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Books for 3 year olds

Three year olds name the books they want, pretend to read a favorite aloud, "correct" you if you skip a page and retell the story in their own words, the AAP says. Ask them to tell you about the pictures, and leave the endings to them.

Checked October 29, 2026.

By Peabody editors. Something wrong? Tell us.

What to look for in books for 3 year olds

  • A real story with a problem and an ending
  • Characters with big feelings
  • Books that ask the reader to do something
  • Funny books to read again and again

14 books for 3 year olds

Take this list to your library, or print it.

  1. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

    Max sails off to where the wild things are, then comes home to his supper.

    Find it on Open Library

  2. Corduroy by Don Freeman

    A toy bear in a department store goes looking for his lost button.

    Find it on Open Library

  3. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

    Harold draws his own adventure, and his way home, with one crayon.

    Find it on Open Library

  4. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

    The pigeon begs and begs, and the reader gets to say no.

    Find it on Open Library

  5. Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

    Trixie leaves her bunny at the laundromat and can't yet say what's wrong.

    Find it on Open Library

  6. The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

    Farm animals ask a spider to play while she keeps spinning a web you can feel.

    Find it on Open Library

  7. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond

    One thing leads to another, all the way back to the start.

    Find it on Open Library

  8. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman

    Animals crowd into a sleeping bear's cave for a party, with a line that repeats.

    Find it on Open Library

  9. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler

    A clever mouse invents a monster to scare off the forest animals, then meets it.

    Find it on Open Library

  10. Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

    Sal and a bear cub mix up their mothers on a blueberry hill.

    Find it on Open Library

  11. Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

    A kitten thinks the full moon is a little bowl of milk.

    Find it on Open Library

  12. Press Here by Hervé Tullet

    Press the dots, shake the book, tilt it: a book that seems to play back.

    Find it on Open Library

  13. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin

    Cows find an old typewriter and send the farmer their demands.

    Find it on Open Library

  14. Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh

    Three white mice step in jars of paint and mix new colors.

    Find it on Open Library

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