emmy Kastner
Tortoise and mouse are best friends and burrowmates, but there are more animal friends who want to join the burrow! While mouse is away, more friends ask if tortoise can dig them a new room, so tortoise continues to dig. This is a cute story about always making space for new friends.
The Spaceman by Randy Cecil
When the spaceman is stranded on a strange new planet (that looks remarkably like earth), he doesn’t know what to think about the strange new creatures that he meets. But after spending some time in the new surroundings, he wonders if he ever wants to leave.
