Book Suggestions

Ages 3 to 5


BUY NOW!	Birds of a Color Candlewick Studio 2018 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Interactive Board Books An artistic way of learning colors through beautiful bird illustrations. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Where’s the Pirate? Illustrated by Ingela Arrhenius Nosy Crow 2020 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Interactive Board Books Easy to read, move the felt flaps to discover where objects are hiding. The book ends with a mirror that reflects the child’s face. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Where’s the Kangaroo? Illustrated by Ingela Arrhenius Nosy Crow 2019 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Interactive Board Books A wonderful board book with easy to grasp flaps revealing kangaroo, emu, koala, and platypus. The book ends with a mirror to reflect the child’s face. MORE...

BUY NOW!	If You're Happy and You Know it! A sing-along action book Illustrated by Jane Cabrera Holiday House 2005 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Songs to Sing Together Come join the monkey, the giraffe, the elephant and the little mouse in singing this happy song. Repetitive rhyming phrases "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands" will invite your toddler to jump in and join you in clapping and singing. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Wake Up, Big Barn Illustrated by Suzanne Chitwood Cartwheel 2002 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Colors Rich colors and torn paper collages sing out with onomatopoeic sounds and be-bop rhythm. Even the end papers will take your breath away. A fine introduction to a life on the farm. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Freight Train Illustrated by Donald Crews Greenwillow 2006 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Colors A Caldecott honor book, this train will roar through the hearts of all those of us that have counted freight cars. The colorful box cars including the caboose will stream through your minds as they pass through the pages. This is one book you will visit again and again. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Lunch Illustrated by Denise Fleming Henry Holt & Co. 1998 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Colors A hungry mouse nibbles and crunches his way through a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. This book purposefully stimulates a guessing or prediction game, as pages hint at the foods to come. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Kitten's First Moon Illustrated by Kevin Henkes Greenwillow 2004 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Books You'll Want to Give as Gifts to Everyone "What a night! The moon is full. Kitten is hungry and inquisitive and brave and fast and persistent and unlucky... then lucky! What a night!" Thus begins this magical tale of a hungry kitten, who mistakes the moon for a bowl of milk. The shimmering black and white illustrations reminiscent of moon beams with circles and pleasing curves, yet with swiftly changing expressions compliment the rhythmic text as well as the kittens irresistible spirit. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Owen Illustrated by Kevin Henkes Greenwillow 1993 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss Owen loves Fuzzy, his blanket, and takes it wherever he goes, until one day, before he starts school, everyone tries to have him leave his beloved blanket at home. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse Illustrated by Kevin Henkes 0688128971 1996 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Books about School Lovable Lily loves school and her super cool teacher Mr. Slinger until she brings her purple plastic purse to school. This is a story about character development, about parent support, about wonderful teachers, about admitting mistakes and about a fanbulous story with much depth which your whole family will enjoy. MORE...

BUY NOW!	10 Minutos y a la cama? Illustrated by Peggy Rathman Putnam 2005 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Books in Spanish This Spanish translation of 10 Minutes to Bed will become your child's favorite count down book in any language. So get ready now. I am counting already. Are you under those covers yet? MORE...

BUY NOW!	Look, There’s a Rocket! by Esther Aarts Nosy Crow 2018 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Interactive Board Books An interactive prompt through the sky on a rocket and through different planets. The children will enjoy poking their fingers through the holes in the universe. MORE...

BUY NOW!	When the New Baby Comes, I’m Moving Out by Martha Alexander Charlesbridge 2006 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss While awaiting for the new baby, Oliver gets angry when he sees his chair and all his toys being moved getting ready for the baby’s arrival. This book is especially good for older siblings who are waiting the turbulent times of having someone else sit on your mother’s lap. MORE...

BUY NOW!	A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton Candlewick Press 2008 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss Bear tries to keep out visitors to his house, but his efforts are undermined by a very persistent mouse. This is a comedy about how the mouse just won't let Bear eat his breakfast in peace. MORE...

