My Favorite Children's Books for Toddlers: A Guest Post by Kit Graham
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A Note from Ashley Hasty:
Reading to toddlers is not just a bedtime routine; it's a fundamental building block for their cognitive, linguistic, and emotional development. When parents read to their toddlers, they introduce them to the magic of storytelling, igniting their imagination and curiosity. It fosters a love for books early on, laying the groundwork for a lifelong passion for learning. Additionally, reading aloud helps toddlers develop language skills, vocabulary, and comprehension abilities. It strengthens the parent-child bond, providing quality time for connection and nurturing. Moreover, it instills important pre-literacy skills, such as phonemic awareness and print awareness, which are crucial for future academic success. Ultimately, reading to toddlers is an investment in their future, equipping them with essential skills and a love for learning that will benefit them throughout their lives.
This guest post by Kit Graham was originally posted during my maternity leave, I am so grateful to those who took the time to keep my blog active while I took time to be with my newborn and figure out my new life as a parent. Since that time, I’ve developed a few of my own favorite Children’s Books for Toddlers which I’m including at the end of this post. I hope you find some new favorites in this list.
My Favorite Children's Books for Toddlers: A Guest Post by Kit Graham
Hi! I'm Kit. You can usually find me writing about food and travel on The Kittchen and City Guide to Chicago. When Ashley asked me to contribute a guest post while she is enjoying maternity leave, I immediately thought of sharing my favorite children's books.
I have a two-year-old daughter, and my husband and I have found that we love children's books with fun stories, great illustrations, and encouraging or inspiring messages. These books cover all those bases but they are also right in the sweet spot when it comes to length. They take about 2-3 minutes to read, which I think is perfect.
My Favorite Children's Books for Toddlers: A Guest Post by Kit Graham
Best Children's Books for Toddlers:
I have indicated which books are board books since those can withstand toddlers forcefully turning the pages.
Your Very First Day from Little Yeti (https://www.little-yeti.com/en)
This customizable book shares facts about your little one's birth, including dates, times, star signs, birth weight, and other facts. We love it because it reminds us of all the little details from the day she was born.
The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin
Author and illustrator, Emily Winfield Martin, shares the message that you can be anybody that you'd like to be in this charmingly illustrated book.
My Favorite Children's Books for Toddlers: A Guest Post by Kit Graham
Dream Animals by Emily Winfield Martin (board book)
Did you know that when you fall asleep, animal friends escort you to your dreams? It's a delightful premise for a children's book, and the illustrations create magical new worlds.
Together by Emma Dodd
I've read this one so many times that the pages are falling out. This book tells the story of a mama otter and a baby otter and how they spent their day together.
Hedgehugs by Steve Wilson and Lucy Tapper (board book)
What is cuter than a book about spiky hedgehogs that are determined to hug?
My Favorite Children's Books for Toddlers: A Guest Post by Kit Graham
Time for Bed by Mem Fox (board book)
A sweet book with verses that actually rhyme and that not-so-subtlety suggests that it is time to go to sleep.
Tiny T. Rex and the Very Dark Dark
This one is a little bit longer, but I love the humor. Tiny T. Rex is preparing to camp out in his back yard, but needs to face his fear of the dark. If you like this one, there are more Tiny T. Rex books.
Made for Me by Zack Bush (board book)
I gave this book that offers a tender look at fatherhood to my husband for Father's Day. This book is featured on the Netflix series Story Time Book: Read-Along, which is a wonderful show that simply features books being read aloud. Even though I limit screen time, I don't limit this show.
I hope your family loves these books just as much as we do.
My Favorite Children's Books for Toddlers: A Guest Post by Kit Graham
My Favorite Children's Books for Toddlers: A Guest Post by Kit Graham
Ashley here again, I’d love to add to this list with a few of my own favorite children’s books for toddlers, now that I have a toddler of my own.
The Pigeon Loves Things That Go! by Mo Willems
My son Miles loves to say the word “Go!” (always with the exclamation point.) This is a great book for me to read to him so that he can use one of his favorite words. All of the Pigeon books by Mo Willems are charming reads, I encourage you to check out ones that interest your little one and the words they like to say.
See, Touch, Feel: A First Sensory Book by Roger Priddy
Roger Priddy is also the author of the popular First 100 Words book series. Miles loves this book because. of the textures that he can run his fingertips on as I read the words. The multi-sensory experience seems to delight him - its just something a little different from our other favorite books.
Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
“Mama” was far from Miles’ first word(s) and I was eager to get him to start saying it. As a result, I searched for books with “mom,” “mama,” or “mommy” repeated often. Our favorite ended up being Llama Llama Red Pajama a book that encouraged him to say “mama” while also teaching about patience when Mama doesn’t come immediately when called.
Little Blue Truck Leads the Way by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry
I think our favorite books of all are the Little Blue Truck books but the one that tops them all is Little Blue Truck Leads the Way about the friendly blue truck’s visit to the city (we are Chicagoans through and through.) Miles loves the action words like “Beep,” “Zoom,” and “Swish” and this book is full of them.
