21 of the Best Counting Books for Preschoolers

 Little Owl flies through the night forest, visiting his friends. One friendly fox says hello, two beavers wave, three skunks nibble berries. And when Little Owl finally reaches his own tree, he sees Raccoon who has gathered ten acorns.

Early learners will find the whimsical pictures appealing as they learn the beginning rudiments of numbers and counting.

From kites, cakes, and candy kisses, young readers can count from 1 to 1,000 using illustrations of fun, familiar objects.

 Juicy apples! Plump, ripe pears! Twisted mushrooms! Counting your way through the farmer’s market has never been so much fun.

Count all the way to one hundred stars and look for the familiar things from Goodnight Moon, everyone’s favorite bedtime story.

As children say goodnight to the objects all around them—three wheels on a tricycle, four legs on a cat—they will connect with the real numbers in their world while creating cuddly memories, night after night.

Zero is a big round number. When she looks at herself, she just sees a hole right in her center. Every day she watches the other numbers line up to count: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 . . . !” “Those numbers have value. That’s why they count,” she thinks. But how could a number worth nothing become something?

From 1 to 100, every number is a roly, poly thrill!

Can you count up all the crayons that are missing from his box?

What can you do with ten black dots? One dot can make a sun, two dots can make the eyes of a fox, and three dots can make a snowman’s face. And that’s just the beginning in this unique counting book!

Little train enthusiasts will love counting from one to ten along with the dreamy train cars!

As the numerals pile up and bumblebees threaten, what’s the number that saves the day? (Hint: It rhymes with “hero.”)

Introduces counting by tens by counting the number of toes on the beach.

Counting down from ten to one, a girl and a boy empty the night sky of fireflies as–counting up from one to ten–they fill their jar with them.

 If one is a snail and two is a person, we must be counting by feet! Just follow the sign to the beach, where a bunch of fun-loving crabs, lounging dogs, gleeful insects, and bewildered-looking snails obligingly offer their feet for counting in a number of silly, surprising combinations – from one to one hundred!

One goose. Two ducks. Three friends. As the characters illustrate from numbers 1 to 10, children will love to follow along.

This book introduces the concept of counting forward and backward in a suspenseful story that will keep young readers guessing.

A series of simple questions directs young readers to determine the differences between seemingly similar objects, encouraging them to develop powers of observation, discrimination, and visual analysis. There are plenty of opportunities to practice counting, too (but that’s just the beginning!).

The rhythmic text, paired with heartwarming animal illustrations by Garth Williams, have made counting from one to ten a joy for nearly 60 years. A must for every toddler and preschooler library.

 “Ducks overboard!” shouts the captain, as a giant wave washes a box of 10 little rubber ducks off his cargo ship and into the sea. In addition to counting, kids will be introduced to ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, etc), as well as directions – east, west, etc.

Join Little Quack and his sister Widdle as they learn their numbers during their exciting adventure!