Where the Wild Things Are, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, and Go, Dog. Go! are three good books for 4 year olds. Each of the three gives a four-year-old something to enjoy: a wild rumpus, shouting no at a pleading pigeon, or reading along with simple words.
The fourteen picks fall into four groups: read-alouds, silly books to read out loud, books about feelings and big moments, and first books to read together. The first three groups are for a grown-up to read aloud. The last group suits a four-year-old who is ready to start reading along with help.
Most of the picks are picture books to read aloud. If your four-year-old already reads short sentences alone, head to the Kindergarten Books to Read page. If monster pictures upset your child, start with Corduroy and save the monster and dinosaur books for later.
Books for 4 Year Olds, Grouped by How You Read Them
Read-Alouds
1. Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak
A bedtime adventure about big feelings, a wild rumpus, and coming home. The toothy monsters may seem slightly scary to sensitive kids.
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2. Corduroy
Don Freeman
A gentle story of a toy bear finding a friend and a home. It suits a child who wants a gentle story. Kids who want jokes and loud moments should start with the silly group instead.
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3. The Snowy Day
Ezra Jack Keats
A simple, beautiful celebration of a child’s wonder exploring fresh snow.
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4. The Gruffalo
Julia Donaldson
A clever mouse is at the center of this rhyming, repetitive tale. Preschoolers love chanting along with the rhyme and repeated lines. The monster is mildly spooky, and the mouse outwits him quickly. Skip it for a child frightened by any monster picture at bedtime.
Find it on AmazonSilly Books to Read Out Loud
5. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Mo Willems
A pigeon begs to drive the bus, and your child gets to shout no.
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6. The Book with No Pictures
B.J. Novak
The book has no pictures at all. The joke is that the grown-up must read every ridiculous word on the page. Skip it for a child who needs pictures to stay seated.
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7. We Don't Eat Our Classmates
Ryan T. Higgins
A dinosaur starts school in this hilarious story about first-day jitters and making friends. The dinosaur briefly eats the classmates and spits them back out, and the book plays the scene for laughs. Under the jokes, the story eases first-day jitters about making friends. A child who takes stories literally may need you to say that everyone is fine.
Find it on AmazonFeelings and Big Moments
8. Owl Babies
Martin Waddell
A reassuring story for little ones worried when a parent leaves.
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9. The Rabbit Listened
Cori Doerrfeld
This tender story shows how listening helps when things go wrong. The tone is tender, so a child in a silly mood should get the Pigeon instead.
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10. Jabari Jumps
Gaia Cornwall
Jabari works up the courage to jump off the diving board. The book is an encouraging story about finding courage.
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11. Hair Love
Matthew A. Cherry
A father and daughter share a joyful story about love, hair, and self-confidence. Readers who want rhyme or shouting should start with The Gruffalo or the Pigeon.
Find it on AmazonFirst Books to Read Together
12. Go, Dog. Go!
P.D. Eastman
Simple words and funny pictures of dogs invite a four-year-old to start reading along. If your child gets restless partway through, read half and bookmark the rest for tomorrow.
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13. Hop on Pop
Dr. Seuss
Short rhyming word families fill the pages. It works as a first try at reading. Read it in short bursts and let your child point at the words.
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14. We Are in a Book!
Mo Willems
Elephant and Piggie star in this book told in speech bubbles. The speech bubbles are ideal for reading together with help.
Find it on AmazonWhat Reading Looks Like at Age Four
Your child’s part can be shouting along with the Pigeon or chanting along with The Gruffalo.
How to Choose Books for 4 Year Olds
Start with how your child likes to take part in a story. Watch which pages make your child lean in or shout.
When we match a book, we look at age fit, and we say when a famous book is a poor match.
- Read-aloud or read-along: use the Read-Alouds and Feelings and Big Moments groups for you to read, and Go, Dog. Go!, Hop on Pop, or We Are in a Book! for a child who wants to point at words.
- Mood: for interactive fun, try the Pigeon or The Book with No Pictures, and for a gentle story, try Corduroy.
- Rhyme and chanting: pick The Gruffalo or Hop on Pop for a child who likes saying lines with you.
- Life events: try We Don’t Eat Our Classmates before preschool starts, Owl Babies when a parent leaves, Jabari Jumps for a new challenge, and The Rabbit Listened after a hard day.
What to Do When a Picture Book Does Not Land
Put the book away for a few weeks and try a different group of picks. A child who squirms through Corduroy may prefer the interactive fun of the Pigeon.
Change how you read before you give up on a book. Use voices, let your child turn the pages, stop to ask what will happen next, or skip the words and tell the story from the pictures.
If a book scares your child, say so plainly and close it. Bring it back in daylight, with your child holding the book, once they ask about it again.
Content Notes on Books for 4 Year Olds
Three of the picks carry something a parent may want to preview. Where the Wild Things Are has toothy monsters, The Gruffalo has a mildly spooky monster who is outwitted quickly, and We Don’t Eat Our Classmates shows a dinosaur eating classmates and spitting them out as a joke.
Read those three yourself first if your child is sensitive to monsters or takes stories literally. A teacher reading We Don’t Eat Our Classmates to a preschool class can say out loud that the classmates are fine and then talk about being kind to new friends.
Owl Babies deals with worry when a parent leaves, and Jabari Jumps deals with finding courage.
What to Read After These Picks
The next step depends on what your child loved most. If the shortest, simplest pages worked best, look back at Books for 3 Year Olds. If your child is begging for longer stories, move ahead to Books for 5 Year Olds.
For a child who loved pointing at words in Go, Dog. Go! or We Are in a Book!, head to the Kindergarten Books to Read page. You can also try the What Should I Read Quiz or browse Books to Read for Every Age and Moment.
Pick one book from each group, read them over the next week, and come back to add more from whichever group got the biggest laugh.
