Recommended Book List for
the Young Child
Books are an important tool in enriching language development for the young child. At this stage of development the child craves information based on reality. A dog talking, or a mouse that drives a car (while adorable) can be highly confusing. This recommended reading list is compiled of books based on reality with beautiful illustrations, celebrating the rich diversity of our planet and representing all of humanity. And of course, books with plenty of opportunity to incite and expand conversations.
Click on the book title and it will take you straight to online ordering.
Most books are linked to Semicolon Bookstore and Gallery, a Black women-owned store in Chicago, Illinois and Mohagany Bookstore, an online bookstore for bestselling and classic African American books in Washington D.C.
There are some books linked to independent bookstores, The Tattered Cover in Denver, Colorado and Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon.
There are a couple of books linked to Amazon. These links will take you to Ashley Speed’s (Diamond Montessori) Amazon affiliate links.
Head to The Conscious Kid and Diamond Montessori’s book lists for more excellent recommendations - especially books geared towards the older-age child.
This list has been designed with the child from 1-3 years old in mind.
I hope you enjoy these books as much as I do! If you have a book you love and would like to see it on this list - reach out please. This recommended reading list will continue to grow and evolve.
animals | body scheme, routine & independence | community & family | emotions | food & gardening | insects | jobs & helpers | music | nature appreciation | seasons | transportation
ANIMALS
A Walk in the Forest, Maria Dek
Over In The Meadow, Ezra Jack Keats
Hello Sacred Creatures, Kim Krans
Lovely Beasts: The Surprising Truth, Kate Gardner
Rabbit, Magali Attiogbe
Squirrel, Magali Attiogbe
Owl, Magali Attiogbe
Birds & Colors, Phyllis Limbacher Tildes
Good Night Farm, Cooper Kelly and Adam Gamble
No Two Alike, Keith Baker
Big Red Barn, Margaret Wise Brown
Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?, Rita Gray
Grand Canyon National Park BABIES, Kim Buchheit
First the Egg, Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Traces, Paula Fox
Whistle for Willie, Ezra Jack Keats
Hush! A Thai Lullaby, Minfong Ho
Peek! A Thai Hide-and-Seek, Minfong Ho
Dinosaur Roar!, Paul and Henrietta Stickland
Midnight On The Farm, Stephen Eaton Hume
Stick, Steve Breen
Blackberry Banquet, Terry Pierce
Ocean Emporium, Susie Brooks
Africa Calling, Nighttime Falling, Daniel Adlerman
We’re Going On A Bear Hunt, Michael Rosen
Cookies Week, Cindy Ward
What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?, Steve Jenkins
Rumble in the Jungle, Giles Andreae
The Furry Animal Alphabet Book, Jerry Pollatta
The Story of Ferdinand, Munro Leaf
Caps For Sale, Esphyr Slobodkina
Slowly, Slowly, Slowly Said The Sloth, Eric Carle
BODY SCHEME, ROUTINES & INDEPENDENCE
Inside All, Margaret H. Mason
My Heart Fills with Happiness, Monique Gray Smith
Ella Sarah Gets Dressed, Margaret Chodos-Irvine
All By Myself, Aliki
My Five Senses, Aliki
They, She, He easy as ABC, Maya Christina Gonzalez
I Can Do It Too!, Karen Baicker
Hear Your Heart, Paul Showers
Sleep is For Everyone, Paul Showers
The Gas We Pass, Shinta Cho
Whose Knees Are These?, Jabari Asim
Whose Toes Are Those?, Jabari Asim
10 Things I Can Do To Help My World, Melanie Walsh
Pretty Brown Face: Family Celebration, Andrea Davis Pinkney
Bedtime!, Gwenyth Swain
Get Dressed!, Gwenyth Swain
Here's To You!, David Elliott
Quiet LOUD, Leslie Patricelli
Time For Bed, Mem Fox
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, Mem Fox
If You're Happy and You Know It, Anna McQuinn, Sophie Fatus and Susan Reed
COMMUNITY & FAMILY
All Are Welcome, Alexandra Penfold
Homemade Love, Bell Hooks
Rainbow: A First Book of Pride, Michael Genhart
Filipino Friends, Liana Romulo
My Family, Your Family, Lisa Bullard
Love Makes a Family, Sophie Beer
Saturday, Oge Mora
Daddy, Papa, and Me, Leslea Newman
Mommy, Mama, and Me, Leslea Newman
Hello Sacred Life, Kim Krans
People, Peter Spier
We Share One World, Jane E. Hoffelt
When Aidan Became a Brother, Kyle Lukoff
Dreamers, Yuyi Morales
My Friends, Taro Gomi
Global Babies, The Global Fund for Children
