The Best Books for 3-Year-Olds

This list of preschool books includes read-alouds that will build language skills, introduce letters and numbers, develop emotional development, and delight and entertain.  Check out some of the best books for 3-year-olds.

As you look through the list, you’ll notice that I marked my oldest son’s favorites when he was three. His desire for humorous books really blossomed that year. In fact, he turned into quite the little joketeller. However, he was still a well-rounded reader (listener) and enjoyed many classics too.

Best of the Best Books for 3-Year-Olds

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When looking for “the best” books for 3 year-olds, here are few things to keep in mind.

• Seek books that will engage and delight.
• Look for books that will help children explore the world around them.
• Find books that can also build language and basic concept skills.
• Picture books with short paragraphs or a few lines of text are great for this age.
• Some 3 year-olds are ready for short early reader chapter books with lots of picture support.

Don’t miss the printable book list below.  It has the titles of all the books I share in this post that you can take to the library.

Books to Help Three-Year-Olds Develop Language Skills and Basic Concepts

Really any picture book will help develop language skills in preschoolers.  Stopping to discuss the story and describe the pictures are opportunities for wonderful back and forth conversation with young children.  And, you are building vocabulary.

I’ve also included some books that are great for building basic concepts such as letter and number recognition too.

Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas was solely responsible for igniting the desire to want to rhyme with my kids.  I love it when a book encourages pre-reading phonemic awareness skills.  Get ready for your little one to rhyme all the time! (One of My Son’s Favorites)

Speaking of rhymes, Truckery Rhymes by Jon Scieszka is a super fun book.  Traditional rhymes meet trucks is what you will find.  For example, instead of “Pop Goes the Weasel” it’s “Pop Goes the Deisel”. My son recited these rhymes all hours of the day. (One of My Son’s Favorites)

Count forward and backward while you Fish, Swish! Splash, Dash! in The Deep, Deep Puddle by Mary Jessie Parker.

Ten Blocks to the Big Wok: A Chinatown Counting Book by Ying-Hwa Hu is the story of a child and her uncle who are on their way to a restaurant. Along the way, Mia counts all the sights to see from one panda to red lanterns as they travel ten blocks. At the restaurant, they order ten soup dumplings to two egg tarts to one special dish to share with someone when they leave. (bilingual English/Mandarian)

Books That Entertain and Delight 3-Year-Olds

These books make great books for gift-giving. 

My son loved every book we got by Karma Wilson.  It’s hard to pick just one favorite, but he decided it should be Bear Says Thanks.  Runner-ups included Horseplay, Hogwash,The Cow Loves Cookies. (One of My Son’s Favorites)

Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke is an award-winning book. It is the story of a mother and her baby who visit a market in South West Nigeria. While Mama shops, different sellers give the adorable baby different foods to sample and keep. Baby fills Mama’s basket with lots of extra market samples. It’s not until the end of the story that Mama discovers her heavy load.

Check out the Book Dive I created to go with this book.—> Baby Goes to Market Book Dive

Another popular and humorous author for this age group is Mo Willems.  The Elephant & Piggie books are fantastic and will be some of the first books that your soon-to-be reader will clamor for.  In the meantime, they make great read-alouds.  Our all-time favorite was There is a Bird On Your Head! (One of My Son’s Favorites)

Mister Kitty is Lost! by Greg Pizzoli invites the listener right into the story to help a girl and dog find her missing kitty.  Along the way, she describes the kitty as having 5 yellow spots, 4 orange paws, and on to 1 pink nose.  In the end, we are surprised to find a much larger kitty than we were expecting.

I have some activities to do with this book too.—> Mister Kitty is Lost! Book Activities

Give Me Back My Bones by Kim Norman is packed with fun learning and is an entertaining read for Talk Like a Pirate Day or any day of the year. Plus, the dust jacket turns into a poster.

