If your nursery is anything like mine, we have baskets and shelves overflowing with books! I instilled a bedtime story as part of our “routine” way before my little cherub could even make out the pages, so we have accumulated quite a collection over the years!
I’ve found that we definitely have our favorites and that I’m sort of picky when it comes to children’s books! Rhyming is number one on my list and I really like a fun, active story line, mainly because it keeps me awake! Some of the softer, slower stories totally put ME to sleep! And I’ll be honest, “Guess How Much I Love You” is certainly in our basket (and has coined MANY a painted canvas), but I just have a hard time saying “Big Nutbrown Hare” and “Little Nutbrown Hare” 47 times in a row on 3 hours of sleep. And don’t even get me started on Goodnight Moon and all its oddities. There’s even a blogpost devoted to that.
So I decided to share our top books for boys that are in our regular rotation! Since I have a little boy, this list is geared toward the #boymom, but don’t fret, the girl’s list will be coming soon! Here we go!
1) The Little Blue Truck
This book is the ultimate rhyming satisfaction! Little Blue Truck and his farm animal friends help a Dump Truck get out of the mud! It flows so well, has ALL the animal noises, and even has a meaningful life lesson.
In the sequel, Little Blue is in the Big City and it’s equally adorable. There’s also Little Blue Truck Halloween & Christmas books, and the newest book, Little Blue’s Springtime, looks like the perfect Easter basket goodie! And if you find your child is ALL IN for Little Blue, you can even download an Activity Kit or Party Kit printables here!
2) Fred the Red Frog
This book was written by a “local celebrity” from my hometown, Robert St. Jean. He is actually a restaurant owner, chef, and author of several amazing cookbooks. I’m not sure what inspired him to write a children’s book, but like everything else he does, he knocked it out of the park! This storyline about Fred “causing a ruckus” in the grocery store is the best! It’s a must-have!
3) Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
This book contains ALL the THINGS, from perfect rhyming & rhythm to every type of mighty machine that little boy dreams are made of. It goes through how each type of equipment “tucks himself in tight” when the day is done on the construction site. (See what I did there?…..I really love rhyming) I even found some great GGCS Activity Guides & Printables through Chronicle Books, and a precious Preschool Unit at Simply Learning!
4) The Cow Loves Cookies
The theme for my son’s first birthday was “Milk and Cookies,” and my sweet friend mailed him this book as a gift. It quickly became one of our favorites as it follows what the farmer feeds all the animals…but how “the cow loves cookies.” It has a darling little punchline and there are a plethora of worksheets and activities based on this boo! So I’ll just say: Google “Activities for The Cow Loves Cookies.”
5) Red Truck
This is one of my husband’s all-time favorites. There is a rescue mission involved, so maybe that’s why! It is a super cute and short read with fun words like ZOOM and VROOM that really gets the audience participation going. Great bold colors!
6) Where Do Diggers Sleep At Night
My Mother-in-law found this book and it is such a hit! There’s Monster Trucks, Garbage Trucks, Dump Trucks, you name it. It has a great flow and it’s been read so much that my son can pretty much read it to you!
7) Honk Honk Beep Beep
I love the illustrations in this book, as the little jeep drives around loading up all kinds of “friends” (who are really a little boy’s toys.) This one also gets quite the response, as each time I say “Honk Honk,” my little one loudly replies “BEEP BEEP!” I also love that this book is a small, handheld size, so it travels with us a lot!
8) Snuggle Up Sleepy Ones
This book is actually great for boys and girls, but I had to include it because I just love it! It goes through all the safari animals as they get ready for bed. This is one of the first books I ever bought for my son, so I can recite this one from memory!
9) Farmer Dale’s Red Pickup Truck
Oh my goodness, this is one of the most recent books we’ve picked up and I’m pretty obsessed with it. Farmer Dale (who is a actually a dog) picks up a ROWDY CROWD of farm animals whose “load is too much for my truck,” resulting in the pickup breaking down. The animals all work together in the end, and it’s hilarious. I absolutely LOVE coming up with voices for all the animals; I can even hear my husband laughing downstairs when I read it. A crowd pleaser for sure!
Check out this Literary Companion that goes along with the book-apparently there’s lots of lessons to be had like Sequencing, ABC Order, and Character Identification.
10) Chickies Books
And finally, we love the Chickie books. There are several in this series, like Bathtime for Chickies, Dinnertime for Chickies, and Pottytime for Chickies. These little chickies are usually up to no good and their little personalities just tickle my son! These books put a fun spin on what are actually normal everyday activities! (Let’s be real, there are no “normal every days” with children, right?) They are super fun and the rhyming promotes my son to finish the sentences!
Honorable Mention:
I Love you as Big as the World
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this one! It was THE FIRST book I purchased and read to my little boy and I seriously tear up every time I read it. It just reminds me of him being an itty-bitty baby! It’s so sweet, and now he tells me: “I love you BIG and TALL.”
So there you have it! You can find us reading any or all of these books within a given week! I hope this helped you to stock your own library or maybe even a gift idea! Now….we want to know…what are some of YOUR favorite children’s books for little boys? Please share!
