Once a year, I visit the Burbank Adult School to speak with parents about some good books for toddlers as well as other resources we have available at our library. Here are some of the titles that I recommended during my visit yesterday:
Characteristics of Good Books for Toddlers
*Stories they can relate to: animals, body, clothes, home, holidays, familiar situations
Example: Peekaboo Bedtime by Rachel Isadora
*Stories with rhyme and rhythm
Example: Who Ate All the Cookie Dough? by Karen Beaumont
*Predictable stories with phrase or repeated happenings
Example: Napping House by Audrey Wood
Formats
*Picture Books
Examples: What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas; Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day (wordless)
*Folktales, Fairy Tales & Nursery Rhymes
Example: My Very First Mother Goose by Iona Opie and Rosemary Wells
*Board Books—thick sturdy cover and pages; small size for little hands; bright colorful pictures; simple shapes; clear pictures; pictures of human faces; few words; nursery rhymes
Example: Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton
*Toddler Collection—Concept books (ABCs, 123s, Shapes, Colors, etc.)
Example: ABC: a Child’s First Alpabet Book by Alison Jay
Parent Collection—Books written for parents as well as books written for children dealing with various “growing up” topics (potty training, new sibling, discipline, education, etc.)
Examples: What to Expect the Toddler Years by Arlene Eisenburg; What to Expect When Mommy’s Having a Baby by Heidi Murkoff
Book Sets (with cd)
Example: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems