“There is no friend as loyal as a book.”
– Ernest Hemingway
Chris has been ‘reading’ with me since he was a wee one still growing inside me. This habit has continued till now at 3 years and 4 months old! Books have always fascinated me as a child and I could get lost in them for hours (and days!) and it was obvious that I would leap at the chance to get Chris into this habit quite early. He, fortunately, shares the same love for books of all kinds; some of his favourite’s being books involving detailed illustrations, rhyme, construction vehicles and silly story lines. This is the first time we got around to doing our Book Bingo and this is the list we have fondly put together for you all! Hope you enjoy these as much as we do!
- A yellow book: The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright and Jim Field
Easy to read with a flowing rhyme, this book transports us to a world viewed through the eyes of a meek little mouse. The colours and fine detailing used in the illustrations, along with the perfect size of the board book for tiny hands – this is a must have, bearing a message about courage and how we can all find it if we really look. - A book with a leaf/ flower on cover: Granddad’s Island by Benji Davies
Little Syd shares a special relationship with his granddad and they embark on a journey where granddad decides to stay on an island with some incredible animals in a lush green space. A beautifully illustrated book that deals with loss of a loved one and ‘the better place’ that they left for, in a gentle manner. - Book with siblings: Alfie’s Feet by Shirley Hughes
The Alfie series is definitely a must have, for the beautiful mellow flow of the storyline and the lovely relationship Alfie shares with his sibling. Every detail, from the colour of his old shoes and how mum helps him tie his laces because he doesn’t know how yet, seems to be tailored to capture your child’s attention despite it being a long-ish read. - Featuring mom: Princess Poppy – The Baby Twins by Janey Louise Jones
A new baby brings in quite a big change for everyone in the family, especially for siblings. This is a heartwarming book featuring a young girl, whose mom is expecting twins. It touches upon how things seem to change in her little world with the new arrivals and how mom handles things. - Featuring dad: A Dinosaur Ate Dad’s Hair by Trent Roberts and Chrissie Krebs
A belly tickling, humorous piece of writing that draws a laugh out of toddler and parent alike. The storyline and the subtle witty jokes, around family situations, add a little something, along with the ridiculous tales that the dad regales his kids with.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic India via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on. - Bedtime book: Is it bedtime Wibbly Pig? by Mick Inkpen
The perfect book to introduce bedtime routines in a fun manner – from bathing to having some milk, brushing to snuggling up with loveys. Wibbly is such a lovable character that his routine has turned into our routine before bed time. A joy to read, with endearing illustrations and beautiful font, this book is definitely high on our list of recommendations. - Lift the flap: Usborne Lift-the-flap Look inside Building Sites by Rob Lloyd Jones and illustrated by Stefano Tognetti
A brilliantly designed book for all those construction and machinery fans. This is an absolute favourite around the house, with its brilliant flaps that reveal multiple stages of construction of houses and buildings, along with tall cranes and mighty excavators. The highlight of the book, atleast from my toddler’s point of view, is the man in the porta potty who isn’t happy about us opening his ‘door’. - A Cat book: Collecting Cats by Lorna Scobie
A simple read with minimal text, along with a visual treat of mice and cats moving in and out of the pages in increasing and decreasing numbers – perfect for the introduction of less and more, in and out and fun cause and effect sequences.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic India via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on. - Book by Debi Gliori: Nursery Rhymes by Debi Gliori
Classic nursery rhymes accompanied with interesting illustrations – a must have for toddlers and parents to sing along (and dance along!) and share fun moments.