In Xander’s Panda Party by Linda Sue Park decides to throw a panda party at the zoo.  But, he is the only panda at the zoo so he decides to invite all the bears.  When the koala bear informs him that she is a marsupial not a bear, Xander ponders what to do.  He decides to expand his guest list and before he knows it, all the animals are invited to the party.  Xander is even more delighted when a special guest arrives at the last minute to his party. (One of My Son’s Favorites)

Books for Learning About Emotions for 3 Year-Olds

I have a whole list books dedicated to the topic of feelings and emotions for preschoolers.—> 27 Books About Feelings and Emotions for Preschool

Here are just a few of my favorites below.

Nothing says summer like the pool. Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall is the story of a little boy finding the courage to take his first jump off the diving board. His supportive family helps him find the moment that is just right for him.

And, enjoy using these activities to go with the book.—> Jabari Jumps Book Activities

Mel Fell by Corey Tabor is the story of a young kingfisher who is determined that today is the day that she will learn to fly. ⁣The thing is that we don’t always have immediate success when we try something new. ⁣That is okay. In fact, it is perfectly normal for there to be bumps along the way. ⁣Keep your confidence and don’t give up. ⁣

Many times colors are associated with feelings such as yellow for happy and blue for sadness. The Color Monster: A Story About Emotions by Anna Llenas helps a jumbled monster sort out his feelings and understand each one better. This book is also available in a pop-up version which is pretty cool.

Classics and Well-Loved Books for 3-Year-Olds

Here are some well-loved characters, classics, and future classics to enjoy with the kids.

Pete the Cat is a beloved character of 3 year-olds. In Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party by Kimberly & James Dean, Pete is having a pizza party and wants the guests to have a perfect pizza. What ingredients would make the perfect pizza? Perhaps ingredients that start with the letter p.

Also, grab the literacy activities I created to go with the book too.—> Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party Book Activities

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey is a delight to read each time. A pair of ducks search for the perfect spot to build a nest.  They find a place they love, but it isn’t conducive to building a nest. After the ducklings hatch, they return to that desired location to live. (One of My Son’s Favorites)

We read The Little Red Henby Paul Galdone countless times.  We also enjoyed spinoffs of the book such as Cook-a-Doodle-Doo and The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza. (One of My Son’s Favorites)

Another favorite classic is Katy and the Big Snow as well as Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel both by Virginia Lee Burton.  In Katy and the Big Snow, Katy is called on, after a large snowstorm, to clear the roads in the town.  It’s a tough job, but Katy works day and night to get the job done. (One of My Son’s Favorites)

Oh, The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Carl Ottolenghi has inspired so many fun literacy activities.  Almost every time we go to the playground my kids want to act out the story on the bridge.  The book also inspired us to make this storytelling sensory bin and wood block props. (One of My Son’s Favorites)

Enjoy these Three Billy Goats Gruff Book Activities too.

Saturday by Oge Mora is the story of a young girl and her mother who only get Saturdays to spend the whole day together so they like to plan special things to do with each other. However, on this particular Saturday, it seems like their plans are going to be spoiled. But, we discover that as long as they get to be with each other that is all that matters.⁣

Graphic Novels and Early Reader Books to Read-Aloud to 3-Year-Olds

As your 3-year-olds near four, they might be ready to listen to early reader chapter books and graphic novels with lots of picture support.  Here are a few favorites in the category.

One of the neat things about graphic novels is that kids know who is talking because of the speech bubbles. Baloney and Friends by Greg Pizzoli not only use speech bubbles but they are color-coded based on who is speaking.  Baloney is our main character with three friends- Peanut, Bizz, and Krabbit.  In fact, the first part of the book is all about introducing us to the characters. There are three stories in the book sandwiched with mini-comics.

Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo is a series of stories starring a buttered-toast-loving pig.  In the first book,Mercy Watson to the Rescue, we learn all about her personality and get a taste of all the hijinks she is involved in.

Printable List of Best Books for a 3-Year-Olds

Grab a printable list of the books shared above.  Just click the “get your printable” button below to download.

For more favorite books for children by age, check out my other lists too.

Favorite Books for Babies (0-1)

Favorite Books for 1-2 Year-Olds

Favorite Books for 2-3 Year-Olds

Favorite Books for 4 Year-Olds

*This post first appeared 11/3/14 and has since been updated.