books for three year olds

[image from All Kinds of Neighbors by Howard R. Wellesley, Illustrated by Aliki]

These are the books that Juliet and I read and enjoyed together the year she was three years old. (Currently, she is three right now!)

The books with asterisks are ones that we have purchased for our own home library. All others were checked out from our local library. We continue to read books from our books for two-year-olds list, but I am not repeating them here on this list. 

January

She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain Illustrated by Suzanne Beaky

Elizabeti's Doll by Stephanie Stuve Bodeen

Mama Elizabeti by Stephanie Stuve Bodeen

*Butterflies by J.F. Gates Clarke, Ph.D

Happy Birthday Everywhere! by Arlene Erlbach

Mia's Story by Michael Foreman

*There's a Mouse About the House by Richard Fowler

*All About Time: A First Discovery Book by Gallimard Jeunesse and Andre Verdet

Valentines Day by Gail Gibbons

*Planets by Ellen Hasbrouck

Valentine's Day by Brenda Haugen

*Harold's Fairy Tale by Crockett Johnson

*Butterflies and Moths by Robert T. Mitchell

Emma Kate by Patricia Polacco

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman

Naming the Cat by Laurence Pringle

The First Music by Dylan Pritchett

Max Moves to Moscow by Winifred Riser

A Book of Kisses by Dave Ross

The Old Chisholm Trail: A Cowboy Song by Rosalyn Schanzer

On Mother's Lap by Ann Herbert Scott

Raggedy Ann's Birthday Party Book by Elizabeth Silbaugh

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

*Christmas Carols: A Treasury of Holiday Favorites by Noel Tennyson

February


*God Gave us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett
*Color Kittens by Margaret Wise Brown
Our Library by Eve Bunting
Ten in the Bed by Jane Cabrera
*Rabbit's Search for a Little House by Mary DeBall Kwitz
*Ollie by Olivier Dunrea
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
Gregory's Shadow by Don Freeman
Manuelo the Playing Mantis by Don Freeman
Elena's Serenade by Campbell Geeslin
*Lazy Lion by Mwenye Hadithi and Adrienne Kennaway
Wilfred to the Rescue by Alan MacDonald
The Little Red Hen illustrated by J.P. Miller
Whiteblack the Penguin Sees the World by Margaret and H.A. Rey
The Bora-Bora Dress by Carole Lexa Schaefer
Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
Ladybug Girl by David Soman and Jacky Davis
Chicken and Cat by Sara Varon
*Merton and the Moving Van by Mabel Watts
Yoko Writes her Name by Rosemary Wells
Birdhouse for Rent by Harriet Ziefert

March

Max's Words by Kate Banks

April Foolishness by Teresa Bateman

Sock Monkey Goes to Hollywood by Cece Bell

Sock Monkey Rides Again by Cece Bell

Little Fur Family by Margaret Wise Brown

Sneakers, the Seaside Cat by Margaret Wise Brown

*Freight Train by Donald Crews

*One Lonely Sea Horse by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
The Teeny-Tiny Woman by Paul Galdone
*Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Abner Graboff
*Is it Hard? Is it Easy? by Mary McBurney Green

Sammy the Seal by Syd Hoff

Stanley by Syd Hoff
*Listening for Sounds by Adelaide Holl
*Lottie's New Beach Towel by Petra Mathers
*Bear, Your Manners are Showing by Kathleen Allan Meyer

Animal Patterns by Nathan Olson

Plant Patterns by Nathan Olson

*Two-Minute Bedtime Stories by Mary Packard
*The Farm Book by Jan Pfloog
*Let Papa Sleep! by Emily Reed
*Let's Find out About Houses by Martha and Charles Shapp
*Sing a Song of Sixpence and Other Singing Rhymes illustrated by Fran Thatcher
*Brian Wildsmith's 123's


April

*Madeline's Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans
The Easter Egg by Jan Brett
Millions of Cats by Wanda Ga'g
*A Baby Sister For Frances by Russell Hoban
Toot and Puddle Wish You Were Here by Holly Hobbie
*Oliver by Syd Hoff
*The Beach before Breakfast by Maxine W. Kumin
Noodle by Munro Leaf
Olvina Flies by Grace Lin
Dr. Meow's Big Emergency by Sam Lloyd
Otter Play by Nancy Luenn
Two Cool Coyotes by Jillian Lund
Peep! by Kevin Luthardt
*If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff
*Thundercake by Patricia Polacco
Fox in Sox by Dr. Seuss
Mrs. Goose's Baby by Charlotte Voake

May

Welcome, Little Baby by Aliki
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
Daisy Comes Home by Jan Brett
Hedgie's Surprise by Jan Brett
A Day at the Beach by Ed Briant
Hey Little Baby! by Nola Buck
*Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
*Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Kitten Red Yellow Blue by Peter Catalanotto
Alphaboat by Michael Chesworth
Two Dog Biscuits by Beverly Cleary
I'm a Big Sister by Joanna Cole
Hedgehog Howdedo by Lynley Dodd
*Sam and the Firefly by P.D. Eastman
Dr. Pompo's Nose by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
Little Ballet Star by Adele Geras
Central Park Serenade by Laura Godwin
Tiger Trouble! by Diane Goode
I Love You, Mouse by John Graham
My Garden by Kevin Henkes
Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban
Best Friends for Frances by Russell Hoban
Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban
*Danny and the Dinosaur Treasury by Syd Hoff
*Stanley by Syd Hoff
Kipper and Roly by Mick Inkpen
Lili at Ballet by Rachel Isadora
That New Animal by Emily Jenkins
Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann
Tico and the Golden Wings by Leo Lionni
*Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Mellon by Patty Lovell
One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Davidson Mannis
To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda
*A Gift for Sula Sula by Evaline Ness
Penguin Pete's New Friends by Marcus Pfister
*"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!" by Patricia Thomas

June

Daddy's Lullaby by Tony Bradman
The Very Best Daddy of All by Marion Dane Bauer
I Love My Daddy by Sebastian Braun
Day out with Daddy by Stephen Cook
Babies Don't Eat Pizza by Dianne Danzig
The Lazy Lion by Louise Fatio
My Grandma is Coming to Town by Anna Grossnickle Hines
Kipper's Monster by Mick Inkpen
Skates by Mick Inkpen
Harold's Circus by Crockett Johnson
Papa, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse
Franny B. Kranny, There's a Bird in Your Hair! by Harriet Lerner and Susan Goldhor
How to be a Baby by Me the Big Sister by Sally Lloyd Jones and Sue Heap
Such a Silly Baby by Steffanie and Richard Long
Setting the Turkeys Free by W. Nikola-Lisa
I Love My Daddy Because... by Laurel Porter-Gaylord

July
Choo Choo by Virginia Lee Burton
Mike Mulligan and More A Virginia Lee Burton Treasury
Maybelle by Virginia Lee Burton
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
Calico the Wonder Horse or the Saga of Stewy Stinker by Virginia Lee Burton
Marshmallow by Clare Turley Newberry
Eli by Bill Peet