There is also an edition that comes with a CD! - Book on 1st experiences: Usborne First Experiences – Going to School, illustrated by Stephen Cartwright
Starting nursery school was quite a big change for Chris and it was difficult for him to cope in the first few weeks. This book helped ease his anxiety by introducing the routine he can expect at school. It also provided us both opportunities to address his worries through conversations around the pictures and experiences of Polly and Percy. - Book that makes us giggle: You can’t take an Elephant on the Bus by Patricia Cleveland-Peck, Bloomsbury Publications
A hilarious series of impossible scenarios with multiple animals trying to partake in very human routines, from giraffes on a plane to pigs skateboarding. The ridiculous scenes, illustrations and the rhyme sequence make this quite a popular read, drawing a laugh at every page. - Book on Big emotions: The Knight Who Said No! by Lucy Rowland and Kate Hindley
There comes a day when every toddler discovers the word ‘NO’ and the power it wields. This book is a beautiful tale about one such little knight who realizes that it’s okay to be bad tempered at times but it is more important to find opportunities or people who will help you be a better version of you.
Lucy Rowland’s books are wonderful! - Book that addressed an issue: Giraffe is Left Out – A book on feeling bullied, by Sue Graves and Trevor Dunton
Meeting new people, especially people who are bullies intentionally or unintentionally, can be an overwhelming experience for toddlers, who are yet to develop the ability to handle emotions. This book is about a giraffe who is mean to leopard who is new to the class, and eventually discovers for himself how it feels like to be excluded. It allows room for conversations about how a toddler would feel or could act like in such situations.
Sue Graves’ books address issues related to behaviour. - Love the illustrations: Winston was Worried by Pamela Duncan Edwards, illustrations by Benji Davies
A worried Winston feels his splinter is the worst that could happen to anyone and is blissfully unaware of the plight of others around him. The illustrations in this book are so beautifully detailed that there are multiple little stories being told alongside the actual storyline. - By an Indian author: Chomp, Gulp… Burp! By Lavanya Karthik – A simple, yet beautifully illustrated book, introducing the different feeding habits of various interesting animals. Every page holds a snippet of information that introduces the animal world and the interdependence that exists between them.
- Food in the title: Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss
We started off with incredible Dr Seuss books quite a while back with Fox in Socks and ABC and Chris enjoyed the rhyme and the silliness of these books. However, his attention span was shorter then, and we couldn’t ever finish them in one sitting. Green Eggs and Ham and the classic The Cat in the Hat have been so simple and rhythmic and hilarious that he is finally enjoying all of these books in one go! He finds this particular book so much more funnier since he utterly dislikes eggs! - With a stuffed animal: The Velveteen Rabbit, adapted by Margery Williams
This awesome book is an abridged version of the original Velveteen Rabbit. The tale of a stuffed rabbit, who discovers the magic of companionship and innocent love of a child, strikes a chord with us as we remember our beloved first friends. My little boy hugs his lovey who is fondly named ‘Gulu Gulu’ every night, as he relates the rabbit with his little piggie who is also ‘real’ because of all his love.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic India via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on. - Day out with family: Lucy and Tom at the Seaside by Shirley Hughes, published by Penguin Random House UK
A book packed with the most wonderful illustrations, bringing in the crisp freshness of the seaside. This is a perfect read to cozy up with your toddler and get lost in its beautiful pictures and vivid descriptions of the family’s visit to the beach. Every detail is thoroughly enjoyed and we end up mimicking some of Lucy and Tom’s antics whenever we visit one. - Taught an important lesson: Princess Louise and the Nameless Dread, by Dr Sharie Coombes
As Chris crosses toddlerhood and his awareness of feelings and emotions gradually grows, there are moments when worry and anxiety flare up. Whether it is while starting something new like school or weaning off the training wheels, a nameless dread led to quite a few meltdowns. This book is written to address this issue both for a parent and the child – sharing the burden of the nameless dread makes it so much easier to get past. Very simply put while sharing a deep message, this one is a must have.
