How we read with children is just as important as how often we read with them.These books will keep your toddler engaged with stories and rhyme! There are butterflies and sheep and count. There are new friends to make. There are letters to learn and best of all there are lots of rhymes to read over and over and over!

Yes  by Jez Alborough
A young chimpanzee preparing for bedtime learns to say "Yes" when things suit him and "No" when they do not.

Up, Down and Around   by Katherine Ayres
A garden produces a variety of edible plants, such as corn that grows up, onions that grow down, and tomato vines that twine all around. Peppers grow up. Potatoes grow down. Pumpkins vine around and around. From seeds dropping into soil to corn bursting from its stalks, from children chasing butterflies to ants burrowing underground, everything in this vibrant picture book pulses with life -- in all directions!   

Who Ate All the Cookie Dough?  by Karen Beaumont
Kanga and her friends try to discover who ate all of her cookie dough.   

Goodnight Moon, 1 2 3  by Margaret Wise Brown
A little bunny counts and bids goodnight to all the objects in his room before falling asleep.

Hurry Hurry   by Eve Bunting
All the animals of the barnyard community hurry to greet their newest member, who is just pecking his way out of an egg

Little Bear’s Little Boat   by Eve Bunting
When Little Bear can no longer fit into his boat he finds someone else who can use it

Ten in the Meadow   by John Butler
As a group of forest animals plays a lively game of hide-and-seek in a meadow, Bear finds them each in turn--except the elusive Mousey.

If You’re Happy and You Know It   by Jane Cabrera
An elephant, a monkey, and a giraffe join other animals to sing different verses of this popular song that encourages everyone to express their happiness through voice and movement.

Dear Zoo   by Rod Campbell
Each animal arriving from the zoo as a possible pet fails to suit its prospective owner, until just the right one is found. Movable flaps reveal the contents of each package.   

Jesse Bear, Jesse Bear What Will You Wear?   by Nancy Carlstrom
Rhymed text and illustrations describe Jesse Bear’s activities from morning to bedtime.

Hooray For Fish! by Lucy Cousins
Little Fish has all sorts of fishy friends in his underwater home, but loves one of them most of all.

The Cow That laid an Egg  by Andy Cutbill
Marjorie the cow wishes she had a special talent. One morning, thanks to a bunch of scheming chickens, Marjorie discovers that she's laid an egg. But does the baby inside the egg belong to Marjorie?

Llama, Llama Misses Mama   by Anne Dewdney
Llama Llama experiences separation anxiety on his first day of nursery school.

While the World is Sleeping  by Pamela Edwards
A sleepy child is flown through the night sky to see foxes hunting, rabbits playing, raccoons scrounging, and other animals that are active while people sleep.

Jump!  by Scott Fischer
From bugs and frogs to alligators and whales, frightened animals always move out of the way of a larger opponent.

Shout! Shout It Out!  by Denise Fleming
Mouse invites the reader to shout out what he or she knows as they review numbers, letters, and easy words.

Two Little Monkeys   by Mem Fox
A rhyming tale about two little monkeys who are hiding from a leopard.  

Mommy Where Are You?   By Leonid Gore
A little mouse wakes up one day and, when he cannot find his mother, goes in search of her. 

Don’t You Feel Well, Sam?  by Amy Hest
When Sam has a cough, Mrs. Bear tends to him all through the cold night.

Duck and Goose   by Tad Hills
Duck and Goose and learn to work together to take care of a ball, which they think is an egg.

The Seals on the Bus   by Lenny Hort
Different animals—including seals,  tigers, geese, rabbits, monkeys, and more--make their own sounds as they ride all around the town on a bus.       

Sea, Sand, Me! by Patricia Hubbell
A young girl enjoys building sandcastles, splashing in the sea, and making a new friend during an afternoon at the beach.

Big Red Tub  by Julia Jarman
Stan and Stella are joined by a variety of animals in a bath time adventure.

Under My Hood I Have a Hat   by Karla Kuskin
A child describes the many layers of clothing needed to stay warm in the winter.

Mommy Hugs  by Karen Katz
A loving mother counts the hugs she gives her baby throughout the day.

I’m Dirty  by Kate McMullen
A busy backhoe loader describes all the items it hauls off a lot and all the fun it has getting dirty while doing so.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear   by Bill Martin
Children see a variety of animals, each one a different color, and a mother looking at them.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom   by Bill Martin
An alphabet rhyme/chant that relates what happens when the whole alphabet tries to climb a coconut tree.

If You Were a Penguin  by Wendell Minor
Pictures and rhyming text present some of the many extraordinary things penguins can do. Includes facts about penguins as well as related websites.

My Friend Lucky  by David Milgrim
A dog named Lucky demonstrates opposites such as slow and fast, dry and wet, cold and warm, and here and there

When Sheep Sleep   by Laura Numeroff
Rhyming text suggests other options when one tries to count sheep but discovers that they are all asleep.

Flip, Flap, Fly!   by Phyllis Root
Little readers are invited to join these baby animals as they fly, swim, wiggle, and slide, all with the help of their mamas. But what these babies like best, of course, is spotting other baby animals!

We’re Going On a Bear Hunt   by Michael Rosen
Brave bear hunters go through grass, a river, mud, and other obstacles before the inevitable encounter with the bear forces a headlong retreat.      

Raccoon Tune  by Nancy Shaw
A family of raccoons prowls around a neighborhood making a ruckus until they find supper.

Little Quack’s New Friend  by Lauren Thompson
When a frog invites five ducklings to play, four refuse because he is too little and green, but Little Quack has so much fun with his new friend that the other ducklings soon join in.

Everywhere the Cow Says, “Moo!”  by Ellen Weinstein
Easy-to-read text reveals the different words for animal sounds in four languages--English, Spanish, French, and Japanese--and the one that remains the same.    

Read to Your Bunny   by Rosemary Wells
A celebration of the pleasures of reading that will have more appeal to adults than to preschoolers. Using a multicolored cast of bunnies, Wells shows that reading can be done anywhere: on a plane or a boat, or even in a bathtub.

The Cow Loves Cookies   by Karma Wilson
While all the other animals on the farm enjoy eating their regular food, the cow chooses to eat the one thing that she loves best.         

The Napping House   by Audrey Wood
In this cumulative tale, a wakeful flea atop a number of sleeping creatures causes a commotion, with just one bite.

How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?   by Jane Yolen
Describes how a dinosaur eats, with no rude noises and while sitting very still.