This list of animal books for kids is the perfect place to read about animals! Animals are such fascinating creatures, and kids absolutely love learning about their interesting facts and habits.
Whether you’re looking for nonfiction animal fact books, books with pictures of real animals, or animal storybooks that are perfect for a read-aloud, we’ve got you covered! And don’t forget to check out our top picks for the best preschool books!
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Best Animal Books for Kids
Nonfiction Animal Books
Nonfiction animal books are perfect for engaging children with fun facts and information about animals! Learn more about animals you already know and love, and discover some new animal friends.
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Wild Animal Babies: An Alphabet Book by Katie T. Christiansen
This brand new animal book, written by the creator of Preschool Inspirations, is a must-have for your bookshelf! Journey through the wild animal alphabet and learn about new and unique animals! From bobcat to kinkajou, narwhal to umbrellabird, this book will have your little one learning their ABCs… and animal facts, too! Did you know jackrabbits use their jumbo-sized ears to cool off in the hot desert? Or that rhinoceros calves roll in the mud to protect their skin? The adorable artwork will have you oohing and ahhing over all 26 animal babies and their mommas.
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Animals (National Geographic Little Kids First Big Books by Catherine D. Hughes
This adorable animal reference book is a big hit with young kids! Filled with animals of all shapes and sizes, this book introduces little ones to more than 32 different animals with stunning real-life photos. Learn about each animals’ diet, their habitat, and some silly and amusing animal facts. This is the perfect book for discovering new animals!
Animals in the Forest by Visiting Fellow John Wood
Bears, rabbits, owls, oh my! You can almost hear the many sounds of the forest in this captivating book! The photographs of real forest animals are perfect for engaging young readers while helping them to identify a variety of different animals. Learn about their forest habitat and their food preferences too!
For more great animal information, check out our lists of fun animal facts for kids!
Ocean Animal Books
Ocean animals are so fascinating to young kids…and with good reason! They live underwater, swim in the open ocean, and there are so many types of ocean animals! These fun ocean stories will have your little one begging for a trip to the sea! For even more ocean books, swim over and check out the best ocean books for kids.
The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson
An unlikely friendship between a snail and a whale tells the lovely story of adventure and imagination. Snail is looking to get off her lonely rock and explore the great wide ocean. The whale happily obliges and they spend their days as friends and explorers. But when the whale comes too close to the shore, can snail help save her new best friend? The rhyming text and stunning illustrations draw you in but you stay for the positive message and heartwarming story of these two precious friends.
The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner
The catchy pop-up images in this book make this book a kid favorite that they love to hear over and over again! The wide-mouthed frog loves to use his wide mouth to eat bugs and flies but he’s very curious about what all the other animals in the swamp eat. That is, until he meets an alligator who likes to eat wide-mouthed frogs. Yikes! This story has little readers on the edge of their seats and squealing as the wide-mouthed frog tries to escape. A perfect animal book for kids!
Baby Beluga (Raffi Songs to Read) by Raffi
The classic Raffi song comes alive in this book with beautiful illustrations and simple song lyrics. It’s a must-have for any Raffi music lover and is such a peaceful story about a baby Beluga whale as the day comes to an end. It’s the perfect story to snuggle up and relax with for winding down at the end of the day. Read along while listening to the song!
Readers will delight in the unique clear/see-thru pages in this book that show the hidden creatures hiding behind the rocks and seagrass. Eric Carle’s classic storytelling comes to life with this vivid look at how ocean fathers care for their eggs and babies. With every turn of the page, we meet a new ocean character and learn about how the father helps the mother nurture them. This book will lead to new learning and questions and foster curiosity about ocean life!
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
This giant squid has discovered his enormous size! He compares himself to many ocean creatures but he always seems to be the largest, until he finds himself face-to-face with a blue whale! He decides to turn his misfortune into positivity that brings humor and fun to the simple text. An easy-to-retell ocean story that will have your little reader grabbing it off the shelf and enjoying it anytime!
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
This classic ocean story shares the message of sharing, giving, and being thoughtful of others and their feelings. Unlike the other fish in the sea, Rainbow Fish has special shiny silver scales. The other fish wanted to play with him but Rainbow Fish was proud. The other fish wanted a beautiful scale too, but Rainbow Fish didn’t want to share his special scales. He decided to talk to the octopus, who helped him realize that sharing is a beautiful gift that made him feel happy and delighted. A great read for young students about how sharing fills your heart with happiness and joy.
Fiction Preschool Animal Books
We scoured far and wide to find the best fiction preschool animal books for kids! Full of color, humor, and rhyme, you’ll soon see why these are kid (and adult) favorites!
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do You See? By Bill Martin Jr.
Big colors and simple text. This timeless preschool animal book about animals and their colors has delighted young kids for many years. The rhythmic pattern of the text encourages kids to read along and within just a few reads, even the youngest readers are able to read and rhyme right along! Illustrator Eric Carle’s unique illustrations make this bright book even more appealing and captivating. For extended activities, try our Brown Bear story stones or glass beads and encourage your kids to retell the story in their own words! And don’t miss our list of fun facts about real bears!
