Best Books for Toddlers: Must-Reads for Early Development

These books for toddlers made my child fall in love with reading.

As a former elementary school teacher, I know that reading is one of the best ways to support my toddler’s development. Children can gain so much from being read to, including cognitive development, language skills, increased imagination and creativity, and improved concentration and memory ¹. This list includes the best books for toddlers, tested and approved by my son.

The first time my husband and I read a book to my son before bed will always be a sweet memory. He was about a month old, and we decided to read him Goodnight Moon. He was enthralled! Every page held his attention, he was hanging on every word. This was it. The greatest book that has ever existed. The only problem was, he didn’t exactly go to bed when the book was finished. He was so excited about the book that he stayed awake for hours afterwards! It was in this moment that I knew a reader had been born.

Sure enough, ever since that first book, he has loved reading! He is constantly bringing us books to read aloud. Sometimes, he will even take a book and quietly go “read” on his own for a while. Examining every picture, he points to objects he recognizes and tries to say their names.

Through books, he has learned many new words and word combinations that we wouldn’t have used otherwise. Reading has been one of the most important things in my child’s development and will be in yours too. Finding the right books for your toddler can seem daunting, I’m here to help!

How Do I Choose The Best Books for My Toddler?

With so many options for children’s picture books, it can be hard to know which ones to choose. I always look for these things when I pick books for my kids:

-Bright illustrations

-Easy to understand language

-An engaging storyline

-Meaningful content

This simple checklist helps me pick great books for my toddlers.

How Often Should I Read Aloud to My Toddler?

Read aloud to your toddler every day. I always read with my toddler and baby before naps and bedtime. My toddler often brings me books to read throughout the day as well. There can never be too much reading when it comes to helping your child’s development.

“Reading aloud to your child every day (yes, even when they’re little tiny babies) is one of the single most important things you can do to help them grow their listening, talking, and reading skills.” ²

Is Reading Better Than Screen Time?

Yes! Here’s why:

-Babies who are exposed to language reach milestones sooner (first words!). That means, when we read to our little ones, they are absorbing more words than if we just talk to them. The TV can be a distraction and slow down language development, even if it’s on in the background ³.

-Reading encourages imagination more than TV does ⁴.

-Kids who read score better on cognitive tests ⁵.

-Reading develops awareness, social skills, and emotional development ⁵.

-Reading a book is more calming for kids than looking at a screen or watching TV ⁵.

The Best Toddler Books

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The colorful illustrations draw toddlers into the adventures of the caterpillar. My son loves pointing to all the food and laughing at the caterpillar eating it all. This is one of his favorite books. He loves this book so much that we are making it his 2nd birthday party theme (here’s what we did for his party!). The language is fun and easy for toddlers to understand, making it an enjoyable board book for adults to read aloud.

Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss

Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss is a new favorite of my son’s. It’s the first book he has asked for by name! He’s picking up on many of the silly word combinations, which is helping him learn and pronounce new words. Most of the combinations in this book aren’t ones we use in everyday conversation, encouraging toddlers to expand their vocabulary.

Learn to Talk by Stephanie Cohen

This book is truly amazing. Written by a speech-language pathologist, it’s designed to help with language development in toddlers. The interactive format encourages adults to engage with the child, allowing toddlers to watch how new words are formed. Through repetition and observation, they learn to speak. My son loves this book; we’ve read it so many times that he now sits and ‘reads’ the words on his own!

First 100 Words by Roger Priddy

This book is filled with beautiful images that accompany each word, making every page engaging and interesting for even the youngest children. As children grow, they start to notice different words and practice saying them. My 12-month-old loved the book just for the pictures, but now that he is almost 2, these are some of his first words!

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

This lift-the-flap book is a favorite for discovering all the animals. It’s perfect for car rides because my son can lift the flaps and find the animals on his own. Flap books are engaging for kids because there is something for them to do on every page. When we read together, he loves making the animal noises too. This book helps familiarize kids with wild animals they may not encounter in everyday life, like giraffes and monkeys.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

The letters on every page, along with their names being part of the story, provide a great introduction to the alphabet for young kids. Older children enjoy the story for the fun rhyming and plot. My son loves it when all the letters fall off the tree. While the illustrations don’t vary much, the rhythm of the story keeps him engaged. He adores this book, which he lovingly refers to as ‘Boom Boom!

Dog by Matthew Van Fleet

My son is obsessed with dogs. We hear a dog bark in the neighbor’s yard, and that is all we talk about for the next hour.

This book is perfect! Every page features different kinds of dogs, and the pull tabs are fun for my 1-year-old to push and pull to see what the dogs will do. This is also great for strengthening his fine motor skills. On the last page, there’s a surprise in the tree—a cat! It makes my son laugh every time. This is a must-have if your child loves dogs as much as mine does!

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

As I mentioned above, this is the first bedtime book we read with my son at just one month old. It is perfect for even the youngest readers. We read it every night for over a year with him. It signaled to his brain that it was time for sleep, and this is exactly what two tired parents need. The rhythm of the words and the colors in the pictures have a soothing effect that helps both the reader and child wind down. This is a well-loved classic for a reason.

Goodnight Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

At 18 months old, this book replaced Goodnight Moon as my son’s bedtime book preference. The adventures of Little Blue Truck and his friends as they go to bed are entertaining for both the toddler and adult reader. The farm animals gather together for safety with Little Blue Truck during a storm, then return home for bed once it’s over. One of my favorite things about this book is the bright illustrations, which are rich in color and beautifully done. This is a great book for kids as they transition to storybooks before bed.

There are other Little Blue Truck books for toddlers that many young readers enjoy as well. Try them all and let me know which one your child likes best!

Around the Farm by Eric Carle

Around the Farm uses a combination of Eric Carle’s illustrations from his other books. The panel on the right has all the animal sounds. One of the things I like about this book is that when the button is pressed for the animal sound, it also says the animal’s name. This has helped my son learn the names of new animals in combination with the sounds they make. He especially enjoys seeing his favorite creatures from other books, particularly the caterpillar from The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle

Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see book cover

This classic book is a fun way to introduce toddlers and babies to animals. Each page has a different animal, until it gets to the final pages with people on them. Using rhyme and repetition, kids are exposed to new language concepts. My son loves this book and thinks the teacher and students are hilarious at the end of the story.

Final Thoughts

Books have a beautiful way of shaping our children’s earliest experiences. From cuddles before bed to reading the same book for the hundredth time, these moments are the building blocks of your toddler’s development.

The books we choose for our toddlers and babies matter. Each book has the potential to spark imagination, encourage language development, and lay the foundation for a lifelong love of reading. The titles I shared in this list are more than just books, they are opportunities to grow closer to your child while supporting their development.

So, whether you are collecting books for your future child’s library or just looking to add a few new favorites, I hope you find these books to be as near and dear to your whole family as they are to mine.

Happy reading, mama! You’re doing a great job!