Books for Curious Kids Ages 0-5

This Better Beginnings list was compiled by children's literature specialists from the State Library and SciTech and are great for encouraging curiosity and children aged 0-5.

Updated November 21, 2024
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Who sank the boat?
Allen, Pamela.
Paper Book
Who sank the boat? Was it the cow or the donkey or the sheep with her knitting? Surely it wasn't the tiny little mouse? Winner of the 1983 Australian Picture Book of the Year Award, this wonderfully illustrated book is designed for sharing aloud and will make children giggle as they...
Up, down, and around
Ayres, Katherine.
Paper Book
"An inviting introduction to the wonder of plants, food, and gardening. . . . Will be a favorite of teachers, students, and home readers alike." -- Kirkus Reviews From seeds dropping into soil to corn bursting from its stalks, from children chasing butterflies to ants...
Stuck!
Calder, Charlotte
Paper Book
A story about a group of children whose kite gets stuck up a tree and their attempts to bring it down. One warm and windy day, Charlie and his friends decide to fly a kite. It takes off and soars and swoops and plunges ... straight into a tree. The kite is stuck! One by one,...
Heads and tails
Canty, John
Paper Book
Heads and Tails by John Canty is an extraordinary children's picture book. Leveraging the natural and universal fascination that children have with animals, the book utilises hints and recognition to build a sense of anticipation on each page, that is resolved on the following page when the...
From head to toe
Carle, Eric
Paper Book
Are you ready Here we go! Move yourself From Head to Toe I can do it! That's what kids will say when they wiggle, stomp, thump, and bend across the pages of this book. Laughter and squeals of delight will abound as boys and girls (and their elders,...
What's the time, Maisy?
Cousins, Lucy
Paper Book
Full of fun, What's the time, Maisy? is a colourful, interactive introduction to telling the time with everyone's favourite character.Each page of this colourful large-format board book has a die-cut window revealing a chunky, clunky clock with real hands and cogs that can be turned to show the time...
With Nan
Cox, Tania
Paper Book
A leaf that flies... A rock that hops... These are some of the wonderful things that Simon sees on his walk with Nan. Simon takes a walk through the bush with his Nan and along the way finds out that things are not always what they seem. A simple story about camouflage is brought to life with the...
Monkey puzzle
Donaldson, Julia
Paper Book
Poor little monkey! He's lost his mum. Luckily butterfly is nearby to help him find her..."I've lost my mum!" It's not too much fun being lost in the jungle, and little monkey wants his mummy. Kindly butterfly is keen to help, but they don't seem to be having much luck as the well...
Tip tip dig dig
Garcia, Emma
Paper Book
With each construction vehicle making its own noise as they all work towards a suprise ending, young readers will love reading this book out-loud with a parent or teacher.
On the way to nana's
Haji-Ali, Frances
Paper Book
Age range 4 to 8 Frances and Lindsay Haji-Ali take us counting backwards from FIFTEEN to ONE on this spectactular journey in the far north of WA. When Frances and Lindsay lived with their family in Broome, they often set out to visit Nana in the tiny outback town of Wyndham over 1...
Faster, faster! Nice and slow!
Heap, Sue, 1954-
Paper Book
A third title in this superb series by award-winning best friends, Sue Heap and Nick Sharratt. Here is the perfect way to learn about opposites. Whether it's a quiet cat and a noisy dog, a freezing cold or a hot and sunny day or a super fast leopard and a family of slowly-slow snails, Sue...
Construction
Sutton, Sally.
Paper Book
The next offering from the award-winning duo that brought machine-mad kids Roadworks and Demolition. New board book edition! Hoist the wood. Hoist the wood. Chain and hook and strap. Swing it round, then lower it down. Thonk! Clonk! Clap! Build the frame. Build...
Vamos de visita = Let's go visiting
Williams, Sue
Paper Book
Un vivaz compañero al éxito de ventas Salí de paseo, con animados animales bebés y mucha diversión contando . . . ahora disponible en una edición bilingüe español-inglés.  Let's go visiting and see who's ready to play--one foal, two calves, three kittens, four piglets, five...
Can you find me?
Winch, Gordon, 1930-
Paper Book
Search for an echidna, a powerful owl, a frog and many more animals hidden on every page. Pat Shirvington's striking illustrations hide each one of the animals just enough for the guessing to begin.

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