Splendid Stories | Ages 0-3

Babies may not understand what you are reading, but they love the rhythmic sounds of stories and poems, and listening to stories is great for language acquisition. Toddlers can't sit still very long for any reason, so just stop when they get distracted. Don't miss My Very First Mother Goose . It's just right for these little ones!

The age groups given are approximate, and many of these stories cross age groups. You are the best judge of what your child will like, and is ready for. Let a library staff member know if you need help finding the books in the library. Our location codes are on the list-- if you look for these books at another library, they probably won't be the same.

* This is a series, or there are other similar books by the same author
** ...and others by the same author

Alphabet Under Construction
E TOD FIC Fle, Denise Fleming
In this clever alphabet book, each letter is shown doing something starting with the letter - Mouse folds the F, glues the G, etc.
    
All Fall Down *
E TOD FIC Oxe, Helen Oxenbury**
Simple, illustrated rhyme.

Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothes
E FIC Bar, Judi Barrett
Depicts the funny consequences if animals behaved like people. 

Baby Dance
E TOD FIC Tay, Ann Taylor
While Mama is napping on the sofa, Father comforts his baby daughter and soon they are dancing and singing their way through this action poem. 

Baby! Talk
E TOD FIC Gen, Penny Gentieu
Photographs and simple text present a group of babies finding their feet, playing patty-cake, eating, hugging, and more.

Be Gentle!
E TOD FIC Mil, Virginia Miller*
When Bartholomew gets a little black kitten, he must learn to take care of him and be gentle with him.

The Bear Went Over the Mountain *
E TOD FIC Wel, Rosemary Wells
A picture version about the song in which a bear goes over the mountain, but all there is to see is the other side.

Bear's Christmas Star
E TOD FIC All, Allance, Mireille d'
Bear discovers he is not too small to help Papa decorate the Christmas Tree after all.

Big Fat Worm
E TOD FIC Van, Nancy Van Laan
A rhythmic read-aloud tale describing a chain of events set in motion when a big fat bird tries to eat a big fat worm.

Book!
E TOD FIC Geo, Kristine O'Connell George
A small child discovers the magic of books for the first time in this exuberant ode to book appreciation.

Brown Bear, What Do You See? *
E TOD FIC Mar, Bill Martin, illus. by Eric Carle
Beautiful pictures and chant-able words provide an opportunity to talk about colors and animal sounds.

Can I Help? *
E TOD FIC, Marilyn Janovitz
A little wolf's father accepts his son's offer to work with him in the garden.

Carrot Seed
E TOD FIC Kra, Ruth Krauss
Everyone is certain it won't grow, but a little boy remains confident in his carrot seed's potential.

Chick and the Duckling
E TOD FIC Sut, V. Suteev
Hatched at the same time, the chick does fine imitating the duckling until the duckling goes for a swim.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
E TOD FIC Mar, Bill Martin
An alphabet rhyme/chant about what happens when the whole alphabet tries to climb a coconut tree.

Cock-a-Doodle Moo!
E FIC Mos, Bernard Most
When the rooster loses its voice and asks the cow for help to wake everybody, the sound makes the farmer and his animals laugh.

Cozy in the Woods
E TOD FIC Ros, K. K. Ross
When animals come to visit, they each bring a gift which the girl combines to make a special supper.

Dear Zoo
E TOD FIC Cam, Rod Campbell
" I asked the zoo to send me a pet. . ."  There's a problem with each animal until just the right one arrives.  Flaps make it very fun for toddlers.

Do Monkeys Tweet?*
E TOD FIC Wal, Melanie Walsh  
Do pigs have stripes? No, zebras do!

Eat, Babies, Eat!
E TOD FIC Med, Angela Medearis
Simple rhyming text show babies discovering ears, hands, hair, eyes, feet, noses, and mouths.

Edward Unready for School *
E TOD FIC Wel, Rosemary Wells
Edward, a shy, young bear unready for play school, feels out of place surrounded by students who are busy, happy, and ready to be there.

Eye Spy: Colors *
E TOD FIC MacK , D. MacKinnon
Prompted by clues and color, the child can guess familiar objects by looking through a die-cut hole in the shape of an eye.

Fix It!
E TOD FIC McP,  David M. McPhail
Emma is frustrated when the TV won't work, but finds other things to do.

Flappy Waggy Wiggly
E TOD FIC Les, Amanda Leslie
Simple questions lead the reader to guess what animal can be found when the page is turned.

Flora's Blanket
E TOD FIC Gli, Debi Gliori
Little Flora can't get to sleep without her blanket, so the whole bunny family jumps into action to find it.

Gingerbread Boy
E TOD FIC Gin
Amazingly, a gingerbread boy comes to life and runs away.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears
E TOD FIC Gol
Three Bears go for a walk while their porridge cools.

