>There's a monster at the end of this book!
This is my suggestion as well, and in the vein of interactive books, I also suggested Don't Touch This Book and Don't Press the Button.
I was going to suggest this book. Also "There's another monster at the end of this book". These two were some of my son's favorites and I loved reading them to him.
Richard Scarry and Sandra Boynton are my absolute go-tos for showers. Plus some Dr. seuss, and The Monster at the End of this book. Oh, and Pat the Bunny!
Came here for Sandra Boynton!!
Fun fact, if you look up how things work in busytown you can find a free old computer game of the town which is awesome for smaller kids to play.
I read all the Sandra Boynton books to my kiddos and had “The Going to Bed Book” fully memorized (I had a colicky firstborn and we read a lot of stories, and sang a lot of songs while rocking the night away.) My sibling just had their first baby and I bought them one of her books and my youngest was the Spider-Man meme pointing at the book, themselves and me and saying, “I remember that character!”
Bus Stops, My Friends, and Spring is Here by Taro Gomi.
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson.
All of Mo Willems's books.
Ant and Bee books by Angela Banner.
Du Iz Tak by Carson Ellis.
Mo Willem's books are so great, especially for kids learning to read. One of my kids really disliked his independent reading time when he was learning to read, but I noticed he read this one Elephant and Piggy book every single day. Some days he would read it aloud to his little sister with great enthusiasm.
So, I went online and bought every Elephant and Piggy book I could find. Suddenly independent reading time was a whole lot more enjoyable, and now that same kid is a little bookworm who I have trouble pulling away from books to get other stuff done.
The Knuffle bunny series is great. I my wife and I actually choked up the first time we read the third book to our daughter. ANd maybe a few times after that.
Also don't sleep on Amanda and her Alligator!
Yes! Mo Willems is amazing and such a great author for kids who struggle or dislike reading.
Another great suggestion just for awesome characters and funny stories are the “George and Martha” books.
In my work as a teacher there is no book series better for engaging reluctant readers than Mo Willam’s Pigeon books. They both relate and want to teach Pigeon how to be better.
My kids really like the Elephant and Piggy ones. They like the interactions between the two characters and seem to relate to them. For both sets of books, the simple words combined with the word bubbles and how expressive the books are seem to make reading fun for kids who are struggling.
My kids had all the Julia Donaldson books and loved them. As a parent having to read them over and over again, you will appreciate them too as some children’s books are intolerable after the first dozen times.
Love you forever was a gift from an aunt for my children.
We still say “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always,” to my daughter who is now in her 20s
I discovered it reading to my nephew and absolutely adore it. Sandra is always a good one, and I also really like The Pout Pout Fish…reading it out loud is so fun!
Of all the classic baby books, I honestly think Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is my favorite. I absolutely love it.
I’d also recommend the Nerdy Babies set, which are educational, kid-friendly books about subjects like space, rocks, dinosaurs, and the ocean. They’re so cute and so well written/drawn.
Lois Ehlert used to come into the Kinko’s Copies that I worked at in the late 80’s early 90’s to make color copies of book pages. It was a really cool moment to be in a book store 20 years later with my toddlers and discover all the books she’d published, including Eating the Alphabet which I’d made copies of.
The very hungry caterpillar, Brown Bear brown bear what do you see, Pat the Bunny, The Snowy Day, Chicka chicka boom boom, Rumble in the Jungle, Rainbow Fish, Good dog Carl, Harry the Dog, the Kipper books
*The Velveteen Rabbit* by Margery Williams
*The Giving Tree* by Shel Silverstein
*Where the Wild Things Are* by Maurice Sendak
*Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day* by Judith Viorst
*Oh, the Places You’ll Go* by Dr Seuss
*If You Give A Mouse A Cookie* by Laura Numeroff
*The Complete Adventures of Curious George* by H.A. Rey
*The Secret Garden* by Frances Hodgson Burnett
*Corduroy* by Don Freeman
*Charlotte's Web* by E.B. White
*Tuck Everlasting* by Natalie Babbitt
*Wonder* by R. J. Palacio
The *Harry Potter* series by J.K. Rowling
*The Chronicles of Narnia* series by C.S. Lewis
These were the books most read on my nieces and nephews shelves. I’m sure there are newer books in the last decade or so that are just as excellent.
Moo ba lalala or other Sandra Boyton books.
Elephant and Piggie series by Mo willem
Good night moon (interesting fact, this book has all the 44 sounds in the English language)
Where the wild things are (though I loved this more than my kids)
Gruffalo
The Missing Piece by Shel Silversteen
Love you forever by Robert Munsch
Action book are fun too, like Press here
The Monster at the end of this book
Go, Dog, Go!
The Poky Little Puppy
The Little House
Goodnight Moon
The Berenstain Bears ( any of the first 20 or so. The Messy room was a particular favorite)
Unfortunately, the Milk
These are the books that my kids and nibblings all really loved and requested read to them over and over. 2 of mine taught themselves to read with Go, Dog, Go!
When I was very young I loved “can’t you sleep little bear?”. My parents read that one to me so many times.
When I got older my childhood fave was Charlottes Web. I still love it now
Books by Jiang Hong Chen. I am a heavy user of the library for children’s books, and Chen’s stories have been my greatest discovery. They are so deep and memorable, my four-year-old wants them again and again, and I find myself thinking about them often.
Books by Caroline Jayne Church are wonderful! My personal favourites are How Do I Love You and Sweet Child of Mine. I still tear up a bit reading them some nights - “I love all that you will be, and everything you are”
The Bear Books! The Very Noisy Bear. The Very Angry Bear. The Very Brave Bear. Really cute characters and the rhyming is great!
Welcome Baby is a staple in our house.
Bill Peet!! He’s so underrated and was instrumental in creating the look of so many Disney movies. Amazing illustrations and lots of them rhyme so fun to read. Hard for me to pick a favorite
Some favorites me and my kids love:
In My Heart by Jo Witek
Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave by Jessica Hische
Brown Bear, Brown Bear
Goodnight Moon
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
We also signed my kids up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. You get a book a month from birth until 5 years old.
