• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Feels Like Home™ logo

  • Shop
    • Christianity Downloads
    • Family Downloads
    • Food & Cooking Downloads
    • Hobbies & Crafts Downloads
    • Learning Downloads
  • Blog
  • Family
    • Parenting
    • Holidays & Celebrations
    • Marriage
    • Kids activities
      • Kids Crafts
      • Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers
      • Christmas Crafts for Kids
      • Christmas Crafts for Tweens & Teens
    • Learning
      • Reading & Writing
      • STEM
  • Faith
    • Bible Study
    • Encouragement
  • Recipes
    • Comfort Food
    • Eating after Bariatric Surgery
    • Gluten-Free
    • Recipes for Foodie Kids
    • Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals
  • Health
    • Mental Health
      • Hobbies & Crafts
      • Self-Care
    • Physical Health
      • Bariatric Surgery
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • SHOP
  • RECIPES
  • FAMILY
  • FAITH
  • HEALTH
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    See More:   Family Learning Parenting Preschoolers Reading & Writing

    Last Modified: May 26, 2022 by Tara Ziegmont 4 Comments

    25 Best Books for 2- and 3-year-olds and Other Preschoolers

    2FacebookMessenger1kPinterestTwitterWhatsAppEmail
    1k
    SHARES

    25 Best books for 2 and 3 year olds and preschoolers - These learning books are great for boys and girls at home or in the classroom. Teaching kids life lessons in a fun way, many great ideas for read alouds. Awesome reading list for young children.

    PIN IT FOR LATER!

    a collage of 3 year olds reading a book

    Grace loves to read.

    Actually, that's not true. Grace hates to read, but she loves to be read to.

    Whenever I tell her to read her book, she cries and says, But I don't know the words! and then the whole thing goes south.

    Quickly.

    It may or may not have started to change, though. We've discovered some "ready to read" books that exchange some of the words for pictures.

    Anyway, Grace would be happy to sit on the couch all day long and listen to books, so we spend quite a bit of time there, cuddling and reading. These are her favorites:

    25 Favorite Picture Books for 3-Year-Olds

    1. A picture book coverPinFancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor

      Fancy Nancy is by far my favorite book of the moment. I love that she teaches Grace new words in a cool, fun way. Plus, I'm pretty sure that Fancy Nancy is written about me.
      I'm just saying.

    2. A picture book cover for 3 year oldsPinPinkalicious by Elizabeth Kann

      "You get what you get and you don't get upset."
      Since we've started reading Pinkalicious, Grace says that line from the book a lot. The book is about a little girl who loves pink... a lot like the little girl at my house.

    3. A book cover for 3 year oldsPinWhen You Were Inside Mommy by Joanna Cole

      We like to call this The Uterus Book. Especially with our impending arrival, we read this one a lot. It's not really about a new baby, though, it's about when your small child was in Momma's tummy. Really well done. I also recommend Joanna Cole's I'm a Big Brother and I'm a Big Sister books. They're quite nice. Grace likes to read them, too.

    4. A close up of a book coverThe Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

      Any book where the girl saves the boy from certain death is always welcome in my house. I love this book. Love it! I also like the reading I saved from Robert Munsch's website. A lot of his books are on there.

    5. A book coverI'll Always Be Your Friend by Sam McBratney

      This one is, sadly, out of print now, but you can still get a copy second hand. It's about a baby fox who doesn't want to come home with his mother at dusk. That is, of course, until he gets scared by an owl. It's a great story about unconditional love, and it always leads to great talks between Grace and I. Things like "Do you still love me when I throw a fit?" and "Do you love me when I'm mad?"

    6. A book coverPriscilla and the Pink Planet by Nathaniel Hobbie

      Another book about girlie pink things. In this one, Priscilla is totally sick of the color pink, and she goes looking for some other color.

    7. A book coverBear Snores On and Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson

      These are part of a wonderful series of books featuring a bear and his friends. Mostly, though, they talk about feelings and situations like being scared and left out and greedy. They're also written in a wonderful rhyme which makes them a pleasure to read.

    8. A book coverPinChicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr.

      This is a classic, right? The whole alphabet climbs up a coconut tree and topples it over. Grace recites lines from this one, too.

    9. A book coverPinMouse Cookies & More: A Treasury by Laura Numeroff

      This treasury contains four of the "If You Give a..." stories, together with recipes and activities. Grace loves the silly stories. I like them, too, but I never get away with reading just one. If she opens the book, I'm stuck for all four!