Go Away, Big Green Monster
E TOD FIC Emb, Ed Emberley
A big green monster is made, and taken away, bit by bit through peek-holes in the pages. 

Goodnight Moon
E TOD FIC Bro, Margaret Wise Brown
A little rabbit bids goodnight to each familiar thing in his room, in this classic story told with gently lulling words and soothing illustrations.

Hey Diddle Diddle
E TOD FIC Hey
A lighthearted collection of favorite Mother Goose rhymes. 

Hi, Pizza Man!
E REA FIC Wal, Virginia Walter
While waiting for a pizza to be delivered, a young girl wonders what if the pizza was delivered by various other creatures.

How Do I Put It On?: Getting Dressed *
E TOD FIC, Wat Shigeo Watanabe
It takes a toddler bear a while to figure out how to dress himself.

Hunky Dory Ate It
E TOD FIC Eva, Katie Evans
Spunky Hunky Dory tries to eat everything in sight--and winds up a sick puppy at the vet's.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie *
E FIC Num, Laura Numeroff
If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to want something to go with it.

It Does Not Say Meow
E FIC DeR , Beatrice DeRegniers
Nine riddles contain clues in verse to well-known animals. 

Itsy Bitsy Spider
E TOD FIC Tra, Iza Trapani
The itsy-bitsy spider encounters a fan, a mouse, a cat, and a rocking chair as she makes her way to the top of a tree to spin her web.

Jump. Frog, Jump
E TOD FIC Kal, Robert Kalan
A frog tries to catch a fly without getting caught itself.

Knock at the Door and Other Baby Action Rhymes
E TOD FIC Cho, Kay Chorao
Fun action rhymes to do with your little one.  

Little Boy Blue and Other Rhymes
E TOD FIC My
A small board book Mother Goose with pictures by Rosemary Wells.

The Little Dog Laughed *
J398.8 Lit, il. Lucy Cousins
A collection of many well-known nursery rhymes with simple colorful pictures.

Little Miss Muffett and Other Nursery Rhymes
E TOD FIC, L.Cousins**
Familiar nursery rhymes with bright colorful pictures on board pages.

Little Puppy*
E TOD FIC Lew, Kim Lewis
Young Katie welcomes a new puppy that is born on her family's farm. 

Little Red Hen
E TOD FIC Lit
The little red hen is worried that the sky is falling.

Mary Had a Little Lamb
E TOD FIC Hal, Sarah Hale
A modern version of the Mother Goose rhyme about a lamb who loves his owner.

Max's Bedtime *
E TOD FIC Wel, Rosemary Wells
Even though Max's sister offers him her stuffed animals, he cannot sleep without his red rubber elephant.

Moonbear
E TOD FIC Asc, Frank Asch
Worried that the moon is growing smaller each night, Bear decides to do something about it.
     
"More More More" Said the Baby
E TOD FIC Wil, Vera Williams
Three babies are caught up in the air and given loving attention by a father, grandmother, and mother.

Mother Goose House E TOD FIC Mot –
Mother Goose rhymes in a small, sturdy book.

Miss Mouse Takes Off
E TOD FIC Orm, Jan Ormerod
Miss Mouse goes with her human friend on a flight to visit the child's grandmother.

Mr. Bear Says Peek-a-boo
E TOD FIC Gli, Debi Gliori
A bear and his baby lovingly together. They play peekaboo, tickle your toes, and pat-a-cake, and then they join Mom in a big bear hug. 

Mushroom in the Rain
E FIC Gin, Mirra Ginsburg
How can an ant, butterfly, mouse, sparrow, and rabbit all take shelter under the same small mushroom? 

My Car
E TOD FIC Byr, Barton Byron
Sam describes in loving detail his car and how he drives it. 

My First Nursery Rhymes
E TOD FIC My
Ten best-loved nursery thymes, perfect for chanting over and over.

My Very First Mother Goose
E TOD FIC My, Iona A. Opie
A great collection of more than sixty nursery rhymes for all toddlers.

Napping House
E FIC Woo, Audrey Wood
In this cumulative tale, a flea wakes everyone asleep in a napping house.

New Adventures of Mother Goose: Gentle Rhymes for Happy Times
J 398.8 Lan , Bruce Lansky
Lighthearted new versions of Mother Goose rhymes.

Number One, Tickle Your Tum
E TOD FIC Pra, John Prater
Baby Bear and Father Bear have a rhyme for every number, from one through ten.

On My Street
E TOD FIC Mer, Eve Merrian
A little boy in a stroller and his mother take a walk through their neighborhood in this simple rhyming book. 