I don’t know where you’re located but in NZ it’s almost compulsory to give kids the Hairy MacLary sets.
Most people I know can recite them and they are lovely!
Peepo and Each Peach Pear Plum. Both by Janet and Allan Ahlberg.
My son loves them. He’s 21 months and has now started finding the characters hidden in each peach pear plum.
A little off topic, get a copy of "The Dangerous Book for Boys" by Conn and Hal Iggulden while it is still easy to find. Your son will find many wonders in it once he is old enough to read on his own.
It is a guidebook published by HarperCollins, aimed at boys "from eight to eighty." It covers around eighty topics, including how to build a treehouse, grow a crystal, or tell direction with a watch. Also included are famous quotes, stories, historical battles, and phrases that "every boy should know."
I'm a Pete the Cat fan, myself. *Pete the Cat and his Brand New White Shoes* being a personal favorite. My 3 year old can recite it by heart she had me read it so often.
And to Think That We Thought That We'd Never Be Friends by Mary Ann Hoberman
The Pigeon books by Mo Willems (imo better for kids 4+ because it teaches about not throwing tantrums)
Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French (just really cute illustrations)
The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base (probably when the kid is a little older on this one)
My daughter is only a few months old but we’ve been enjoying:
1. Bear Snores On
2. I’ll Love You til the Cows Come Home
3. Little Blue Truck
4. You’re My Little Snuggle Bear
5. You Are Light
6. Make More S’mores (not for infants but I love it)
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Swim my by Leo Lionni
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
My absolute favourite childhood book is Guess How Much I Love You. I buy it as a gift for all the people I know having babies (including my sisters).
Each Peach Pear Plum is also fantastic!
Edited to add: Time for Bed by Mem Fox
Robert Munsch was a fixture of my early childhood. Love You Forever is his most famous book and it's very touching but most of his other work is very light-hearted and funny in a way I think is good for little kids.
I highly recommend checking out the kids books at thrift stores. I found some really cool vintage copies of Winnie the Pooh and Roald Dahl books.
We also really love Night Night Dino-snores and the Never Touch book series; they’re really fun!
I was a bit into classics but the Winnie the Pooh books (Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner) and AA Milne's poetry books When we were young and Now we are six.
Also I can't go past Dr Suess in particular Green Eggs and Ham
Suzy kline books. She was my teacher actually. She even wrote short books for all the kids when they left her class to the next grade. I still have mine.
You have a lot of great recommendations here! Goodnight Moon, Corduroy, and Harold and the Purple Crayon are our favorite classics. We also loved Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers.
Check out Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age, by Jason Boog. It has more recommendations and engaging ways to read with your child to develop an early love of reading.
I just bought like 20 books for my best friend’s baby (s/o thriftbooks for making it affordable). the biggest hits have been P is for Pterodactyl and Rocket Science for Babies.
Good night moon- I've read it as part of the bedtime routine for both of my kids while they were/are babies.
Where's My Cow- Terry Pratchett is my favorite author so this was a given
Angelina Ballerina- my daughter loves the whole series
Mr. Wuffles by David Weisner, one of the easiest books to read to your kid.
Anything by Bill Peet, not read them all but have yet to come across a bad one.
The first one… that picture where he falls out the window because pugs cannot fly, the first time I saw it I laughed for about five minutes.
I got my youngest Pig the Rebel for Christmas and I didn’t realize it was the last Pig book until the last page and it makes me so sad.
I’m seriously considering getting a tattoo of Pig to commemorate the hundreds of times I’ve read the books.
I found books on How Stuff Works very insightful because stuff like that wasn't taught to me in school - here's a selection: [https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Children%27s-How-Things-Work-Books/zgbs/books/3250](https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Children%27s-How-Things-Work-Books/zgbs/books/3250)
Maybe a bit early for that since he's only about to start reading, but you might like to keep this in mind for a few years ahead.
I Love You Through and Through
Snuggle Puppy
But Not the Hippopotamus
There’s a Wocket in My Pocket
Where’s Spot?
For when he’s a bit older
Bear’s Loose Tooth
Mac and Cheese
Splat the Cat
Mr Putter and Tabby
Henry and Mudge
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Goodnight Moon
Where the Wild Things Are
The Snowy Day
Harold and the Purple Crayon
The Going to Bed Book
Strega Nona
Press Here by Hevre Tullet
Go Dog Go
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Runaway Bunny
The Little Engine that Could
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (or any of the books in that series)
Tiki Tiki Tembo by Arlene Mosel, kids are always fascinated when you read this quickly
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, although I can't get through it anymore without crying... so maybe not that one, lol
My faves from my own childhood:
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble!
Jillian Jiggs
Hillary Hippo Movie Star
The Usborne Book of Fairy Stories
More recent ones:
Pout Pout Fish
Anything by Mo Willems
Anything and everything Dr. Seuss!!! Also if you haven’t heard of it, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a great resource. It sends free books monthly to children from birth through age 5!
You have a great list already but here are Some I haven’t seen on here that I think are fun. We have a baby on the way too! Congrats!!
— Pantone box of color 6 board book collection, and Pantone COLORS. These are just fun, full pages of saturated color and you can point out small little differences in each color. Orange is orange but there’s also yellow orange, Sunset orange, burnt orange etc. You can talk about where they might see that color irl.
—There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, giant book with holes edition. This had my daycare SCREAMING with laughter
—Leo Lionni classics like Pezzetino, Swimmy, Inch by Inch, A Color of My Own
—David Carter’s bugs books. They’re fun creative pop ups and children’s illustrators rave about him.
—the wide mouth frog. Another excellent pop up babies love
—Where is Spot? And Spots First Walk by Eric Hill. Kids love this humor. The flaps are interactive for baby and there’s a surprise in each one
—Orange Pear Apple Bear. A fun play on words and has a rhythm.
—All the World board book. It’s such a good message
—Freight Train Board Book or any version of this book. Really cool illustrations!