BUY NOW!	A Splendid Friend, Indeed! by Suzanne Bloom Boyds Mills Press 2005 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss Bear is trying to spend a quiet day reading, writing and thinking, but this plan is soon interrupted by the arrival of Goose, who can't help but talk about how exciting these activities are. MORE...

BUY NOW!	The Umbrella Queen by Shirin Bridges Illustrated by Taeeun Yoo Greenwillow Books 2008 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Life in Other Countries In a village in Thailand where everyone makes umbrellas, Noot wants her design to win for the king. But her unusual design gets much criticism from her family and villagers, until the king chooses her design because "she paints from her heart." MORE...

BUY NOW!	I Like Books by Anthony Browne Candlewick Press 2004 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Especially for your Beginning Readers This super sturdy picture book with repetitive sentences features a monkey telling us about the books he likes (books about dinosaurs and books about monsters). It will send a clear message to kids that all books are important. MORE...

BUY NOW!	I Love You, Good Night by Jon BullerSusan Schade Illustrated by Bernadette Pons Little Simon 2005 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Bedtime Reading As a child gets ready for bed, this rhyming book tells all the ways that parents love their child. Some are funny, others heartfelt, but they all are a good ways to greet this bedtime ritual and to rock your child to sleep. MORE...

BUY NOW!	The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle Philomel 1994 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Books about Days of the Week This classic book translated in almost all languages of the world tells the story of a very hungry caterpillar who eats through all different foods that kids love until he turns into a beautiful butterfly. On each day of the week he eats something new until, on Saturday, he gets an enormous stomach and has to eat a leaf for comfort. On Sunday he becomes a beautiful butterfly. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Today is Monday by Eric Carle Putnam Juvenile 1993 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Books about Days of the Week This smorgasbord of food is presented each day of the week to birds and animals through this cumulative rhyme and familiar song. Eric Carle's bold and colorful collages add dazzling images to this well known song, but a surprise ending shows multi cultural children munching on various foods at a banquet while the animals observe them from paintings on the wall. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Leap Frog by Jane Clarke Illustrated by Britta Teckentrup Candlewick Press 2020 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Informational Books The first informational book for very young children. This cumulative tale describes the many animals, including a snake, turtle, and monkey, that the tree frog meets before bedtime, when his Daddy comes to put him in bed. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Yummy, Eight Favorite Fairy Tales by Lucy Cousins Illustrated by Lucy Cousins Candlewick Press 2009 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss This wonderful collection of classic stories is boldly illustrated by the author, Lucy Cousins. Yummy is easy to read aloud and best suited for listeners age four or five. This book is a must have for families wanting to acquaint their young ones with widely read fairy-tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, and Three Little Pigs. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Red Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley Illustrated by Nic Bishop Scholastic Press 1999 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Especially for your Beginning Readers Sharp, close up photographs from the rain forests of Central America taken by an award winning photographer intertwines perfectly with Joy Cowley's simple, engaging text. "Here is an iguana. Frogs do not eat iguanas. Do iguanas eat frogs? The red eyed tree frog does not wait to find out." MORE...

BUY NOW!	Click, Clack, Splish, Splash: A Counting Adventure by Doreen Cronin Illustrated by Betsy Lewin Atheneum 2006 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Counting Books As farmer Brown falls asleep, his funny farm animals venture out on a fishing expedition. A joyful, first adventure in counting and rhyme. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Where’s the Penguin? by Nosy Crow Illustrated by Ingela Arrhenius Nosy Crow Ltd. 2018 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Interactive Board Books Hide and seek board book, using felt pieces, which the child can move with their fist or whole hand. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Shapes by Robert Crowther 2002 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Counting Books This is a book filled with more than 30 flaps, tabs and hidden pictures For example, a circle can turn into a balloon with a string or a steering wheel, and even a clock! An oval, by pulling a tab, can turn into a fish or by lifting a flap, it becomes a football. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney Penguin Young Readers Group 2009 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Poems and Rhymes It's the first day of nursery school, and Llama experiences separation anxiety from her mother. This is the perfect book to help a child bridge the transition between home and school. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert Voyager Books 1996 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Books You'll Want to Give as Gifts to Everyone One of my favorite read aloud books, this story begins with "Oh, Oh. door's open just a crack?" and Caldecott artist and designer has just drawn a long tale on the first page. Already, the children wonder whose tail is that? What is the lunch that got away? MORE...

