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)

Are You My Baby by Kathleen Rizzi

This English/Arabic reads right to left, features real life pictures of animals, and lets babies/toddlers explore different animal sounds. Toddlers can match the baby animals to the adult animals for a fun game with a caregiver.

Baby Triceratops by Julie Abery

Introduce your baby to the world of dinosaurs with the Baby Dinosaurs series! Follow baby triceratops as she roams around with her family searching for food and avoiding Tyrannosaurus Rex!

Toddlers (18 months-3 years)

It’s Corn Picking Time! by Jill Esbaum

Wake up early with the farmer who drives a tractor out to the field to harvest corn. The rhyming text is perfect for any vehicle loving toddler!

Let’s Count by Tana Hoban

Tana Hoban was a photographer and picture book author who connected photography with early learning concepts. “Let’s Count” includes pictures of every day objects and numbers. Talk to your child about how many objects they see. What can you count on each page?

Little Blue Truck and Racer Red by Alice Schertle

Little blue truck and good friend Toad are enjoying a leisurely drive in the country when Racer Red comes speeding by them! Red wants to race, but can Little Blue keep up? Toddlers will love this new addition to the beloved series.

Preschoolers (3-5)

Earl and Worm: The Bad Idea and Other Stories by Greg Pizzoli

Earl and Worm are new neighbors who are having a hard time getting along. Will they eventually become friends? These short stories are a great introduction to chapter books for preschoolers and might remind readers of the Frog and Toad series.

I am Strong! by Todd Parr

If you have a child who is going through a life transition or struggling to cope with change, this book is a helpful resource to walk through feelings. In bright colors, Parr illustrates many different ways a child can be strong: it’s ok to cry, to ask for help, and to share when something is bothering us.

Specs by Van G. Garrett

Brea is on the hunt for a brand new pair of glasses that represent her bold personality. This confidence-boosting book will convince any young child that glasses are SPEC-tacular!