Wow, our twins are 3 already and I can’t believe time has come that I am sharing with you all our favourite & most recommended books for 3 year olds! Books for infants & 1 year old kids are some of our most popular posts! And here we are with our list of 10 Best Books for 3 year olds that you must add in your little one’s collection.

As I look through the list I notice our children’s desire to learn about new characters, get soaked in the plot and fetch a meaning out of the story. In fact they are turning out to be really cute story tellers! However the books they have been reading are quite varied in nature with a flavour of humour, values and fiction.

Typically a 3 year old has a rapidly growing vocabulary. They already know quite a lot of words and understand their rudimentary meaning.

And because of their more developed cognition compared to a 2-year old, they can now begin to have a clear understanding of the essence of the story. And trust me, It can be a fantastic relief as a parent to be able to read something that has more of a story and even to be able to introduce some humour at story time.

Although choosing our favourites is a tough job, nevertheless these 10 books come across as must-haves for a 3-year olds collection-

10 Best Books for 3 year olds

1. Goat goes to Playgroup by Julia Donaldson

Our kids love every book they have got by Julia Donaldson. It’s hard to pick just one favorite, but we decided it should be ‘Goat goes to Playgroup’. Runner-ups included Postman Bear, The Gruffalo and The Detective Dog.

Rhyme, rhythm and funny illustrations make this book a sure winner with toddlers. Mischievous & silly antics of Goat & the other animals as they enter the playgroup are a wonderful way of preparing your kid for the school!

Buy it here

You may also like “5 must-have books for infants“

2. Amazing Machines : Truckload of Fun

If your little boy is anything like mine, you probably can’t leave a store without picking up a new toy vehicle. And if such is the case, then this cool & compact pack of literally amazing machines is the right pick. From airplanes to rockets to tractors, these picture books are full of fun rhyming text, bright artwork, and wacky animal characters that delight and engage young children as they learn about machines. Each book concludes with the last Page of illustrated glossary of technical words to help build vocabulary. This book series is absolutely terrific and the attractive packaging makes it a charming birthday gift as well!

Buy it here

You may also like “Best Books for 1 year olds“

3. Spot goes to the Swimming Pool by Eric Hill

Another popular and delightful author for this age group is Eric Hill. The Spot series is fantastic and its lift-the-flap books will be some of the first books that your soon to be reader will clamor for.

Our all time favourite was this one. Incidentally we came across this book right at the time our little ones were prepping up for their swimming classes. So this story was a perfect fit and well aligned to their understanding.

Buy it here.

You may also like “Top 7 Storybooks for 2 year olds“

4. Manners Time by Elizabeth Verdick

This book is phenomenal. Simple and to the point. It’s a good, overall explanation of having good manners. Short straightforward format with colourful & sweet pictures makes it a must-have for your preschooler. The story makes sense to them and it is so much easier to instill the importance of “please” and “thank you” when you have the pictures in the book to back it up as they are learning through multiple senses. Brownie points for the book being the perfect length for toddlers.

Buy it here.

You may also like “7 Ways to Teach your Child Good Manners“

5. Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas

Get ready for your little one to rhyme all the time with this simple, silly, cute book that’s going to be loved by your child. This book has been solely responsible for igniting the desire to want to rhyme. I love when a book encourages pre-reading phonemic awareness skills and this one fits the bill!

Buy it here

You may also like “10 Engaging Activity Books for Toddlers“

6. The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers

You really can’t go wrong with books by Oliver Jeffers, and this one is truly an incredible one! At first the story came across as a little confusing for our kids and they didn’t show much interest in it except for some really catchy illustrations. But when I started reading it out to them, I could see their curiosity around the story, specially the surprise end. This book makes a great read-aloud.

Buy it here

You may also like “5 Best Books to Teach Good Touch, Bad Touch“

7. Pip & Posy: The Little Puddle by Nosy Crow

Oh, Pip & Posy with their cute funny encounters are a hit with our 3-year old kids. Pip and Posy are typical toddlers: they are best friends and they have fun… but sometimes, just like any other toddler, they get cross and sad, so sometimes it takes friendship, sharing and understanding – and a cuddle – to make things better.

With simple vocabulary Pip and Posy show how to be good, kind and accepting friends. The author absolutely understands the mind of a 3 year old. Plus this is a perfect story if you are working on potty training for your little one!

Buy it here

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8. Dinosaurs Love Underpants by Claire Freedman

Anything and everything about Dinosaurs has been keeping our preschoolers captivated of late! And this hilarious fun story is a perfect pick for your curious Dino fan. Beautiful illustrations, short sentences and simple story- this is a must-have book in any 3-year olds book collection.

Buy it here

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9. Llama Llama Time to Share by Anna Dewdney

Another winner in the Llama Llama series, this story takes the basics of manners and importance of sharing (the most common trouble areas with preschoolers!!!) one notch higher. The story is written with a sing song quality and makes it a perfect bedtime read. I would recommend the entire series to anyone who loves to read to kids!

Buy it here

10. Each Peach Pear Plum by Allan Ahlberg

Amongst Classics, this book has been dominating our reading list these days. Each Peach Pear Plum is a delight to read each time. It encourages young children to interact with the picture to find the next fairy tale and nursery rhyme character. It’s a warm, sunny, delectable picture book that’s sure to keep your little Bub hooked on to it!

Buy it here

Books for 3-year-olds are incredibly imaginative and visually exciting. 3 year olds may not be able to read yet but this doesn’t mean we cannot read to them. By using very simple sentences we can introduce them to the joys of reading. And with the help of our 10 best books for 3 year olds, you can now start building your kid’s reading skills.

Go Mommy!

For more favorite books for children by age, check out our past lists-

Must have books for 6 months old baby

Best Books for 1 year old 

Best Storybooks for 2 year old

Engaging Activity Books for Toddlers

Books to teach Good Touch Bad Touch