These children’s transportation books are the perfect stories for little ones who love all things vehicles! Their imaginations will take flight with these kids’ books about cars and trucks and planes, and grownups are sure to love them too. Enjoy!
Children’s transportation books bring kids great joy
There’s no debating that trucks, cars, planes, and boats make the best toys. They spin, they roll, they have moving parts, and they are all out fun! So why not supplement the toys they love with fantastic children’s transportation books?
Just like toys, children’s transportation books bring kids much joy. Reading stories about anthropomorphic vehicles (vehicles that are given human traits and emotions) helps our kids’ imaginations take flight. They help children learn to play with others and explore social situations. Children’s transportation books also help kids learn about community helpers!
Finally, let’s not forget that kids’ books about trucks, cars, and other types of transportation give children awesome glances inside their favorite vehicles, too.
From simple stories for your littlest readers to more complex and nuanced for your bigger kids, these children’s transportation books will have your kids begging for more. Check out these awesome stories and enjoy!
RELATED: We’ve got more than 100 children’s book lists on Happily Ever Elephants. Be sure to check out this link!
Frequently asked questions
Children love learning about the world around them, and all around them they see vehicles of all kinds! Kids become mesmerized by learning how trucks, trains, planes, ships, and cars work. They are familiar objects with important jobs! Moreover, toy vehicles are great at engaging our senses. “Kids can interact with toy cars, trucks, etc. through spinning their wheels, watching them move in a variety of directions, or hearing the sounds they make.” Thus, learning about different types of transportation is a wonderful way to engage vehicle-loving kids, and it has numerous benefits, too!
Little Blue Truck, by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry, is a classic for a reason. From awesome onomatopoeia that practically begs to be read aloud, to the teamwork and friendship displayed between the animals and the truck, this one is an absolute joy and has been cherished by children for years and years.
For pre-kindergarten on up, I am totally in love with Chris Van Dusen’s Big Truck, Little Island. Kids will love seeing the traffic jam that happens when the big truck gets stuck on the little island, and parents will love how the book captures the spirit of teamwork and ingenuity. It’s even based on a true story! This is a total winner and a must-have for vehicle-obsessed kids.
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We love these children’s transportation books!
Beep beep!! This classic book about a little truck getting stuck in the muck is one of our forever favorite books for 2-year-olds. We love the way the truck’s animal pals all come together for the common goal of helping the truck out of a sticky situation. It’s a wonderful story of friendship and determination, made even better by the fun animal and truck sounds!
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I am so in love with this story, and it is hands down a new favorite children’s transportation book! Based on a true story, one big truck is off to deliver some special cargo to a small island. There’s just one problem: the big truck gets stuck on a narrow road, and all the traffic comes to a halt on either side of the truck. How can the kids in the cars on either side of the truck get to the important places they need to be? With some creative thinking and ingenuity, the kids may save the day- and the town fair, too!
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Toddlers are mesmerized by transportation and things that move, and this indestructible book (it’s true, babies cannot destroy it!) will undoubtedly be a winner. From trucks to planes, sailboats to submarines, kids will love learning about things that go with this delightful book!
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What better way to learn about colors than with trains? This Caldecott Honor book teaches preschoolers about colors, and the design of each train car teaches them about shapes, too! Little readers will feel like they are sitting by an actual railroad track in person watching a colorful train roll by. Crisp, clear, and delightful!
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This is a delightful children’s transportation book for preschoolers! It is a fun take on the classic children’s song The Wheels on the Bus, and children love singing aloud as they read and learn a new version of this beloved tune. Will the bus get where it needs to go without the help of a mechanic? Will teamwork get the job done?
This was a favorite bedtime story in our house for months, as we adored its rhythmic prose and sweet illustrations which never lost their magic on subsequent reads. Full disclaimer, my big one also went through a stage where he only liked books containing pictures of cookies– another reason he loved this one so much! The noises from the train work perfectly with your favorite bedtime sounds, resulting in a read-aloud that will calm your child and help lull him to sleep. The Goodnight Train is magical!
Mayday! Mayday! This is one story in a sweet series of board books (including Yellow Copter and Red Trucks) for your vehicle-loving little ones, each of which is about a brave vehicle that rescues people in tricky situations. Here, only the tough blue boat can handle treacherous waves and winds to save a family stuck at sea during a storm! If your kids love the Little Blue Truck books, they will surely love this unique board book series.
Excavators, front loaders, motor graders, oh my! Everyone’s favorite childhood nursery rhyme, Old MacDonald had a Farm, gets a fresh twist in this adorable, sing-sing book. Here, the animals are driving construction equipment and working on a farm at Old MacDonald’s direction. The illustrations are lively and the book will have you and your child singing some new lyrics – such as “E-I-E-I-HOE!” – for hours on end.
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RELATED: We’ve got a fabulous list of kindergarten read-alouds for you on Happily Ever Elephants, all of which make for great bedtime stories. Be sure to check them out!
The construction site is bustling with all of the vehicles hard at work! Different trucks are stirring and scooping and mixing. But where does Little Bulldozer fit in if he is too small to help? Luckily, he finally gets a task. But can he take care of a bundle of baby kittens? That may just be the hardest job there is!
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I love books that creatively come full circle, and this one does just that! One old truck works hard on a farm and is the center of a young girl’s imagination. But as the truck gets older and older, it can no longer do the things it used to. Yet – the truck isn’t the only thing growing older. The young girl ages, too, and as she does, she begins her own work — and her own family — on the farm. As the girl restores the farm around and celebrates her accomplishments, she also finds a way to breathe new life into the old truck. Using 250 handmade stamps to create the artwork in the book, this quiet beauty is destined to become a classic!
In a new spin on The Little Engine that Could, three engines are excited to graduate from train school. But as they begin their final test, each train faces different challenges. Though one train arrives at the finish line quite easily, he soon understands that his pals may have faced obstacles that he didn’t have to conquer, and they may need his help to finish. I love this story of empathy and understanding and how there is always a way for us to help others in need.
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Otis was a family favorite for years! We love this story of a sweet, special tractor that has gotten a bit old. When a big yellow tractor comes to replace Otis, poor Otis is cast away behind the barn. One day, Otis’s beloved little calf gets stuck in Mud Pond- and there’s only one tractor able to save him- Otis! We love this sweet story of perseverance and friendship and how it conveys that everyone has value and importance- even the things that are no longer shiny and new.
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If you could build a car, what would it look like? How would you design it? This is another one of our favorite children’s transportation books, together with companions If I Built a House and If I Built a School. It is cherished among my students and I can’t rave about it enough! Imagination sets sail as readers take a journey with one child who is eagerly designing his own car. If he built it just the way he wants, it will contain a fireplace and a pool, and even a snack bar, too! Kiddos love this boy’s flights of fancy, and they delight in the boy and his dad taking a wild test drive together. So much fun!
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If your child is obsessed with boats, this book is for you! This is a beauty of picture book that walks readers through all types of boats they’ll find on the bay. Add to the variety of ships and gorgeous illustrations is rhythmic, rhyming. alliterative prose that makes this a delight for reading aloud.
If you have an airplane-loving kid at home, they will love this amazing book! This engaging story shows the journey of one family heading on a vacation and how they navigate through the airport and plane ride. Not only are there fabulous pictures of all the different types of vehicles that work at the airport, but it also gives a great look into the inside of a plane, too. This is a wonderful children’s transportation book, and it is especially fabulous for any child getting ready for their first plane ride.
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RELATED: Do you have big kids getting ready to read at your house? Don’t miss our fantastic list of the best early reader books!
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