A tried and true animal classic, the Mitten tells the story of animals who crawl into a mitten to hide from the cold weather. Children love the anticipation of just how many animals can squeeze into that tiny mitten in this preschool book! This read-aloud animal book has little ones wanting to reread it over and over again!
Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Who knew mice could paint? These three mice discover three jars of paint…one red, one blue, and one yellow. They decide to hop into the paint and you guessed it… make a big paint mess! This book teaches mixing primary colors in an adorable way and will have your little one reaching for the paint to mix and match!
Edward the giraffe is feeling self-conscious about his enormous neck. He tries everything to hide it, disguise it, and dress it up. It’s no use, this problem isn’t going away. Until a turtle slowly strolls by and helps him better understand the purpose of his long neck. Suddenly, his neck doesn’t seem like such a bad feature!
Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
Did you know dancing comes in all shapes and forms? Gerald the giraffe learns that with his crooked knees and thin legs, his dancing is unique and special just like him. The perfect tool to teach young children about their own individual and wonderful qualities.
This bright and colorful preschool book holds the attention of even the youngest children. Elmer is a multi-colored patchwork elephant who doesn’t look like the rest of his gray-skinned peers. This book dives into the importance of feeling comfortable just the way you are!
The Hiccupotamus by Aaron Zenz
This hysterical animal book for kids about a hiccuping hippopotamus will have your child rolling on the floor with laughter! Poor hippo has the hiccups so bad that he falls on his bottom after every bout. Not to worry because elephant, centipede, and rhinoceros are on the hunt for a cure for Hippo’s unstoppable case of the hiccups. This wacky story is full of laughs and the colorful illustrations are not to be missed!
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Numeroff
A classic tale of a hungry mouse who always seems to want something else! This rhythmic, circular story has delighted little ones for over 30 years and is a must-have for every bookshelf. Laura Numeroff writes many other animal stories with the same adorable pattern such as If You Take a Mouse to the Movies or If You Give a Pig a Pancake. Your children will be begging to read them all!
Barnyard Dance! by Sandra Boynton
A musical introduction to farm animals! This toe-tapping rhyme will have your kids singing along and dancing too! This adorable book features a snappy do-si-do where the animals sing along and dance together. The rhythm and rhyme are hard to resist and will have your child remembering every dancing animal! A must-have farm animal book for young children!
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
Bear’s cave fills with all his animal friends as the cold winter drags on. But Bear snores on. They make tea and popcorn and have quite the party. But Bear snores on. What will happen when Bear wakes up to find all the animals in his den? This classic book has wonderfully detailed pictures, a humorous storyline, and an even better ending. Enjoy even more adventures with Bear and his friends in other stories such as Bear Can’t Sleep or Bear’s New Friend.
“Stand Back,” said the Elephant, “I’m Going to Sneeze” by Patricia Thomas
What happens when an elephant sneezes? You guessed it, it’s a catastrophe! The animals are terrified that the Elephant’s big sneeze will blow the animals out of the trees and the hair off the animals’ skin! This hysterical animal book will have you and your little ones grabbing your sides with laughter. This book is a kid favorite!
This adorable story has been loved for over 50 years and is one of the best books for preschoolers! Corduroy is a stuffed bear who has been sitting on the store shelf for quite some time, until a little girl falls in love with him, despite his missing button. Corduroy is determined to go home with the little girl so he embarks on an exciting nighttime adventure to find that lost button!
A Walk Through the Woods by Louise Greig
This visually stunning book with cut illustrations is perfect for capturing the attention of young children. The author’s use of simple text and unique illustrations makes this book a perfect read-aloud. Trek deep into the forest and listen to nighttime animal noises. Venture out into the morning light as you hear the morning song of the animals awakening. This is truly a gorgeous book!
This list of best animal books is sure to be a hit with your little ones! We hope you have hours of fun reading together and laughing along with the funny animal antics. Check out our other book lists below for even more great book ideas or check out our entire list of best preschool books!
Best of Books
- Best Farm Animal Books
- Best Ocean Books for Kids
- Best Read-Aloud Preschool Books
- Best Rhyming Books for Kids
- Best Yoga Books for Kids
Books for Social/Emotional Growth
- Powerful Preschool Books that Celebrate and Accept Differences
- Books on Kindness
- Books that Teach Gratitude and Thankfulness for Kids
- Books About School for Kids
Seasonal Books
- Pumpkin Books Perfect for Reading this Fall
- Fantastic Fall Books for Preschoolers
- Not So Scary Monster Books for Kids
- Winter Books
- Pumpkin Letter Formation Mats - October 1, 2024
- The Best Preschool Books for Circle Time - August 25, 2024
- All About Me Art Activities - August 10, 2024
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