Fun Animal Books Your Kids Will Go Crazy For

Do you have a child that loves animals? Or are you looking for a way to spark an older child’s interest in biology? Here are some of our favorite animal books. They are fun, beautifully illustrated, and guaranteed to encourage a love of all creatures great and small.

I received complimentary copies of the books below for review purposes; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Fun Animal Books Your Kids Will Go Crazy For

Stack the Cats is one of those books that’s almost too adorable to be real! These cats will win your heart from the get-go, especially since they are actually teaching your toddler early math skills! Why do the cats stack themselves? No idea, but then, who understands why cats do anything they do? All I know is that my little girls loves them, and their antics are helping her learn very early concepts like more and fewer, number recognition, and grouping. Oh, and did I mention how CUTE they are?? One of my favorite animal books for very young readers.

My toddler absolutely loves animals! She is becoming quite proficient at the baby signs for animals and loves to “chat” with me about the dogs, cats, and birds we spy as we go about our day. So when I first showed her Barnyard Boogie!, which is full of all kinds of animals she recognizes, I honestly thought she was going to pass out from excitement! She kept exclaiming and pointing at the pages, and her little hands could hardly keep up as she tried to do all of the animal signs at once. Barnyard Boogie! is such a fun book to read with toddlers because they are naturally drawn to animals and will love all the silly sounds and rhymes. My preschooler loves it too because it is a funny story about a cow trying to figure out what part he can play in the barnyard band. It’s not just for fun, though – it also has a sweet message about everyone having an important role to play.

Here is one that has been added to our bedtime story rotation. My preschooler thinks this book is HILARIOUS! There is quite a bit of suspense in The Giant Jumperee, as one by one the animals try to figure out who the Giant Jumperee is – but each in turn becomes too frightened and runs off! Until the Mama Frog comes along, that is. (Of course it is a mom who decides enough is enough!) My seven year old even looked up from his book and kept asking, “But what is a jumperee? What is it??” And as you can imagine, the answer is surprising and funny, and no matter how many times we read the book, it never fails to delight my preschooler. Really fun book with lovely illustrations, just what you’d expect from this powerhouse team – bestselling author of Room on the Broom and award-winning illustrator of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.

So Many Feet is a beautifully illustrated book that focuses on animal feet as a way to introduce some of the many creatures in nature. This book is great if you want to give your children a little more realistic view of animals but still keep it fun. I love that it can be read at two levels, depending on the age and interest of your child. Often I read it through quickly with my toddler – just reading the primary text (“High feet, slow feet, fast feet, snow feet…”) – but spend more time going through the book with my preschooler, who is interested in the secondary text as well, which gives additional information about each animal and how its unique feet help it. It is a lovely book that they also enjoy flipping through on their own, just to look at the pictures.

Speaking of amazing illustrations, Deep in the Forest: A Seek-and-Find Adventure is a stunning collection of seek-and-find scenes featuring jungle animals. As we follow the animals through their day, the reader is invited to find them on the page, including one in each scene who is hiding behind a flap, cleverly disguised on the page. The book contains drawings of over 50 animals and is a gorgeous introduction to the creatures of the jungle.

Ocean (Topsy Turvy World) is a whimsical look at creatures of the deep. It mixes fact and fiction for a wild journey through ocean habitats. The illustrations are incredible and just a bit off-kilter, encouraging children to use their imaginations at the same time as they are learning facts about ocean creatures. A really fun book to read, plus I love the extension activities included at the book.

What are your favorite animal books for kids?