Like his mother, Harry is a reader.
“Book” is an oft-repeated word around here, and very often when I go to pick him up at daycare I will find him in the reading corner.
So while I can always count on books being a win, his favorite titles are always changing.
At almost-2, these are his favorite books to read. (These are the ones he will ask for by name or pull out of his bucket to look at by himself. That’s about as scientific as it gets.)
1. Roadwork by Sally Sutton
We’ve had this book for months, and it has long been a favorite of everyone’s (Aaron and I both know it by heart), but Harry has a renewed love for it now that there is a real live road being built in our neighborhood. It’s like all the dots connected when he saw a digger and bulldozer close up.
2. A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza
This is one of those books that I read to him when he was too young to have an opinion, but then it went back into the bucket for months and months. He was just not into it. Recently, however, he asks for it almost every night. I think he is finally old enough for more of a story, and the lovely-drawn animals are interesting to him.
I love this book, because it’s a sweet, simple adoption story, and paves the road for later conversations. (Warning: this one will make grown ups cry.)
I’ve seen this book as a board book too, which I wish we had. He’s still a bit young to be trusted with regular-paged books.
3. Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli
We have a few of Leslie Patricelli’s books, and they’re all favorites. This one is a simple, clever story of things that are good to eat and things that are icky to eat, written in an easy way for little ones to understand. Recently he has taken to pointing at the yucky stuff and saying “Ewwww!”
This is my favorite page:
4. Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichten
We’ve only had this book for a week or so, but he loves it. “Digga!” he says, pointing at it. He says goodnight to the digger and says “shhhh” by pointing at his nose. Pretty dang adorable. If you have a toddler enamored with trucks, do yourself a favor and add this to your library.
5. My First Busy Day
Oh, this book. We ended up with this book, because it was one of those “How did this get in here?” CostCo purchases.
This is the kind of book your toddler will love to read, and you will hate it. We basically just ask him to point out things on the page, which of course is his favorite thing. (This is actually a good book to have your toddler look at on the potty, because there are lots and lots of things to point out and talk about, including a kid using the potty.)
6. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
This is Aaron’s favorite book as well. It’s a sweet story about helping people who need help; it teaches animal noises, and it’s well written. AND it has a dump truck that says honk. Basically the perfect book. It’s my go-to book for baby gifts.
7. The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones
This is, by far and without exception, the best children’s Bible I have ever seen or read. First, it is gorgeously illustrated. Just beautifully done. Second, every story brings it around to the Story of Jesus. Harry picks it up and and says “Bee-bull bee-bull!”"
Harry doesn’t quite yet have the patience to allow me to read a full story (they’re long), but he loves to look through it. So as he does, I point things out and just talk about God and how the Bible is the love story He wrote to us.
It really does a mama heart good to see your child reaching for the Word.
This post is really just a snapshot of an ever-changing list. Toddlers are fickle! But as long as he loves books and loves to read, I’m happy.
What are your toddler’s favorite reads?
I LOVE book recommendation posts! Simon loves books, too, and just said yesterday how I pray that never changes!
I saw a long time ago you mention how Harry loves Little Blue Truck so one day I saw it at Target and bought it. Like magic, it became Simon’s favorite book. We live it, too. He carries it around and beeps himself (pokes his chest) three times like on the last page when he wants it read to him.
He also LOVES Goodnight Train by June Sobel, the That’s Not My… books, Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton (and generally, all of her books), The Elephant Walks by Keiko Kazsa, Goodnight Moon (I think it’s sweet but don’t understand why so many people think it’s so awesome, including Simon). He also loves any book that I sing or that’s rhyme-y where I slap my leg when I read (All Things Bright and Beautiful, Laura Logan’s Jesus Loves Me, Over in the Rainforest, Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar, and most especially Noah’s Animal Ark by Sam Childs that I made up a tune for).
He’s not the best eater but sometimes books can work their magic and get him to eat. If we read to him at the table he will mindlessly pick up his food and eat it while staring at the books! It’s also the best way for us to read library books (we’re always checking out real books, bit board books, so I never want to let him hold them on his own for fear he’ll get overly enthusiastic when turning the pages). He LOVES Honk Honk, Beep Beep and Tap Tap, Bang Bang by Emma Garcia.
