Picture books are a wonderful part of childhood. These carefully crafted and beautifully illustrated reads engage young minds, provide bonding experiences with parents and carers, and support youngsters’ development in several key ways.
According to Raising Children Australia, reading and sharing stories can:
- Help your child learn sounds, words and language, and develop early literacy skills
- Spark their imagination and stimulate curiosity
- Support the development of cognitive, social and communication skills
- Teach them to value stories and books
- Help your child learn the difference between ‘real’ and ‘make-believe’
- Encourage an understanding of change, new events or scary events, and the emotions that go with these situations
The experts suggest that you look for books with good rhyme, rhythm and repetition, and it’s also helpful to match books to your child’s interests and experiences – whether that’s playing with trucks or starting at preschool.
There are lots of classic picture books to share with your child, such as the frolicsome Hairy Maclary series by Lynley Dodd, but if you’re looking for something differnt, then look no further.
These 6 picture books are perfect for preschoolers:
1. Dippy and the Dinosaurs
by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley, concept by Ben Smith Whatley
Described as ‘An Ice Age meets Diary of a Wombat story’, this book for ages 3+ follows the adventures of Dippy the diprotodon – a BIG and friendly wombat who lived 100,000 years ago.
When Dippy digs an enormous hole, he finds himself in a crazy new world full of ancient Australian megafauna. This is a cue for large amounts of humour, prehistoric daring and chaos – all of which will appeal to little people with big imaginations.
2. BumbleBunnies: The Balloon (Book 4)
by Graeme Base
Graeme Base is best known for his lavishly illustrated book, Animalia, which has sold millions of copies and is a beautiful brain-tester for ages five to seven.
For younger children, his BumbleBunnies series combines action, adventure and amazing artwork, and the fourth book is out now.
In BumbleBunnies: The Balloon, Wuffle the puppy, Lou the kitten and Billington the duck are looking forward to a quiet time in the garden. Instead, there is a stray balloon heading for the rose bush, and someone needs to save the day when disaster strikes!
3. The Lost Moustache
by Vikki Conley and Caterina Metti
When Frankie finds a moustache, the search is on for its rightful owner! She pokes her head out of a red theatre curtain, dons a detective hat and treads the boards trying to crack the case.
This delightful picture book combines engaging text, vibrant illustrations and four colouring-in pages that your child will love to investigate themselves.
4. Duck, Apple, Egg
by Glenda Millard and Martina Heiduczek
Glenda Millard has won lots of awards for her children’s books, and now she brings us this gorgeous story about the simple pleasures of playing in a garden.
Take your toddler or preschooler outside, pull up a picnic rug and read about the:
Duck on the green,
sun in the sky,
egg in the nest,
apple on the tree,
and me.
For ages 4+, we also recommend Millard’s 2012 book, Lightning Jack, which combines poetry and collage to tell the tale of an awe-inspiring horse.
5. What a Lot of Nonsense
by Sheena Knowles and Jonathan Bentley
This book is a celebration of language, with lots of rhyming, wordplay and nonsense thrown in.
Littlies will love the quirky animal characters – including a bear who doesn’t want to be bare, a seal who goes to a sale and a dingo doing a dance. While older children can help to find the anagrams hidden on every page.
‘ACT’ becomes ‘CAT’ and this book is a colourful addition to reading time.
6. The Other Brother
by Penny Jaye and Heidi Cooper Smith
When Mitchell David arrives in Jayden James’s family of five, everything changes. The car is suddenly too small, picnics are ruined and no one seems to be paying attention to Jayden any more.
Something needs to be done. And he’s the kid to do it!
With heart-felt themes and whimsical artwork, this book for ages 4+ is a nice way to teach your child about acceptance, belonging and what it means to be a family.
