6 Children’s Books for Toddler Boys
Since becoming a mom, I’ve wanted to foster a love of reading in my children. I loved to read growing up and still do (though I rarely have time for anything but audio books).
Recently, I’ve been taking my toddler to our local library. We own a few books, but I was getting bored of reading the same ones over and over again. During the winter we started a tradition of going to the library and I would grab a bunch of children’s picture books based on what he was interested in at the time. Then and now, his obsession has been cars, trucks, and just about anything with wheels and a motor. So every week, I head to the “Things That Go” section of my local library and grab a bunch of books, in hopes that he’ll enjoy them more than the ones on our shelf that I’ve read a million times.
Here are our weekly picks. Hopefully, some of our children’s library book picks will help you get some ideas on books to read to your truck loving kiddo.
Turbo’s Special Delivery by Jean Reagan
Turbo’s Special Delivery by Jean Reagan is at the top of the list because I probably read this over 50 times. Seriously. I can almost recite it.
The fun story of a little delivery truck that had a very special delivery was probably my son’s favorite pick of the week. Since he’s only one, I can’t really ask him why he loved it so much. But here are my guesses.
The story was engaging! Jean Reagan uses lots of onomatopoeias (words representing sounds) that make the book so engaging to not only listen to but to read. My husband and I were talking about how we can feel our narration skills improving just from reading to our kiddo.
The illustrations are fun to look at. I don’t know about you but when I read children’s books, I also want to be engaged by the illustrations, because well…I’m the one that’s forced to read this book. Eduardo Marticorena did a fantastic job creating Turbo and all his friends. This illustrator clearly has a well developed style that was engaging for both kids
Publishing Tip:
If you’re publishing a Children’s book, PLEASE hire a professional illustrator. Unless you are an illustrator by trade, hiring a professional to bring your story to life is only going to help your book get picked up by more and more readers. Both parents and children need to be engaged visually by your book.
Rumble Rumble Dinosaur by Katrine Charman
I really thought this one would be a big hit. But, even though he brought the book to me many times, he never actually sat long enough for me to finish the story.
It’s a sweet book that is supposed to be sung to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” The illustrations were cute and somewhat engaging. The story was about the different types of dinosaurs and how they behaved in their natural habitat millions of years ago.
In our house, we LOVE Sandra Boynton. If you’ve never read a book by her, I highly recommend you pick one up from your local library. Our favorites are Moo Baa LaLaLa and The Belly Button Book. Both made me chuckle.
Sadly, this one was not a favorite for my toddler. Despite the silliness and the song that went with it that you could find on YouTube, my son was not interested. I thought it would be fun to throw in a non-car book (because mom likes a little variety), but I guess that wasn’t the right move.
Trucks on Trucks by Sorche Fairbank
Trucks on trucks was not a favorite at first. My son didn’t seem to care for it, even though the pages were filled with trucks. Personally, I think the illustration style was hard for him to grasp at first. It’s a very eclectic style that I personally loved, but the muted colors were hard for him to engage with. I will say that toward the end of our two week loan, he came to really enjoy it.
Publishing tip:
If your demographic for your children’s book is younger toddlers, make sure your illustrations are brightly colored. Kids (and parents) love fun brightly colored books.
This book was quickly a favorite, even though I didn’t want it to be. Byron Burton does a great job creating his own illustrations for his book. So great that my toddler requested I read it over and over again.
The story is very simple; just Sam, a bus driver, showing off his car and how it works, as well as how he follows the rules of the road and engages with his community.
VERY preschooler friendly.
Snakes on a Train by Kathryn Dennis
Snakes on a Train is another book that my son was obsessed with. Something about the bright colored snakes against the white background, and the fact that whenever the train came on the page he could say “Choo Choo!”
Even though the story was simple, I personally enjoyed reading it. Something about the sibilant sounds kept me and my boy engaged throughout the whole story.
I know there’s a million and one children’s picture books in your local library to choose from, so I hope that this will give you some ideas on where to start if you have a car obsessed boy or girl. I personally loved taking something that I do every week and sharing it with all of you in hopes to encourage you to keep your love of reading alive and instill it in your toddler.
