At three years old, Little Bee has entered the developmental stage (sensitive period) for loving books! He has begun to "read" (repeating what he remembers) about these stories back to us. It's adorable to hear him recite the entire story from a favorite book. Please step into our living room and discover what engaging books for preschoolers and Montessori language work we have on our shelves.
What is on Our Book Shelves?
Engaging Books for Preschoolers
The books on Little Bee's shelves are topics that he finds interesting. (Montessori education encourages following the child.)
Counting
Little Bee is in a sensitive period for counting objects and counting on his fingers. Here are a couple of his favorite counting books.
Winter
The "Secrets of Winter" book is fascinating because you can find the hidden animal by shinning a flashlight behind the page. It's fun for Little Bee to discover the secrets!
Bugs
Little Bee has always been fascinated with bugs and as spring is right around the corner, the little creatures will be emerging from the ground. We will be looking for them!
Trucks & Tractors
Little Bee's favorite topic right now is books about trucks and tractors, especially the big red fire truck!
Stories about Animals
He also loves stories about animals. The "No!" book is about a dog who thinks his name is no because his family is always saying "No!" to the dog. Little Bee thinks this book is so funny!
The book, "The Lion & The Mouse" is wordless with beautiful illustrations to describe the story of kindness returned again.
Favorite First Readers
The last books featured on our shelves are a couple "first readers." Little Bee finds the simplicity of the Bob books fascinating. Perhaps the simplicity of the words resonates with his young mind in some way that helps him learn the words.
The other first reader that Little Bee adores is, "What a Good Kitty" by Mercer Mayer. I think he adores this book because he has a fascination with cats. He pretends to be a kitty all day long and also wants Daddy to tell him kitty stories before he falls asleep at night.
In the Bathroom
Little Bee is learning how to use the toilet and while he sits there, he loves to have his "potty" books read to him. He is fascinated by the "Everyone Poops" book and how amazing it is to see all the different poops that animals create. The "Potty" book is very sweet with simple encouragement to help a toddler or young preschooler use the potty.
Toilet Learning Books
Other Fun Books & Activities on Our Shelves
"Real Life" Story Books with Shutterfly
I enjoy making a Shutterfly photo book each year that highlights the fun events in our family. Little Bee loves to find the pictures of himself within each book. He especially enjoys looking at the pictures of when he was a baby.
On our shelves you will also find a few toddler books because Little Bee has not grown out of these books yet. Please visit ~ Fun Books to Read with Toddlers, to find out what our favorite toddler books are.
Montessori Sandpaper Letters and Phonetic Sounds
Also, on the book shelves are a couple language work activities for Little Bee. I introduced the Montessori sandpaper letters and phonetic sounds to him. Along with these four sandpaper letters, I also introduced four language objects that began with the sound of the featured letter. This activity was wonderful for him to begin to recognize both the shape of the letter and to identify with its sound. For more information on this topic, please visit ~ Montessori-Inspired Beginning Sounds Phonics Game for Toddlers and Preschoolers.
You may also enjoy visiting other favorite book ideas from these 10 Montessori bloggers in our 12 Months of Montessori Series ~
The Best Montessori Friendly Books: Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Elementary | Natural Beach Living
Montessori-Friendly Living Books Library | The Natural Homeschool
Favorite Montessori-Friendly Books for a 2 Year Old | Living Montessori Now
10 Ways To Make Your Kids Crazy About Reading | Planting Peas
Montessori Friendly Books -- Birth to Six | The Kavanaugh Report
Engaging Books for Preschoolers | Mama’s Happy Hive
Montessori & Fiction: Balancing the Bookshelf | Sugar, Spice & Glitter
Montessori Books for Older Children: The Universe Story Trilogy | The Pinay Homeschooler
Children’s Books About Birds | Every Star is Different
Favorite Montessori Resources | Grace and Green Pastures
Our Favorite Montessori Inspired Books for Babies to Preschoolers | Christian Montessori Network
What a great list! I love the books in the bathroom! That’s a great idea!
I love your little reading nook — so cozy!
I love how you shared what books were in your living room AND what books were in your bathroom. I laughed out loud when I saw that. I also love how you’ve divided your book list by interests. Your little guy is getting so big!
It was so important for us to have books in the bathroom when my littles were potty learning, for sure! We spent a lot of time there. Awesome list of books. 😉
My boys will definitely love the bug books! Love the idea of placing books in the toilet. I used to do this with Mavi LOL
I love your reading corner. What great book selections for Little Bee!
I love your display. What a brilliant idea to create your own photo books.
Thank you Bess 🙂