I have been an avid reader since I was a child and hoped to pass my love of books on to my child, so I started “collecting” children’s books right out of high school. When my daughter came home in early 2022, I doubled down on my children’s book purchases. Sadly to my dismay, she didn’t want anything to do with books for the longest time. When I would try to read to her, she would fuss and want to get off my lap to play. However, after some time she now loves having someone read to her and even enjoys looking at books on her own too after I introduced some of my favorite board books to her.
Below is a list of my toddler’s favorite board books that we introduced to her that helped her enjoy reading as much as I do:
Wishy Washy: A First Words and Colors Book Written and Illustrated by Tabitha Paige, MS, CCC-SLP
Wishy Washy is the book that started it all! Written and illustrated by a licensed speech therapist, the words in the book focus on hard consonant sounds such as b, d, p, and t. She loved looking at the pictures and trying to say the words. There is even a cute surprise at the end of the that made her giggle every time we read it!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Written and Illustrated by Eric Carle
I am sure this book does not need any introduction. It is a well-known and well-loved classic! She enjoyed the interactive format of the book; we always counted the caterpillar’s daily fruit consumption while reading it.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown; Illustrated by Clement Hurd
This book also needs very little introduction as it is another well-known classic. My toddler’s favorite thing to do while reading it was looking for the mouse in every picture showing the full room.
Baby Beluga by Raffi; Illustrated by Ashley Wolff
I love that some of Raffi’s songs are now board books! The illustrations in the book are beautiful and very engaging. They depict animals and people native to colder climates where beluga whales live. She loved naming all of the different animals and singing along.
This particular song was one of my favorites growing up – our family checked out the record from the library many times! Yes, I am that old. I am so glad I can still share the song with her via digital music streaming services.
Wheels on the Bus Traditional lyrics; Illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz
It is safe to assume that most people know the “Wheels on the Bus” song. If not, however, the music is actually in the back of the book if you are musically inclined. In addition to singing along with the book, my daughter liked finding the baby on the bus in almost every picture.
I am so glad she now enjoys having someone read her favorite board books to her, and I hope she will continue to enjoy exploring her world through books.
