- An Orange book – My Cat Charlie.
A lovely book about a girl whose cat Charlie is her best friend. They love doing things together but when they move homes she has to leave him behind with her cousins. The book gently describes how the pair navigate the separation, how they find joy without each other, yet some special activities they do only with each other, whenever they meet. - A book with a number in the title – The Seven brothers and the Big dipper.
A lovely Korean fable, about seven brothers who build a bridge for their mother. Her blessing results in their forming the stars of the Big dipper, after their death. - A bath book. – Magic bath book: Zoo animals.
We have this book since almost two years. The joy, of watching the colours appear when the book is wet, never dims. We read it every evening. - A new author you were introduced to. – Shirley Hughes. Alfie’s Shop.
Found this marvellous author just this year. Alfie is an adorable child and the books follow his daily life. In this book, he sets up a shop with an old carton that was lying around, demonstrating a child’s ingenuity, imagination and power of observation, and not to forget, the utterly gorgeous line-and-was illustrations. - A lift the flap book. – Usborne Lift-The-Flap Very First Questions & Answers: What is Poo?
If you are a toddler, you’re bound to love all things poo! We learnt that wombats’ poo is square shaped poo and rabbits eat their own poo (yuck!) - A book by an Indian author – Ashok Rajgopalan’s Gajapati Kulapati. These books about the gentle elephant and his shenanigans are a must have for toddlers. This one features a muddy puddle! Kalicha kulicha is of course the sound that jumping in the muddy puddle makes.
- A pop-up book. – Snappy Sounds Traffic Jam.
Featuring pop ups and sound, this is a favourite, featuring a hapless father trying to get little teddy to school. - Bestest read aloud book at home – Maurice Sendak’s Where the wild things are.
We love doing the voices of wild things and since the words are few we love adding our own sound effects. - A Sandra Boynton – Let’s dance little pookie.
It’s hard to pick just one Sandra Boynton book, but since we had to, we picked a pookie one. Pookie and his mum jazz up an afternoon with a spot of dancing. - A scholastic book. The teeny weeny walking stick. A magical story about two siblings and their discovery of little (fairy!) people at the bottom of their garden, or rather, their discovery of the little people’s ‘things,’ leaves, twigs and nuts that double-up as ‘things.’
- A book with siblings. – A saree for Ammi.
Two sisters brainstorm ways to buy their mother, a weaver, one of the beautiful sarees she weaves for others but never wears. - A gifted book. – Oliver Jeffers’ Lost and Found.
A book about misunderstanding and friendship between the boy and the penguin, gifted by a dear friend Jennifer Preethi. - A book with a vehicle. – Mo Willem’s Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus.
A funny funny story, about a pigeon who wants to drive a bus, that gives a toddler a chance to yell No at the pigeon on every alternate page. - A rib tickling book. The Queen’s Orang-Utan by David Walliams
A hilarious tale about a bored queen who asks for an orangutan for her birthday and the mayhem that ensues. - A push pull slide book. Little World: To the Moon
This factual and interactive book follows the course of a space shuttle that blasts into space, lands on the moon and returns back to earth after accomplishing the mission. - A book that kept you busy on your own. Usborne’s Look inside your body features flaps inside flaps and a fascinating look at the functioning of the human body, keeping the toddler flipping through on her own, for upto 20 minutes at a stretch.
- A book you read in repeat mode. The mog treasury, featuring Mog the beloved forgetful cat in six stories, which we know by heart.
- An elephant book. My Blue elephant.
A story about a child’s imagination and the elephant in her room, or is it? - A bedtime book. Richard Scarry’s Bedtime Stories.
A collection of five stories featuring Huckle and Lowly worm and all the Scarry characters. The stories are so lively and funny though they are never going to put us to sleep. - A sound book. Noisy Fire Engine Peekaboo! (from Noisy Peekaboo! series).
Which toddler can resist fire engine noises, and this one features them galore as also rescue speed boats and helicopters. - A book by your favourite illustrator. Quentin Blake’s Patrick.
Some wonderfully whimsical illustrations in a wonderfully whimsical tale about Patrick who buys a second hand violin. And every time he plays it, magic bursts forth. (for 3-5 years) - A rhyming book. Toad makes a road.
From the Usborne phonics box set, we love these short sweet stories featuring the adorable cast of toad, goose, fat cat among others, even though we have no intention of learning phonics anytime soon. (for 2.5/3-6 years) - A dino book. Dinosaurs love underpants.
Find out the ‘real’ reason why dinosaurs are extinct! Also toddlers and underpants, need I say more. (for 3 years+) - A nonfiction book. Usborne All About Families is great book that introduces the concept of different types of families and relationships, laying the foundation for future conversations on inclusivity. It may be non fiction but the toddler loves it, and wants to read it almost daily.
- A Nick Sharratt book. Shark in the park.
A rhyming tale about a boy who mistakes a cat , and even his dad for a shark in the park, but then misses the actual shark! - A Peppa Pig book. Peppa Pig: Peppa meets the queen.
We are huge Peppa fans. This one features hardworking Miss Rabbit being given the Queen’s Award and a brave Peppa who is unafraid about instructing the Queen herself, on how to enjoy a muddy puddle the right way. - A book on toddler tantrums. Tom Percival’s Ravi’s Roar.
Ravi turns into a tiger when he is angry and finds that while having your own way is fun at first, it can soon get lonely. Saying sorry turns him back into a boy, but he finds it’s quite okay to have a bit of growl. - A book by your favourite author. Julia Donaldson’s The Snail and the Whale.
An adventurous snail travels the world on the tail of a hump-back whale and even saves the Whale. - A book you tore. Things to Learn, featuring Bruno who learns not to lie, where to draw, how to share and be helpful, among other things. Alas the book didn’t teach us how NOT to tear books!
- A book for an older child I enjoyed. Noddy goes to toyland.
I never expected Tara to enjoy chapter books so early. This is an 8 chapter book and my mouth gets tired reading it out loud, multiple times a day. It tells the origin story of Noddy.
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