50 Best Books for 4-Year-Olds: 2024 Picks

Go on an exciting journey with Harold and his purple crayon as you work together to figure out how to get Harold back home to his bed. This title is great because it helps foster your child’s imagination and creativity.

A bonus is that there are more Harold stories out there if your child loves this story. Hop back online and order some more adventures for you and your child to share, such as Harold’s Fairy Tale or Harold’s Circus.

Mr. Fish is not a happy guy. He swims about, spreading his dreary mood to all the other fish until they’ve had enough. He doesn’t think he can do anything about it, but will someone change his mind?

This one made my list for its use of silly rhyme to make the reader laugh. The fun illustrations of all the ocean characters are also nice for capturing your child’s attention. Mr. Fish is a tried and true hit for bedtime as well.

This title is one of my favorites because it uses rhyme and happy illustrations to keep a young child’s attention. It’s also a good example of a story that can open up a dialogue about what the world has to offer.

The story encourages children to dream big and actively follow their passions. It’s endearing because it displays how parents see our children and how we want the world for them.

Pete’s groovy buttons pop off constantly, but instead of getting upset, Pete decides to sing about it. This upbeat story is part of a series of books about Pete’s adventures, and it’s a major hit with the preschool crowd.

This story helps with early counting skills while captivating the reader with fun illustrations and a goofy storyline.

This book makes the perfect gift for your budding reader. It includes 10 classic fairy tales with enchanting illustrations and easy-to-read pages, suitable for introducing your child to early reading.

In this treasury, you’ll find “The Ugly Duckling,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and other classic tales. While they may not be avid readers yet, using stories with simple words and sentences helps encourage kids to start trying.

Here we follow the story of a modest house in the countryside and how it stands the test of time. Its surroundings morph from the quiet countryside to a loud and busy city. At first, the house loves seeing the city, but eventually, it misses the countryside.

I love that this book allows readers to compare the city and country, allowing for open-ended questions during storytime.

In this story, the letters of the alphabet all take turns climbing up a coconut tree. As each letter piles on, they worry if there will be enough room for everybody. I appreciate this book for teaching the alphabet because it’s repetitive and goes through each letter using a fun storyline.

If you want to work on letters with your 4-year-old, this is a great classic to invest in.

This is a whimsical story about how different animals kiss their parents goodnight. Peacock and chick kiss with a kickity high-stepping prance, while Python snakes twirl and twist before a kiss.

It’s interactive, adorable, and the easy-to-read rhymes capture a child’s attention. If you have an active child like mine, this may be a good option for a bedtime read.

This fantastic box set is amazing for gently introducing your child to phonics. It includes 26 stories (one for each letter of the alphabet), exciting activities, and short poems at the end of each book. There’s also a teaching guide to help you with the process.

Keep in mind that this set is recommended for children starting preschool and up until the first grade, so it will grow with your child as they develop.

The Gruffalo is a classic choice — for teachers and parents — when you want to encourage your child’s imagination. The story follows a little mouse in the woods trying to avoid being eaten by all the other animals. He invents a monster called the “Gruffalo,” hoping to scare them off.

I love this for its use of creativity and problem-solving, skills your child will find handy in the future. It also uses rhythmic rhyming, which can encourage language development and help attention spans.

With gorgeous images and few words, this book is excellent for sparking conversation with your four-year-old as they follow an exhausted pup. The hot dog is tired of city life and escapes to the beach for a magical seaside adventure.

Winner of the 2023 Caldecott Medal, this book is praised for its peaceful and emotional atmosphere that will transport young readers from city to seaside and back.

In this beautifully-illustrated story, a young girl goes on an adventure with her grandmother to gather berries. They pick blueberries, huckleberries, soapberries, and more berries, singing the berry song as they go, becoming one with nature.

This book invites young readers to appreciate their planet and explore nature, specifically berries. At the back of the book, you’ll find more information about berries and a reminder that while some berries are delicious, others can be toxic!

This simply beautiful book takes readers on a journey following how a seed is planted, how it grows, and how it all cycles back again. With gorgeous illustrations and simple words, this book is great for teaching your child to read. But it’s also fantastic for when your child simply wants to sit back and listen.

At the end of the book, you’ll find more in-depth information about soil, sun, seeds, and pollination. If your child wants to know more about photosynthesis, you have the perfect opportunity to explain it to them.