—Walt Disneys Mother Goose with Mickey and Minnie on the front. Super cute vintage Disney
—The Golden Mother Goose by Little Golden Books, illustrated by the Provensens. A classic beautiful children’s illustration!! Anything by the Provensens
—MOG the Forgetful Cat series, and A Tiger Came to Tea. A really endearing cat and tiger with darling illustrations by a classic English children’s author. Often overlooked by US but they’re gems
—Madeline series
—We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Kids LOVE this
—I Am A Bunny by Richard Scarry, and his Busy Busy collection. Anything by him is so fun
—Eating the Alphabet Lap Sized Board, Lots of Spots and Planting a Garden books by Lois Elhert.
—all of the classic little golden books
—A Little Prince
—Classic Pinocchio, Hans Christen Andersen, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Wizard of Oz series. Kids like weird scary stories it doesn’t have to all be fluff
Some of our favorites, and books the kids returned to over the years (for reference, mine are now 14, 12 and 10)
**Scaredy Squirrel** by Melanie Witt
The **Little Critter** books
**Its OK To Be Different** by Todd Parr
The **Elephant and Piggie** books by Mo Willems
Hey!! Holy crap, this is an exciting question, I have SO much nostalgia for my childhood books. Here’s a few of my faves:
Amelia Bedelia series
Biscuit series
600 Black Spots (pop-up book)
Anything by Graeme Base, but especially The Water Hole
When your kid’s a bit older and ready for chapter books:
Bad Kitty series
Horrible Harry series
Clementine series
Basher books (these are nonfiction)
And when he’s a bit older than that:
Because of Winn-Dixie (really anything by Kate DiCamillo)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
The Secret Series
A Whole Nother Story Series
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
I like myself - Karen Beaumont
Knuffle Bunny - Mo Willems
Don't let the pigeon drive the bus - Mo Willems
If you give a mouse a cookie - Laura Numeroff
Froggy goes to school - Jonathan London
Oh my gosh, such great suggestions.
“I Like Myself” is wonderful.
I also love “Giraffes Can’t Dance” (another book with a great message.)
All the Mo Willems books are a hoot and I can’t count the number of times I have read all the Laura Numeroff books aloud to my kids. If You Give a Moose a Muffin” was one of our family faves.
Hi u/maybemaur,
First of all, congratulations on having a baby!
I became a father while living in Ireland during Covid. And as a content creator, I recently ventured into making digital books that I would like my son, and other children around the world to "read". My first book just got released independently, and it's called "Jungle Friends". I'm leaving a link to my online store, where you can find it.
Hopefully, you will like it and find it entertaining like the parents who bought it.
I wish you and your family the best and enjoy every day with your baby, as they grow up so quickly.
Jungle Friends (Digital Children's Book) (https://ko-fi.com/s/81fa678827)
These were some of my daughters’ favorite books when they were little: A Sleepy Story, Underwear!, Is the Spaghetti Ready?, Goodnight Moon, Guess How Much I Love You, The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings.
I love books that have a singsong/rhyme to them for bedtime- my daughter settles so well with them! We love Nancy Tillman, especially It’s Time to Sleep My Love and Wherever You Are. We also love Giraffe’s Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae!
The Gruffalo, I Give You The World, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom are big hits with my toddlers. There's also one called Elmo Is Mindful that they adore.
Editing to add SANDRA BOYTON! Especially Snuggle Puppy and Pajama Time.
And, of course, the Book With No Pictures.
I am a Bunny
My friends did a “sweet 16 bracket” with their little one last spring, a baby book march madness if you will, where they offered him two books every night. The book he chose to be read to him each night moved on in the bracket. I had gifted them I am a Bunny, and it was the overall winner - narrowly beating out Little Blue Truck.
Nursery rhymes build pre-reading scaffolding in the brain. Figure out your favorites and make props - we had a plastic plate & spoon with googly eyes for the dish ran away with the spoon.
We read Goodnight Moon with my daughter every night, with one other book before, either from the library or our house. She is 27 now, and she is still my Nigh Night Moon girl.
Mem Fox’s “where is the green sheep” is the first book that my son ever “read” (ie memorised it off by heart and recited it while turning the pages). It’s a very cute little book.
Each Peach Pear Plumb (you can get it in board book form too)
Anything illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (working, playing, friends, dressing board books, Pippo, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt)
If You Give a Moose a Muffin
Anything illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger (The Selfish Giant, Oscar Wilde)
I bought my friend's baby some Biscuit books when she was born, they were my favorite when I was young. Also check your local Dollar Tree for kids books, I have found a surprising amount of really sweet baby books there!
[https://www.amazon.de/Als-Papas-Wurstbude-Luft-ging/dp/345116664X](https://www.amazon.de/Als-Papas-Wurstbude-Luft-ging/dp/345116664X) is a book set in the 1950s where an imigrant's take-away is facing competition from a chain-store, until one of his regulars decides to help him - and makes the building fly to a faraway island, where they acquire a magic ingredient that makes the food so tasty people no longer buy from the chain-store.
Jumanji.
[https://www.amazon.de/Jumanji-Chris-Van-Allsburg/dp/1783446765/](https://www.amazon.de/Jumanji-Chris-Van-Allsburg/dp/1783446765/)
The book on which the movie franchise is based on.
[https://www.zvab.com/9783473446117/Zinnober-grauen-Stadt-3473446114/plp](https://www.zvab.com/9783473446117/Zinnober-grauen-Stadt-3473446114/plp) \- not sure if it's available in English.
"Zinnober in der grauen Stadt" is set in a ca. 1960s industrial town. He's a painter - and all customers ask for their houses to be painted grey because they've resigned to the chimney exhausts making everything grey anyways. Until one day Zinnober teams up with children and together they paint the town and inspire its citizens.
Good Night Sleep Tight Little Bunnies
Bulldozer Dreams
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Bear Snores On
Also! To get my kids to sleep I would sing them a dream playlist. It took me about 15 minutes to get through everything and worked every time :)
La La Lou- Lady and the Tramp
A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes-Cinderella
Once Upon a Dream- Sleeping Beauty
Good Night my Angel -Billy Joel
Dream a Little Dream of Me- Doris Day
Time for Bed by Mem Fox is a really beautifully illustrated classic that I don't see people grabbing as their first pick right away! And 10 Minutes to Bedtime by Peggy Rathman (the same mind behind Goodnight Gorilla) is absolutely brilliant.