If You’re Happy and You Know It Sing Along!, Emily Skwish
Every Little Thing, Cedella Marley
One Love, Cedella Marley
Hiking Day, Anne Rockwell
Girl of Mine, Jabari Asim
EMOTIONS
A Good Day, Kevin Henkes
Each Breath A Smile, Based on the teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh, Story by Sister Susan
Listening to My Body, Gabi Garcia
Smiling, Gwenyth Swain
Feelings, Aliki
Making Faces: A First Book of Emotions, Abrams Appleseed
Lots of Feelings, Shelley Rotner
Everyone, Christopher Silas Neal
FOOD & GARDENING
Baby Goes to Market, Atinuke
Edible Colors: See, Learn, Eat, Jennifer Vogel Bass
Vegetables, Sara Anderson
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story, Kevin Noble Maillard
The Carrot Seed, Ruth Krauss
Food Truck Fest!, Alexandra Penfold
The Vegetables We Eat, Gail Gibbons
From Seed to Plant, Gail Gibbons
The Fruits We Eat, Gail Gibbons
Bee-Bim-Bop!, Linda Sue Park
At the Supermarket, Anne Rockwell
Strawberries Are Red, Petr Horacek
First Book of Sushi, Amy Wilson Sanger
Hola! Jalapeno, Amy Wilson Sanger
Feast For 10, Cathryn Falwell
The Curious Garden, Peter Brown
And The Good Brown Earth, Kathy Henderson
INSECTS
The Icky Bug Alphabet Book, Jerry Pallotta and Ralph Masiello
Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book, Britta Teckentrup
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
The Very Busy Spider, Eric Carle
Bee, Magali Attiogbe
Ladybug, Magali Attiogbe
Insect Emporium, Susie Brooks
Flowers are Calling, Rita Gray
The Thing About Bees: A Love Story, Shabazz Larkin
The Alphabet of Bugs, Valerie Gates
JOBS & HELPERS
Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do, Kathryn Heling
Whose Hat is This?, Sharon Katz Cooper
Whose Hands Are These?, Miranda Paul
Today I’m a Veterinarian, Marisa Polansky
Delivering Your Mail: A Book about Mail Carriers, Ann Owen
Helpers in My Community, Bobbie Kalman
Garbage Trucks at Work, D R Addison
Tool Book, Gail Gibbons
The Toolbox, Anne Rockwell
MUSIC
I Make Music, Eloise Greenfield
SQUEAK, RUMBLE, WHOMP! WHOMP! WHOMP!: A Sonic Adventure, Wynton Marsalis
Music is For Everyone, Jill Barber
Amazing Me! Music!, Carol Thompson
Amazing Me! Sing!, Carol Thompson
I Got the Rhythm, Connie Schofield-Morrison
Music Is…, Brandon Stosuy
Hosea Plays On, Kathleen M. Blasi
NATURE APPRECIATION
Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature, Nicola Davies
Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth, Nicola Davies
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, Oliver Jeffers
Swirl by Swirl, Spirals in Nature, Joyce Sidman
Big and Small, Room for All, Jo Ellen Bogart and Gillian Newland
Water Land: Land and Water Forms Around the World, Christy Hale
Moon: A Peek-Through Picture Book, Britta Teckentrup
Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book, Britta Teckentrup
Hidden World: Forest, Libby Walden & Stephanie Fizer Coleman
Hidden World: Ocean, Libby Walden & Stephanie Fizer Coleman
A Leaf Can Be, Laura Purdie Salas
Water Can Be, Laura Purdie Salas
Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum, Kathy Willis & Katie Scott
Animalium: Welcome to the Museum, Jenny Broom & Katie Scott
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, Kate Messner
Over and Under the Snow, Kate Messner
Over and Under the Pond, Kate Messner
Over and Under the Rainforest, Kate Messner
From Tree to Sea, Shelley Moore Thomas
SEASONS
Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring, Kenard Pak
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn, Kenard Pak
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter, Kenard Pak
It’s Spring!, Linda Glaser
When Spring Comes, Kevin Henkes
Spring is Here, Taro Gomi
I See Summer, Charles Ghigna
And Then Comes Summer, Tom Brenner
We're Going on a Leaf Hunt, Steve Metzger
Giving Thanks, Jonathan London
In the Middle of Fall, Kevin Henkes
The Busy Little Squirrel, Nancy Tafuri
Apple Farmer Annie, Monica Wellington
The Mitten, Jan Brett
The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats
A Magical Winter, Carl R. Sams II
Winter Trees, Carole Gerber
A Walk Through the Woods, Louise Greig
Do I Have to Wear a Coat?, Rachel Isadora
TRANSPORTATION
Dig, Dig, Digging, Margaret Mayo
School Bus, Donald Crews
Roadwork, Sally Sutton
Wheels, Sally Sutton
Construction, Sally Sutton
Freight Train, Donald Crews
Bus Stops, Taro Gomi