Our Favorite Toddler Books: 17-Months
THE RAVENNA HOUSE Today I thought we'd take a break from old houses and renovation dust to focus on something less messy...toddler books!
When I was first pregnant with Wilder, my mother-in-law started sharing some sweet and hilarious stories about Garrett when he was little. One that I loved was how he'd follow her around the house with books in hand demanding that she read one story after another until the day was over and nothing else got done. I'm happy to see that the apple didn't fall far from the tree!
The Grit and Polish - Wilder at 17-months and Mama Reading 2
Wilder is officially 17-months old, and like his father before him, he cannot get enough of story time. So I've compiled a list of our family's favorite books - the stories that Wilder can't get enough of and the ones that mama and dada love to read too.
The Grit and Polish - Six of Wilder's Favorite Books
Our favorite toddler stories: 17-Month edition
1. The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, the Big Hungry Bearby Don and Audrey Wood, Ilustrated by Don Wood
Sweet and imaginative, this book is a favorite for the whole family. Like the title says, it's about a mouse, a strawberry, and a bear but one of those characters never makes an appearance. This story takes a little imagination to read, but Wilder love it. Actually I should say that he is obsessed with it - when he wants to read this one, he roars and says "bear". So cute Mr. Wilder! (available here)
2. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen, illustrated by Dan Hanna
Lyrical books are always a favorite in our household and this one doesn't disappoint. It's an uplifting story that is beyond fun to read and as a bonus, it encourages kissing (always a positive for this mama). But be warned! this story's "chorus" is addicting and even parents find themselves chanting it at completely inappropriate times ;) (available here)
3. Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
This is hands down Garrett's favorite toddler book and I love watching him read it to Wilder. Whenever Garrett reads, "'DOWN!' cried the witch" Wilder points to the ground and yells "DOWN" and then looks up to see who's watching, with a proud look on his face. It really is the sweetest. This is a long story but it's just so fun: it's rhyming and repetitive and creative, plus it's about animals, which is always a hit with Wilder (available here)
4. King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bently, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
We've been reading this fun, adventurous tale for a couple of months now. This book just kind of appeared at our house (did Nana bring it...?) and I absolutely LOVE reading it. It seems to encompass everything that's right about growing up. I often buy this one for new mama's of boys, but girls would love it too (available here)
5. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldon, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
We ran out and bought this book after reading Julia Donaldson's "Room on the Broom" approximately one million times. This is a fun story about animals, adventure, imagination, and thinking on your toes. It's just as lyrical as Ms. Donaldson's other tale and so fun to read that I would pick this story every night if Wilder didn't ask for other's (available here)
6. Chameleon's Colors by Chisato Tashiro, translated by Marianne Martens
This is a sweet story about being yourself. It's beautifully illustrated with color and patterns that amaze even mama. The tale is all about animals so not surprisingly, Wilder loves it. He often spends more time looking at the illustrations than I do reading the story (available here)
Well those are our favorites right now, but I'm looking forward to the new stories we find in the months to come. Any suggestions? I'd love to hear your favorites!
xoxo
-Cathy
p.s. A father tells his daughter how much he loves her - this is hands down the sweetest thing I've read in months.
p.p.s. A lovely little bohemian nursery.
p.p.p.s. What a beautiful life. I stumbled upon Casey's blog and fell in love - it's just so lovely, especially the way she captures her children in photographs and loss in words.