Great Books for Toddlers

J Picture Books

Marta! Big & Small by Jen Arena
In this story that incorporates Spanish words, Marta explores the world of opposites and animals.

Babies on the Go by Linda Ashman
Illustrations and rhyming text show how different animals carry their babies when they are on the move.

You Are Home With Me by Sarah Asper-Smith
Intersperses facts about different animals and birds with reassurances that a parent would take care of a child and make a home for him or her, no matter what.

B Is For Baby by Atinuke
A baby and her brother take a basket full of bananas to visit their baba, and the baby sees many different animals along the way, including butterflies, birds, and baboons.

My Bus by Byron Barton
A bus driver named Joe heads out on his route, stopping at one bus stop after another to pick up passengers. He picks up five dogs and five cats in all, dropping nine of them off at the plane, train, or boat. The tenth passenger, a dog, Joe takes home.

Moo, baa, la la la! by Sandra Boynton
Serious silliness for all ages. Artist Sandra Boynton is back and better than ever with completely redrawn versions of her multi-million selling board books.

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Rhymed text and illustrations introduce the many different animals that live in the big red barn.

Brown Baby Lullaby by Tameka Brown
An illustrated lullaby featuring a busy, independent, beloved brown baby being prepared for bedtime.

Baa, baa, black sheep by Jane Cabrera
In this take-off on the familiar nursery rhyme, black sheep graciously offers bag after bag of wool to Miss, who handcrafts mittens, a tea cosy, and more for her friends, then produces a sweater for the shivering sheep when all the wool is gone. Includes music for piano and guitar.

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Each animal arriving from the zoo as a possible pet fails to suit its prospective owner, until just the right one is found. Movable flaps reveal the pop-up contents of each package.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
A counting book in which one by one the little monkeys jump on the bed only to fall off and bump their heads.

Hello airplane! by Bill Cotter
Illustrations and easy-to-read text follow an airplane as it says good-bye to the ground and hello to the sky, where it flies over a town, mountains, clouds, and people.

Freight Train by Donald Crews
Brief text and illustrations trace the journey of a colorful train as it goes through tunnels, by cities, and over trestles.

Blocks by Irene Dickson
Ruby has red blocks. Benji has blue blocks. But what happens when they won't share?

Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
In this colorful story of a sloppy dog, you can count on a happy ending.

Sleep tight farm : a farm prepares for winter by Eugenie Doyle
It is December, and there are many things for the family to do around the farm to get it ready for winter.

Go away, big green monster! by Ed Emberley
Die-cut pages through which bits of a monster are revealed are designed to help a child control nighttime fears of monsters.

Where is the green sheep? by Mem Fox
A story about many different sheep, and one that seems to be missing.

Wake Up! by Helen Frost
Simple poetic language and close-up photographs invite readers to explore all the baby animals who are born during spring.

Up, up, up, down by Kimberly Gee
Illustrations and easy-to-read text follow a baby and father through a day filled with ups and downs, ons and offs, and plenty of fun.

Eyes, nose, fingers, and toes by Judy Hindley
A group of toddlers demonstrate all the fun things that they can do with their eyes, ears, mouths, hands, legs, feet--and everything in between.

Black : the many wonders of my world by Nancy Johnson James
A girl describes the many wonders of the color black, which is the amalgam of all colors: the starry sky at night, her own black puppy, and even the color of her eyes.

Counting Kisses by Karen Katz
How many kisses does a tired baby need to change her from crying into sleeping?

Before you were born by Deborah Kerbel
Rhyming text and colorful illustrations express a couple's anticipation over their baby's arrival that is mirrored in the animals around the family's seaside home.

Dim sum for everyone! by Grace Lin
A child describes the various little dishes of dim sum that she and her family enjoy on a visit to a restaurant in Chinatown.

Light the sky, firefly by Sherry Mabry
Fireflies are some the world's most fascinating insects. And one many children can find right in their backyards! With a simple story, perfect for read-alouds, and colorful illustrations, this scientific look at a firefly's life cycle will captivate little entomologists.

Shape by shape by Suse MacDonald
Turn the die-cut pages to discover colorful shapes, which come together to reveal a creature from long ago.

A Book of Babies by Il Sung Na
While baby animals are born--some with fur and some with scales, some with lots of brothers and sisters, some with none--a curious duck watches.

If you plant a seed by Kadir Nelson
While planting seeds in their garden, two animals learn the value of kindness.

Faster! Faster! by Leslie Patricelli
A father and daughter spend a day at the park where daddy becomes an array of fast moving animals on which his daughter rides, from a dog and a rabbit to a horse and a cheetah.

Bright brown baby : a treasury by Andrea Pinkney

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
An unobservant zookeeper is followed home by all the animals he thinks he has left behind in the zoo.

We're Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
Brave bear hunters go through grass, a river, mud, and other obstacles before the inevitable encounter with the bear forces a headlong retreat.

Best in Snow by April Pulley Sayre
A photographic non-fiction picture book about the wonder of snowfall and the winter water cycle.

One Family by George Shannon
In this story that introduces numbered groups from one to ten, we realize that families can be many things.

Round by Joyce Sidman
Newbery-Honor winning poet Joyce Sidman invites readers to search their worlds for round objects in nature. Illustrated with warm, intimate art by two-time New York Times Best Illustrated artist Taeeun Yoo, this fresh celebration shows why we love this shape best.

I love you because I love you by Muon Van
Author Mượn Thị Văn and Stonewall Book Award-winning artist Jessica Love detail all the big and small reasons why we love the people we do within a call-and-response picture book that features families across the spectrum.

What Will Grow? by Jennifer Ward
Including four gorgeous pull-out gatefolds, this lyrical and stunningly illustrated book includes fun facts about starting a garden.

Babies can sleep anywhere by Lisa Wheeler
Compares the sleeping habits of animals with those of human babies.

Don't let the pigeon drive the bus by Mo Willems
Pigeon is an unflinching and hilarious look at a child's potential for mischief. In a plain palette, with childishly elemental line drawings, Willems has captured the essence of unreasonableness in the very young.

"More more more" said the baby : 3 love stories by Vera B. Williams
Three babies are caught up in the air and given loving attention by a father, grandmother, and mother.

Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson
When spring comes, Bear wakes up very hungry and is treated to great food by his friends.

Baby Bear sees blue by Ashley Wolff
Leaving the den as the weather warms, Baby Bear discovers blue birds, red strawberries, orange butterflies, and other colorful things in nature.

Play this book by Jessica Young
Illustrations and simple, rhyming text invite the reader to try various instruments and join a band.