The titles below reflect books that were introduced to our children in their early years (three to five years old) and which they have loved ever since. They include many timeless classics for young children, as well as some newer works that we thought were well written. And of course, some titles are just for fun. Some books below are, unfortunately, out of print, but you should be able to find them through used-book dealers or at the library. Click on a book’s title to see its details. Happy reading!

You can also search our free CM Bookfinder for books entered for the Early Years.

3 Years Old 4 Years Old 5 Years Old

Good Dog, Carl;

Carl’s Afternoon in the Park;

Carl’s Masquerade;

Carl Goes Shopping;

Carl’s Birthday;

Carl’s Sleepy Afternoon;

Stranger in the Woods;

Lost in the Woods;

Millions of Cats;

Caps for Sale;

The Very Hungry Caterpillar (and others by Eric Carle);

The Very Best Home for Me;

Corduroy;

A Pocket for Corduroy;

Swimmy;

Harry the Dirty Dog;

Harry by the Sea;

No Roses for Harry;

Little Book of Poems (poetry);

Billy’s Picture;

Harold and the Purple Crayon;

Home for a Bunny;

Katy No-Pocket;

Kitty’s New Doll;

McDuff Moves In;

McDuff Comes Home;

McDuff and the Baby;

McDuff’s Wild Romp;

Pretzel;

The Poky Little Puppy;

Polite Elephant;

The Saggy, Baggy Elephant;

The Shy Little Kitten

Whistle for Willie;

The Little House;

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel;

Norman the Doorman;

Pet of the Met;

The Ox-Cart Man;

Make Way for Ducklings;

Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man;

Blueberries for Sal;

One Morning in Maine;

Time of Wonder;

Lentil;

The Story of Ferdinand;

A New Coat for Anna;

When We Were Very Young (poetry);

Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny;

Bearymore;

Chester the Worldly Pig;

The Giving Tree;

Gregory’s Shadow;

Little Toot;

Raggedy Ann Stories;

Raggedy Andy Stories;

The Ugly Duckling;

The Taxi That Hurried;

Tootle;

Tale of Peter Rabbit (and others by Beatrix Potter);

God’s Wisdom for Little Girls OR

God’s Wisdom for Little Boys

Miss Rumphius;

James Herriot’s Treasury for Children;

Katie Meets the Impressionists;

Katie and the Mona Lisa;

Katie and the Sunflowers;

The Biggest Bear;

Thy Friend, Obadiah;

Imogene’s Antlers;

Now We Are Six (poetry);

The Magic Hill;

Little House in the Big Woods;

Little House on the Prairie;

Farmer Boy;

On the Banks of Plum Creek;

By the Shores of Silver Lake;

The Long Winter;

Little Town on the Prairie;

These Happy Golden Years