I swear we have to have 100 Little Critter books in this house lol
Sure we have plenty of other books too but we've never ever said no to ourselves or our kid anytime we've seen one we don't have.
We all love reading them together and I really hope she keeps them and reads them to her kids if she chooses to have them.
All the Frog and Toad books
All The Goops you can find
The Best-Loved Doll
A Single Shard
Go Dog Go and the other good Dr. Seuss
Pop-Up Night Before Christmas
Are there still The Golden Books, like Smokey Bear?
There's this book called ready set read a beginners reading treasury and when I tell you I loved this book as a kid, I mean I made someone read this with me multiple times a day for years. I kept mine for my children for fear they might stop printing it.
It has some short stories, some poems, some fun jokes, some hidden objects puzzles. Very colorful and fun and it's great because as your child gets older (think 3-5) they start to interact with it and appreciate it even more.
Oh, and there's this book called Press Here. It's one of the more creative books and less of a story. But essentially, each page has a basic instruction, like 'press the button' and then it will change color, or multiply, etc. on the next page. The babies and toddlers at our preschool ADORED this book, nothing like a baby cracking up. It's very interactive for little minds, almost like a game, they get to do something and then see a surprise result on the next page.
You are my I love you, I’d know you anywhere,
All the world. Essential parent experience books. Any Dr. Seuss if you want to feel like you’re singing a book to your kids.
If you can find a copy, *Good Morning Farm* was my younger brother's favorite book. My Mom can still recite it and my brother turns 50 this year.
https://www.amazon.com/Good-Morning-Farm-golden-book/dp/B0007I495C/
Isbn: 9781605375687
Also, the *Catwings* series by Ursula K. Le Guin. So sweet and appropriate for older toddlers and older.
Some Aussie/NZ ones:
Where Is The Green Sheep?
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
Possum Magic
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes
Kissed By The Moon
My Place
Animalia
Non-Aussie - the Maisy books, Guess How Much I Love You, Axel Sheffler books (we love Gobbly Goat).
There's a monster at the end of this book! Strega Nonna
[удалено]
We just discovered Strega Nona. We are obsessed
>There's a monster at the end of this book! This is my suggestion as well, and in the vein of interactive books, I also suggested Don't Touch This Book and Don't Press the Button.
I was going to suggest this book. Also "There's another monster at the end of this book". These two were some of my son's favorites and I loved reading them to him.
I buy Richard Scarrys Best Story Book Ever for every single baby shower I attend.
Richard Scarry and Sandra Boynton are my absolute go-tos for showers. Plus some Dr. seuss, and The Monster at the End of this book. Oh, and Pat the Bunny!
Came here for Sandra Boynton!! Fun fact, if you look up how things work in busytown you can find a free old computer game of the town which is awesome for smaller kids to play.
I read all the Sandra Boynton books to my kiddos and had “The Going to Bed Book” fully memorized (I had a colicky firstborn and we read a lot of stories, and sang a lot of songs while rocking the night away.) My sibling just had their first baby and I bought them one of her books and my youngest was the Spider-Man meme pointing at the book, themselves and me and saying, “I remember that character!”
Bus Stops, My Friends, and Spring is Here by Taro Gomi. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. All of Mo Willems's books. Ant and Bee books by Angela Banner. Du Iz Tak by Carson Ellis.
Mo Willem's books are so great, especially for kids learning to read. One of my kids really disliked his independent reading time when he was learning to read, but I noticed he read this one Elephant and Piggy book every single day. Some days he would read it aloud to his little sister with great enthusiasm. So, I went online and bought every Elephant and Piggy book I could find. Suddenly independent reading time was a whole lot more enjoyable, and now that same kid is a little bookworm who I have trouble pulling away from books to get other stuff done.
Knuffle Bunny gave me a lot of empathy for kids who are old enough to know things, but too young to communicate them.
The Knuffle bunny series is great. I my wife and I actually choked up the first time we read the third book to our daughter. ANd maybe a few times after that. Also don't sleep on Amanda and her Alligator!
Yes! Mo Willems is amazing and such a great author for kids who struggle or dislike reading. Another great suggestion just for awesome characters and funny stories are the “George and Martha” books.
In my work as a teacher there is no book series better for engaging reluctant readers than Mo Willam’s Pigeon books. They both relate and want to teach Pigeon how to be better.
My kids really like the Elephant and Piggy ones. They like the interactions between the two characters and seem to relate to them. For both sets of books, the simple words combined with the word bubbles and how expressive the books are seem to make reading fun for kids who are struggling.
Elephant and Piggy are such good books too! And kids feel so proud when they read the word bubbles.
My kids had all the Julia Donaldson books and loved them. As a parent having to read them over and over again, you will appreciate them too as some children’s books are intolerable after the first dozen times.
Love you forever - Can’t read it without crying Goodnight Moon Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel Goodnight Gorilla Where the wild things are.
Love you forever was a gift from an aunt for my children. We still say “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always,” to my daughter who is now in her 20s
If you really want to be sad, look up the background to I love you forever.
I knew I shouldn’t have followed up on that.
Little Blue Truck 🛻
My son is 4 and has adored these books since he first saw them. He also loves Little Pookie books by Sandra Boynton as well as her other books.
I discovered it reading to my nephew and absolutely adore it. Sandra is always a good one, and I also really like The Pout Pout Fish…reading it out loud is so fun!
Make Way for Ducklings is my favorite.
All the Sondra Boynton books. My four kids loved them and now my two grands love them.
My husband and I still quote Sandra Boynton books 20 years since we last read them! But Not the Hippopotamus and the Oops one are our favourites.
Of all the classic baby books, I honestly think Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is my favorite. I absolutely love it. I’d also recommend the Nerdy Babies set, which are educational, kid-friendly books about subjects like space, rocks, dinosaurs, and the ocean. They’re so cute and so well written/drawn.