One Little Spoonful
E TOD FIC Ali, Aliki
Rhyming text and bright illustrations express the energy and spirit of a baby's sometimes messy mealtime." 

Once. . . a Lullaby
E FIC Nic, B.P. Nichol
Rhymed text and illustrations describe young animals and children just before they fall asleep. A tune is on the last page if you want to sing it.

One Two, Buckle My Shoe
E TOD FIC Col, Heather Collins
A short, illustrated book of the nursery rhyme.

Pat-a-Cake and Other Play Rhymes
E TOD PAT
Nursery and action rhymes, finger and hand rhymes, tickling rhymes, and knee-and-foot-riding rhymes.

Peter's Pockets
E FIC Ric, Eve Rice
Peter's new pants don't have any pockets, so Uncle Nick lets Peter use his until Peter's mother solves the problem in a clever and colorful way.

Plumply Dumply Pumpkin
E TOD FIC Ser, Mary Serfozo
Peter, an orange cub with an upturned grin, wouldn't pick just any pumpkin: "Not a stumpy, grumpy pumpkin,/ but a sunny, sumptuous pumpkin."

Pudgy Rock-a-Bye Book
E TOD FIC Wil, Kathy Wilburn
Bedtime nursery rhymes.

Ride a Cock-Horse: Knee-Jogging Rhymes, Patting Songs, and Lullabies
J398 Rid
Activity rhymes to share.

Real Mother Goose
J398.8 Mot –
The same huge collection of Mother Goose rhymes that was probably around when you were young.

Rosie Rabbit's Colors *
E FIC Yee, Patrick Yee

Rosy's Pool
E TOD FIC Dic, Lucy Dickens
The excitement of a toddler's experience with her first wading pool.

Sitting In My Box
E TOD FIC Lil, Dee Lillegard
The box in which all the animals are sitting gets more and more crowded until a hungry flea comes along.

Sometimes I'm Bombaloo
T TOD FIC Vai, Rachel Vail
When Katie gets really mad, she is just not herself - she becomes angry Bombaloo.

Song of Night; It's Time to Go to Bed
E TOD FIC Nak, Katherine Riley Nakamura
It's time for bed; relax and lean into this gently humorous look at bedtime in the animal kingdom.

Stamp Your Feet: Action Rhymes *
J398.8 Hay, Sarah Hayes
A collection of traditional rhymes with illustrations of the body movements that accompany them.

Ten Nine Eight
E FIC Ban, Molly Bang
Numbers from ten to one are part of this lullaby which observes the room of a little girl going to bed. 

Three Little Kittens
E FIC Gal, Paul Galdone**
Galdone lends new life and sense to the Mother Goose rhyme about the kittens lose, dirty, and wash their mittens.

Three Little Kittens
E TOD FIC Thr
Sturdy board book tells the nursery rhyme about the three little kittens who lost their mittens.

Three Little Pigs
E TOD FIC Thr
When three little pigs leave home to seek their fortunes, they encounter a threatening wolf.

Time to Get Up
E TOD FIC Hel, Susan Hellard
Rooster tries to get the farm animals moving in the morning.  

Tom & Pippo's Day *,
E TOD FIC Oxe*, Helen Oxenbury
A young boy spends the day indoors with his beloved toy monkey.

Tomie's Little Mother Goose
E TOD FIC deP, Tomie dePaola**
A collection of familiar nursery rhymes, including "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep," "The Three Little Kittens," and "Wee Willie Winkie." 

Trot, Trot to Boston: Play Rhymes
E TOD FIC Ra
Traditional nursery rhymes with instructions for accompanying finger plays.

Twinkle Twinkle
E TOD FIC Sie, Anthea Sieveking
Mother Goose rhymes about bedtime with photographs.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
E FIC Car, Eric Carle
A hungry little caterpillar eats his way through a varied and very large quantity of food until, full at last, he forms a cocoon around himself and goes to sleep. 

What Can Pinky Hear?*
E TOD FIC Cou, Lucy Cousins
Pinky the rabbit hears something in the pond, in the grass, and even in the sky. Guess what it is, then lift the flap to see if you are right.. 

When Mama Comes Home Tonight
E TOD FIC, Spi Eileen Spinelli
When Mama arrives home, she and her child enjoy a series of activities together before bedtime.

Where's Spot? *
E TOD FIC Hil, Eric Hill
Lift the flaps to look for cute puppy Spot.

Who Took the Farmer's Hat?
E FIC Nod, Joan Nodset
The animals have seen something round and brown, but don’t think it is the farmers missing hat.

Willy Can Count
E TOD FIC Roc, Anne Rockwell
Willy and his mother observe and count a number of colorful things from shirt buttons and haystacks to birds and bugs.