I’ve always got my eyes peeled for Jbrary’s annual favorite storytime blog post, and I enjoy adding some of my favorite titles to the blogging world, even if I don’t blog regularly anymore.
These lists are personal. The storytime books that work for me may not work for you–and that is okay! We each have our own storytime preferences. Also, I very well may have missed some great titles that were released over the last year–so make sure to check out all of the great lists all over the internet.
As a manager now, I also don’t present storytime quite as frequently, so, while I’ve identified some of these as favorite storytime books, I haven’t tested them all in storytime myself.
2025 Favorite Storytime Books
In no particular order.
Mama Hug
By Emma Straub
Age: Babies
Who Meows?
By Robin Page
Age: Babies, Toddlers
Peek-a-Boo!
By Guido Van Genechten
Age: Babies, Toddlers
Peekaboo: Zoo
By Camilla Reid
Age: Babies
I Can Babble!
By Ellie Rose
Age: Babies
Dino Rumble!
By Lake Press
Age: Babies
Hide and Seek with Herbie
By Mr. Aron
Age: Babies
Whose Eyes?
By Kristina Jones
Age: Babies
Whose Nose?
By Kristina Jones
Age: Babies
There There Little Bear
By Anna Milbourne
Age: Babies, Toddlers
I’m a Baby!
By Terry Pierce
Age: Babies
Don’t Trust Fish
By Neil Sharpson
Age: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade
Cranky, Crabby Crow
By Corey R. Tabor
Age: Kindergarten, 1st Grade
This Book Is Dangerous!
By Ben Clanton
Age: Kindergarten, 1st Grade
Who Ate Steve?
By Susannah Lloyd
Age: Kindergarten, 1st Grade
Go Go Dodo!
By Huw Lewis Jones
Age: Kindergarten, 1st Grade
Help Me Find My Hamster!
By Brooke Hartman
Age: Kindergarten, 1st Grade
This Is Not a Sleepy Bear
By Brian Gehrlein
Age: Kindergarten, 1st Grade
Bouncing Bunnies
By Fiz Osborne
Age: Toddlers, Preschoolers
Night Night Ladybug
By Chris Ferrie
Age: Toddlers, Preschoolers
Pêyak Little Duck
By Sandra Lamouche
Age: Toddlers
Cats in Construction Hats
By Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
Age: Toddlers
Is That My Hat?
By Kevin Payne
Age: Toddlers
In the Neighborhood
By Nikki Shannon Smith
Age: Toddlers
The Pigeon WON’T Count to 10!
By Mo Willems
Age: Toddlers
Sunshine Baby, Bofrot Cheeks
By Bernard Mensah
Age: Babies, Toddlers
Itsy Bitsy Spider
By Jane Cabrera
Age: Babies, Toddlers
Who’s Digging?
By Katrina Moore
Age: Toddlers
Hi, How Are You?
By Holly Rosensweig
Age: Babies, Toddlers
Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme
By Betsy Bird
Age: Preschoolers, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
Take a Breath, Big Red Monster!
By Ed Emberley
Age: Preschoolers
Calling All Bears!
By Diana Murray
Age: Preschoolers
Zebra and Yak: The Backwards Alphabet Book
By Paul Friedrich
Age: Preschoolers, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
Red Canoe Shows Up at Two!
By Victoria Allenby
Age: Toddlers, Preschoolers, Kindergarten
Chicka Chicka Tricka Treat
By Julien Chung
Age: Preschoolers
There’s a Dinosaur in Your Book
By Tom Fletcher
Age: Toddlers, Preschoolers
ZooBorns! When I’m Big
By Andrew Bleiman
Age: Preschoolers
Oh Dear, Look What I Got!
By Michael Rosen
Age: Preschoolers
Bear Loves His Home
By Karen Jameson
Age: Preschoolers
Don’t You Know It’s Bedtime?
By Lou Peacock
Age: Preschoolers
What Hat Is That?
By Nichole Mara
Age: Toddlers, Preschoolers