Best Animal Books for 3-5 Year Olds

Developing reading skills early in life is a necessary aspect of child development. In today’s world, there are a multiplicity of books designed for children of all ages, making literacy more accessible to developing children.

With the plentiful supply of books available, it’s important to select books that will complement the age of your child. At Book and Bear, we care deeply about your child’s needs and are here to provide optimal recommendations for animal books for 3 to 5-year-olds.

This gentle, heartwarming book is a story of a bear and her cub spending a lovely day of quality time together. Being one of the best animal books for 4-year-olds, or even younger audiences, it depicts the life of these bears. It shows the various ways they show their love for each other, such as playing chasing games with each other, spending time with loved ones and each other, touching noses, and lots of time snuggling. Not only do the touching illustrations captivate young readers’ minds, but the book’s lessons and morals are sure to strengthen bonds between parent and child. This book serves as a perfect read for your child as they prepare for their nightly rest.

Aimed at a younger audience, Mommy Snuggles is one of the best animal books for 3-year-olds. It delivers an environment of warmth and safety for young children by showing different animals and how they hold and snuggle their young as an act of protection and demonstration of love and care. This teaches children the importance of physical care and emotional intimacy that mothers often share with their children. Reading this book with your child helps to continue the development of that relationship.

This book teaches children basic reading skills and animal recognition. On top of this, it serves to be an interactive book, helping the reader retain the images and words seen in the book the more it is interacted with. Children are fascinated with shapes and colors that move, making this book a winning choice while your child learns how to read words, recognize shapes, and interact with objects.

This is one of the best animal books for 5-year-olds beginning to learn life skills. This adorable story follows Tiny, a small T-Rex who can’t quite figure out how to give a hug because of his size. His dinosaur family teaches him how important and valuable other life skills are, such as mathematics, games, and other sports. He learns that the heart is what matters most. Just because a skill or ability may not come easily doesn’t mean that other valuable attributes are out of reach. Tiny’s heart and his eager spirit are worth far more than bigger arms, and a bigger hug could be. 

These animal books for 3-5 year olds carry a valuable message that should be taught to all young people from a very early age: You are valuable and worthwhile exactly as you are. Everyone has skills they can develop with practice, time, and effort.

If you’re wondering how to consistently provide these learning opportunities for your children, Book and Bear are up to the challenge. Our monthly box subscription offers kids ages 1-12 a stuffed animal to keep and enjoy, accompanied by a book about the animal they receive.

Your child will surely enjoy hours of reading and playing with our subscription as they develop a love of and appreciation for reading.