Trucks, trains, tractors, planes, cars, loaders, dump trucks, cement mixers and so much more! If it has wheels, it must be wonderful right?! Actually, forget it, it doesn’t even necessarily have to have wheels! Boats are equally as wonderful and awe inspiring! Basically any vehicle seems to be exciting to most young children and I think I can see why. They represent speed, power, and most of all: fun!
Below are some of our favorite vehicle books for young children. There are so many that we just had to include that I needed to split it into two sections: picture books and board books. These books include a wide array of vehicles from helicopters to race cars and everything in-between. If you have a vehicle loving child, I am convinced that there is at least one book here that they will love. I have two vehicle loving children and each one of these books is a hit with them!
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Picture Books
“All About Cars” by Geraldine Krashiski and Oliver Latyk- This sturdy book has so many interactive features from tabs to pull, flaps to lift and more. Don’t be fooled by the format, this one is definitely for preschool children and up.
“How to Walk a Dump Truck” by Peter Pearson and Mircea Catusanu- A silly book that is a ficitonal how-to manual for if you had a small dump truck as a pet. Sure to induce giggles!
“Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site” and “Mighty Mighty Construction Site” by Sherri Duskey Rinner and Tom Lichtenfield- These books are classic for a reason. I am sure children all over recognize and love these construction vehicles!
“Fast Forward” by Adam Skinner and James Gilleard- This nonfiction, oversized book contains the profiles and statistics for some of the worlds most famous race tracks and race cars.
“Dogs in Cars” by Felix Massie and Emmanuelle Walker- This is a beautifully designed and unique “counting book” that features many models of cars as well as many dog breeds. The perfect blend of two worlds!
“Old MacDonald Had a Truck” and “Old MacDonald Had a Boat” by Steve Goetz and Eda Kaban – We LOVE these new takes on the classic song of Old MacDonald. They are full of spunk and lots of personality.
“Race Car is Roaring” (Busy Wheels Series)” by Mandy Archer and Martha Lightfoot- This is one book in a whole series featuring different types of vehicles and my son adores them. Are copies are battered and well-loved.
“Monkey on the Run” by Leo Timmers – If creative and zany vehicles are what you seek it’s hard to beat the imaginative creations in this nearly worlds book. It’s quite a masterpiece!
“The Wheels on the Uh-Oh” by Sue Tarsky and Alex Willmore- This book can be sung to the melody of “The Wheels on the Bus” and is perfect for preschoolers. The whole thing is darling.
“The Mixed-Up Truck” by Stephen Savage – This is another favorite in our home. It features a mixer truck who is trying his best, but keeps making silly mistakes. We get a chuckle out of this one.
“Let’s Go!” by Sarah Williamson – This is one of those stories where the drama slowly builds until a grand finish comes in play. It is such a delight and highly entertaining.
“Bulldozer Helps Out” by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann- This is a sweet story about a little bulldozer who wants to help out and learns that sometimes the most important jobs are the ones that seem small.
“Small Walt and Mo the Tow” by Elizabeth VeIn rdick and Marc Rosenthal- In this sweet story about teamwork two vehicles pull together to get a hard job done. Such a good one that has a classic feel to it.
“Sign Off” by Stephen Savage- Okay, you caught me, this isn’t a “vehicle book”. But road signs and vehicles go hand-in-hand so I had to include at least one featuring them. Plus, this wordless book is so clever and we love it so much that I couldn’t resist!
“Boats on the Bay” by Jeanne Walker Harvey and Grady McFerrin- Of course I had to include at least one book about boats. This one features different types of boats and is extra lovely in it’s colorful design.
“The Little Engine that Could” by Watty Piper- This little engine is probably my favorite vehicle of all time (Can someone say “nostalgia”?!) and is an all around winner.
“The Real Boat” by Marina Aromshtam and Victoria Semykina- This book is anew personal favorite of mine. It features a lot of different kind of boats, but the star is a little paper boat with a lot of bravery and a lot of heart.
“Trucks Zooming By” by Pamela Jane and Barry Gott- If your little one is into trucks this one is especially wonderful! It features a lot of different types of trucks and has the cutest illustrations.
Board Books
“Touch and Explore Construction” by Stephanie Babin and Benjamin Becue- This is one of the best touch-and-feel books about vehicles that I have ever seen. It is fantastic!
“Little Blue Truck” by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry- We are HUGE fans of every book in the “Little Blue Truck” series. This is the first one, if you haven’t read it before, give it a try and see why!
“Finns Fun Trucks: Farm Fleet” by Finn Coyle and Srimalie Bassani- This is an excellent board book to introduce kids to the variety of vehicles found on a farm. So well done!
“All Aboard!” by Nichole Mara and Andrew Kolb- This book is awesome! It pulls out into a long “train” rectangle and the side of each train car is a big flap you can lift to “look inside”. It’s one you’ll want to see in person!
“Planes Go” , “Cars Go” , “Trains Go”, ” Boats Go”, “Diggers Go” and “Trucks Go” by Steve Light- These books are the best for entertaining toddlers and babies because they get you making the various sounds that vehicles make and are so hilarious and fun for parent and child alike!
“Steam Train, Dream Train” by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld- This story is about a nighttime train full of toys and playful animals. It couldn’t be any more adorable and is one that makes an excellent bedtime story.
“Cement Mixer’s ABCs” and “Dump Truck’s Colors” by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Ethan Long- They made board book primers featuring the “Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site” Vehicles! Obviously wonderful!
“Little Boat”, “Little Plane”, “Little Truck” by Taro Gomi- These little board books are super simple in design and text, but are so darling. As a set they are especially cute.
“Read and Ride Cars & Trucks” by Troy Cummings- This book opens up into a couple or road scenes that you can put on the floor like a mat and then you use the four tiny board book cars that have wheels attached to drive around the road. Another one you have to see!
“Boats are Busy” by Sara Gillingham- A beautiful designed board book that makes a wonderful primer to different types of boats. It doesn’t get much more stylish!
“Motor Mix: Flight” and “Motor Mix: Emergency” by Emily Snape and Rilla Alexander- These books have three long flaps with different parts of vehicles that you can mix and match in funny ways. My kids will never get tired of this format!
Dig: Peek-a-Flap Board Book by Jaye Garnett and Cottage Door Press- This chunky and interactive board book is positively darling and is sturdy enough for little bookworms.
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Jessica Jenkins says
Do you know of any good chapter books about vehicles that would be good for a 5 year old?