Great Books for Babies to 2-Year-Olds
- Fuzzy Bee and Friends by Roger Priddy
Unlike other cloth books which often simply present a series of
bold images, perhaps with one word per page, Fuzzy Bee and Friends has a
fun rhyming text that parents can read to babies, offering up the critical
bonding opportunity of storytelling from a very young age.
- Look, Look! by Peter Linenthal
Clearly, this isn’t the stuff of bedtime stories! But as a very early
introduction to the joy of books Look, Look! can’t be beat. As such, it
comes as no surprise that Linenthal’s range of black-and-white books are
part of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a fantastic scheme that
ensures that one book each month reaches the homes of children from birth
to 5 years old in over 1600 communities across the United States.
- Peek-A-Who? by Nina Laden
Books aimed at the very, very young should be all about having fun, and
Peek-A-Who? by Nina Laden is just the ticket, drawing on the familiar
game that can often hold a baby’s attention for ages. Ideal for babies as
young as 6 months – in fact from the minute your baby gets the concept of
the peek-a-boo game – this book will please almost as much as the game.
- This Little Baby by Sandra Lousada
Created by the noted portrait photographer Sandra Lousada – whose work
in the 1960s snapping celebrities and other notable people was featured in
glossy magazines such as Vogue, Queen and Tatler – This Little Baby
cleverly puts together a simple yet expressive rhyming text with adorable
and expressive black-and-white photographs of babies. But that’s not the
best bit… the best bit is the end, where the rhyme goes “And this little baby
is the one I love best!” and instead of a photograph, there’s a mirror for
babies to see themselves in. Brilliant!
- Counting Kisses by Karen Katz
Since the publication of her first children’s book in 1997, Karen Katz has
been nothing short of prolific, turning out over fifty books that she has
written, co-authored or illustrated. Many of her books are specifically
aimed at the under-twos and it’s clear that her success is due to a very
natural talent for knowing what babies and young toddlers enjoy, both
visually and conceptually.
- Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
The story recounts a youngster’s search for a suitable pet: he/she writes to
the zoo and they send different animals – each more problematic than the
last – the lion is too fierce, the giraffe is too tall and so on. Will our
protagonist ever find the perfect pet?
- Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
There are classic books and then there are favorite classic books. These are
the ones that come readily to adults’ minds when we think of our
childhoods. Pat the Bunny is one of those: a staple of many of our
childhoods that reminds us of simpler times. The fact that the book still
remains popular today – over 60 years since its first publication – is perhaps
more to do with the soft spot it holds in our hearts than anything else.
- Tails by Matthew Van Fleet
We particularly like Tails precisely because it encompasses all these great
interactive qualities, but also because the theme – different animal tails – is
so fascinating to youngsters. The rhyming text takes you through every
conceivable type of tail – furry tiger tails, wagging foxtails and even slightly
stinky skunk tails! And added to this you also get opposites, counting and
actions, so it’s a book that really grows with your child’s learning.
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