When my little one was about 2 years old, I started thinking about buying books for him. I went to the book store and got back with a set of Thomas, Dr Suess, number and alphabet book, book of things that move and foods, fairytales etc. I don’t know why but these seemed like the right books to me. I had either heard about these books or found them relevant in terms of gaining knowledge about basic things like food, cars etc. At 2.3 years, my kid showed absolutely no interest in sitting with the book for any longer than 5-10 minutes. He preferred playing with a toy instead.
Over time, thanks to a good friend, I learnt that the books I had picked were either boring or not suited to her age. With my friend’s recommendation I picked the first few books. Over time I got a hang of things and in all of 2 or 3 weeks my kid got deeply engrossed in the world of books.
These books may help you too, if you are struggling to get your toddler to develop a habit of reading
#1 Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett
What I liked about the book
This seemingly simple book has all of 5 words. That’s it. But the author has created such a clever variation by rearranging these words that kids enjoy reading this book over and over again. This is the FIRST book that got my kid really into reading! And I feel this should be every child’s very first book at this age.
#2 Say What? by Angela DiTerlizzi
What I liked about the book
Here the baby animals make their adorable baby animal sounds which my kid so enjoyed copying. We loved the bright and playful illustrations and the simple text.
#3 What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson
What I liked about the book
We are a big fan of Julia Donaldson but this book by far is our most most favorite right from the age of 2 something. The book may seem a bit longish at first, but once you have read it a few times yourself, in a rhyming tone to your kid, trust me you will enjoy reading this as much as your child will. Make sure you give ample opportunity to your child to fill in the moo & meaw words as much as possible.
#4 The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
What I liked about the book
Eric Carle is our next favorite author and this book is the very first in the series that I recommend buying for the 2 year olds. A booklet sized board book will be ideal as the pages of the book transition in a very interesting cascading way. If you can’t find one, you can settle for the regular soft bound book. BTW Amazon says, this classic book is sold somewhere in the world every 30 seconds!
#5 If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
What I liked about the book
Imagination runs really wild yet real in this book. This is my go-to book when we want to cuddle in and laugh our hearts out. You have to read it to understand that I really mean that. Though I suggest you buy this once you have read and re-read the above 4 books so that you kid is ready for multiple pages of reading. It’s a longish book.
Also this is the age to buy board books as they are usually brighter and kids this age find it easier to turn the pages. And they don’t spoil easily.
Make sure to buy a bright colored Nursery rhymes book & Where is Spot series. Of course Wheels on the Bus is a must buy and I am sure you have an interesting book on numbers and counting.
“Some books you READ, some books you ENJOY. But some books just SWALLOW you up, Heart & Soul” – Joanne Harris
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An Urban Nomadic 
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