We are feeling like my 21 month old son has "outgrown" many of his books at home and they are a bit basic for his ever-expanding and growing mind. We want to work on building his collection at home. Does anyone have recommendations for this age range??
We do go to the library weekly but their supply isn't that great. He does love cars, trucks, etc but I think he would like a big variety of books!
Look up the mathstart books by Stuart J. Martin. They are fun and educational. My 20 month likes Seaweed Soup (and so do I!)
Any Dr. Seuss or PD Eastman books
the Llama Llama series
How do I Love you
Good night moon
Goose on the loose
Sheep in a jeep
My Truck is Stuck
When cows come home
-Corduroy
-Pete the Cat: I love my white shoes
-That's Not My ____ books by Fiona Watt (my son LOVED the ones our library had: That's not my Robot, That's not my Train. I wish they had all the others) http://www.amazon.com/Thats-Not-My-Puppy-Usborne/dp/07460...
Why not go to Half Price Books and let your child browse? All kids like different things. As he gets older and you want to read him non-fiction, Nic Bishop has the best photographs of animals. I recommend, with his photos:
- Chameleon Chameleon http://www.amazon.com/Chameleon-Joy-Cowley/dp/0439666538/...
- Frogs http://www.amazon.com/Frogs-Nic-Bishop/dp/0439877555/ref=...
- Butterflies and Moths http://www.amazon.com/Nic-Bishop-Butterflies-Moths/dp/043... plus all of his books of this series. There is a glass frog in his Frogs book. Amazing photo. Butterflies and Moths has a picture of a caterpillar that looks like a snake. Very cool. Other non-fiction books have the same ol looking deer or another picture of a boring-looking skunk on every page. Nic Bishops books (with the exception of a couple) have great colorful large pictures.
My daughter is 27 months old. She loves Dr. Seuss books. Also all the P.D. Eastman books like Sammy the Seal and Danny the Dinosaur. She also loves all the Richard Scarry books..she is big into fire trucks and construction trucks so she enjoys those specific stories. She also loves Knuffle Bunny (which was one of my son's favorites too), Elmer the patchwork elephant, and Sesame Street books. Really she just loves variety but those are her favorites that pop into my mind.
Sandra Bouyton (spelling?) is great. We have a ton of those, anything by Eric Carle, and then Mary Murphy has some fun books.
My DD is a little older (4), but she is really into the little critter books and the Bearenstein bears as well.
the eric carle books are amazing I am including a link to the complete list. he has a lot of them available in board books.
the very hungery caterpiller which I would stick with a while longer if I was you lol.
these are my favorites but at the bottom is a link to his complete list
brown bear brown bear what do you see
1, 2, 3 to the Zoo,
Pancakes, Pancakes!
Do You Want to Be My Friend?
The Grouchy Ladybug
You can probably find it online...buy "Easy Street." My children BOTH loved this book (it's about making a road) and it's really a neat book.
Next to that, I definitely recommend Dr. Seuss, P.D. Eastman, etc. My children both loved "Go Dog, Go!" at that age. Nursery rhymes are good, too.
The Chicka Chicka Boom series has both numbers and alphabet books and come in toddler board book versions. They are rhyming fun and a great way to learn numbers and letters.
ETA: Not sure if he's still a little young for these yet, but one of my boys really liked the Pigeon series and the If you give a Mouse a Cookie series. There are a lot of cute train board books, including Thomas the Tank Engine. If he likes cars and trucks trains would probably appeal to him too.
Tugga-Tugga Tugboat by Kevin Lewis
Chugga, Chugga, Choo-Choo by " "
My Truck is Stuck by " "
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Down by the Station by Jennifer Vetter
Go Dog Go by P.D. Eastman
Big Dog, Little Dog by " "
Are You My Mother by " "
Building With Dad by Carol Nevius
If you live in such a small town that you do not have a childrens section/collection, find a nearby town that does.
Make arrangements with them tio check out books for an extended period if you can not get there every 2 weeks.
Your local library may be able to get books through state library, then you can have them for a month.
Also...check with your local school. They have a library, what arrangements can you make with them.
Offer to purchase books to build their library collection if you can borrow freely from them.
Talk to elementary teachers about a list of books or a magazine that has books you could later find at a library.
You have many options...you need to decide to put a little bit more effort into getting it done.
This is my daycare kids fave book right now! I recommend it for any age kids! "Press here" by Herve Tullet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj81KC-Gm64
We love the Llama llama books.
Ezra Jack Keats "Snowy Day" is a big fave here. We do lots of witer themed activities with it.
Eric Carle books are great (and again, loads of activities to be found to support the ideas)
I can't go rifle thru my bookshelf as a 4 year old is asleep in front of it. Sorry!
If you give a pig a pancake series are great books ~ my 3 y/o loves them. He also likes all the Stinky Face books.
You have gotten some great suggestions so I will try to mention books that others haven't.
Go Away Big Grren Monster by Ed Emberley. Our son had it memorized by the time he was two and was Big Green Monster for Halloween.
Raindrop Plop--Our daughter would listen to it 100 times in a row.
Rhyming Dust Bunnies, Where Will Fat Cat Sit, and others by Jan Thomas ( I think that is her last name). Our daughter laughs big belly laughs and walks around quoting them.
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean
We also have tons of Karen Katz books that are well loved.
Books with lift and look flaps are also fun. We have a couple of Fisher Price ones that our son will look at on his own for a long time.
Ten Little Dinosaurs is a board book that has huge googly eyes. There are some others like Ten Little Puppies. They kind of follow the Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed pattern.
Any books based on songs your son knows.
They drive me crazy, but our son also loves the books that have buttons that play sounds.
My DD wil be three in May, and adores anything Curious George.
Also, a couple of ridiculous books called "Tanka Tanka Skunk" and "Red, Yellow, Green, Blue" (They are two different authors, and I'm sorry I don't have their names - they live next to DD's bed, and she's sleeping!)
We love to listen to the CD for the Philadelphia Chickens. It's a selection of the Sandra Boynton books - set to music! Great kid songs, that aren't mind-numbing for the parents. (There are a couple of others, too, but I haven't heard them. Yet.)
Both kids have loved "Hug" and "Tall" by Jez Alborough, And "Click-Clack, Moo" by Creech is popular, too.
And the always-loved "Monster at the End of This Book, " and "The Little Red Caboose."
Ezra Jack Keats -- there's a big anthology that includes "A Snowy Day."
The "How Do Dinosaurs..." series by Jane Yolen
Anything by Karma Wilson - my son's faves are "Bear Snores On" or "I Ain't Gonna Paint No More"
Harold and the Purple Crayon series
Mercer Mayer's Little Critter series
Fairy tales
My kids LOVED and still enjoy" I love you stinky face" and "Dinosaur Roar"
Even if your library has a limited supply of age-appropriate books for toddlers, they should have lists or recommendations they can give you. You can also go online and find these lists yourself, some are parent recommended and they will tell you why.
Here's one to get you started, my guy likes many of them on the list as well as the ones other mamas have already recommended:
http://www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/books/best-toddl...
I love the Elephant and Piggie series.
Go Dog Go and You are not my mother by PD Eastman
Knuffle Bunny
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
The entire Dr. Seuss library
Corduroy (there are several) were also great (Don Freeman) as were the Harold and the Purple Crayon series
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson (there are several)
We use the insanity test. If after reading the book over 5-7 times, I want to bang my head against the wall, we do not buy it.
