20 Great Read-Aloud Books for Toddlers, Preschoolers and Kids

Parents read books to their kids from the time they are toddlers. Kids love to hear stories with loud and silly sounds. It makes them imagine the characters and also learn about new words. Most parents make it a habit to read a storybook to their kids at bedtime as they curl up with them. Reading aloud to the kids is also rewarding for the parents as it helps in the cognitive development of the child, grows their vocabulary and language, and induces reading and writing skills. 

Top Read-Aloud Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Reading aloud storybooks to toddlers and preschoolers is the best gift their parents can give them. It helps in developing vocabulary, and introduces the little ones to the beautiful world of literature. The children’s imagination is developed as they learn about different characters and are transported to new places. Their inner motivation to read and learn about new things gets unlocked. To inspire the kids to learn reading and new words, the parents need to focus on how they read aloud. The silly sounds, pace, and high-low tone variation along with facial expressions create a dramatic effect, and are well-loved by the kids! 

Here are some of the best read-aloud books for kindergarten:

1. The Night Before Christmas

 Author –  Clement C. Moore 

 Genre – Christmas, Classic, Fiction 

 Why It’s Great 

It is a kid’s book telling the classic tale of Christmas. The story is about how St. Nicholas climbs down the chimney to stuff stockings. 

2. The Little House

 Author – Virginia Lee Burton 

 Genre – Realistic Fiction, Classics  

 Why It’s Great 

The Little House is a classic book telling the simple story about a big heart and happy endings. The story is about how a country cottage is overshadowed and taken over by the big city surrounding it. 

3. Diary of a Fly

 Author –Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Harry Bliss  

 Genre –Humour, Fiction, Friendship, Bugs 

 Why It’s Great 

 The story is about a young fly who dreams of being a superhero and the daily tasks of the fly along with the encounters on the way to becoming a superhero. 

4. Dear Zoo

 Author – Rod Campbell, illustrated by Rod Campbell 

 Genre –  Fiction, Animals 

 Why It’s Great 

Dear Zoo is a story about a young boy who writes letters to many zookeepers to send him an animal for his pet. The books have flap pages which when lifted reveal a variety of animals that were sent by the zoo. 

 5. Everywhere Babies

 Author –Susan Meyers 

 Genre – Fiction, Children 

 Why It’s Great 

This is a cute book about babies of all sizes and different shapes doing many things in everyday life. The book is perfect to read aloud to infants and toddlers.

 6. A Hat for Minerva Louise

 Author –Janet Morgan Stoeke 

 Genre – Humour, Fiction, Animals 

 Why It’s Great 

The book tells the story of a chicken, Minerva Louise, and her cute antics. She loves snow and often mistakes things for something else, like she mistook pair of mittens as hats, and wore one on her head. 

7. I Went Walking

 Author – Sue Williams, illustrations by Julie Vivas 

 Genre –  Farm Animals, Realistic Fiction, Colours 

 Why It’s Great 

I Went Walking is a kid’s book with catchy rhymes, which is a perfect and classic read-aloud book for kids. The book tells about things one sees when they go walking with catchy rhymes such as “ I went walking/what did you see? I saw a black cat/looking at me” and many more. 

 8. Z Is for Moose!

 Author – Kelly Bingham, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky 

 Genre – Spelling, Animals 

 Why It’s Great 

The book is a spin-off on the classic ABC tale with the center spotlight on Moose. Moose has a friend Zebra who is well organized and has well-laid alphabetic plans and Moose keeps interrupting his plans. 

 9. Fox Tale Soup

 Author –Tony Banning, illustrations by Sally Hobson 

 Genre – Fairy Tales, Animals 

 Why It’s Great 

Fox Tale Soup is the charming re-telling of the classic story of sly Fox and Stone soup. 

 10. Peek-a-Who

 Author –Nina Laden 

 Genre – Games, Halloween 

 Why It’s Great 

This is a cute book with colourful pictures and simple rhyming texts which make a favourite read-aloud for young kids. The book has taken inspiration from guessing games for kids and toddlers. 

Best Read-Aloud Books For Kids

Parents want to inculcate the habit of reading and learning new things in their kids. To do so, parents should read out loud books to the kids, for the best activity. This involves the kids in the story and makes them learn new things. For young kids, read-aloud picture books are the best, as cute illustrations along with parents reading the story helps them to imagine more vividly. 

Here are some of the best read-aloud books for kids:

 1. The One and Only Ivan

 Author – Katherine Applegate 

 Genre – Fiction, Animals, Friendship 

 Why It’s Great 

The cute book tells the story of a captive gorilla and is inspired by a true story. The book has an inspiring tale with beautiful illustrations about monkey business – literally! 

2. The Adventure of Captain Underpants

 Author – Dav Pilkey, illustrated by Dav Pilkey 

 Genre – Comedy, Action & Adventure, Humour 

 Why It’s Great 

This is the first book in the series of funny books telling the adventures of an outrageously funny character, Captain Underpants. 

 3. Clementine

 Author – Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee

 Genre – Fiction, Comedy, Humour 

 Why It’s Great 

This is a funny book with cute illustrations that narrates the antics of Clementine. The antics are outrageous and crazy, but the humorous story makes both the parent and kid laugh out loud.  

 4. Ivy Bean

 Author – Annie Barrows 

 Genre – Fiction, School, Friendship 

 Why It’s Great 

A lovely book for kids telling the tale of friendship between two different types of kids- Ivy and Bean. The series of books is about how Ivy and Bean who at first don’t like each other but later become best friends. 

 5. Betsy-Tacy

 Author – Maud Hart Lovelace 

 Genre – Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Growing Up 

 Why It’s Great 

This is a series of historical fiction books about two friends- Betsy and Tacy. The books trace the journey of the two best friends from elementary school to adulthood. The book is based on the real-life experiences of the author. 

 6. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

 Author – C. S. Lewis 

 Genre – Fiction, Fantasy 

 Why It’s Great 

This kids’ book tells the story of young siblings and the events that happen when they find a wardrobe. The journey to Narnia begins when the kids are transported from the old country cottage to the magical land. There they have secret adventures and see exciting battles. 

 7. Molly’s Pilgrim

 Author – Barbara Cohen, illustrated by Daniel Mark Duffy 

 Genre – Historical Fiction, Thanksgiving 

 Why It’s Great 

The book teaches the kids about different kinds of Thanksgivings in the world, along with all kinds of pilgrims. It tells the story of a student who, during a Thanksgiving lesson, is teaching a class about Thanksgiving and pilgrims. 

8. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories

 Author – Dr. Seuss, illustrated by Dr. Seuss

 Genre – Fiction, Animals 

 Why It’s Great 

The book has many fun stories with zany illustrations and meaningful stories.  The main story is about a young bird who doesn’t like herself but later starts to like herself. 

 9. Ish

 Author – Peter H. Reynolds, illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds 

 Genre – Realistic Fiction

 Why It’s Great 

The book teaches an amazing freeing lesson for everybody and especially for kids that one should never stifle creativity. 

 10. Salsa Stories

 Author – Lulu Delacre, illustrations by Lulu Delacre 

 Genre – Realistic Fiction, Holidays, Multicultural 

 Why It’s Great 

This book is a collection of many short stories with illustrations. The book is centered on Latin American holidays and celebrates the family warmth of storytelling. 

Reading a good book to your kids is the best activity for their cognitive development. It also helps them in imagining new things and learn new words. Books with engaging stories teach them good life lessons. Reading aloud to the kid also serves as a great means for parent-child bonding. 

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