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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Duck in the truck
Alborough, Jez
Paper Book
Watch out! Here comes Duck in a brand new edition of the first book in the million copy bestselling series! This is the tale of a duck in a truck - a truck that was stuck in some yucky brown muck. A sheep in a jeep and a frog in a bush ...
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...
Arriba, abajo y alrededor
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 Los pimientos crecen hacia arriba. Las papas crecen hacia abajo. Y alrededor, las calabazas se...
Quack and count
Baker, Keith
Paper Book
Slip, slide, leap, and dive with a family of seven lively ducklings as they get ready to fly for the very first time. Keith Baker's playful, rhyming text and bold collage illustrations capture the excitement of a day's adventures--and gently introduce counting.
Stuck!
Calder, Charlotte.
Paper Book
Stuck is the familiar tale of a group of children who first lose a kite up a tree and who then attempt to bring it down with all their other toys. One warm and windy day, Charlie and his friends decide to fly a kite. It takes off and soars and swoops and plunges......
Heads and tails
Canty, John
Paper Book
White fluffy tail or blue-green feathers? Hop, slither, and fly from one page to the next in this fun guessing book. Would you be able to guess an animal if you could see only its tail? Clever clues and a turn of the page reveal its identity. Whether the answer is a slow-moving...
From head to toe
Carle, Eric
Paper Book
A lively interactive introduction to basic body parts and movements from the creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Gorillas, elephants, camels and other animals invite young readers to clap, stomp, wriggle and bend like they do! Other titles from Eric...
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 words by...
What are stars?
Daynes, Katie
Paper Book
Marvel at the stars above and discover their secrets. They twinkle in the night sky, but what exactly are stars? Which one's the nearest? Can humans visit a star? Curious little children can lift over 30 flaps to find the answers to these questions and many more in this delightful...
Monkey puzzle
Donaldson, Julia
Paper Book
Join in the fun and help little Monkey find his mum with this special twentieth anniversary edition of the bestselling classic Monkey Puzzle, featuring the much-loved original story plus additional bonus content. Where is Monkey's mummy? It's not too much fun being lost in the jungle, and little...
A pig is big
Florian, Douglas.
Paper Book
What is big Join Douglas Florian and a decidedly big pink pig as they travel around town, across a continent, and through the universe, taking a look at things that are big bigger biggest! Bulletin Blue Ribbon Best of 2000 Award
Ducks away!
Fox, Mem, 1946- author.
Paper Book
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...
Where, oh where, is Rosie's chick?
Hutchins, Pat
Paper Book
Rosie has lost her baby chick. She looks under the hen house. She looks behind the wheelbarrow. But little baby chick isn't there. But watch out Rosie - there's someone following you, and it's not just your baby chick! The funny sequel to the much-loved and bestselling Rosie's...
Pizza day
Iwai, Melissa
Paper Book
A young boy and his father gather ingredients in the garden to prepare pizza on a hot day in this preschool picture book companion to Soup Day. On a sunny, summer day, a young boy and his father assemble the ingredients for a homemade pizza. From gathering fresh garden...
Shape by shape
MacDonald, Suse.
Paper Book
What am I? I lived a long, long time ago. I had round eyes... lots of sharp teeth... This new concept book from Caldecott Honor illustrator Suse MacDonald is sure to entertain children. As readers turn the brightly colored, die cut pages, shapes on each page...
Zoom, rocket, zoom!
Mayo, Margaret.
Paper Book
First the egg
Seeger, Laura Vaccaro.
Paper Book
WHICH CAME FIRST? The chicken or the egg? Simple die-cuts magically present transformation-- from seed to flower, tadpole to frog, caterpillar to butterfly. The acclaimed author of Black? White! Day? Night! and Lemons Are Not Red gives an entirely fresh and memorable...
Faster, faster! Nice and slow!
Heap, Sue, 1954-
Paper Book
Discover 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 forest and a hot, sunny beach, or a super-fast...
Construction
Sutton, Sally
Paper Book
The next offering from the award-winning duo that brought machine-mad kids Roadworks and Demolition. 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 the frame. Hammer all day...
Just a little bit
Tompert, Ann.
Paper Book
When an elephant and a mouse try to play on a seesaw, they need help from a vast number of animal friends to balance the scales.
What will hatch?
Ward, Jennifer
Paper Book
Jelly, jiggly. What will hatch? Wiggly, squiggly. . . tadpole. What is more exciting than waiting for an egg to hatch? Creatures of all varieties begin inside an egg-and those eggs also come in all shapes and sizes. From a squiggly tadpole to fuzzy robin to a...
Let's go visiting
Williams, Sue
Paper Book
A colorful farmyard visit brightened by lively baby animals and lots of counting fun. Let's go visiting and see who's ready to play--one foal, two calves, three kittens, four piglets, five ducklings, and six puppies! And once we've stomped in the mud with the piglets and swum in the lake...
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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