Dat moves to a new country and doesn’t understand anything anyone says! Feeling sad, he is surrounded by gibberish language and struggles to make friends. Whether your child is in the same boat as Dat or simply feels nervous around other kids, this book can help your child feel less alone.

In the end, Dat learns to communicate with those around him, thanks to a special new friend.

What I love most about this book are the marvelous illustrations. They begin black and white and slowly become more colorful as Dat settles into his surroundings.

Is your little one having a hard time with their older siblings? Lee has an older sister, Zora, who he calls the boss. Lee feels bossed around by her, and your four-year-old may identify. But this book can help show your children that together, kids can help each other out when the other one is struggling. It’s a beautiful story about loving your siblings and mending broken relationships.

Music-loving Evelyn loses her hearing in childhood, which devastates her and her family. Despite her doctor telling her that she would never play music again, Evelyn is able to play all sorts of percussion instruments!

This inspiring story will encourage your child to follow their dreams, advocate for themselves, and believe in what others deem impossible.

I think the reading level is a bit more appropriate for older kids, but four-year-olds can still grasp the motivating message.

Meet Billy, the dog who loves music so much that he moves to Nashville to follow his dreams. While many other musicians try to put him down, Billy doesn’t give up on his music. He meets some awesome pals who encourage him to join their band.

This adorable and pup-tastic book teaches the lesson of believing in yourself, cherishing good friendships, and following your dreams. Four-year-olds will love the inspiring message and the cute illustrations.

This book is about a really, really, really bad seed. He tells poor jokes, never listens, and is always late! In this hilarious tale, you’ll find what exactly made him a bad seed.

Four-year-olds will giggle at the funny illustrations and humorous sentences, especially if you use funny voices! The book also teaches kids that even when naughty, they can turn it around and be good again.

In this book, you’ll meet a red crayon who can only color in blue. It’s confusing for the crayon because he has a red wrapper on. No matter how hard he tries, he just can’t be a red crayon! Some think he’s not smart, others think he’s lazy, but in reality, he’s actually a blue crayon.

With the right encouragement, he can draw beautiful blue oceans, whales, birds, and more! This story teaches children that you can achieve anything when you discover your true self.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll find it annoying when other people make stereotypes about your child. Whether someone condemns your son for wearing pink or for your girl playing with a car, you’re not alone if you get frustrated.

This book celebrates that colors are for everyone, no matter their gender. It’s an empowering story that challenges the binary idea that pink is for girls and blue is for boys. Featuring diverse characters, this might be just the book to help your four-year-old feel seen and heard.

At this age, your little one is on the brink of starting school. They will meet many people, some similar to them and others very different. It’s crucial that you teach your child the importance of kindness and including others, as shown in this beautiful book.

The more often you read inspiring books like this to your child, the more they will understand and accept people that look different from them. This valuable lesson will help them through life, whether they’re four or 104!

This motivating story is an inspiration for children and parents. The author wrote this book in the hopes that it reminds people that they can do anything they set their mind to. I Am Enough is a poetic and beautifully-illustrated story that reminds kids to love themselves and the people around them.

In this follow-up story to Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, the hilarious pigeon finds a yummy hot dog. But when a little duck comes along, the pigeon faces a tricky dilemma: will he share his hot dog?

Laugh with your toddler as you discover what the silly and selfish pigeon will do with the hot dog. Told with funny dialogue and captivating illustrations, this series is a classic for a reason!

Little Blue Truck gets caught in a commotion in the busy city. When he gets stuck in a terrifying traffic jam, Blue becomes a guiding force to help the other cars get through. Told with straightforward rhymes and fun illustrations, this exciting book teaches kids the importance of patience, taking turns, and remaining calm.

This book will always hold a special place in my heart because I grew up with my parents reading it to us! My sister loved it so much that she actually had a Green Eggs and Ham birthday party. This silly book uses simple rhymes to explore Sam’s disgust towards green eggs and ham, a strange meal!

Its repeated use of simple rhymes makes it a great tool for teaching phonetics to young children. It also encourages kids to try new foods, even if they look a little weird.

Here’s another Dr. Suess book I think you and your four-year-old will love! This one features every basic feature that new readers will love: counting, opposites, rhyming, colors, and more. Told through Dr. Seuss’ classic rhyming scheme, this is fantastic for reading to your child or helping them learn how to read new words.