BUY NOW!	Planting A Rainbow by Lois Ehlert Harcourt Children's Books 1988 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Colors "Every fall, Mom and I plant a rainbow. They plant bulbs in the fall, seeds in the spring and then watch the rainbow begin to grow. The flowers bloom in glowing brilliant colors and each flower is labeled with a garden marker. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert HarperCollins 1989 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Counting Books In bold designs and bright primary colors, this unique book reveals different animals through stacked cutouts of shapes. Children will delight in identifying the animals and you will exclaim in awe at this clever mesmerizing design. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley LB Kids 1993 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Colors This exciting book starts with two big yellow eyes starring at you from a black page and each time you turn the page, you add something like a long bluish greenish nose or scraggy purple hair until you build a monster. Then the next page "You don't scare me.. Go away scraggly purple hair " and you begin to take away each piece of the monster as you turn each page until you have an entirely black page again. Then you can shout "And don't come back until I say so!" MORE...

BUY NOW!	Cat by Matthew Van Fleet Illustrated by Brian Stanton Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers 2009 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss For cat lovers everywhere, brilliantly photographed with simple descriptions and moveable parts. A book all kids will enjoy. MORE...

BUY NOW!	The Magic Hat by Mem Fox Illustrated by Tricia Tusa Harcourt Children's Books 2006 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Books You'll Want to Give as Gifts to Everyone A charming read-aloud with a repetitive verse, this tale of a magic wizard's hat that blows into town and changes people into animals will have your children repeating the verses at top volume. This is a great interactive story that will delight all your children. Why not make or buy a wizard's hat to go with it? MORE...

BUY NOW!	Moon Bear by Brenda Z. Guiberson Illustrated by Ed Young Henry Holt and Company 2010 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss "Who scratches the birch tree and licks oozing sap? Hungry moon bear." Exquisite illustrations of moon bear follow his moods throughout the book, like sleepy, hungry, curious, and grumpy. The ending provides pictures of real moon bears in danger of becoming extinct, with notes on how to help these beautiful bears. MORE...

BUY NOW!	You Read to Me, I'll Read to You : Very Short Stories to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman Illustrated by Michael Emberley Megan Tingley 2001 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Especially for your Beginning Readers Written in two voices, which are differentiated on the printed page in two different colors, this book encourages adults to read one part out loud with the child chimes in on the other part. It is a great way to share reading on the couch together. MORE...

BUY NOW!	The Llama who had No Pajama - 100 Favorite Poems by Mary Ann Hoberman Illustrated by Betty Fraser Browndeer Press 1998 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Poems and Rhymes What a marvelous collection of poems for young children! This book is enchanting and the poems catch the essence of childhood from eating applesauce to climbing trees and observing animals at the zoo. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Silly Suzy Goose by Petr Horacek Candlewick 2004 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss This delightful Suzy Goose who ventures from her flock because she wants to be "different", tries to jump like a kangaroo, stretch high like a giraffe, and swim under water like a seal until she roars like a lion and he chases her back to the others, just in time. Full of action and beautiful graphics, this new picture book by a Czech illustrator will be a winner. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Give the Dog a Bone by Steven Kellogg SeaStar Books 2000 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Songs to Sing Together Steven Kellogg takes this old song in a new direction by including hens, chicks, bees and even actions and motions as you sing along. This song is a wonderful way to look at numbers and to begin counting skills, especially with these magical illustrations. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Fish and Frog Brand New Readers by Michelle Knudsen Illustrated by Valeria Petrone Candlewick 2005 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Especially for your Beginning Readers Just like training wheels on a first bike, this series of new readers give the right support for those starting to recognize words. The stories are short, the illustrations support the text and best of all, the last page is always funny!. Kids love these books and parents will too! MORE...

