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Topic: Preschool 50 Recommended Reads

Preschool Booklist: 50 Recommended Reads

Best Books for Preschoolers (Children Aged 3-4)

Newly updated: June 2026

Browse this list of 50 recommended books for preschool children (3- and 4-year-olds). Top up your preschool or nursery book collections with the BooksForTopics hand-picked list of classic stories, laugh-out-loud picture books, animal tales, poetry books, and non-fiction for EYFS children.

Parents and teachers know how important it is to encourage 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, and it is best to offer a wide variety of books to try.

This booklist includes popular preschool stories such as Owl Babies, Peace at Last and The Tiger Who Came to Tea, as well as some lesser-known storytime delights that we highly recommend, like A Surprise for Snail and Eat Your Peas.

Handpicked by teachers and children’s reading experts, our diverse and varied preschool reading list is designed to help those looking for the best high-quality and age-appropriate books for reading with nursery or preschool children, featuring 50 of the best books for preschoolers available today.

As well as the BooksForTopics preschool booklist below to browse, we’ve also got a printable poster, a downloadable checklist and a handy bookmark for you, and schools can purchase full sets of the 50 books via Peters.

Browse the preschool booklist below or click on each book to find out more. Scroll down to find more purchasing options and printable resources.

Shark In The Park!

Nick Sharratt

Picturebook

This is the ultimate rhyming story book for preschool, by the much-loved illustrator Nick Sharratt.

Timothy Pope heads to the park with his telescope, but when he looks down it and is sure he sees a shark, we soon learn that things are not always as they seem! There are flaps and die-cut holes to explore, making this a memorable interactive story choice.

The repeated refrains of Timothy Pope, Timothy Pope, what can you see through your telescope? and ‘Is there a shark in the park?’ are remarkably catchy and will quickly have children joining in. A really fun must-read book for EYFS children!

Be Brave Little Penguin

Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees

Picturebook

A feel-good rhyming story with a positive message about confidence and self-esteem, from the creators of international bestseller, Giraffes Can’t Dance.

Little Penguin Pip-Pip would love to join in with all his friends swimming in the sea, but there’s just one problem . . . he’s scared of water. Can Pip-Pip overcome his fears and finally take the plunge? This irresistible story shows that sometimes all it takes is a little bit of encouragement – and a whole lot of heart – to finally make that leap!

This touching tale will soon become a new family favourite.

Honey For Me, Honey For You

Chris Riddell & Michael Rosen

Poetry

From Children’s Laureates Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell, the bestselling team behind A Great Big Cuddle , comes a first book of nursery rhymes.

Flying pigs, wobbling plates of jelly and a giant who trembles whenever he meets a mouse: welcome to the topsy-turvy world of nursery rhymes. Inspired by his lifelong fascination with these peculiar poems, Michael Rosen has placed familiar playground songs alongside forgotten gems for a seminal new collection.

Brought to vivid life by Chris Riddell’s magnificent pictures, expect familiar faces, from little Jumping Joan to Miss Mary Mack – but also plenty of surprises… With forty rhymes to choose from, this book is sure to prove a bedtime favourite.

One Day on Our Blue Planet …In the Antarctic

Ella Bailey

Non-fiction

Part of Ella Bailey’s acclaimed series of nonfiction for young readers, we follow a young penguin through a day in its life in the Antarctic.From breakfast to dinner, dusk to dawn, children will love spending the day with this curious penguin chick. In the latest volume of Ella Bailey’s picture book exploration of the daily lives of baby animals, we head to the ice shelf to meet a young penguin chick. What does she and her family eat? How many brothers and sisters does she have? What do they do for fun?

Guess How Much I Love You

Anita Jeram & Sam McBratney

Picturebook

This classic picturebook is a must-read for preschoolers. Guess How Much I Love You has been delighting preschool children for generations. For generations, children and adults alike have been entertained by this story of mutual love between Little and Big Nutbrown Hare, and their increasing expressions of love for each other. Guess How Much I Love You is a true storytime favourite book in both preschool classrooms and homes.

Cosmic Machines

Ben Newman & Dominic Walliman

Non-fiction

Greetings, my little Astro Kittens! Are you ready to take off on your first space adventure? Join Professor Astro Cat as we learn all about Cosmic Machines! Advancements in space technology mean that we now know more than ever before about what’s out there in the Universe. From rockets to rovers, this beautifully designed board book introduces young explorers to some of the most innovative and incredible machinery that has opened our eyes and broadened our minds to things we could never have imagined.

Love Our Earth: A Colourful Counting Story

Jane Cabrera

Picturebook

Love Our Earth is a young and playful picture book about caring for our Earth. With lots to spot and count, and a fold-out surprise at the end!

Meet planet Earth and come on a colourful adventure across mountains, rivers, jungles and oceans. Spot and count the friendly animals along the way. And say hello to the smiling flowers, trees and hills.

Includes a surprise fold-out ending, with simple tips on how to look after our amazing planet.

With warm, playful illustrations from Jane Cabrera and a gentle read-aloud text, this is the perfect introduction to the wonders of life on Earth. Created in collaboration with EarthDay.org.

Daisy Eat Your Peas

Kes Gray & Nick Sharratt

Picturebook

We love the Daisy books by bestselling children’s author Kes Gray! Eat Your Peas is one of the earlier picture books featuring the much-loved character Daisy, who now also stars in her own series of illustrated chapter books too.

This story introduces younger children to the popular character and many readers will relate to the scenario Daisy faces when she finds herself with a plate of peas in front of her at dinnertime. The story features a repeated refrain of “I Don’t Like Peas” – which children love to join in with – and readers will adore the escalating promises Mum makes to try to tempt Daisy to eat her veg.

The close-up illustrations of facial expressions help preschool children to interpret and understand character emotions, and the additional pea-themed details to spot throughout the pages are so much fun too (look out for Mum’s necklace and earrings!).

Poo in the Zoo

Ada Grey & Steve Smallman

Picturebook

Steve Smallman is the master of funny rhymes for children and as luck would have it, quite a lot of words rhyme with ‘zoo’.

Take a menagerie of animals, a thumpingly fast rhyming verse and a dash of toilet humour and you have the makings of a riotous storytime favourite. As well as the tongue-twisting story filled with funny-sounded onomatopoeia (there’s plenty of plopping and splatting), the book also features themes of keeping the environment clean, animal tracking and caring for wildlife. This book will become an instant favourite with children who love a good giggle at storytime.

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