Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown & Clement Hurd
A book that works less like a story and more like a dimmer switch.
The Again List / Ages 0 to 2
The best books for babies and toddlers (ages 0 to 2)
At this age a book is a toy that talks. Look for flaps, holes, rhythm and things to point at. It is fine if you only make it through four pages: they are learning what a book is for.
Dear Zoo
Rod Campbell
Forty years old, and still the perfect machine for teaching a baby what a book is.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle
Often a child's first experience of "reading", because they have it memorised before they know what letters are.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle
The holes in the pages are still one of the best ideas anyone has ever had in a book.
Each Peach Pear Plum
Janet and Allan Ahlberg
The original I-spy book, and the reason your toddler already knows who Cinderella is.
Owl Babies
Martin Waddell & Patrick Benson
The most useful book in existence for the week before nursery starts.
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury
Less a book than a piece of theatre you put on in your own living room.