BUY NOW!	Whose Mouse Are You? by Robert Kraus Illustrated by Jose Aruego Aladdin; 1st Aladdin Books ed edition 1986 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss An endearing story of a little mouse who feels the need for attention when a new baby brother arrives at his home, is a classic story that no one should miss. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Yellow Elephant : A Bright Bestiary by Julie Larios Illustrated by Julie Paschkis Harcourt Children's Books 2006 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Poems and Rhymes All the colors, turquoise lizard, pink kitty and yellow elephant to name a few, are depicted in poems about animals, encouraging children to use their imaginations and to see the familiar in surprising new ways. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Animal Antics: A to Z by Anita Lobel Greenwillow 2005 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: ABC Books Adoring alligators, charming camels and elated elephants are joined by impish ibexes and unlikely unicorns in this circus themed alphabet book. The rich elegant paintings and especially the clowns that bend in shapes of letters will entice children to this cheerful alphabet book. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Chika Chika Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.John Archambault Illustrated by Lois Ehlert Aladdin 2000 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: ABC Books "A told B and B told C, I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree." As all the letters race up the tree in this lively rhythmic rhyme, the tree begins to groan and bend with all the weight and the letters begin to tumble. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Guess How Much I love You? by Sam McBratney Illustrated by Anita Jeram Candlewick Press 1996 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Gifts for the New Baby This is an endearing story about the immeasurable bond of love between a hare and his baby son. Searching for ways to tell his dad how much he loves him, little hare says, "I love you all the way to my toes!" His dad replies, as he swings him in the air over his head, "And I love you all the way up to your toes!" This engaging dialogue about unconditional love continues until little Nutbrown Hare settles in his bed and whispers, "I love you right up to the moon and back". The watercolor illustrations enrich this story. The book can be bought with a stuffed little animal as well as in a Big Book format to read aloud at storyhours. MORE...

BUY NOW!	There's Always Pooh and Me by A.A. Milne Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard Dutton 2003 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Poems and Rhymes This elegant collection brings together 23 of the best loved poems of A.A. Milne. With the original illustrations by Ernest H. Shepard, the page layout is distinguished and the gold end papers make this a "must" for gift giving and this edition should be in every home library. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Posy by Linda Newbery Illustrated by Catherine Rayner Atheneum Books for Young Children 2008 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss Posy, a "sofa scratcher," "ice-cream guzzler," and "cushion crawler," carefully pounces and bounces through this book in intriguing watercolors. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Blueberries for the Queen by John PatersonKatherine Paterson Illustrated by Susan Jeffers HarperCollins 2004 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss Based on a true family story when Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands came for the summer to New England to escape the hardships of World War II, William picks some fresh blueberries from his farm and presents it to her. In reaching out to his neighbor, he, at such a young age, begins to make his own "peace effort". MORE...

BUY NOW!	Peter Rabbit's Hide and Seek ABC by Beatrix Potter Warne 2004 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: ABC Books In this interactive book, you can pull the tabs on the 26 changing pictures from Beatrix Potter's tales and you will find an object for every letter of the alphabet. MORE...

BUY NOW!	10 Minutes till Bedtime by Peggy Rathmann Putnam 2001 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Bedtime Reading With few words and plenty of action, this Caldecott artist breathes life into the familiar bedtime ritual. Each countdown number explodes with countless details including hamsters darting everywhere. These illustrations will appeal and delight children until they get that final good night kiss. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Ham and Pickles: First Day of School by Nicole Ruble Harcourt Children's Books 2006 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Books about School Pickles is nervous on her first day of school and so she asks her big brother Ham for advice His wacky advice is not exactly what she was hoping for, but in the end, when she forgets her lunch, she is comforted when Ham shows his kind heart by sharing his lunch with her. MORE...

BUY NOW!	The Snow Day by Komako Sakai Arthur A. Levine Books 2009 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss Reminiscent of Keats' The Snowy Day, Japanese artist Komako Sakai paints a snow day when a little rabbit stays home from kindergarten to make snow monsters and play with his mother while he waits for his father to get home. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Baby? by Barney Saltzberg Candlewick Press 2009 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss Cornelius P. Mud is introduced to his new baby brother who can't do anything that Cornelius likes. The book touches on sibling rivalry at the arrival of a new baby: "I wish we could send him back." It has a lovely ending, though. Especially good for the new arrival of a baby brother. MORE...