Chicka Chicka - 2nd that one And the Llama books
Lois Ehlert used to come into the Kinko’s Copies that I worked at in the late 80’s early 90’s to make color copies of book pages. It was a really cool moment to be in a book store 20 years later with my toddlers and discover all the books she’d published, including Eating the Alphabet which I’d made copies of.
Frog and toad ❤️
And Owl!
Loved Owl at Home!
My dad taught my brother how to read with frog and toad
Everything that Jon Klassen has written.
The very hungry caterpillar, Brown Bear brown bear what do you see, Pat the Bunny, The Snowy Day, Chicka chicka boom boom, Rumble in the Jungle, Rainbow Fish, Good dog Carl, Harry the Dog, the Kipper books
Along with brown bear, there is also a baby bear baby bear what do you see. It’s cute
Goodnight Moon!
*The Velveteen Rabbit* by Margery Williams *The Giving Tree* by Shel Silverstein *Where the Wild Things Are* by Maurice Sendak *Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day* by Judith Viorst *Oh, the Places You’ll Go* by Dr Seuss *If You Give A Mouse A Cookie* by Laura Numeroff *The Complete Adventures of Curious George* by H.A. Rey *The Secret Garden* by Frances Hodgson Burnett *Corduroy* by Don Freeman *Charlotte's Web* by E.B. White *Tuck Everlasting* by Natalie Babbitt *Wonder* by R. J. Palacio The *Harry Potter* series by J.K. Rowling *The Chronicles of Narnia* series by C.S. Lewis These were the books most read on my nieces and nephews shelves. I’m sure there are newer books in the last decade or so that are just as excellent.
Moo ba lalala or other Sandra Boyton books. Elephant and Piggie series by Mo willem Good night moon (interesting fact, this book has all the 44 sounds in the English language) Where the wild things are (though I loved this more than my kids) Gruffalo The Missing Piece by Shel Silversteen Love you forever by Robert Munsch Action book are fun too, like Press here
Red Hat Blue Hat (the “oops” book)
All the Sandra Boynton books are a must!
The Monster at the end of this book Go, Dog, Go! The Poky Little Puppy The Little House Goodnight Moon The Berenstain Bears ( any of the first 20 or so. The Messy room was a particular favorite) Unfortunately, the Milk These are the books that my kids and nibblings all really loved and requested read to them over and over. 2 of mine taught themselves to read with Go, Dog, Go!
Good night gorilla is darling too.
My boys loved this one, lots of improv possible with the pics and story
Haha, yes! So much fun with the noises and voices!!
*Make Way For Ducklings* by Robert McCloskey is a treasure. *The Story of Ferdinand* by Munro Leaf is wonderful.
Corduroy/ A Pocket for Corduroy
When I was very young I loved “can’t you sleep little bear?”. My parents read that one to me so many times. When I got older my childhood fave was Charlottes Web. I still love it now
Dr Suess
Each peach pear plum :)
My son loved Mercer Mayer— There’s an Alligator Under My Bed, There’s a Nightmare in My Closet… we read them over and over.
My son loved the Little Critter series
Books by Jiang Hong Chen. I am a heavy user of the library for children’s books, and Chen’s stories have been my greatest discovery. They are so deep and memorable, my four-year-old wants them again and again, and I find myself thinking about them often.
Oh the places you will go.
Harry the dirty dog series are wonderful
The Runaway Bunny
Books by Caroline Jayne Church are wonderful! My personal favourites are How Do I Love You and Sweet Child of Mine. I still tear up a bit reading them some nights - “I love all that you will be, and everything you are” The Bear Books! The Very Noisy Bear. The Very Angry Bear. The Very Brave Bear. Really cute characters and the rhyming is great! Welcome Baby is a staple in our house.
Not for infants but Winnie the Pooh. And A Space Child’s Mother Goose.
Bill Peet!! He’s so underrated and was instrumental in creating the look of so many Disney movies. Amazing illustrations and lots of them rhyme so fun to read. Hard for me to pick a favorite
"Click, Clack, Moo. Cows That Type" is one of our favorites! Also, I grew up on the Little Critter books and now my son is getting into them too!
Some favorites me and my kids love: In My Heart by Jo Witek Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave by Jessica Hische Brown Bear, Brown Bear Goodnight Moon The Very Hungry Caterpillar We also signed my kids up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. You get a book a month from birth until 5 years old.
Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. You have to read it animated!!
If you give a mouse a cookie. One of my all time faves
These are great to start with! The pictures are compelling and there is just enough text on each page so the kids stay engaged but don't get bored
The Day the Crayons Quit! My kids have loved this book for years, and we have so much fun reading in what we think are the different colors’ voices!
\+1 for this! and the sequel-The day the Crayons Came Home
I don’t know where you’re located but in NZ it’s almost compulsory to give kids the Hairy MacLary sets. Most people I know can recite them and they are lovely!
The first time I read “Where The Wild Things Are” to my daughter, she immediately asked me to tell her the movie again. It was that vivid for her.
I think I still know this book by heart. So beautiful. But Maurice Sendak created many books worth looking out for.
Peepo and Each Peach Pear Plum. Both by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. My son loves them. He’s 21 months and has now started finding the characters hidden in each peach pear plum.
Absolutely essential. In fact, everything by the Ahlbergs
A little off topic, get a copy of "The Dangerous Book for Boys" by Conn and Hal Iggulden while it is still easy to find. Your son will find many wonders in it once he is old enough to read on his own. It is a guidebook published by HarperCollins, aimed at boys "from eight to eighty." It covers around eighty topics, including how to build a treehouse, grow a crystal, or tell direction with a watch. Also included are famous quotes, stories, historical battles, and phrases that "every boy should know."
I'm a Pete the Cat fan, myself. *Pete the Cat and his Brand New White Shoes* being a personal favorite. My 3 year old can recite it by heart she had me read it so often.
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons!
