I am back, as mentioned in my previous blog, with my favourite picture books for toddlers.
Here, I must admit that when I started reading to my daughter, I was guilty of not exploring enough books by Indian authors. However, in the last one year, I have browsed and bought many books set in Indian context and/or are written by Indian authors. And both me and my daughter have really enjoyed these books.
Now coming to this post, I have mentioned the authors and books that my daughter enjoyed thoroughly. These are also the books that are typically a hit with kids in my storytelling sessions.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
I purchased this book knowing that it was one of the classics. Once I started reading it to my baby, it became an instant hit not just with her but with also me! Short proses and rhyming words are bound to be enjoyable for your little one.
Hide and Seek Pig by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
This book (along with other books in The Acorn Wood Series) is a smaller book but with typical Julia Donaldson charm. Your toddler will love lifting the flaps and playing hide-and-seek with the characters while your babies will enjoy looking at the pictures and listening to the rhythm.
Dear Zoo and Oh! Dear by Rod Campbell
Both are lift the flap books with simple language and an element of humour. Though Dear Zoo is the more popular one, my daughter enjoyed Oh! Dear more.
Flip, Flap, Fly by Phyllis Root and David M. Walker
I have to admit that this book holds a very special place in my heart. This was the first book that I introduced my daughter to. In this book, we follow range of baby animals as they are learning new things from their mothers. The rhymes and especially the illustrations are simply heart-warming. I would definitely recommend adding this book to your personal collection
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Again, another classic. The bright and bold illustrations along with simple sentences are a delight to watch and read. In this book, we follow the journey of a caterpillar as it becomes a butterfly. This was the first Eric Carle book I had bought and after reading this, we added several more of his works to our collection, like, The Very Busy Spider, From Head to Toe etc.
Brown bear, Brown bear, what do you see? By Bill Martin Jr and Eric Carle
Again, a book with colourful and bright illustrations and simple text. A great book to introduce the concept of colours to babies and toddlers.
Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom by Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault and Lois Ehlert
Amazing book to introduce the concept of alphabets to toddlers. Bright and colourful illustrations with funny text will definitely have your young one in splits!
Sunu-Sunu Snail Storm in the Garden by Sandhya Rao and Ashok Rajagopalan
Sunu-sunu snail encounters a storm and rushes to describe the same to his mother. The rhythm, illustrations and text are a treat for any toddler.
Huggy Kissy by Leslie Patricelli
A book with bright illustrations, here we find different people finding different ways of expressing love to their baby. Babies and toddlers will completely relate to it. I remember my daughter hugging and kissing me every time we read this book. Other books like Yummy, Yucky and Potty from this author are always great!
Zoom, Zoom Baby by Karen Katz
We have other books by this author in our collection like How does Baby Feel, where is Baby’s Belly Button etc. But this is the favourite book with toddlers in my storytelling sessions, probably because its about modes of transport. Nevertheless, all her books are great to introduce concepts to babies and toddlers in a simple and relatable way.
Pepper series by Shree Book Center
It is a series of 20-odd books that follow the journey of a Puppy called Pepper. Every book is about everyday encounters in life of children and the predicaments they face along. I found these books great help to introduce good habits to my daughter. While these are not board books, but the illustrations and simple texts will be liked by children.
Bruno the Bear series
Again, similar to Pepper series, here we meet a small bear cub named Bruno and how he learns simple lessons in life. There are six books in this series.
Mr. Brown can Moo! Can You? by Dr.Seuss
I personally feel that books by Dr. Seuss are a must in every child’s collection. Be it the blue backed books like the above title or Hop on Pop, or green backed books like The Cat in the Hat or Fox in Socks for early readers and yellow backed books for proficient readers like Oh! The places you will go, these books are hilarious and yet profound in their own way!
As I am reading more and more books, I am sure this list will only increase. I will soon be posting a separate list of our favourite books by Indian authors and books for pre-schoolers and older kids. Meanwhile, I hope you find this useful in your journey of finding books for your baby and toddler.
Happy Reading!