We have always read a lot to our three boys, and they all love books to one degree or another. I really don’t think it’s possible to start reading too soon.
Have to admit, I hated Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom. Just annoyed me for some reason.
Seconded (or thirded), though, as to heartily recommending Dr. Seuss (especially The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, The Lorax, and Horton Hears a Who), Sandra Boynton (The Going to Bed Book, Pajama Time, Hippos Go Berserk), Mo Willems (Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny), and of course Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd’s well-deservedly classic Goodnight Moon.
I’d also recommend Rosemary Wells (the Max & Ruby books, Timothy Goes to School, Voyage to the Bunny Planet, and, most appropriately for this thread, Read to Your Bunny), and Carol P. Saul and Mary Azarian (the charming rhyme/counting book Barn Cat).
There’s a book called “No, David!” which is quite the hit among 3-5 year olds. My mom used to teach early childhood special ed and after that, pre-kindergarten, and she had to buy a new copy every year, because the kids liked it so much that it would get destroyed by the end of the year.
Assuming that you have friends and family, there’s no need to buy any books. People will give them to you as gifts and people with older children will give you stacks of books their children have outgrown.
We read to our kids every day even though it was pointless in the beginning. It was just a soothing thing to do, for us and the kids. I think it paid off because by the time they were one year old they would demand to be read books all the time and they read constantly now. They didn’t start reading themselves especially early, but that was never our goal. We just liked reading to them.
I have recently written one (in the process of trying to get published) and would happily send a complimentary copy if you would think it is something you would like
Oooh, yay! When I was little, I called these the spider and grasshopper books. “Mommy, read to me out of the spider and grasshopper book!” She was absolutely mystified; had no idea which book I was referring to. Turns out, the first few Little Critter books had a grasshopper and spider hidden in the rest of the illustration on pretty much every page. In typical little kid fashion, I’d focused on the stuff that in no way was central to the plot.
I think the spider and grasshopper have been replaced by a mouse and a rabbit (or some such) in the newer books.
That looks adorable! I would love a copy and I do know a publisher who may or may not be interested. They are currently publishing a book written by my mother-in-law (with the audiobook being recorded in part by yours truly!) and I’d be happy to pass along a copy of your book for you. I will email my contact information to the email address on your website.
Thanks! Any passing along would be much appreciated
I also wanted to mention that my son loved pretty much all the Kipper books, Jon Scieszka’s Trucktown series and Maisy. As mentioned previously, Mo Willems (anything pigeon, Knuffle or Elephant and Piggy) is great. I third (or fourth?) Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and highly recommend the ol’ favorite, Go Dog Go.
Just looked at our bookshelf, and I’ll also recommend:
Where’s Wallace? by Hilary Knight George and Martha by James Marshall (just about all of his stuff is good!) The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship by Arthur Ransome, illus. by Uri Shulevitz Curious George by Margret & H.A. Rey Blueberries for Sal and Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey George Shrinks by William Joyce
Todd Parr
Lucy Cousins
Sandra Boynton
Mercer Mayer
Maurice Sendak
Richard Scarry
Beatrix Potter
Eric Carle
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
A.A. Milne
Astrid Lindgren
Frog and Toad
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Shel Silverstein
Robert Munsch
William Steig
and of course,
Dr. Seuss
Todd Parr (Otto books) and Lucy Cousins (Maisy books) are great for babies because of the sweet, simple language and bold colors and pictures.
Some I remember titles of but not authors names:
Puppies Are Like That
Wednesday Is Spaghetti Day
The Little Duck
Doctor Rabbit (My mom read this to me when I was sick and now I read it to my kids, and sometimes I still get Mom to read it to me when I get sick.)
The 300 Pound Cat
Gregory the Terrible Eater
I try to keep some variety in the picture books I read to my two-year-old daughter at bedtime, just for my own sanity.
Still, she has to have Goodnight Moon every night. I typically read her a “monkey story” or a “sooth” (Curious George or Dr. Suess) and then when she demands Goodnight, Moon, the lights go off, her head hits the pillow, and I recite it from memory.
Goodnight, Moon has made enough of an impression that she often turns to the blank endpapers of her other books and annunciates: “Nobody!”
All of my toddler essentials have already been enumerated here. (Would like to underline Guess How Much I Love You as a really nice bedtime read.)
We’ve gotten a huge amount of mileage out of Hide and Seek First Words, which is a nice photography collection of tableaus of objects arranged thematically. This is awesome from the time that language-acquisition starts until… well, I don’t know, since she still loves it at 27 months. It’s been great for everything from basic identification of objects, to learning colours, and learning to count.
For older kids (6-7) you really have to read a nicely translated and illustrated version of Collodi’s Pinocchio, and Lewis Carroll’s Alice books before they’re exposed to the Disney versions,