    10. A book coverWhere the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendek

      I thought this would scare Grace, so I held off on reading it to her until she found it a month or so ago. In the weeks since, it's become one of her favorites. She likes that the little boy becomes the leader of the gang.
      Grace also likes how they gnash their terrible teeth and showed their terrible claws. So much that she gnashes her terrible teeth and shows her terrible claws. For a kid as fearful as Gracie, that makes me happy beyond words.

    11. A book coverPinDougal, the Garbage Dump Bear by Matt Dray

      This is a sweet, sweet story about a shabby old bear who gets thrown in the trash. Joe and I both love to read it. Usually to Grace, but sometimes on our own. This one would be especially interesting to little boys because there are big machines in it, but don't count it out for girls who will love the lovely story of redemption.

    12. A book coverPinUnique Monique by Maria Rousaka

      Monique is a little girl who wears a uniform to school. She hates looking like everyone else, but her school won't allow her to wear fancy hats or hair accessories. It's a fun story about being your own person.

    13. A book coverPinThe Usborne Book of Fairy Tales by Heather Amery

      This is Grace's go-to book for bedtime. She likes Joe to read a story or two from it every night. The stories are short and sparse on details, so it's perfect for nighttime.

    14. preschool booksPinOne Hand, Two Hands

      I received this book from a Tommy Nelson representative at the Relevant Conference. It was instantly one of Grace's favorites. She loves the sing-songy cadence, and she loves acting out the motions described in the book. We wave our hands, clap our hands, count our fingers, and make reading this book into play time. It's a fun one.

    15. A book coverPinFrog and Toad Are Friends

      Joe and I both had the Frog and Toad books when we were little, and that makes sharing the stories with Grace even cooler. I remember reading these stories to my little sister when I learned to read. We'll be collecting more Frog and Toad stories as the months go by.

    16. A book coverPinMy First Study Bible

      This book is less Bible and more Bible stories, which is perfectly okay with us. The stories are short, and each and every book of the Bible is represented (even if it's just as kid-friendly summary). Grace asks me to read to her from this book often.

    17. A book coverPinStrawberry Shortcake at Ballet School

      This is one of those really inexpensive "I Can Read" books. Grace isn't reading at this level yet, but she really likes me to read it to her. I like the premise of this one, which is that one of Strawberry's friends has trouble learning the dance moves, but she practices and works hard and figures it out. This book takes all of two minutes to read.

    18. A book coverPinFancy Nancy: Pajama Day

      Poor Fancy Nancy decides to wear a fancy nightgown on pajama day, and she ends up feeling left out. Grace asks to read this book over and over again, and I think it's because it's the only book we have where the character experiences sadness and frustration. No one is picking on her; she's excluded because of the choices she made. The end is happy, though, and Nancy gets a chance to change her clothes and fit in again.

    19. A book coverPinJesse Bear, What Will You Wear?

      We borrowed this one from the library, and Grace really liked it. The story is repetitive and sing-songy. Grace liked that the book follows Jesse through each part of his day, from getting dressed in the morning to going to bed at night.

    20. A book coverPinClick, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type and Click, Clack, Splish, Splash

      Click, Clack, Moo has long been my favorite children's book. Before Grace was even born, another Mom in the book store told me that I had to read it. I found it, and I fell in love. The farm animals (especially Duck) torments Farmer Brown mercilessly.
      Grace likes all of the stories; they're silly enough that she recognizes the kookiness. In one story, Duck runs for farmer. In another, the animals participate in a talent show. In another, Duck outsmarts the substitute farmer while Farmer Brown is on vacation. They're all silly, funny stories.
      Click, Clack, Splish, Splash is a counting book where Duck and his animal friends rescue the goldfish from Farmer Brown's fish tank and give them freedom in the farm's pond.
      I thought we had all of the books in the series until today, when I discovered A Busy Day at the Farm. It will be under our Christmas tree this year.

    21. A book coverMadeline

      Madeline is a little girl in Paris, which makes me like her instantly. She's a little mischievous, too, which totally sweetens the deal for me. In this story, Madeline has to go to the hospital to have her appendix out.
      I don't remember reading Madeline when I was little, but I think I must have since it was written in 1940. Like many of the books above, Grace likes the sing-songy cadence in this story. I like reading it, too, and I can't say that for all of the books that she requests.

