One of the things I know about reading with kids is that reading the same story over and over again is really great for langu...

Our Favourite Repeat Reads for Preschoolers

Monday, July 22, 2019 BookBairn 2 Comments


One of the things I know about reading with kids is that reading the same story over and over again is really great for language development, understanding and skills for learning to read. Another thing that I know is that there are some books that you don't want to read over and over. Let's be honest, those books 'disappear' quickly - behind the sofa, returned to the library or make their way out all by themselves. But on the flip side there are some books that I love reading again and again. Every read it gets better. So I thought it would be fun to put some of our favourites together. These books are great for taking on holiday too as you can pack a couple and read them all holiday and not get sick of them. I have put the details of each one below but these books are all brilliantly illustrated, have magical stories and also impart a little fun or a message that you want to enjoy from the story too.

Nibbles the Book Monster by Emma Yarlett


Conceptually clever and innovative, Nibbles works on multiple levels and that's why it makes a great book to read over and over again! This is an ingenious story about a little monster who can't help but nibble his way through books. He enters the worlds of three different fairytales and his invasion changes the story and messes with the characters. The illustrations are sensational! Nibbles is mischievous and yet is still adorable. The fairy tale characters are so expressive. And the detailed pages of illustrations of piles and piles of books are quite simply a dream! With layers of illustrations I'm still finding new things hidden even after the many many reads. It really is a brilliant book and has featured on our favourites lists so many times!


Billy and the Beast by Nadia Shireen



This book is BookBairn's choice for the list! And she's so right - I could (and have) read it over and over again!  When a terrible beast starts roaming the forest in search of tiny creatures to make a big bowl of monster soup, Billy and her Fatcat cannot let him get away with it. He's got boil in a bag bunnies, spicy mice and grated hedgehog all on his list but can Billy outwit this ferocious beast and save the inhabitants of the forest? Packed full of humour, fun illustrations and a heroine who stashes doughnuts in her hair for emergencies this is a brilliant new fable that will empower as well as make you giggle. We love stories that have a Mighty Girl at the centre of the story so it's a delight to read over and over.


Tropical Terry by Jarvis



This was an instant and firm favourite on BookBairn's shelf from the very first read and over 100 reads in it's still one of the most colourful and fun stories about a seemingly dull little fish called Terry. He has a great little team of friends - Cilla the crab and Steve the sea snail and they play lots of fun games. But that are not part of the 'cool gang' that live in Coral Reef City. And Terry just wants to fit in with these glamourous fish. So he, with the help of his friends, creates the most spectacular tail fin out of all the bits and bobs he can find and becomes 'Tropical Terry'. However, he soon learns being the shiniest sparkliest fish in the sea can attract unwanted attention. Eddie the eel fancies a bite of Terry for his dinner. But fortunately, the games that Terry has been playing with his old friends have made him super skilled in evading Eddie’s unwanted advances!  It makes me smile just to look at the stunning illustrations. And it has a lovely message about being true to yourself, not judging a fish by his fins and accepting others. Definitely messages that I'm happy to share with BookBairn over and over.

Mixed by Arree Chung



I must have read this book over 500 times and BookBairn loves it, I love it! This is a story of colour. In the beginning there were three colours: reds, yellows and blues and they lived together in colour harmony. But one day each colour proclaims themselves the best. And they each go their separate ways, dividing their once happy home into three separate neighbourhoods separated by walls and barbed wire fences. Until one day when two colours fall in love and decide to mix. Creating a whole new colour! And she's so cute. Cute enough to overcome the critics. And finally more colours decide to mix creating a wonderful rainbow of colours in the residents of the new town!  The illustrations are wonderful and unsurprisingly the use of colour is perfect against the black and white backgrounds. The colours really stand out! And the endpapers are my favourite! And with such a wonderful message I love that we've now read it so often that BookBairn can more or less read it to me!


Mrs Mole I'm Home by Jarvis



We initially picked this up in the library and have pretty much read it every day for a month. We loved it so much I renewed it and renewed it and then I bought a copy. She loves Morris and his escapade to find his way home without his glasses to help him see where he is digging. She finds it so funny that his glasses are balanced on his head throughout the story. The illustrations are packed full of fun details and BookBairn particularly enjoys spotting all the books in the owl residence (one of them has her name on it) and tracing the maps of where Morris has been digging. It's a lovely story packed full of humour and I have enjoyed reading it over and over so it's got to be pretty good to keep our attention that long.

Dinosaurs Don't Draw by Elli Woollard & Steven Lenton




This is the story of Picasaur who comes across a small piece of chalk and is destined to create. But his parents are not impressed. Dinosaurs stomp. Dinosaurs roar. Dinosaurs do not draw. Picasaur can't resist the urge to create and when he crosses path with anything that resembles paint, chalk or drawing material he creates his own dino-graffiti! But when a nasty T-Rex comes prowling, Picasaur's drawings save the day by scary away the T-Rex with a dinosaur even more fearsome. The main little dinosaur, Picasaur, is just adorable and his family of triceratops are friendly despite their anti-drawing mentality and his cousins and friends are a variety of multi-coloured delights. But brilliantly, when Picasaur draws on rocks, caves, and stones, his illustrations stand out from the rest. They look spectacular and don't for one second blend into the story. And through this you get a feel for the different art supplies that Picasaur uses and his own creative flair. Written in rhyme, this story really is a wonder to read aloud! And I love that it celebrates creativity!




I hope you enjoy reading these over and over again! They are fab! If you are looking for more of our very favourite repeat reads check out my Amazon shop and click on the section for Toddlers and Preschoolers.

Happy reading again and again and again...
Kim and the bairns x


Disclaimer: We were sent some of these books free for review purposes by the publishers (except Mrs Mole I'm Home and Mixed which I bought myself). Words and opinions are my own. If you click on the title or image of the book you will be sent to amazon.co.uk using an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase on amazon.co.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 20-70p per book) from amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our 'For Our Readers' section.




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2 comments:

  1. I think Nibbles (aka Dimbles) is my all-time favourite.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like the tropical theme. Good choices overall.

    ReplyDelete