10 books for 3-year-olds: Liam’s favourites
These are some of the books Liam loves most, from stories that make us laugh to bedtime favourites and beautiful pictures we take our time with. I hope you find a new favourite to read together.
1. Stuck, Oliver Jeffers
This one is hilarious. Liam asks for it again and again, and I love how the story keeps getting more ridiculous. It starts with a kite caught in a tree, then Floyd tries to get it down by throwing other things up there. Each new attempt makes the problem bigger. It’s such a fun one to read together, especially when you pause and wonder what on earth he’ll try next.
A little way to read together: Pause before the next page and let your child guess what Floyd might throw into the tree.
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2. Bedtime for Bo, Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold
This has become Liam’s recent favourite at bedtime. Bo isn’t quite ready to stop playing, so getting ready for bed becomes a little journey through his imagination, with his mum joining in. I like that there’s room for play inside such an everyday routine. The publisher recommends ages four to eight; we’re already enjoying it together while Liam is three.
A little way to read together: Let your child choose an animal from the pictures and imagine how it might get ready for bed.
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3. Here We Are, Oliver Jeffers
To me, this is one of the most beautiful and moving picture books. Oliver Jeffers introduces our world through people, animals, land and sky, with such a gentle feeling of looking after one another. There’s plenty to notice in the pictures, so you can follow whatever catches your child’s attention. You don’t need to explain the whole planet in one sitting.
A little way to read together: Choose one picture together and talk about something familiar in it, then something you’ve never seen before.
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4. Mmm... een taart!, Susanne Strasser
A hungry bear spots a cake, but it’s much too high to reach. One animal after another comes to help, and a rather wobbly plan begins to take shape. I like how much of the story you can follow just by looking at the pictures. There’s a simple, funny problem to keep coming back to: will they ever reach that cake? This is the Dutch edition.
A little way to read together: Look at the growing animal tower and ask who might be able to help next.
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5. All Along the River, Magnus Weightman
This is Liam’s favourite book. I love the delicate illustrations and all the little animal stories you can follow from page to page. Bunny’s trip down the river is the main story, but you can choose another animal and look for them in each new scene. It’s lovely to take your time, spot small details and talk about what might happen next.
A little way to read together: Pick one animal to follow all the way down the river. See what changes for them on each page.
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6. The Napping House, Audrey Wood
Another bedtime classic that Liam loves. Everyone is settling down in the same sleepy house, and the bed gets fuller as the story goes on. The repeated words make it lovely to read aloud, while the pictures give you little things to notice each time. It has that cosy, familiar feeling you can return to at the end of the day, with a funny change of pace along the way.
A little way to read together: Let your child point to each sleeper as the bed fills up, or join in with a repeated part of the story.
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7. Field Trip to the Moon, Jeanne Willis
A school trip to the moon is already a lovely starting point for a story. When one child is left behind, drawing becomes a way to meet some very unexpected new friends. There’s room to stop and imagine what you would draw if you were sitting on the moon too. Following the pictures, you can tell the story a little differently every time you read it together.
A little way to read together: Imagine meeting someone who has never seen crayons. What would you draw to introduce yourself?
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8. Lost and Found, Oliver Jeffers
One to try if your child enjoys the animals and gentle feeling of the books above. A boy finds a penguin at his door and sets out to take him home, but the journey becomes a story about wanting company. I’d leave a little space to look at the penguin’s face and wonder how he feels. It’s a quieter change of pace after the chaos of Stuck, from the same author.
A little way to read together: Look at the penguin before and after a page turn. Ask what he might want to tell the boy.
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9. The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson
I’d add this for a child who likes joining in with a story. A small mouse walks through the woods and invents a frightening creature to keep the other animals away, until that creature turns out to be real. The rhyme gives you a rhythm to share, and there are different voices to try. If your child finds monsters a bit much, look at the pictures together first and see how they feel.
A little way to read together: Choose a voice for the mouse and another for the Gruffalo, then take turns saying a little part.
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10. Lola Goes to School, Anna McQuinn
This is a lovely book for helping your child get ready to start school. Lola packs her bag, meets her teacher, plays, has a snack and comes home again. I like how those ordinary moments make the school day feel a little more familiar. You can pause at the pictures, talk about what your child might pack in their own bag and make room for their questions and feelings before that first day.
A little way to read together: Choose a picture from Lola’s school day and ask what your child is looking forward to, or what they would like to ask their teacher.
View on Amazon.nlWhat kind of books are good for a 3-year-old?
I’d start with what catches your child’s attention: funny problems, animals to find, repeated phrases or pictures worth lingering over. These are books to read together, so you can stop, skip back or talk about a picture. A favourite doesn’t need to be new every night.
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