Top Books for Toddlers: Must-Reads for Early Development

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

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As a former elementary school teacher, I know that reading is one of the best ways to support my toddlers development. Children can gain so much from being read to, including cognitive development, language skills, increased imagination and creativity, and improved concentration and memory. Read more about the benefits of reading aloud here. This list includes my top 10 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 he had ever heard. The only problem was, he didn’t exactly go to bed when we were done reading. 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 to him. Sometimes, he will even take a book and quietly go “read” on his own for awhile. Examining every picture, he points to objects he recognizes and tries to say the name.

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!

What kinds of books for toddlers are best?

-I always try to purchase the board book version of books so I don’t have to worry about my toddler tearing the pages. Books with lots of pictures and simple stories with easy to understand vocabulary are best. Books for toddlers are usually shorter with fewer words so the child stays engaged for the whole story.

How often should I read to my toddler?

-Reading aloud to your toddler everyday is important. 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.

Is reading actually better than screentime?

-Yes! Reading actively stimulates the brain whereas passively watching something does not. The process of decoding words and processing language helps the brain grow. There even was a study done in 2018 that found that reading an actual book is better for comprehension than reading on a tablet or other device.

These are the books that will make your toddler fall in love with reading.

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

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. He loves this book so much that we are making his 2nd birthday party theme The Very Hungry Caterpillar (here’s what we did for his party!). Plus, the language is fun and easy for toddlers to understand, making it enjoyable for adults to read aloud as well.

2. Hop on Pop

Hop on Pop 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.

3. Learn to Talk

This book is truly amazing. Written by a speech-language pathologist, it’s designed to help kids learn to talk. 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!

4. First 100 Words

This book is filled with colorful pictures that accompany each word, making every page engaging and interesting for young readers. 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, he is saying some of the words too!

This author has written other similar books for toddlers with simple words and pictures, those are great as well!

5. Dear Zoo

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. When we read together, he loves making the animal noises. This book also helps familiarize kids with animals they may not encounter in everyday life.

6. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

The letters on every page, along with their names being part of the story, provide a great introduction to the alphabet for young kids. 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!

7. Dog by Matthew Van Fleet

My son is obsessed with dogs. We hear a dog bark in the neighbors yard and this 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. On the very 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!

8. Goodnight Moon

As I mentioned above, this is the first bedtime book we read with my son at just one month old. 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.

9. Goodnight Little Blue Truck

At 18 months old, this book replaced Goodnight Moon for 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. One of my favorite things about this book are the illustrations, they are rich in color and beautifully done. This is a great book for kids as they transition to story books 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!

10. Around the Farm

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 animals 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.

11. Baby University ABC’s Board Book Set

The Baby University ABC’s set introduces toddlers to complex STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) topics in simple terms. This STEM book set gives a word for each letter of the alphabet within the topic it is addressing. For example, in the ABC’s of Space book, A is for Asteroid gives an explanation of what an asteroid is, along with a picture. These books teach the adult reading too! This book set is a great addition to any toddler’s library, and can be especially helpful when starting homeschooling with young kids.

Happy reading!