Today’s book list is all counting books for toddlers and preschoolers. They are great choices in helping your Toddler and Preschooler get used to saying their numbers.
“1, 2, 3 To The ZOO” by Eric Carle is fun counting book perfect for toddlers. Actually, as I type this my toddler is reading it. There are no words, just pictures, and numbers and that makes it accessible for toddlers who are just learning both numbers and animals. Parents can read it slowly counting and naming the animals while making the animal sounds, or more quickly just counting!
“This Jazz Man” by Karen Ehrhardt is my new favorite book. The book updates the classic children’s song “This Old Man” and inserts all different men in a jazz band. However, at the end of the book it explains that each jazz man is actually a real person including Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and more! I love the bios at the end of the book because I want to learn more about jazz too. Ok back to the book, the book itself is a counting book, and my son who is 3 eats it up! He loves calling out the number and instrument as I read the rhyming text. He has had me read it countless times today and I haven’t minded one bit. The pictures by R.G. Roth are adorable, and all in all, I just love this book!
“Fish Eyes” by Lois Elhert is a classroom favorite in every school I have ever been in. The colors are so bright and the eye cut outs that give readers a sneak peak at what colors are coming next are fascinating for all readers. I have used this book for various themes like under the sea, shapes and of course counting.
“Ten Little Rabbits” by Virginia Grossman is a really beautiful and cozy counting book. The reader follows Native American rabbits from one who is traveling on the plain to 10 all asleep in their teepees. My son loved the illustrations by Sylvia Long and after reading it wanted to play hide and seek just like the rabbits in the book.
“Eight Silly Monkeys” by Steve Hascamp uses the familiar children’s song as the story and has cut outs and small plastic monkey faces that countdown with you. Books like this are great for toddlers, they like touching the raised faces, and they will absorb the large numbers and counting. Also, the cute pictures of the hurt monkeys will probably get a few “uh oh- no no no!” from toddlers who like to point out things they (or monkeys) shouldn’t do!
“One Hungry Monster” by Susan Heyboer O’Keefe is a fun counting book great for all ages of kids. My son will sit for the first 5-6 pages, even though the whole book is too long for him now at two and a half years old. The book is a counting book and kids who are learning their numbers love these sorts of books. However, it also has a small lesson about manners since the monsters have terrible manners.
“Daddy Hugs” by Karen Katz is a cute little counting book for toddlers. I gave it to my husband last year for his first father’s day and my son hated it. However, in the year since it’s become a favorite. And, of course, nothing beats a board book for when toddlers get to that destructo stage. Edited for 2013: My daughter has always loved this book!
“Zin Zin Zin! A Violin” by Lloyd Moss is a big hit at our house and if you have a child into music or musical instruments this is a great book. You count the instruments as they come on stage for a performance. Not only is this a great counting book, but it introduced musical instruments in its rhyming text and super fun pictures. I am biased though my little man is really really into instruments and loves this book. The day we bought it I had to sit in the back with him on the way home from the bookstore because he couldn’t wait to read it.
“Construction Countdown” by K.C Olson is a counting book that uses backhoes, dump trucks and cement mixers among other things to count. Before I even closed the book my son was signing for more. I read it 4 times since getting it out of the library today. A huge hit here!
“Goodnight Moon – A Counting Book” by Margaret Wise Brown uses the familiar illustrations from her classic book Goodnight Moon and turns it into a counting book. The page with 100 stars really has 100 stars on it, count and see!
“Five Wishing Stars” by Treesha Runnels is a great bedtime book. It counts down from five to zero with a rhyming text and glow in the dark stars!
“Piggies” by Don and Audrey Wood is a great counting book for little guys. Toddlers love this book. You will probably notice your child touching their fingers as you read this delightful story about little piggies.
Have you read these counting books for toddlers and preschoolers? What other ones would you add to the list? Comment below or share on my Facebook page!
For more quick tips on helping your child learn to read check out my book; Raising A Rock-Star Reader. It is packed with fun ideas for families, book lists, and advice for parents.
Rhymes and More.. says
nice collection of books. I have where is baby’s belley button by karen kartz and my lil one loves it.
do check out http://rhymesandmore.blogspot.com and add it to your list if you like the blog.
Carolyn says
We love all the Karen Katz books – so cute!
Annette says
Oh! Great idea about Daddy Hugs for Father’s Day…and your story was funny too! 🙂 We also are big fans of Katz. Unfortunately, my 2 yo has ripped most flaps off, so my son won’t get to enjoy them. She no longer gets flap books in her bedroom!
Where's The Aspirin? says
My kids love the countdown construction book. My 5 year old son always tries to count the people in the trucks to see if there are the same amount of trucks per people.
Great list!
nopinkhere says
ooh, we like Zin, Zin, Zin, too!
One we have out of the library isn’t totally a counting book, but my nearly 3-yo can recite the whole list of snacks: Mouse Went Out to Get a Snack by Lyn Rossiter McFarland
Felicia says
How about Chicka Chicka 1,2,3! Excellent book.. as well as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom for the alphabet!
Allie says
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom , and ABC are in my alphabet book lists – but thank you so much Felicia I forgot 1, 2, 3!
It is a great book.
Infant Bibliophile says
Thanks!! I just requested 3 of them from our library, and it looks like he’ll love them. Please consider posting the sheep one on our Easter give away post in the next few days (sick baby here but when he’s well, I’m going to do it first thing — then you’ll see what the give away is!). I think I’ll start a list of Easter (or bunny or chick) related reading and offer entries for additional book suggestions to add to the list.
Kat says
What a great list. DS is really into counting all of a sudden and I realized that we have very few counting books. We will have to check some of these out!
Jen says
I live in Hungary and we have taken the Eight Silly Monkeys and Five Wishing Stars out of the library here (in Hungarian) and the crazy thing is that it is Ten Wishing Stars, not five, but I swear it is the same book! My kids adored both books, especially the 3D aspect of them.
Allie says
Jen – There are 2 verions, 10 and 5 ! I have never found the 10 in stores here but I have a French version.
Kristin says
These book lists are fantastic! I have had such bad luck lately with picking random books for my daughter at the library, these sound so cute and there’s nothing better than walking into the library and picking up reserved books especially with a wiggly toddler in tow!!