I’ve already added your recommendations that we don’t already have to Simon’s wish list (the Amazon app makes book shopping way too easy during middle of the night feelings! It’s my downfall!!).
Alisa, I love that he beeps himself for LBT. That is adorable.
My daughter is a book worm as well. She is 20 months and that seems to be what she would rather do than anything else most days. She will sit through book after book until we finally have to suggest doing something else, lol. Her favorites are the firsts words type books with lots of individual pictures with words under them, especially the ones with lots of animals. (She likes to make all the animal sounds.) She also loves all of our Sandra Boynton books, which we are happy about since we love them so much too! Personal Penquin and Not the Hippopotomas are two of her favorites.
I am so glad you brought up the storybook Bible too. We have that because I had heard so much about it and have read it myself, but I had never thought to bring it out for my daughter yet. We are going to have to try that soon.
Great post! I am going to have to check out some of Harry’s faves too!
Cori, I am sure she’ll love the Storybook Bible. And you will too! I love to read it myself.
My daughter loves this book called “Can You Say Peace?” by Karen Katz. She has memorized almost all the ways to say “peace” in the different languages in the book.
She also loves “My Big Girl Undies”, also by Karen Katz. (Her illustrations are adorable.)
“Lola at the Library” by Anna McQuinn is another of my daughter’s favorites.
We have a few different children’s bibles, but my favorite is the one we bought most recently. It’s called “The Story for Little Ones”. It is well-written, and the illustrations are beautiful.
Thank you for the recs! All the Lola ones look great. Added to the wishlist!
I remember that at about that age, Maisie especially loved Freight Train by Donald Crews, Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers, and Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown.
Oh, I bet he’d love Big Red Barn, since he loves Peekaboo Barn so much.
TJ’s absolute favorite is “On the Night You Were Born,” which just about kills me every night when I read it. We also do “Goodnight Moon” every night right before bed.
On the regular: “The Fire Engine Book” (Little Golden Books), “Just Like Daddy” by Cecilia Johansson, “I Love My Mommy Because…” by Laurel Porter-Gaylord, Eric Carle’s Bear books, “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” and a bunch of Sandra Boynton books, but most especially “Happy Hippo Angry Duck” because TJ likes the noises I make for each feeling.
We love the Carle books too.
Love your post and your list! As you know, we have one million books. We read so much, that I forget that sometimes, kids don’t have the benefit of parents who love to read and know the importance. We got a note in Molly’s folder the first week of pre-K that asked us to read to her for at least 10 minutes a day. I was astonished that the school even had to send that kind of reminder, because we read for more than an hour each day, just because. Books are the best!
Yes, books are the best!
L is a book lover also. His favorites have been:
5 little monkeys
Brown Bear
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Watch out, Big Bro’s coming
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear
Currently it’s anything and everything Curious George. We have about 6 beginning reader books, 2 board books, and a classic George book. lol Oh how his interests change. I will find him in his room on occasion just flipping through books though, which I love.
Thanks for the recs, Laura!
1, 4 & 6 are favourites around here too! James (3) also loves these books by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler:
Room on the Broom
Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book
Gold Star for Zog
Thanks Alex!
I am a huge fan of Sandra Boynton.
http://www.lovewellblog.com/2010/03/it-all-started-with-going-to-bed-book.html
All of her books are golden. Fun to read out loud, educational, addictive, whimsical.
I also love everything by Karma Wilson, especially the books in the Bear series. Cute stories and the illustrations are divine.
http://karmawilson.com/books/main.htm
And thanks for sharing your favorites. There are many here I’m not familiar with, and since Kieran is super into trucks, too, right now, I bet he would love many of them.
Those Karma Wilson books are adorable! Thank you for sharing!
Last week I read to 6 Kindergartners at nearby Chuckey Elementary. I read a Dr. Seuss book about the Cat in the Hat going to space. I may have lost control as the kids crawled over each other to see the pictures in the book.. One of the little boys , named Calab, had lost an eye to cancer and sat next to me. I wanted to take him home with me. Wish I was reading ” Are you my Mother” to Harry. that one should be on your list, Guy loved it.
Dad, that is adorable!
thanks for sharing your list! we also love “little blue truck” and “the jesus storybook bible.” we received “little blue truck leads the way” for christmas (also by alice schertle) and it is pretty cute, too. we will be sure to check out your other suggestions.