To put together this list of the best books for 4 year-old boys, I consulted the expert…Here’s our list of books, chosen by my 4 year-old son.
Well, since I already have posts for Best Books for 2 Year-Olds and Best Books for 3 Year-Old Boys, I figured it was high time for me to put together a list of the best books for 4 year-olds. You may notice just a couple of repeats, but just because my son is a year older, doesn’t mean he no longer likes books from when he was “little”. 🙂
Without further ado, below are my 4 year-old son’s favorite books!
The Day the Babies Crawled Away
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Right now, this is one of my top 3 favorite books. It’s rhythm and rhyme make it fun to read and the pictures are phenomenal. If you look closely, you can see that the sun gradually sets as the story is told.
TIP: Look for the upside-down baby. There is one on almost every page!
Flotsam
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My sister-in-law sent this book out of the blue, and I immediately fell in love. There are no words, but Flotsam proves that a picture is worth a thousand words. The story is absolutely magical.
Gulliver Snip
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Yes, this is a repeat from my Best Books for 3 Year-Olds list, but I love it too much to not put it on this list as well. The day that I read it for the first time, I actually contacted the author and told her to write more books. I haven’t written an author since a 4th grade reading assignment. (And, yes, she responded. Double stars for Julia Kay!)
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
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Any book that involves huffing and puffing is a fun read, but I also dig the story. It is a spoof on the Three Little Pigs (duh), told from the point of view of the wolf. I am not keen on the fact that he ate the pigs (it isn’t graphic or anything), but I guess that is how it went in the original story.
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb
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My 4 year-old son and I both love reading this book. “Rings on fingers. Rings on thumb. Drum Drum Drum Drum Drum Drum Drum.” The rhythm and rhyme make it absolutely addictive, and the pictures are too cute!
The Foot Book
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The Foot Book is classic Seuss; easy for early readers and so much fun to read. It is my go-to book whenever I want my son to practice his reading because he enjoys it so much he doesn’t even notice that he is doing all the work. (Sneaky, sneaky.)
Dinotrux
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Lord help me, but my 4 year-old loves this book. Frankly, I am a little tired of reading this one, but I have to include it in the list because my son thinks it is the bees knees. As a parent, you have to suspend all semblance of reality as you read; but just about any 4 year-old boy will love it.
Harold and the Purple Crayon
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So simple, and yet so perfect. Harold and the Purple Crayon is a sweet story about a boy who has a little adventure, armed with nothing but his imagination and a purple crayon. The drawings are simple, but still so engaging. It is a nice, calm read before bedtime.
I Broke My Trunk!
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When you read this book, you absolutely must pinch your nose when you speak for the elephant. It is a requirement. I like a lot of books by Mo Willems, but this is my favorite to read because it makes my 4 year-old laugh out loud. Always a good thing when making a life-long reader.
Where the Wild Things Are
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This book is a classic, and it is easy to see why. The story is beautifully written with wonderful rhythm. Even though it does not rhyme, it still reads like a poem. My 4 year-old is entranced by the pictures, and I love reading it.
Big Plans
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Big Plans is about a little boy who is sent to the corner in school where he thinks about his plans. This is another one of those books where the main phrase has made its way into our family vocabulary. Now, Edison will say, out of the blue, “I got big plans! Big plans, I say!” Too funny…
I Am A Leaf
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This book is such a great way to explain what leaves do to little kids. I discovered I Am A Leaf when Edison was 2 years old, and now I check it out from the library every fall. Although it is perfect for autumn, it goes through the entire life-cycle of a leaf, so it works year-round.