ONLY KBC MEMBERS HAVE A SPECIAL COUPON CODE KBC20 which will give you 20% OFF (on non discounted items) when you order directly from the PARRAGON PUBLISHING website. Simply click this link that takes you to the Parragon Publishing shop on their website. Please be sure to mention KBC as the affiliate ID while creating an account on their website. - Grown up’s favourite book in the house: The Wolves in The Walls by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean [added by asha: this book is ideally for 6 years+ as it has scary elements]
Neil Gaiman is one of those few authors that are renowned for their unique writing styles and I generally recommend him for primary and middle years. This book is targeted more for primary school but I couldn’t resist getting it because of the most interesting manner of illustrations and story line ever! The slightly creepy undertones along with the realia used for imagery makes this a unique read – it took time for my child to actually accept how different this book ‘feels’ as you read it but I love the uniqueness of its experience. - Hand-me down we love: Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram
A timeless classic, this one is a crowd favourite, with its endearing story line about Little Nut Brown Hare trying to compete with Big Nut Brown Hare, regarding how much they love each other. We have read this since my little boy was in an infant and we are now able to express how much we love each other using similar gestures. - Book we tore: The Very Super Bear by Nick Bland published by Scholastic Australia
Super Bear in his bright orange cape, off to the save Owl from a monster gobbling up the trees – our very first superhero and the simple measures he uses to save the day, make this one of our most frequent reads. Not to mention all the capes we designed after reading this book.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic India via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on. - Book we carried to bed and slept with: The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
Sandra Boynton books, as always, never fail to bring a smile on our face. Chris absolutely loves to read this one, especially looking at all the animals in their pajamas and exercising before bed. We also have very interesting conversations about how the animals go to bed on a ship! - Book written in rhyme: Tabby McTat by Julia Donalson and Axel Scheffler
Julia Donaldson’s books are some of our favourite books especially because we can read in rhyme. Chris loves it when I sing the busker’s song in my rather off-key voice. The colours and illustrations keep us engaged for so long and give us so much to talk about. - Book read with Grandparents: Will Giraffe Laugh? by Hilary Leung
Big emotions are quite frequent in little toddlers and this book addresses just that, with little Giraffe who is in a cross mood while all his friends try to cheer him up. Simple read with one sentence per page and pretty illustrations, the end always draws a laugh. - Book with food stains in it: Amy and Louis by Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood
Two best friends, inseparable and living the magic of childhood, get separated because of adult decisions. The beautiful bond that they share, along with the incredibly detailed illustrations, make this book a must read. - Kept us busy: Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever
Ever known a toddler who wants to know everything about everything? Richard Scarry’s books are the best choice to keep these curious minds engaged for a really long time. The little drawings of various day to day activities and things, animals playing human roles – clumsiness and craziness included, the discovery of new details each time you pick the book; all of it makes it a packed source of entertainment for hours at a time. - Wonderhouse book: Shlokas and Mantras for Kids
As a child growing up in a mixed faith family, we give our boy an exposure to both cultures and beliefs. This book is a toddler friendly size with multiple brief shlokas and mantras to introduce them gradually in a simple manner. The colours and cute little illustrations also make it a pretty attractive read. - Book we gift often: How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers
Stars and the moon are probably the first things that fascinate toddlers, making this an ideal book for children. With Oliver Jeffers’ wild imaginative style making the impossible achievable, this book will let your child’s imagination run wild, in a manner that our adult logical brains cannot fathom. - Book we got from KBC recommendations: The Girl and the Dinosaur by Hollie Hughes, illustrated by Sarah Massini
A red-haired girl, digging up dinosaur bones and embarking on a magical adventure, not giving into what people around her would like her to do or be like – this book highlights how being different from the others is okay and how magic comes to the ones who follow what their heart tells them.
[Note from Team Kids Book Café: For your convenience, affiliate links (MARKED IN PINK) to some of the book titles & images have been added to enable you to buy the books from AMAZON, should you wish to! A very small amount of money comes to kidsbookcafe.com when you purchase a book via the amazon affiliate link provided (at absolutely no extra cost to you!). Do let us know if you need information about other children’s books by writing to asha@kidsbookcafe.com.]
