Good Books For Toddlers and Preschoolers

Even very young children love books. In fact, building a fondness for stories at an early age can build the foundations for a life-long love of reading.  Story time should always be part of the bedtime routine. It is both calming and bonding, and a relaxing end to the day for your child. But what books do toddlers like? There are so many on the shelves these days, that it can seem a little daunting.  Most good books for toddlers are heavily illustrated, which is good as toddlers use the pictures to help them understand and follow the story.  Some books for toddlers are written in prose, some are funny and some are cute with an important message.  Here is a guide to some of the best, all of which we have personally enjoyed:

The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler, is undoubtedly a modern day classic for preschool children. One of the best books around for two and three year olds, it tells the story of how a clever and quick witted mouse defeats all the other animals in the wood to avoid being eaten. Using a meeting with a made-up 'Gruffalo' - a huge, ugly and dangerous creature - to scare away predators, it suddenly comes to light that the Gruffalo is actually a real, living beast after all. Can the tiny mouse outwit the Gruffalo as well?

The fact that The Gruffalo is written entirely in catchy prose makes this book all the more appealing to young children. Its sequel, The Gruffalo's Child, is also a good follow-up.

A Squash and a Squeeze is another fun, rhyming book with a philosophical undertone. It is the story of an old woman unhappy with the size of her tiny house. To fix the problem, a wise old man advises her to take in her animals, one by one. This tale is funny and entertaining. The hen lays an egg on the rug; the cow dances on the table; the goat chews the curtains and the pig ends up raiding the larder. However, at the very core of the story is a wonderful lesson in perspective - as the house begins to feel ever smaller with the introduction of each animal, the old man suddenly instructs her to take them all out again. Suddenly, the house is as 'big as can be' - in the old woman's mind, it is no longer small at all.

 Mutt Dog is a simple and heartwarming story about a stray dog who has nowhere to live and no one to love him.  He eats from bins, sleeps on the street and when it rains he has nowhere to shelter.  Until, that is, a kind lady takes him home and introduces him to his new family.  In his first ever home, Mutt Dog finds love, laughter, fun and cuddles - and finally belongs.

Written by Stephen Michael King, Mutt Dog is a wonderful book which teaches small children the fundamentals of kindness and caring.

 Daisy and the Egg is just one of a series of books about a yellow duck called Daisy.  In this story, Daisy experiences the birth of her little brother, Pip.  After much anticipation, Pip finally hatches, cracking the little egg with his tiny beak.  Even when it seemed as if the egg would never hatch (even though Daisy's auntie's eggs had hatched ages ago), Daisy never gives up hoping and protecting her mama's precious egg.

A simply told, yet beautiful story.

Gerald is a giraffe who just can't dance. Of course he can't, his legs are so long and bandy - whenever he tries his legs just get all muddled up. The other animals just laugh at him, but as they all shine at the Africa dancing competition, Gerald's lack of talent only makes him feel even more alone.

Another story written in rhyming prose, Gerald's savior arrive in the form of a cricket. He shows Gerald a new way to dance, by listening to the swaying trees. "Sometimes when you're different, you just need a different song," are the wise cricket's words.

Giraffes Can't Dance, by Giles Andreae, is a lesson for life - there's nothing wrong with being different.

Indeed, what is in the witch's kitchen? Is it lollipops or rabbit plops? Popcorn or frogspawn? Written and illustrated by Nick Sharratt, What's in the Witch's Kitchen has to be one of the most fun and entertaining books available for young children. This is a lift the flap book, with not one but two hidden surprises on each page. Look inside the witch's oven, her washing machine, her cupboards....inside each, your child will find something nice, and then something nasty! You even get to meet the witch herself at the end of the book!  Every small child should read this.

The Very Lazy Ladybird is all about a ladybird who doesn't know how to fly. And she can't fly because she is just too lazy. Instead of learning how to fly, this ladybird prefers to sleep. She gets about by getting all the passing animals (kangaroo, bear, monkey etc.) to give her a ride. Something is always wrong, however....the kangaroo is too bumpy, the monkey makes her dizzy and the bear spends all his time scratching. However, the Ladybird's problems are solved when an encounter with one of the animals gets her flying at last!

This is a lovely story with simple pictures - perfect for two-year-olds.

By the authors of The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom is another great book.  Again, it is written in prose and the words just flow to capture the attention of the listener.  Room on the Broom is about a witch (a very nice witch) and her cat, who keep losing things when flying on the broom.  Down they go, to search for the missing items.  Each time they land, they encounter a new character  - a dog, a bird and a frog - who all want to know if there is 'room on the broom' for anyone else.  When the witch finds herself in danger of being eating by a nasty dragon, her newfound friends unite in their loyalty to save her.

A great book, one which will be read again and again. 

 Q Pootle 5, by Nick Butterworth, is such a fantastic book for a preschooler.  The story centers around a green alien called Q Pootle 5 who is on his way to his friend's party on the moon.  The story starts as he crashes his spaceship, due to a fautly rocket booster.  He calls on the help of several 'earthlings' to help him fix it - a frog, three birds (to no avail) and finally a cat.  Eventually the rocket booster is replaced and the rocket is set to go.  The story ends with a large fold-out picture of Q Pootle and his friends enjoying the party on the moon.

This is a lovely story (I can vouch that we borrowed this from the library and my son did not want to take it back).  It is an imaginative story about a green alien, but also about helping others. 

Q Pootle 5 in Space is a follow-up to Q Pootle.

The tales of Hairy Maclary is an excellent series for entertaining small children from around two and a half upwards. Hairy Maclary is a scruffy black dog with several canine friends, who endures many escapades and adventures. The books are written in rhyme and are both great fun and endearing. Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy is the first of these books by Lynley Dodd.

 I hope this article has been helpful with selecting a book for your child!