Four-year-olds are storytellers. They invent worlds, have imaginary friends and want to know what happens next. They can follow longer picture books and start to enjoy ideas, not only events: what it means to be brave, to be fair, to be a friend.
They also get irony for the first time. A book where the words say one thing and the pictures show another, like a fish who is sure nobody will notice, makes a four-year-old feel very clever. That is a wonderful feeling to give someone.
All the books on this list won or were honored by a major prize jury, mostly the Caldecott Medal and the Carnegie Medal for Illustration.
Winner1964
Maurice Sendak
Great for every child's shelf
Max makes mischief in his wolf suit, is sent to bed without supper, and sails away to where the wild things are. He tames them, becomes their king, and then comes home, where his supper is waiting, still hot. Short, wild and deeply reassuring. If a four-year-old does not have this book yet, start here.
1964 Caldecott Medal winner
Winner2014
Jon Klassen
Great for a child who loves to be in on the joke
A little fish has stolen a hat from a very big fish, and he explains why he will get away with it. The pictures show the big fish following, closer and closer. Four-year-olds love knowing more than the narrator, and the ending gets a gasp every time.
2014 Carnegie Medal for Illustration winner
Winner2015
Dan Santat
Great for a child starting preschool
On an island where imaginary friends are born, Beekle waits and waits for a child to imagine him. Nobody does, so he sets off to the city to find his friend himself. A warm, funny story about friendship and being brave enough to make the first move.
2015 Caldecott Medal winner
Honor2017
Brendan Wenzel
Great for a curious, artistic child
A cat walks through the world, and every animal sees it differently: to a dog it is skinny and sly, to a mouse it is a monster, to a fish it is a blurry shape. A clever book about perspective, with art that changes style on every spread.
2017 Caldecott Medal Honor Book
Honor2015
Mac Barnett
Great for kids who love a puzzle
Sam and Dave dig a hole to find something spectacular. Over and over they change direction just before reaching a huge diamond, which the reader can see but they cannot. Children shout at the page. And the ending is a puzzle families argue about for years.
2015 Caldecott Medal Honor Book
Honor2013
Mac Barnett
Great for a kind-hearted child
In a gray, snowy town, Annabelle finds a box of yarn that never runs out. She knits sweaters for everyone, then the animals, then the houses, until a greedy archduke wants the box for himself. A quiet modern fairy tale about generosity.
2013 Caldecott Medal Honor Book
Winner2019
Sophie Blackall
Great for kids who love details
A keeper lives in a lighthouse at the edge of the world, tending the light, writing in the logbook and keeping the ships safe through storms and fog. Round little windows, cutaway rooms and lots of detail make it a book four-year-olds pore over.
2019 Caldecott Medal winner
Honor2013
Aaron Reynolds
Great for a kid who likes a little spooky
Jasper Rabbit loves carrots, until he starts to think the carrots are following him. Is he imagining it? The gray pictures with bright orange carrots are spooky in a funny way, perfect for a four-year-old who likes a shiver and a laugh.
2013 Caldecott Medal Honor Book
Yes, and they often get more from it. Books like This Is Not My Hat or Wolf in the Snow invite them to read the pictures and tell you what is really happening.
Most four-year-olds love it. The wild things are more funny than frightening, and the ending, with supper waiting at home, is one of the most reassuring in any picture book.
Each year the Caldecott jury picks one winner and a few runners-up, called Honor Books. Both are marked with a sticker on the cover: gold for the winner, silver for Honor.
See every award-winning book for ages 3 to 5