12 Playful Counting Books for kids of all ages

Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang

I love this counting-in-reverse story that starts with 10 toes and ends with a child tucked in for bed. The story features a Black father and baby which is sadly a rare site in books for 3-year-olds.

This award winner has been a classic bedtime story for more than thirty years!

Countablock by Christopher Franceschelli

Because the words in this story are mostly sight words and kids are learning to recognize numbers up to 100, this makes a great first book for early readers.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

There are so many things about this classic book that I love. Not only can you talk about days of the week, food, and counting, you can follow the caterpillar on his journey to becoming a butterfly. When it comes to books for 3-year-olds, this one is tops.

Five Little Monkeys by Cottage Door Press

This adorable finger puppet book is interactive fun that has a lot of repetition. As children get older, they may start babbling along while you read. This is one of our favorite interactive counting books on this list.

Doggies by Sandra Boyton

Sandra Boyton makes lots of apperances on our baby lists because she GETS IT! She makes educational books for babies that are as cute as they are informative.

In this counting book for a 1-year-old, adorable dogs count with barks causing a cacophony of noise.

Learning with Llama Llama: Numbers by Anna Dewdney

Get your little one ready for preschool by teaching numbers with Llama Llama. Your toddler will love the cute illustrations and you’ll love that they will be learning numbers 1-10.

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean

Pete the Cat is back with his cool coat and his 4 groovy buttons. That is until he loses one and only has 3. As the story progresses, your child will count in reverse and learn subtraction at the same time. It’s the perfect preschool book to introduce math concepts.

One Duck Stuck: A Mucky Ducky Counting Book by Phyllis Root

One Duck Stuck is one of the most popular counting books for good reason! It’s a charming tale about a duck who gets stuck in the mud and needs lots of friends to help him get unstuck. Filled with onomatopoeia and alliteration, this is a great story to enhance verbal skills as well.

1-2-3 Peas by Keith Baker

This charming story is one of the few counting books for toddlers that goes higher than 10! Count along with this onomatopoeia-filled story featuring everyone’s favorite peas.

Place Value by David A. Adler

This book does such a good job of teaching children about place values. It breaks it down for little ones in an easy-to-understand manner that is perfect for beginning mathematicians!

The Crayons’ Book of Numbers by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers

The crayons are back in one of our favorite counting books for toddlers. Duncan has lost his crayons so you’ll be collecting them and counting along the way. It’s such a charming addition to any toddler’s bookshelf!

At the Old Haunted House by Helen Ketteman

At the old haunted house, there are lots of monsters, witches, and other Halloween creatures. When children come and trick-or-treat, they find out the creatures are friendly and welcoming. This counting book is fun for everyone.

Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party by Erin Barker

Mr. Pumpkin is having a tea party and all his spooky friends are coming with items to feed each other and decorate the table.

This one is a counting book too as it counts up from 1 to 20.

Hanukkah: A Counting Book by Emily Sper

In this Hanukkah book for preschoolers, your child will learn to count to eight in Hebrew, English and Yiddish. Be sure to add this to your counting books collection.

Five More Sleeps ’til Christmas by Jimmy Fallon

As a child counts down the sleeps until Christmas, he talks about how hard it is to fall asleep when he’s excited.

This is one of our favorite holiday counting books. You can add it to a book advent calendar for the Holiday season.

Dream Snow by Eric Carle

Eric Carle at his finest. I adore Carle’s straightforward, colorful style of illustration. The story features a farmer wanting snow for the holiday and is perfect for little ones learning to count!

If your toddler loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar, they will love this story too!