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preschool recommended reads 2024 50 best books

Preschool: 50 Recommended Reads

Best Books for Preschoolers (Children Aged 3-4)

NEWLY updated – April 2024!

Browse this list of 50 recommended books for 3- and 4-year-olds. Top up your preschool or nursery book collections with our hand-picked selection of classic stories, laugh-out-loud picture books, animal tales, poetry books, non-fiction for curious minds and more…

As parents and teachers, we know how important it is to foster a love of reading in children from a young age. Reading with nursery and preschool children not only helps with language development but also encourages imagination and creativity. Our booklist includes popular preschool stories such as Owl Babies, Aliens Love Underpants and The Tiger Who Came to Tea, as well as some lesser-known storytime delights that we highly recommend, like Mavis the Bravest and Eat Your Peas.

Handpicked by teachers and children’s reading experts, our preschool reading list is designed to help those looking for the best quality and age-appropriate books to make reading time engaging for nursery or preschool children. Join your little ones on a journey through some of the best books for preschoolers available today.

As well as the booklist below to browse, we’ve also got a printable poster and downloadable checklist for you, and schools can purchase full sets of the books via Peters.

 

preschool recommended reads printable poster 2024     preschool recommended reads checklist 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Browse the preschool booklist below or scroll down to find more purchasing options and printable resources.

books about pirates

Pirate Books

The best pirate stories and pirate children’s books

Discover a treasure trove of swashbuckling tales with our list of the best children’s books about pirates!

Featuring laugh-out-loud stories like Pirates Love Underpants alongside classics like Skeleton Crew, this list of children’s pirate stories has something for everyone. Sunk! and The Pirate Tree offer captivating stories of friendship, while children can learn their first anatomy facts in Give Me Back My Bones! or count along with Ten Little Pirates.

If you are looking for recommended pirate story books for children, this specially selected reading list for EYFS has got you covered…

Knock Knock Superhero Book

Knock Knock Superhero

Picturebook

Pasta Man has run out of Pasta Power. . . Can our young hero help him to get his powers back and defeat evil Madame Chilli, who wants to rule the world with lashings of chilli sauce?

With action-packed adventure and bright, detailed artwork, this is the ultimate fun-filled counting storybook!

Storytime favourite class read-alouds EYFS

Storytime Favourites EYFS (Ages 3-5)

Best Storytime Books for the Early Years

We have selected a list of favourite storytime books for EYFS (ages 3-5), which includes books that are particularly well suited for being read out loud to younger children. From the best classroom read-alouds to favourite bedtime stories, browse our list of brilliant books for capturing the magic of storytelling in the Early Years.

Our curated collection of stories for the Early Years helps to immerse young minds in the enchanting world of storytelling, featuring beloved tales such as What the Ladybird Heard – perfect for introducing children to the wonders of animal characters and rhyming narratives. We also recommend whimsical and humorous adventures with titles like Aliens Love Underpants, adding a delightful touch of laughter to story sessions. Our selection includes timeless classics like The Tiger Who Came to Tea and Elmer, featuring favourite characters that have been entertaining little ones for generations.

Explore these and other carefully chosen stories picked by BooksForTopics, especially for young readers. These stories promote language development and fire up imaginations as well as making for special storytimes together that create lasting memories and foster the joy of shared reading experiences.

Toys

From dolls and teddies to sticks and balls, toys can hold a special place in the hearts of children. It’s no surprise that the topic of toys and games is always a hit with children, who love learning about toys from the past and toys around the world. We’ve put together a selection of the best children’s books about the topic of toys.

Books about dinosaurs

Dinosaur Children’s Books

Best Children’s Books about Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures are often a topic of great interest to children. From the terrific T-Rex to the brilliant Brachiosaurus, we’ve selected a list of recommended children’s books about dinosaurs to help you to dig deep into the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods!

For young kids that love dinosaurs, My Encyclopedia of Very Important Dinosaurs  is bursting with up-to-date facts and discoveries and is easily accessible to young readers or try The Dinosaur Department Store  – a truly wild picture book that will appeal to dino-loving, adventurous children everywhere.

So, if you are looking for recommended dinosaur story books for children, this specially selected reading list for EYFS and KS1 has got you covered…

diverse and inclusive books for EYFS

Diverse & Inclusive Books for EYFS

Best Diverse Books for Preschool and Reception

We have selected a list of recommended diverse and inclusive books for children in nursery, preschool and reception (ages 2-5), which feature characters that are traditionally under-represented in children’s books.

This list of the best diverse books for children in the Early Years includes books with minority ethnic main characters, books that celebrate difference and books with representations of cultural diversity, different types of families, physical disabilities, visual impairment and neurodiversity. 

The list includes the story of Noor’s quest to find out more about the hijabi women in her family in Not Now, Noor! and the celebration of traditional Traveller virtues in The Can Caravan, as well as the tale of a deaf character finding ways to communicate in Can Bears Ski? and the heartwarming retelling of an adoption experience in When You Joined Our Family.

We’ve also included books about celebrating difference and including everyone, like All Are Welcome (a must-have for classrooms) and A World for Me and You. The books selected are chosen to represent a diversity of cultures and experiences that reflect the realities of life for children in modern-day UK classrooms.

You can find Diverse & Inclusive children’s book lists for other primary year groups here:

 

Schools can purchase full packs of our diverse book lists via Peters.

 

Books about superheroes

Superhero Books

The best superhero stories and superhero themed children’s books

Get ready to bring out your inner hero and zap into adventure mode with our list of recommended children’s books about superheroes. From caped crusaders and vile villains to amazing everyday heroes and heroines, our list of best superhero stories for children shows that superheroes come in all shapes and sizes.

From the classic superhero story Supertato, the unlikely superhero who is on a mission to protect the other vegetables from the Evil Pea and children’s favourite Julia Donaldson’s Superworm, we also include How to Save a Superhero – a heart-warming book with fun characters, rhyming text and a wonderful take-away message about standing up for what’s right, which makes a great addition to the superhero bookshelf.

If you are looking for recommended superhero story books for children, this specially selected reading list for EYFS and KS1 has got you covered…

Booklists for Early Years

EYFS Booklists (Ages 3-5)

Looking for the Best books for EYFS?

Here are our Booklists for Children in the Early Years

In educational settings, Early Years usually refers to the phase of development in children up to the age of 5. In Nursery, Preschool and Reception classes, many children follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS).

Our selection of recommended booklists for children in the Early Years covers everything from storytime favourites and recommended EYFS non-fiction to popular EYFS topics with books about minibeasts and books about superheroes.

Browse our Reading for Pleasure recommendations or curriculum topic booklists to find the very best books for your EYFS setting.

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