10 best animal picture books

Animal picture books never get old!

Most children are drawn to animals and the first sounds and words they can form might relate directly to their favorite animals. One of the words my 1-year-old says is ‘boo-ee’, which is what he calls our cat ‘Boomie’. I love how animals and pets can play a significant role in children’s lives.

Animal books also lend themselves easily to add funny voices and sounds that make reading more fun and engaging.

Here are some of my (and my son’s) all-time favorites.

1.     Discovery: Roar At The Zoo!

A sound book featuring ten (accurate sounding) animals. This is a great book to help prepare your little one for a trip to the zoo. It is interactive and gives out fun facts about the animals. Some of them are pictured in their natural habitat.

2.     I Love Dad with The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

This is a great Father’s Day gift!

Such a sweet story in which different animals are shown, hanging out with their dads. They find Dad fun, easy to talk to, and know that Dad always has their back, even if they’re feeling prickly and want to annoy Dad. Dad will always be there to catch them when they fall, and that is why they love their Dads.

3.     Animal Opposites by Petr Horáček

A pop-up picture book showcasing animal opposites in regard to sizes, shapes, colors, and the sounds they make. Extremely fun and expressive! I usually need to read my this book at least three times in a row. 

4.     Wild Animals by Rop van Mierlo

Beautiful large watercolor drawings of animals. This book is suitable for even the smallest readers, under the age of 1.

5.     The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss

Get dragged into the bizarre and magical world of The Cat In The Hat, who visits a little boy, his sister Sally, and their fish on a boring rainy day while their mother is out. Love the use of rhyme and rhythm in this book, and the illustrations are fantastic.

6.     Little Fur Family by Margaret Wise Brown

This is a cute story about a little fur child who lives in the wild, wild, woods with his fur mother and fur father. He goes out into his little fur world and explores what other animals have fur. He also discovers that some animals don’t have any fur. At night he gets tucked in warmly by his fur mother and fur father.

7.     We Are in a Book! An Elephant & Piggie Book by Mo Willems

A hilarious book about two friends: an elephant and pig, who suddenly realize that they are featured in a book. They come up with funny things for the reader to say and also worry about the book and therefore their story ending.

8.     Frog is Frog by Max Velthuijs

This wonderful book is by the brilliant Dutch writer and illustrator Max Velthuijs. I read this book to my son in Dutch, but it’s available on Amazon in English and Spanish as well. This is the story of Frog, who figures he’s not much good as a frog. He isn’t able to fly like his friend Duck, nor is he able to read like his friend Rat, or able to bake cakes like his friend Piggie. Then one of his friends reminds him that he can jump and swim like no one else, and besides, all of his friends love him regardless of what he’s good at. Frog contemplates about this on the side of his beloved pond and he realizes that he wouldn’t rather be anyone else but himself.

9.     Around The Farm by Eric Carle

This is such a good book to practice animal sounds and features with your toddler. It’s interactive and colorful, and some of our favorite Eric Carle characters like the hungry caterpillar make an appearance. What sound does a caterpillar make?!

10.  Miffy First Words by Dick Bruna

Dick Bruna is by far the most well-known and celebrated Dutch picture book author and illustrator. He gained his success with educational and sweet stories about our beloved Miffy (Nijntje in Dutch. Derived from the word konijn, which means bunny). This is a spectacular book, perfect for practicing first words with your baby/toddler. It has been categorized under sections, such as: food, clothes, toys, and forms of transportation. I haven’t been able to find this particular Miffy book in English, but I’d highly recommend any of the Miffy series books (many are available online and in bookstores in the US).