BUY NOW!	One Is a Snail, Ten Is a Crab by April Pulley Sayre Illustrated by Randy Cecil Candlewick 2003 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Counting Books Follow the sign to the beach and start counting feet, both big and small, on people, animals, dogs, insects and spiders all the way to 100! MORE...

BUY NOW!	Nutshell Library by Maurice Sendak HarperCollins 1962 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Books about Months These 4 tiny books will fit into your child's hands and will be dearly loved! Chicken Soup with Rice features the months of the year. The others are: Alligarors All Around, Pierre, and One Was Johnny. MORE...

BUY NOW!	White is for Blueberry by George Shannon Illustrated by Laura Dronzek Greenwillow 2005 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Colors Through distinct bold and bright acrylic paintings, perfect for the very young, George Shannon helps children look at colors in nature in a new way. "Orange is for sky... when the sun has nearly set" and "White is for blueberry... when the berry is still too young to pick". MORE...

BUY NOW!	One Monday Morning by Uri Shulevitz Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) 2003 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Books about Days of the Week Caldecott illustrator Uri Shulevitz breathes life into a deck of cards and helps them come alive on a rainy day as a royal entourage visits a young boy in inner city. Everything about this book is marvelous. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Shiver Me Letters: A Pirate ABC by June Sobel Illustrated by Henry Cole Harcourt Children's Books 2006 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: ABC Books A crew of swashbuckling pirates and their parrot try to capture all the letters of the alphabet. A good introduction to letters with an engaging story. Your child will "yo-ho-ho" with you when all the letters are captured. MORE...

BUY NOW!	B is for Bulldozer : A construction ABC by June Sobel Illustrated by Melissa Iwai Gulliver Books 2003 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: ABC Books This is a perfect book for those kids who love trucks! There's a big yellow bulldozer, a tall shiny crane and a rusty dump truck. So what are they building at this construction site? You won't find out until you get to the letter Z but on the way you'll learn all the tools that are used at a construction site. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Always by Ann Stott Illustrated by Matt Phelan Candlewick Press 2008 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss This story shows the everyday range of a child's behavior and the unconditional quality of a parent's love. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Elizabeti's Doll by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen Illustrated by Christy Hale Lee & Low 1998 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Life in Other Countries When a young Tanzanian girl gets a new baby brother, she longs to have a doll to hug too. So she finds an oval shaped rock, feeds it, burps it, and ties it to her back just like her mother. When her sister accidentally uses the rock to start a fire, Elizabeti rescues it in time to sing it to sleep. MORE...

BUY NOW!	God's Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu Illustrated by LeUyen Pham Candlewick Press 2008 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Read Alouds: Stories You Won't Want to Miss This book introduces readers to Archbishop Tutu's message of forgiveness and empathy, and welcomes them to a pathway toward joy. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Owl Babies by Martin Waddell Illustrated by Patrick Benson Candlewick Press 1992 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Books You'll Want to Give as Gifts to Everyone Lap book, good read for mother and toddler together. A story about baby owls waiting for their mother, who is out searching for food, to come home. This reassures the youngest of readers that Mommy will always come home. MORE...

BUY NOW!	Cookie's Week by Cindy WardTomie dePaola Putnam Juvenile 2004 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Books about Days of the Week "On Monday, Cookie (the cat) fell in the toilet." So what happens? You'll have to read this charming book and follow the cat's escapades throughout the whole week to find out! What fun! What a gem of a book for learning the days of the week! MORE...

BUY NOW!	Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells Viking Books 1999 Ages: 3 to 5 Topic: Great Reads for Teenagers and Young Adults Being a middle child is never easy, and Nora tries to get attention away from her siblings by being extra mischievous and noisy. Finally she slams the door and runs away and all of a sudden everybody misses her and yearns to have her home. MORE...

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