What happens when you give a mouse a cookie? He’ll ask for milk, then a straw, then a napkin, and soon, you’ll realize you can’t get rid of the mouse! This adorable classic is all about cause and effect, helping your child learn that actions have consequences, some good and some bad.

I love asking kids random scenarios that can follow the formula of this book. For example, I might ask my child, “What happens if you give a snake a TV remote?” Together, we might develop a random story that sparks his creativity and imagination!

If your child likes this story, there are plenty more in the series!

At four, I was obsessed with mermaids! If your little one is also enchanted by these fictional sea creatures, this book might be a perfect story to share. It follows a little girl who wants to catch a mermaid so they can be friends.

Kids will love the film-like illustrations and rhyming schemes. Plus, it’s an excellent opportunity for your child to learn new words and practice reading skills.

This silly interactive story is fantastic for engaging with your child before bed, especially if they’re fearful of monsters. This story prompts your child to shake the book, blow on it, tilt the book, and do more fun activities.

Together, you can try to get the monster out of the book while showing your child that monsters aren’t scary. In fact, they’re friendly, fun, and best of all, they don’t hide in your room but in books!

My child has loved Jon Klassen’s books since before he turned one. The drawings are simple and cute, and the story is perfect for silly voices and expressions. In this story, two turtles find a hat they both want to wear.

Your little one will laugh at the mischievous attitude of the turtles, who both are desperate to wear the hat. Each time you read this one, you can use different voices and encourage your child to join in with some of the easier words.

Introduce your child to this classic story enriched by Mac Barnett’s rhymes and Jon Klassen’s gorgeous illustrations. In this story, you’ll meet a disgusting troll who lives under a bridge, waiting for goats that he can turn into a delicious meal!

This is a fantastic and delightful story for reading to four-year-olds, but it’s also a great choice for older siblings.

This adorable book reminds readers that there is always enough kindness to go around. Little Annabelle finds a box full of yarn, so she makes sweaters for herself, her family, her classmates, and even the houses!

Magical and utterly original, I absolutely adore this story for reading to your child or even enjoying with a cup of tea once your little ones are asleep. It’s that good!

In this classic winter story, Nicki asks his grandmother to knit him white mittens, even though they would blend in with the snow if he dropped them. Inevitably, he does lose a mitten in the snow, and it becomes a cozy home for a mole, a rabbit, a hedgehog, and other creatures.

With cute illustrations and a silly storyline, this captivating story is perfect for four-year-olds, especially during a cold winter’s evening.

This interactive and educational book shows a portion of various animals’ bodies, such as their nose, ears, and tail. Children must guess which body part belongs to what animals before finding out what each animal does with their specific features.

Did you know that eagles have amazing vision that helps them hunt from high up, or that elephants use their trunks to stay squeaky clean?

Four-year-olds are keen learners, and this exciting and original book teaches all about animals in a super fun way!

Teach your child all about bugs using this beautifully-illustrated and easy-to-follow book. It has large pages that showcase any bug you can think of: beetles, moths, night-time bugs, flies, and more. Each page has valuable and exciting information about each bug, delivered in bitesize sections that are simple for a four-year-old to follow.

This engaging story will encourage your little ones to engage with nature and the world around them. Can they take their knowledge about bugs into the real world and start identifying bugs on their own?

Is your little one a worrier? It’s hard to see our children deal with big emotions at this young age, but this story might help. It’s about a little boy followed around all day by a yellow monster, representing anxiety.

If you have a worrier on your hands, this book is a fantastic resource. As a parent, I appreciate how this story explains anxiety in a child-friendly way and emphasizes that talking about our worries can make them smaller and easier to manage.

A little girl pesters her mother for a pet until she finally orders a sloth in the mail! She names him Sparky and helps him feel at home in the tree outside her house. Although the little girl knew that the sloth would be lazy, she is disappointed that her sloth can’t do amazing tricks like other pets.

This charming story about accepting others for who they are and unlikely patience will delight any four-year-old. I adore the unique watercolor illustrations that will keep parents entertained while they read this story for the 100th time!

Learn about a funny crocodile who loves watermelon! It’s his favorite fruit, but discover what happens when he accidentally swallows a watermelon seed.