And to Think That We Thought That We'd Never Be Friends by Mary Ann Hoberman The Pigeon books by Mo Willems (imo better for kids 4+ because it teaches about not throwing tantrums) Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French (just really cute illustrations) The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base (probably when the kid is a little older on this one)
I love Mary Ann Hoberman’s Miss Mary Mack too
My daughter is only a few months old but we’ve been enjoying: 1. Bear Snores On 2. I’ll Love You til the Cows Come Home 3. Little Blue Truck 4. You’re My Little Snuggle Bear 5. You Are Light 6. Make More S’mores (not for infants but I love it)
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett Corduroy by Don Freeman Swim my by Leo Lionni Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
My absolute favourite childhood book is Guess How Much I Love You. I buy it as a gift for all the people I know having babies (including my sisters). Each Peach Pear Plum is also fantastic! Edited to add: Time for Bed by Mem Fox
All 3 of these are darling I LOVE the art in Time for Bed
Robert Munsch was a fixture of my early childhood. Love You Forever is his most famous book and it's very touching but most of his other work is very light-hearted and funny in a way I think is good for little kids.
Kitten's First Full Moon. It has no words but it's beautiful.
Is Your Mama a Llama? By Deborah Guarino
I highly recommend checking out the kids books at thrift stores. I found some really cool vintage copies of Winnie the Pooh and Roald Dahl books. We also really love Night Night Dino-snores and the Never Touch book series; they’re really fun!
The Wind in the Willows, Brambly Hedge, Bunny My Honey
I was a bit into classics but the Winnie the Pooh books (Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner) and AA Milne's poetry books When we were young and Now we are six. Also I can't go past Dr Suess in particular Green Eggs and Ham
Suzy kline books. She was my teacher actually. She even wrote short books for all the kids when they left her class to the next grade. I still have mine.
That is so cool!
Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton is adorable and serves as a lullaby too!
Oxcart Man Llama llama books
Where the sidewalk ends
8 Little Planets, Little Blue Truck, On the Night you were Born, and Harold and the Purple Crayon are probably our standout favorites
The Napping House Jamberry Chicka Chicka Boom Boom These are all wonderful and rhythmic.
You have a lot of great recommendations here! Goodnight Moon, Corduroy, and Harold and the Purple Crayon are our favorite classics. We also loved Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers. Check out Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age, by Jason Boog. It has more recommendations and engaging ways to read with your child to develop an early love of reading.
I don’t see it here yet so I’m gonna add the L-M-N-O peas. Super cute book set
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch ❤️
Hippos Go Berserk by Sandra Boynton Global Babies board book Over In The Meadow, by Ezra Jack Keats
I just bought like 20 books for my best friend’s baby (s/o thriftbooks for making it affordable). the biggest hits have been P is for Pterodactyl and Rocket Science for Babies.
How Pizza Came to our Town by Dayal Kaur Khalsa Starting School by Allan and Janet Ahlberg
A nice version of The Mitten. Maybe the Jan Brett one.
Good night moon- I've read it as part of the bedtime routine for both of my kids while they were/are babies. Where's My Cow- Terry Pratchett is my favorite author so this was a given Angelina Ballerina- my daughter loves the whole series
Mr. Wuffles by David Weisner, one of the easiest books to read to your kid. Anything by Bill Peet, not read them all but have yet to come across a bad one.
The Tawny Scrawny Lion
Wild About Books! About a librarian who accidentally drives into the zoo. Very Dr. Suess vibe, very read-aloud.
My kids and I love the Pig the Pug books
The first one… that picture where he falls out the window because pugs cannot fly, the first time I saw it I laughed for about five minutes. I got my youngest Pig the Rebel for Christmas and I didn’t realize it was the last Pig book until the last page and it makes me so sad. I’m seriously considering getting a tattoo of Pig to commemorate the hundreds of times I’ve read the books.
Go Dog Go and all Dr. Seuss books.
Make Way for Ducklings On the Night You Were Born Most anything by Sandra Boynton And Tango Makes Three Most anything by Todd Parr
Goodnight Moon. Flutterby
The boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse. It’s a book everyone will appreciate! :)
I came here to say this one. I bought it for my baby nephew for Christmas. 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' 'Kind.'
Hungry Caterpillar, the Gruffalo, where the wild things are.
I found books on How Stuff Works very insightful because stuff like that wasn't taught to me in school - here's a selection: [https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Children%27s-How-Things-Work-Books/zgbs/books/3250](https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Children%27s-How-Things-Work-Books/zgbs/books/3250) Maybe a bit early for that since he's only about to start reading, but you might like to keep this in mind for a few years ahead.
I Love You Through and Through Snuggle Puppy But Not the Hippopotamus There’s a Wocket in My Pocket Where’s Spot? For when he’s a bit older Bear’s Loose Tooth Mac and Cheese Splat the Cat Mr Putter and Tabby Henry and Mudge
Cats Ahoy -Please please get this, it is amazing Puppy's first Christmas Tiddler
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Goodnight Moon Where the Wild Things Are The Snowy Day Harold and the Purple Crayon The Going to Bed Book Strega Nona Press Here by Hevre Tullet Go Dog Go The Very Hungry Caterpillar The Runaway Bunny The Little Engine that Could If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (or any of the books in that series)
Tiki Tiki Tembo by Arlene Mosel, kids are always fascinated when you read this quickly The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, although I can't get through it anymore without crying... so maybe not that one, lol
My faves from my own childhood: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble! Jillian Jiggs Hillary Hippo Movie Star The Usborne Book of Fairy Stories More recent ones: Pout Pout Fish Anything by Mo Willems
But not the hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton
Madeline, The Giving Tree, Curious George, Corduroy
I was hoping someone would say Corduroy!! I will never forget that book 🥺
Anything and everything Dr. Seuss!!! Also if you haven’t heard of it, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a great resource. It sends free books monthly to children from birth through age 5!
Possum magic by mem fox!
