How I Choose the Best Books for My 3 Year-Old

I love finding books for my 3 year-old. But, with new authors and writing styles constantly entering the scene, it can be hard to sift through the fluff and find the treasures. Below are some of the things I look at when I search for books for my 3 year-old.

Commercial Books Should Offer More Than Just Marketing

I try to stay away from commercial books. That doesn’t mean that I won’t pick up an early-reader book featuring the cast of Cars 2. It just means that the book has to offer more than just an opportunity for Disney or whomever to market their products to my 3 year-old.

Some of the commercial books we both enjoy include:

• Secret Agent Mater (Disney/Pixar Cars 2) (Step into Reading)
• Thomas and the Jet Engine (Thomas and Friends)

Large Print and Few Words
Books with large print and just a few words per page are great to help kids learn to read. (Think Dick and Jane…) They make it easy to spot site words and practice sounding words out.

Favorite Large Print Books:

• Hop on Pop
• Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

Books with Lots of Repetition
I love books where a similar phrase is repeated throughout. Once my 3 year-old can read that one phrase, the rest is easy.

• Taking a Bath with the Dog and Other Things that Make Me Happy
• The Very Busy Spider

Interesting Artwork Keeps us Both Engaged
There is a reason they call them “picture books”. Talking about the pictures is half of the experience of reading a book. Our librarian suggested the books below, and now they are regulars in our check-out list.

• Imagine a Day 
• Imagine a Night