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
This is the tale of a duck in a truck - a truck that was in some yucky brown muck. A sheep in a jeep and a frog in a bush saw the truck stuck and gave it a push. But the truck stayed stuck! What now, can you guess? Could a goat in a boat get them out of this mess?
Up, down, and around
Ayres, Katherine.
Paper Book
This garden is on the move! A good-time, rollicking celebration of things that grow. PEPPERS GROW UP. POTATOES GROW DOWN. PUMPKINS VINE AROUND AND AROUND. From seeds dropping into soil to corn bursting from its stalks, from children chasing butterflies to...
From head to toe
Carle, Eric
Paper Book
From Eric Carle, the New York Times bestselling creator of beloved books including The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Grouchy Ladybug, comes From Head to Toe, a colorful and energetic book that will have young readers clapping their hands, stomping their feet, and wiggling their toes! ...
Fish eyes : a book you can count on
Ehlert, Lois.
Paper Book
Brightly colored fish introduce young children to counting and basic addition in this fun and simple concept book. "A visual treat from start to finish."--Booklist
Monkey puzzle
Donaldson, Julia
Paper Book
When little monkey can't find his mother, butterfly offers to help in the search. Little monkey says that his mother is big, so butterfly leads him to . . . an elephant. No, that's not right! Little monkey says his mom is furry, so butterfly leads him to . . . a bat. That's not right either. From...
Tip tip dig dig
Garcia, Emma
Paper Book
A parade of colorful construction vehicles doing their work means plenty of joyful noise! From the crane that lifts, lifts, lifts to the bulldozer that push, push-pushes, to the steamroller that rolls, rolls, rolls, every machine here makes it own special sound. And the surprise ending,...
Shape by shape
MacDonald, Suse.
Paper Book
Turn the cut-out pages and see how shapes become a dinosaur in this board book from Alphabatics creator and Caldecott Honoree Suse MacDonald! What am I? I lived a long, long time ago. I had round eyes... lots of sharp teeth......
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...
Construction
Sutton, Sally
Paper Book
Thonk! Clonk! Clap! The team behind Roadwork and Demolition returns to the construction site, where big machines and busy workers dig, hoist, and hammer away. There’s lots of noise and excitement involved in building a library! Preschoolers will clamor to take...

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