This story features neon illustrations and straightforward sentences to engage children, whether they’re two years old or 10! But I think four-year-olds will find it particularly hilarious and engaging, especially when the watermelon starts to panic about swallowing a watermelon seed!

Energic and vivid, this award-winning book follows Jack, who dreams of a better car than the one his dad drives. With a fiery imagination, Jack designs a futuristic car with wings, multiple lights, and even jet engines!

Four-year-olds who love cars and have an overactive imagination will love following Jack on his exciting adventure. The book’s rhythmic rhyming structure makes it easy for even the most easily distracted children to stay engaged.

Is your four-year-old nervous about starting school? They’ll enjoy reading about Penelope Rex, who is also scared about their first day. She worries what her classmates will be like and if they’ll be nice.

This silly yet inspiring story reminds children to be nice to their peers, as kindness is the best way to make friends! Even if others don’t look or think like you, treating them with respect is important.

In this adorable rhyming book, a big bear is cozy in his cave during the winter months. He sleeps all day and all night, but the bear snores on. Other creatures, such as a mouse, a hare, and a badger, find their way to the cave and make themselves at home. Together, they light a fire, drink tea and eat nuts while, you guessed it, the bear snores on!

What will happen when the bear finally wakes up? This is a sweet and warming book to read on a cold winter’s night or before winding down to sleep.

While I’m mainly recommending story books, I didn’t want to leave you without an arts and craft book. Four-year-olds are pretty creative, and in this book, you’ll find more than 450 stickers and plenty of pages for coloring and drawing.

This book is great for quiet time, road trips, or staying inside on a rainy day. If your child loves this book, there are plenty of stories in the Fancy Nancy series for them to discover.

If your little one loves Taylor Swift’s, dare I say, incredible music, then I think they’ll enjoy this picture book biography! In the pages, you’ll learn all about Taylor Swift, from when she was a little girl to when she is a grownup with Grammys and… cats!

Reading child-friendly biographies to your child is a great way for them to learn about famous people and how they might inspire us. This story encourages children to follow their dreams, no matter how wild they seem.

Kids have big emotions. Trust me, I often have dealt with 15 tantrums before 9 a.m.! Readers will discover a healthy way to manage their intense emotions in this book.

Told through accessible text with beautiful illustrations, this book clearly explains the reasons behind sadness, how we can cope with it, and how to talk to God about it. If you’re struggling with an emotional child, then I absolutely recommend this insightful story.

Here is a delightful and heartwarming story about a father and daughter that work on a project together. Through building a house, door and imagining a future, this book conveys the importance of going through life alongside the people you love the most.

Written by Oliver Jeffers for his daughter, this book was designed to be read between parent and child. I can’t wait to read it with my son when he’s a little bit older.

In this book from the “I Can Read” series, Jack hurts his foot when playing with his sister. He visits the doctor, who helps him get better, inspiring him to become a doctor when he is older.

Not only is this a motivating tale to inspire young children to pursue their passions, but it’s a level-one reading book that is intended for four-year-olds to practice their vocabulary and phonics.

This beautifully-illustrated book features all kinds of vehicles. Your kiddo will find a bus, a chain, a fire engine, and more vehicles. The book asks them to guess who each vehicle belongs to before revealing fun information about the vehicle and those who operate it.

It’s a great way to introduce your child to the world of vehicles in a fun and easy-to-understand way.

Do you want to teach your child about mindful breathing? This kind of breathing is excellent for calming down, reducing anxiety, and focusing better ⁽¹⁾. It’s an invaluable skill to teach children.

This book takes us through 26 different breathing exercises, starting with A and ending with Z. It includes breathing as you imagine going up and down an elevator, or hugging yourself as you breathe. You can encourage your four-year-old to practice these exercises when they’re feeling overwhelmed.

Being small can be a little scary, especially in busy places. I think your four-year-old will identify with this lovely and relatable story about a small boy in a big city. He feels overwhelmed, but he has some advice for readers, such as avoiding alleys and big dogs.

This sweet story with magical illustrations is a fantastic addition to any bookshelf. Children will reach for it time and time again to be reminded of finding beautiful moments in our ordinary, busy lives.

While this is a children’s book, it also makes a thoughtful gift for older children who are moving away from home for the first time.