Favorite Books for Toddlers

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I am Neyssa Lee a Seattle area photographer, mom of 6, planning obsessed, and who help you see the beauty, love and joy, in your own family’s chaos. I also use my super power of time management to help fellow photographers take control of their businesses. Learn more by heading to my ABOUT ME page.

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Hi, I'm Neyssa

When it comes to favorite books for toddlers, they love repetition. Chances are you’re reading the same books over and over and over (and over) again, so why wouldn’t you want books you enjoy, too?

The books on this list have been enjoyed by all of my kids. We love books for our toddlers that are great for bedtime and for learning, so I’m including a mix of those books. I also like books that are a little shorter for the toddler age as their attention span is shorter (and not finishing a book drives me crazy!).

Here are my top recommendations of our favorite books for toddlers.

siblings reading toddler books together

Complete Book of Farmyard Tales – Heather Amery; Usborne Books

My mom and I first discovered the magic of Usborne books at a small local fair. She bought us the Complete Books of Farm Tales and our love for the company grew from there. Our copy of this book has seen better days, but that just means it has been read many many times by four kids. 

Of all of our favorite books for toddlers, this one was the top hit with each of my children.

Why do I love this book? There are a ton of stories featuring the same characters and each story is relatively short. The kids get to know the main characters and can even help “read” the first page as it is the same for each story. It is also a duel reader. Meaning you can read the full story, the top lines or just the bottom lines. Beginning readers can start to read it, while keeping an interesting story. The illustrations are also adorable with each page featuring a hidden little duck for kids to find (another thing that entertains toddlers).

The Going to Bed BookSandra Boynton

You really cannot go wrong with any book by Sandra Boynton. Her stories are adorable, short, and entertaining for young readers. There’s a story for every occasion, from bed time to birthdays, one for dancing, and even one about belly buttons (Belly Button Book is a favorite book for my toddlers and big kids, alike).

But when it comes to bed time, we love a book that helps build routine around going to bed. The Going to Bed Book was so popular with my oldest child that it had to be replaced!

Goodnight Construction Site – Sherri Duskey Rinker

For your truck loving toddler (or preschooler), this book is a great little story. There are beautiful illustrations, great rhymes (I hate when a book’s rhymes are a bit of a stretch), and a fun story of a construction site going to bed. There was a time when I could recite “Goodnight Construction Site” by heart.

Another favorite in this series is “Steam Train, Dream Train.”

Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Going to Sleep – Michael Sampson

Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Going to Sleep” was a book my oldest daughter checked out from the library 15 times before we finally purchased it. She LOVED this book featuring a cute little kitty going through bedtime routine. The story has cute little rhymes as you follow a kitten from play time to bed time.

I’m a Hungry Dinosaur – Janeen Brian & Ann James

My kids were never into dinosaurs. However, this cute story about a hungry dino features fun rhymes, repetition, and baking a cake. We received this book as a gift and it became a fast favorite of my toddlers. I’m a Hungry Dinosaur is second in the series and also “I’m a Dirty Dinosaur” in case your kids love it.

Usborne Very First ABC – (Now Called “Fingertrail ABC”)

We have had a ton of ABC books and this one is a favorite. The illustrations are adorable and the book is simple and clean. This book has been updated and is now Fingertrail ABC and it looks just as cute, if not cuter.

The Usborne Big Book of Colors – Usborne

I found “The Big Book of Colors” in an effort to show my daughter how many more colors than just pink and purple. My kids and I have spent hours pouring over the beautiful pages! Not only does it feature the most popular colors, but shades of every color and items of each color. In true Usborne fashion, this book also teaches lightly about the color wheel and how colors can change when mixed.

As I was working on this list I realized how many books we love, and how much we love books! If I had to pick two favorites that all of my kids loved, it would be the Complete Book of Farmyard Tales, and The Going to Bed Book.

Do your kids have favorite books as toddlers? Do your kids love any of these I shared above? Leave them in the comments below!

Whether you’re shopping for your own kids, buying for a friend or a grandchild, I hope you find this list of favorites helpful! Looking for more ideas, reach out with the button below. I’d love to help!

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*Please note. This page contains affiliate links which do not affect your cost but gives my family a small commission (which helps us to add to our book library!). I appreciate your using the links if you purchase a book I recommended.

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