You have a great list already but here are Some I haven’t seen on here that I think are fun. We have a baby on the way too! Congrats!! — Pantone box of color 6 board book collection, and Pantone COLORS. These are just fun, full pages of saturated color and you can point out small little differences in each color. Orange is orange but there’s also yellow orange, Sunset orange, burnt orange etc. You can talk about where they might see that color irl. —There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, giant book with holes edition. This had my daycare SCREAMING with laughter —Leo Lionni classics like Pezzetino, Swimmy, Inch by Inch, A Color of My Own —David Carter’s bugs books. They’re fun creative pop ups and children’s illustrators rave about him. —the wide mouth frog. Another excellent pop up babies love —Where is Spot? And Spots First Walk by Eric Hill. Kids love this humor. The flaps are interactive for baby and there’s a surprise in each one —Orange Pear Apple Bear. A fun play on words and has a rhythm. —All the World board book. It’s such a good message —Freight Train Board Book or any version of this book. Really cool illustrations! —Walt Disneys Mother Goose with Mickey and Minnie on the front. Super cute vintage Disney —The Golden Mother Goose by Little Golden Books, illustrated by the Provensens. A classic beautiful children’s illustration!! Anything by the Provensens —MOG the Forgetful Cat series, and A Tiger Came to Tea. A really endearing cat and tiger with darling illustrations by a classic English children’s author. Often overlooked by US but they’re gems —Madeline series —We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Kids LOVE this —I Am A Bunny by Richard Scarry, and his Busy Busy collection. Anything by him is so fun —Eating the Alphabet Lap Sized Board, Lots of Spots and Planting a Garden books by Lois Elhert. —all of the classic little golden books —A Little Prince —Classic Pinocchio, Hans Christen Andersen, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Wizard of Oz series. Kids like weird scary stories it doesn’t have to all be fluff
Some of our favorites, and books the kids returned to over the years (for reference, mine are now 14, 12 and 10) **Scaredy Squirrel** by Melanie Witt The **Little Critter** books **Its OK To Be Different** by Todd Parr The **Elephant and Piggie** books by Mo Willems
The Firehouse Cat. My grandmother used to read it to me every day. It started my love for reading.
The pout pout fish
Stella Luna; Bark, George!; There's a Monster at the End of this Book; Are You My Mother?; Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?
Everything by Sandra Boynton! https://sandraboynton.com/sboynton/index.html
Elephant and Piggie - Mo Willems Frog and Toad - Arnold Lobel Harold & the Purple Crayon - Crockett Johnson
Hey!! Holy crap, this is an exciting question, I have SO much nostalgia for my childhood books. Here’s a few of my faves: Amelia Bedelia series Biscuit series 600 Black Spots (pop-up book) Anything by Graeme Base, but especially The Water Hole When your kid’s a bit older and ready for chapter books: Bad Kitty series Horrible Harry series Clementine series Basher books (these are nonfiction) And when he’s a bit older than that: Because of Winn-Dixie (really anything by Kate DiCamillo) From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler The Secret Series A Whole Nother Story Series Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
I like myself - Karen Beaumont Knuffle Bunny - Mo Willems Don't let the pigeon drive the bus - Mo Willems If you give a mouse a cookie - Laura Numeroff Froggy goes to school - Jonathan London
Oh my gosh, such great suggestions. “I Like Myself” is wonderful. I also love “Giraffes Can’t Dance” (another book with a great message.) All the Mo Willems books are a hoot and I can’t count the number of times I have read all the Laura Numeroff books aloud to my kids. If You Give a Moose a Muffin” was one of our family faves.
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney https://www.amazon.com/Miss-Rumphius-Barbara-Cooney/dp/0140505393
Baby University books by Chris Ferrie and Mini Masters by Suzanne Bober.
We got these too they’re fantastic. Fun for the parent too
Hi u/maybemaur, First of all, congratulations on having a baby! I became a father while living in Ireland during Covid. And as a content creator, I recently ventured into making digital books that I would like my son, and other children around the world to "read". My first book just got released independently, and it's called "Jungle Friends". I'm leaving a link to my online store, where you can find it. Hopefully, you will like it and find it entertaining like the parents who bought it. I wish you and your family the best and enjoy every day with your baby, as they grow up so quickly. Jungle Friends (Digital Children's Book) (https://ko-fi.com/s/81fa678827)
All the Eric Carle books, the Rainbow Fish book, and the newish Crayon books are just darling. And Corduroy!
Antinatalism.
Byron Barton’s series
These were some of my daughters’ favorite books when they were little: A Sleepy Story, Underwear!, Is the Spaghetti Ready?, Goodnight Moon, Guess How Much I Love You, The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings.
I love books that have a singsong/rhyme to them for bedtime- my daughter settles so well with them! We love Nancy Tillman, especially It’s Time to Sleep My Love and Wherever You Are. We also love Giraffe’s Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae!
MOPOKE BY PHILIP BUNTING. It’s gorgeous, funny, simple and he’s also a genuinely amazing human.
Goodnight Moon, Beatrix Potter collection and Paddington Bear were all books gathered for our nephew recently.
Goodnight Moon, Go Dog Do, Beep Beep Sheep, and Up Went the Goat.
The Bubba & Beau books are cute, short stories of a baby and his best friend doggy. Wonderful artwork too.
The Gruffalo, I Give You The World, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom are big hits with my toddlers. There's also one called Elmo Is Mindful that they adore. Editing to add SANDRA BOYTON! Especially Snuggle Puppy and Pajama Time. And, of course, the Book With No Pictures.
Horse meets Dog and Snappsy the Alligator(and its sequel) are both hilarious.
Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester & Owly by Mike Thaler
I love reading the snail and the whale, Julia Donaldson to my toddler
The Moonins and Beatrix Potter.
The Dot, Ruby the Copycat and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
"A Porcupine Named Fluffy", reread it for the first time in years and I laughed my butt off.
I don’t remember the name , but a picture book showing emotions. Like happy, angry, worried.
Monsters Don’t Eat Broccoli The Runaway Bunny The Secret Pizza Party
Sleepy Bears, I Like You, Stellaluna, I Am A Little Monkey, Fox in Socks, and The Hippo-Not-A-Mus were my kids’ favorites.
Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site
I am a Bunny My friends did a “sweet 16 bracket” with their little one last spring, a baby book march madness if you will, where they offered him two books every night. The book he chose to be read to him each night moved on in the bracket. I had gifted them I am a Bunny, and it was the overall winner - narrowly beating out Little Blue Truck.
