If you have a baby or a very young toddler (18 months or younger) and are just starting to build your library, I would recommend starting with sturdy board book printings of the starred books on this list. Even babies can enjoy the rhythmic language and illustrations. Older toddlers and young preschool-age children (2 and 3 years old) can enjoy the others. If your toddler is a bit older but hasn’t read the starred books, by all means get them anyway. If yours is a bit younger but you’re looking to move beyond the starred books, I’d buy used (cheap and easily replaceable if torn) regular versions from thrift stores or online. Most are appropriate for younger kids, it’s just hard to find affordable board versions of them. If you see one, go for it!
All of these are on our little just-for-the-kids bookshelf, available to be read at any time.
Meet Peter Rabbit (and others illustrated by Beatrix Potter) *
Goodnight Moon *
The Runaway Bunny *
My World *
Mother Goose (any thick volume of nicely illustrated nursery rhymes will do)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar *
The Little Red Hen
The Gingerbread Man
The Three Little Pigs
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
The Emperor's New Clothes
The Ugly Duckling
Where the Wild Things Are
Little Bear books
Doctor De Soto
Caps for Sale
Scuffy the Tugboat
Madeline
The Little Engine That Could
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? *
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom *
The Emperor and the Kite
The Gruffalo
Guess How Much I Love You *
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Little Toot
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod *
Also two Usborne books, Touchy-Feely ABC and Touchy-Feely 123. *
I found several of the starred board books at our local Salvation Army / Goodwill stores. :) my favorite finds! :)
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