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)

Banana Bop!: A Monster Show by Sandra Boynton

Boynton is back with a book featuring (mostly) one word–banana! Four monsters get silly with bananas, using them as hats and telephones. In the end, they decide to have a snack–I wonder what that will be? Your baby will love the rhythmic beat in this board book and will want to read it again and again.

Five Enormous Dinosaurs by Annie Kubler and Sarah Dellow

Annie Kubler is the queen of board books that feature classic, interactive songs and nursery rhymes. Perfect for babies and young toddlers, Five Enormous Dinosaurs features children dressed as dinosaurs stomping around the room. Count down the “dinosaurs” on each page and stomp your baby’s feet to the beat.

Toddlers (18 months-3 years)

The Digger and the Dark by Joseph Kuefler

A bedtime book for lovers of construction vehicles. Digger and friends are tired after a long day of work. But just when they start getting ready for bed, two raccoon visitors come to play! Will Digger and the other vehicles ever get some rest? Use this book to talk to children about nocturnal animals and why the racoons want to play all night. Check out the rest of the Digger series from the library: The Digger and the Flower, The Digger and the Duckling, and The Digger and the Butterfly.

Hen in the Bed by Katrina Charman

A silly take on the classic “Ten in the Bed” nursery rhyme featuring ten different animals and animal sounds. Your toddler will love counting down the animals on each split page. Scan the QR code on the back page for a free audio reading of the book!

Me and Other Bunnies by Mo Willems

Me and other Bunnies starts with one bunny and grows into a large group of bunnies, each with their own individual style and personality. Some are skateboarding, some are wearing sunglasses, some are in wheelchairs. A celebration of individuality as well as connectedness.

Seven Little Ducklings by Annette LeBlanc Cate

Seven ducks hatch out of their eggs overnight and wander off into the wild. When mother duck wakes up, she frantically looks for her babies and counts them one by one as she finds them. But some other baby animals get mixed up in the shuffle. This is a a sweet springtime story to practice counting with your toddler.

Preschoolers (3-5)

The Bedtime Boat by Sital Gorasia Chapman

Chandan has a vivid imagination–so much so that he can’t fall asleep because he’s too busy thinking about dragons and dinosaurs and robots. His mom puts the bedtime boat on his belly and says “Watch the boat Chandan, it floats on the ocean. It rises and falls with your breaths gentle motion.” Eventually, the boat rocks Chandan to sleep. The backmatter of the book features a how to guide on how to make your own paper bedtime boat.

Jam, Too? by JaNay Brown-Wood

When a drum circle forms on the beach, a young girl wants to join in but she doesn’t have a drum. What happens next is a celebration of rhythm and making music together.

The St. Patrick’s Day Alphabet by Liz Saunders

Celebrate the Emerald Isle with this introductory St. Patrick’s Day alphabet book. Ask your preschooler if they recognize the main letter on each page and teach them a fun fact about the country of Ireland.

Time to Make Art by Jeff Mack

In the story, a young girl asks creative questions of famous artists, such as Michelangelo, Frida Kahlo, and Vincent Van Gogh (to name a few). She asks “does it have to be perfect?” and “What colors should I use?” This is a wonderful picture book to introduce young children to different styles of art. It also teaches that art can be anything you make it. Perfect for Youth Art Month.