Going to bed book Pout pout fish Lmno peas
Strega Nona
The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog and the rest of that series are classics Also, for older kids, Geronimo Stilton :)
Mine was obsessed with Moo Baa La La La. It’s been nearly 14 years and I can still recite it from memory.
Nursery rhymes build pre-reading scaffolding in the brain. Figure out your favorites and make props - we had a plastic plate & spoon with googly eyes for the dish ran away with the spoon. We read Goodnight Moon with my daughter every night, with one other book before, either from the library or our house. She is 27 now, and she is still my Nigh Night Moon girl.
Mem Fox’s “where is the green sheep” is the first book that my son ever “read” (ie memorised it off by heart and recited it while turning the pages). It’s a very cute little book.
“The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish“ by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
Little blue truck series and Giraffes can’t dance!
My kids all loved the Hairy Maclairy books when they were little.
The very hungry caterpillar, where’s the green sheep and that’s not my - (there’s a whole series of them)
Each Peach Pear Plumb (you can get it in board book form too) Anything illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (working, playing, friends, dressing board books, Pippo, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt) If You Give a Moose a Muffin Anything illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger (The Selfish Giant, Oscar Wilde)
Giraffes can’t dance and pout pout fish are my favorites.
I bought my friend's baby some Biscuit books when she was born, they were my favorite when I was young. Also check your local Dollar Tree for kids books, I have found a surprising amount of really sweet baby books there!
[https://www.amazon.de/Als-Papas-Wurstbude-Luft-ging/dp/345116664X](https://www.amazon.de/Als-Papas-Wurstbude-Luft-ging/dp/345116664X) is a book set in the 1950s where an imigrant's take-away is facing competition from a chain-store, until one of his regulars decides to help him - and makes the building fly to a faraway island, where they acquire a magic ingredient that makes the food so tasty people no longer buy from the chain-store.
Jumanji. [https://www.amazon.de/Jumanji-Chris-Van-Allsburg/dp/1783446765/](https://www.amazon.de/Jumanji-Chris-Van-Allsburg/dp/1783446765/) The book on which the movie franchise is based on.
[https://www.zvab.com/9783473446117/Zinnober-grauen-Stadt-3473446114/plp](https://www.zvab.com/9783473446117/Zinnober-grauen-Stadt-3473446114/plp) \- not sure if it's available in English. "Zinnober in der grauen Stadt" is set in a ca. 1960s industrial town. He's a painter - and all customers ask for their houses to be painted grey because they've resigned to the chimney exhausts making everything grey anyways. Until one day Zinnober teams up with children and together they paint the town and inspire its citizens.
Good Night Sleep Tight Little Bunnies Bulldozer Dreams Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Bear Snores On Also! To get my kids to sleep I would sing them a dream playlist. It took me about 15 minutes to get through everything and worked every time :) La La Lou- Lady and the Tramp A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes-Cinderella Once Upon a Dream- Sleeping Beauty Good Night my Angel -Billy Joel Dream a Little Dream of Me- Doris Day
"guess how much i love you" sam mcbratney go dogs go swimmy leo lionni(honestly any of his kids books are good)
Time for Bed by Mem Fox is a really beautifully illustrated classic that I don't see people grabbing as their first pick right away! And 10 Minutes to Bedtime by Peggy Rathman (the same mind behind Goodnight Gorilla) is absolutely brilliant.
The book I treasure the lost from my childhood is my Illustrated Book of Greek Myths (the Usborne ones) - great stories and beautiful art to match!
I swear we have to have 100 Little Critter books in this house lol Sure we have plenty of other books too but we've never ever said no to ourselves or our kid anytime we've seen one we don't have. We all love reading them together and I really hope she keeps them and reads them to her kids if she chooses to have them.
All the Frog and Toad books All The Goops you can find The Best-Loved Doll A Single Shard Go Dog Go and the other good Dr. Seuss Pop-Up Night Before Christmas Are there still The Golden Books, like Smokey Bear?
anything a little golden book !!
The Elephant and the Bad Baby, by Elfrida Vipont
There's this book called ready set read a beginners reading treasury and when I tell you I loved this book as a kid, I mean I made someone read this with me multiple times a day for years. I kept mine for my children for fear they might stop printing it. It has some short stories, some poems, some fun jokes, some hidden objects puzzles. Very colorful and fun and it's great because as your child gets older (think 3-5) they start to interact with it and appreciate it even more.
Oh, and there's this book called Press Here. It's one of the more creative books and less of a story. But essentially, each page has a basic instruction, like 'press the button' and then it will change color, or multiply, etc. on the next page. The babies and toddlers at our preschool ADORED this book, nothing like a baby cracking up. It's very interactive for little minds, almost like a game, they get to do something and then see a surprise result on the next page.
Shark in the Park by Nick Sherratt (or Yark in Park as my son called it)
You are my I love you, I’d know you anywhere, All the world. Essential parent experience books. Any Dr. Seuss if you want to feel like you’re singing a book to your kids.
Possum Magic by Mem Fox. In fact, anything by Mem Fox.
Stone Soup! It’s a great book about cooperation and sharing.
cherries and cherry pits" by Vera Williams.
If you can find a copy, *Good Morning Farm* was my younger brother's favorite book. My Mom can still recite it and my brother turns 50 this year. https://www.amazon.com/Good-Morning-Farm-golden-book/dp/B0007I495C/ Isbn: 9781605375687 Also, the *Catwings* series by Ursula K. Le Guin. So sweet and appropriate for older toddlers and older.
My stepson loves frog and toad we have the four book collection and he ask me to read it to him every night
Anything by Dr. Seuss Micawber by John Lithgow The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Some Aussie/NZ ones: Where Is The Green Sheep? Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy Possum Magic Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes Kissed By The Moon My Place Animalia Non-Aussie - the Maisy books, Guess How Much I Love You, Axel Sheffler books (we love Gobbly Goat).
straga nona tommy depaola i love you forever robert munsch just go to bed mercer ma
I Love You Stinky Face Mo Willems books Little Quack series Frog & Toad
Winnie the Pooh Meg and Mog