    22. A book coverPinThe Random House Book of Bedtime Stories

      Grace and Joe read stories every night at bedtime, but they don't like to read single story books. I can't explain it. They prefer anthologies (and they don't like to repeat stories, which has me searching the library's catalog and Amazon just about every other week).
      Joe likes this particular collection because most of the stories are classics, but a few are lesser known (but just as timeless). It's perfect for bedtime because none of the stories are scary or violent, even though they are based on fairy tales. They're also all free of commercial characters, so they require Grace to use her imagination as opposed to remembering something she saw in a movie.

    23. A book coverPinAngelina Ballerina's Big Performance Collection

      This is another of Grace's favorite bedtime story collections. I got this one because it has a story about Angelina and her baby sister. After reading it the first time, I was hesitant; Angelina is very jealous of the new baby. That's probably realistic, though, and she does come around in the end.
      Joe told me this morning that Grace has asked for an Angelina story most every night since this book arrived.

    24. A book coverKnuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

      You know what happens when Daddy is in charge, right? Everything falls apart. (Not really, of course.) This is a great book about communicating, understanding, and frustration. There are a couple more Knuffle Bunny books; we love them all.

    25. A book coverPinNo, David!

      This book has very few words, but it gets the message across that momma loves you no matter how naughty you are. I love it.

    If you're looking for more great books for your little one, check out my list of 101 Best Picture Books for Kids. I guarantee you'll find some treasures there!

    What are your kids' favorite books right now?

    A collage of the best books for 2 and 3 year oldsPin

    a collage of young children reading a bookPin

    2FacebookMessenger1kPinterestTwitterWhatsAppEmail
    1k
    SHARES

    More Family

    • How to Make Astronaut Pudding
    • How to Dye Easter Eggs with Food Coloring
    • The Best 45+ Tween, Teen & Adult Games for Family Game Night
    • How to Introduce an Elf on the Shelf Plus 26 Creative & Fun Elf Ideas

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Betsy (Eco-novice) says

      August 06, 2010 at 5:34 am

      I also have a 3-year-old. We have a few in common with you (Donde Viven Los Monstruos -- Wild Things in Spanish read by Papi), James Marshall's versions of the fairy tales, And Here's to You, anything about vehicles. The favorites change a lot. We always have lots of books around -- I used to teach elementary and still have much of my old classroom library. I always love new book ideas. How come I can never get OpenID to work here??? http://www.eco-novice.blogspot.com

      Reply
    2. FeelsLikeHomeBlog says

      August 06, 2010 at 10:43 am

      I'm not sure. Maybe it's a Disqus problem?

      Reply
    3. Cara says

      August 09, 2010 at 12:41 pm

      Hi there! I popped over here from the Blog Hop, but I KNOW I've visited your blog before. What a great list of books for 3 year olds! I'm always looking for new books for my son who turns 3 in a few weeks. We love the "If You Give A..." books too! We have all of them! Other current favorites at our house: Make Way for Ducklings, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hatches an Egg, Curious George, and anything about trucks. Off to check out some of your other posts!

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tara.

    Harrisburg PA mom blogger Tara Ziegmont
    I am passionate about helping women to care for themselves and their families physically, emotionally, and spiritually by making time for what matters most through a combination of delectable recipes, Christian inspiration, and family fun. If you're tired of feeling so weary and uninspired, you're in the right place. I'm so glad you're here!
    Read more about me...

    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram LinkedIn email me subscribe

    Popular Recipes

    • Cheeseburger Soup from Taste of Home
    • Cracker Barrel Copycat Fried Apples
    • Sweet Balsamic Pork Roast in the Instant Pot
    • Couldn't Be Easier Cherry Pie

    Food with an Instant Pot in the background

    AS SEEN ON

    a list of the websites where Tara Ziegmont has been featured

    Popular Bible Studies

    • A Grateful Heart - 2 week printable study
    • 10 Bible Verses on Anger
    • 13 Bible Verses on Disappointment
    • 50 Bible Verses Every Christian Should Know
    • 10 Bible Verses to Overcome Worry

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions

    As seen on

    a list of the websites where Tara Ziegmont has been featured

    Contact Tara


    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy.

    Copyright © 2022 Feels Like Home Blog

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    SettingsAccept
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT