Following on from my previous post on ‘The Ultimate Animal Non-fiction Booklist’, I wanted to put together a list of animal non-fiction books for the toddlers or pre-schoolers in your life too. These picks are perfect for rougher hands and/or shorter attention spans, so if you’re wanting to involve your littles in your next animal study, look no further!
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Animal non-fiction for toddlers:
You’re never too young for non-fiction! And starting with a topic like animals, that every kid seems to be obsessed with makes the most sense! Below are a list of 40+ wonderful animal books with just enough information to satisfy your little ones curiosity, without going over their heads. These books contain beautiful illustrations and are written in a child-friendly format.
Sound books:
My kids have always loved a good sound book, and lucky for me these aren’t the obnoxious kind that make you feel like your head might explode. Who doesn’t want the gorgeous sound of bird song in their home? There is plenty in the series to suit any child’s animal obsession. There are 12 animals included in each book, a double page spread is dedicated to each animal with fun facts and of course the matching animal sound!
Animal homes and habitats:
Jill Mcdonald also has a great series of animal board books for young children. With vibrant pictures and short, sweet text, both of my children have enjoyed many from this series. There are other topics within this series too like space, music, body and more!
Libby Walden is a great author of children’s books. Her animal habitats board book/ lift the flap series is beautifully done and engaging for even the littlest readers. Their unique ‘home-like’ shape makes them feel that little more special too.
Usborne’s ‘Peep inside’ books are always fun too, with little flaps that reveal extra information and bright, colourful illustrations.
You are probably already familiar with the Kate Messner series ‘Over and Under’ but I had to include them. They transport you ‘over and under’ habitats like the pond, ocean, soil etc… to find out more about the animals who call those places home. Written in a story-like format, they make for a gentle introduction to habitats and even hibernation in the case of ‘Over and under the snow’.
Endangered animals and conservation:
Ellie Jackson does a wonderful job of bringing up the topic of conservation and looking after the world and our animals through her book series on climate change. Written like a fictional story but with elements of non-fiction throughout and an informational section at the back of each book, these stories do are lovely and allow you to discuss important topics with young children.
‘Follow the moon home’ by Philippe Cousteau is a beautiful story, written as fiction but with real information about turtles and conservation. The heart-warming story follows a child’s effort to rally together the community to help save the turtles. A gorgeous introduction to wildlife, conservation and caring for animals!
National Geographic animal books:
National geographic is another fantastic resource for animal literature. Their ‘Little kids first big book of….’ series is wonderful. The photography is mesmerising and captivates readers of any age and there is just enough text on each page to keep everyone engaged.
Size and scale:
Admittedly, I did include these two in my blog post catered for older children too, but they really are perfect for all ages! Even toddlers will have fun comparing their hands with a gorillas or marvelling over the size of a colossal squid’s eye. These 2 are true family favourites and I don’t see that changing anytime soon!
Along the same vein, Sophy Henn has a gorgeous series of life-size books too, so fun for kids!
Hibernation, migration and adaptation:
With just a simple sentence on each page, ‘Winter Survival’ is perfect as an introduction to some of the fascinating ways that animals survive during the winter.
Winter lullaby is a fictional story or a bear cub who doesn’t want to go to sleep for the winter, it highlights all the woodland animals who hibernate for the winter. A lovely way to introduce the topic of hibernation and winter survival to little ones and makes for a beautiful bed-time read.
‘The Bear snores on’ is a classic, it comes out every autumn in our home and the clever rhythm makes it enjoyable to read time and time again. Touching lightly on hibernation is a story like way its a perfect addition to any autumn/winter bookshelves.
Ellie Woollard’s books are wonderful, written in rhyme and illustrated beautifully by Bryony May Smith. They touch lightly on the subject of migration and hibernation. Little Goose spends the autumn watching other woodland friends prepare for winter but she can’t work out why it doesn’t feel right for her to build a den or hibernate. A bear cub wakes up early from hibernation and has to contend with the uncertainty of winter.
Little Sammy the warbler ends up having to migrate to Panama alone after missing his migration. Learn about different migratory animals along the way as you follow this cute little tale.
‘Where do animals go in winter’ is another lift the flap book, I find lift the flap perfect for little ones, helping to keep them engaged even when the content is more educational. This book covers different hibernating and migrating animals, where they go and why. A great introductory book to the topic.
Explore the ways in which several different animals are adapted for their conditions with ‘Who has these feet’. Why are a tree frogs sticky? Why are a polar bears furry? A simple and easy way to discuss basic animal adaptations with your little ones.
Life cycles:
A gorgeously illustrated picture book following the life cycle of a green sea turtle – Kiki. Follow her journey and meet some other interesting ocean life along the way
Everyone knows the classic ‘The very hungry caterpillar’. But this simple book really does something to open up the discussion of animal lifecycles so it’s worth an inclusion.
‘Tad’ is the tiniest tadpole in the pond, she watches all of her brothers and sisters grow up into frogs and escape from the big scary fish that lurks at the bottom of the pond, but she’s still small. Explore the lifecycle of a frog and discover if Tad ever makes it out safely.
‘Little bee’ is a sweet, simple story written in a way that makes the lifecycle of a bee super easy to understand for even little children.
Preschool bug books:
Large, flappy pages, beautiful illustrations and the perfect amount of text for learning just enough. Bees and beetles has been a wonderful addition to our bookshelf. We take it out into the garden or on nature walks with us to learn a little bit more about some of the minibeasts we observe.
Britta Teckentrup does a wonderful ‘peek through’ series, ‘Bee’ follows a bee through her journey pollinating flowers. A lovely introduction to pollination and the importance of this tiny but mighty creature.
Another fantastic Usborne find is ‘Why do we need bees’. With fun flaps to lift and surprisingly quite a lot of information, this makes for another fun way to introduce little ones to bees and their important role.
Becky Davies does a wonderful job with her ‘exploring nature with curious kids’ series. They are colourful, laid out in a beautiful but simplistic format and the lift the flaps make them an engaging read for all. Surprisingly informative, they are perfect for little naturalists!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my animal non-fiction picks for littles! If you need ideas for older children, check out my Ultimate Animal Non Fiction for your home-school library booklist.
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