14 Riveting Picture Books About Reptiles and Amphibians

Do your kids know about reptiles and amphibians? Maybe they already love these egg-laying, cold-blooded creatures with vertebrates. So why not read good books about reptiles and amphibians?

I don’t know about you but I always forget the difference between reptiles and amphibians. So, I’ll remind you in case you forget, also.

Amphibians have moist skin and gills to breathe underwater where they hatch and spend their early life. Conversely, reptiles have dry skin and scales. They hatch from eggs like amphibians but their eggs are leathery and the babies are mini-adult versions. That contrasts with amphibians who go through metamorphosis.

Do you know the difference between frogs and toads, for example?

Frogs are amphibians and have smooth, wet skin, they live near water, and have high jumps, many predators, and teeth in their top jaw. Remember the metamorphosis? Frogs begin as tadpoles and grow into a frog.

Toads are reptiles and have rough, dry skin, don’t live near water, take short hops, and don’t have many predators or teeth.

Read more about amphibians like frogs and toads reptiles like crocodiles in these riveting picture books!

Riveting Picture Books About Reptiles & Amphibians

Beware of the Crocodile by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura
Introduce young readers to the crocodile in this picture book that could double as an easier nonfiction reader. Informative and even awe-inspiring.

Gecko by Raymond Huber, illustrated by Brian Lovelock
Set up in a parallel structure, we read the narrative story about a day in the life of Gecko as well as expository facts about geckos. Visually appealing!

Except Antarctica! by Todd Sturgell
A stoic narrator begins by sharing information about turtles until…the turtle, who doesn’t live in Antarctica, sets off for Antarctica, making the narrator very irked. Soon, the turtle is joined by other animals also NOT found in Antarctica. Hilarity ensues with an increasingly exasperated narrator and bothered turtle who does not want any traveling companions which include a dung beetle, owl, snake, bee, mouse, and frog. Several pages of back matter explain more information about each animal and the continent of Antarctica.

On Kiki’s Reef by Carol L. Malnor, illustrated by Trina L. Hunner
Follow Kiki as she hatches, swims out to sea, lives her life on a reef, and eventually lays her own eggs. A colorful underwater picture book adventure with plenty of facts mixed with adventure.

Nobody Likes Frogs A Book of Toadily Fun Facts by Barbaar Davis-Pyles, illustrated by Liz Wong
Grumpy Turtle isn’t a fan of frogs — he explains to the reader why and the narrator rebuts Turtle with facts about frogs. For example, Turtle complains about the frog’s lacking ballet skills. Narrator shares that frogs aren’t trying to do ballet, they’re leaping to catch food and to escape from being food. Kids will love this humorous, skillfully informative book all about frogs!

Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Meilo So

When she hears about the bright lights on the beach confusing the newly hatched babies, a girl asks her class to become the Loggerhead Lab. Together they inform the vacationing homes to turn off their lights at night. And it works! The babies follow the moon’s light toward the sea.

The Frog Book by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Densely packed with facts about frogs from the basics to finding a mate to reproduction and species, this beautifully illustrated book is the only field guide to frogs that your kids will ever need. Holy moly will you learn a lot!

One Tiny Treefrog: A Countdown to Survival by Tony Piedra and Mackenzie Joy
Count backward from ten to one as you watch a Costa Rican red-eyed tree frog grow from an egg into a tadpole and, later, into a frog. Gorgeous yellow-green illustrations will captivate readers. Back matter shares about the tree frog, other Costa Rican animals, and other scientific facts.

The Hidden Life of a Toad by Doug Wechsler

There is so much to love about this nonfiction picture book! The text is really basic — not too hard for early elementary grades. The book sequentially shows in text and photos the development of a toad — which is fascinating! It’s longer than I would prefer but I think kids will stay engaged since the changes in the toad are quite profound.

Am I a Frog? by Lizzy Rockwell
Don’t miss this fantastic nonfiction easy reader! The simple text narrates a conversation between a tadpole and the author. The author answers the tadpole’s questions and explains to the tadpole about his characteristics now (gills like a fish, a tail that helps him swim) and the upcoming change into a grog (grow front legs, shorter tail, and jumping out of water).

The Toad: The Disgusting Critters Series by Elise Gravel
Visually captivating with interesting, just-right text that is informative and sometimes hilarious. I’m a fan of this kid-friendly nonfiction book series! (also read: The Worm, The Fly, and The Rat)

Reptiles and Other Scaly Friends by Roger Priddy
Packed full of information, I love the eye-catching, colorful graphic design and full-color photographs in this nonfiction book of reptiles.

Snakeopedia (Discovery Channel)
Gorgeous photos that gross me out and enchant snake lovers fill Snakeopedia. While I might say yuck, this is a terrific snake book filled with amazing photography and fascinating facts about the 12 snake families, the features of different snakes, which are dangerous, and other snaky stuff. I highly recommend this book.

Smithsonian Early Adventurers Level 1 Readers: Safari Animals, Animal Habitats, Insects, Vehicles, Outer Space, Reptiles by Brenda Scott-Royce, Ruth Starter, Emily Rose Oachs, and Kaitlyn DiPerna
Get this early reader book right away for your kids that love nonfiction and animal facts! They will have so much fun exploring and learning all the information included — and practice their new reading skills! I’m impressed with the photos, the text to photo ratio, and the repetition of sentence patterns.