The best books for toddlers that maybe you haven’t heard of!

The best books for toddlers that you might not have heard of! A growing list of unique books that are age appropriate, educational and engaging. Great books to add to your home library that you and your little one with BOTH enjoy reading!

As a former teacher, we have a LOT of books in our house. I have books from my classroom library, books that we’ve checked out from our public library as well as books that I have purchased. With all of these books, we have read a LOT of duds. You know those books that just make you cringe reading them? Or maybe are just completely over your little ones head? Yeah, there are a lot of them out there.

Despite all of the duds, I have a found a few REALLY great books. These books have an appropriate amount of text for toddlers, are engaging, and several of them introduce concepts such as the alphabet, colors, different cultures, animals, etc. I am very intentional with the books that I bring into our home, but we have either purchased all of these books or will be buying them as Christmas gifts because they are THAT good. Whether you buy these or check them out at your local library they are some great reads for your toddler or preschooler!

Farmyard Beat: Lindsey Craig

I seriously think that this is Henry’s ALL TIME favorite book. It has animals and a catchy beat, what more could a toddler ask for?! After reading this no less than 100 times in a few weeks, this was an obvious must buy for us.

Baby Bear Sees Blue: Ashley Wolff

This is such a sweet book to introduce colors to your little one. I loved the illustrations and that it combined a story with teaching about different colors.

A B See: Elizabeth Doyle

This is the most beautiful alphabet book! Each page has a letter with pictures hidden within that letter for your little one to seek and find. A fun, no pressure introductions to letters and phonics that they will love for years!

The Big Red Barn

This is probably one of the more popular books on this list, but if by chance you haven’t read it to your little yet, defintley check it out! It tells a simple story of the animals day on the farm, but Henry loves it! My brother loved it when he was little too, I can still remember reading it to him over and over!

Everywhere Babies: Susan Meyers

An adorable book about all the many things that babies can do! I love that it depicts so many different types of families and parenting styles. Henry loved looking at all of the “babas”!

Car, Car, Truck, Jeep: Katrina Charman

This book is read/sang to the tune of “Baa Baa Black Sheep” but sings about different forms of transportation as well. Car car truck jeep, have you any fuel? Yes sir, yes sir, three tanks full. One for the red bus, one for the plane, one for the pilot in her jumbo jet plane. These types of books really engage Henry and this is another book that we read every day!

Arf! Buzz! Cluck! A Rather Noisy Alphabet: Eric Seltzer

If your little one loves animals and animal noises, they will be sure to love this one. The text is simple, “We arf, we buzz, we baah, we coo…” but there are just enough words for a wiggly toddler! Henry loves identifying the animals (Where is the sheep? etc) and looking at the bright illustrations!

All the World: Liz Scanlon

This is a poetic and beautifully illustrated book that follows a family from day to night, highlighting all of the important things in life, big and small. While the text is a little deeper than most children’s books, I think it is great to expose them to early on and the sing song text makes it enjoyable to read and listen to. It is a calming before nap or bed story!

Who Am I? Steve Jenkins

This is a great, simple nonfiction book for little ones. It gives clues and shows body parts for little ones to guess what animal will be revealed. While Henry obviously isn’t guessing the animals yet, this would be a great book to grow with!

Outside My Window: Linda Ashman

A look at many different cultures as seen outside children’s windows all over the world. I loved how many different cultures were represented in such a simple, tangible way for children.

Hello World! Dinosaurs

Henry loves all of the books in this series and has been drawn to them since he was little. I love that they introduce nonfiction concepts to littles in a fun and interesting way!

Bear Sees Colors: Karma Wilson

Another great concept picture book that engages children with colorful (and cute) illustrations while teaching them about colors.

The Seals on the Bus: Lenny Hort

A fun twist on the ever favorite “Wheels on the Bus” song. Instead of the classic actions, each verse shows a different animal getting on a bus and the different sounds they make. Henry loves the song as well as animals, so this book was a huge hit!

The Sun Shines Everywhere: Mary Ann Hoberman

This book is SO cute and I LOVE the Amazon description: “A celebration of all the different people and cultures under the sun.” The book discusses how the sun helps all living things, all over the world. It is a great introduction to a big concept in a cute way!

The Babies and Doggies Book: John & Molly

Babies and doggies are two of Henry’s favorite things! This book is a little more simplistic than the others, but loved just the same. It talks about all of the things that babies and dogs both do!

I plan on adding to this list as we continue to discover new books. Tap or over this image to Pin and save for later!