Read picture books with your preschooler to explore words, ideas, characters and magical lands! Children aged 3 to 5 years can understand more complex stories and words, and with thousands of children's picture books in our collection, you'll find plenty of perfect reads for your child. From classic stories you loved hearing as a child, to modern tales that help children understand the world around them, there's a picture book for every mood.
Kids this age will enjoy coming to the library and selecting books for themselves, or you can ask staff for assistance. You can also select a title from below to make a reservation.
For more reading advice, events, and services for preschoolers, please visit our Reading advice for preschool 3 to 5 years page. You can also register for the 1000 Books Before School program on our 1000 Books Before School page to encourage a lifelong love of reading.
Recommended books for preschoolers 3 to 5 years
Books are a great way to enter into the imaginative world of your preschooler. Stories will help you reflect your child's world, as well as introduce them to the unfamiliar and even magical settings. Retelling the story in different ways is an opportunity for your child to take an active role as the storyteller. Playing with puppets, dressing up, creating new characters and changing the ending are a great way to have fun with stories.
Who sank the boat? by Pamela Allen
Mirror by Jeannie Baker
All the ways to be smart by Davina Bell
Wide big world, When we say Black lives matter by Maxine Beneba Clark
I'm Australian too by Mem Fox
My two blankets by Irena Kobald
Colour me by Ezekiel Kwaymullina
Cinderella by Margrete Lamond
Magic beach, Imagine by Alison Lester
The paper bag princess by Robert Munsch
The Helen Oxenbury nursery collection by Helen Oxenbury
Unwitting wisdom: an anthology of Aesop's animal fables by Helen Ward
Interactive picture books
Interactive picture books put the reader right in the middle of the action. Often, the characters speak directly with the reader and ask them to help tell the story, which can result in a different story each time they are read. These stories appeal to kids of different ages, who like to play and twist the traditional story narrative.
Do not lick this book by Idan Ben-Barak
This book just ate my dog by Richard Byrne
Just imagine by Nick Sharratt
Plant the tiny seed, Tap the magic tree by Christie Matheson
The book with no pictures by B.J. Novak
Huff and puff by Claudia Rueda
This is a ball, Wait; by Beck and Matt Stanton
Let’s play, Mix it up by Herve Tullet
Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus by Mo Willems