It's never to early to start getting your little ones interested in reading.
In my experience, toddlers adore being read to and love exploring the pages of colourful, fun, easy-to-read books. And with young children, it's often as much about the interaction with mum or dad as it is about the words themselves.
When it comes to toddlers, opt for books they can easily hold and manipulate on their own. Remember, they love stories accompanied by bright, clear, realistic pictures. And, rhymes – you can never go wrong with rhymes.
This month, these three toddler books will hit shelves, and having tested them on our own tots, let us assure you they will go down a treat:
1. Boats are Busy
(Sarah Gillingham)
Little boat-lovers will say A-HOY to this book!
From sailboats to ferry boats, tankers to clippers, young readers will learn to identify and define a range of floating crafts. Each of 15 boats and ships are presented by name, illustration, and simple description, written as engaging, read-aloud text. In addition, each is adorned with a different nautical flag whose message is decoded as secondary text for the extra curious.
2. Circle Rolls
(Barbara Kanninen)
When Circle rolls into one of Triangle's points and pops, chaos momentarily ensues until Octagon's "Stop!" brings everyone to their senses. An effortlessly rhyming text introduces us to a collection of shapes and subtly weaves their physical characteristics into traits that both lead to and solve a would-be catastrophe.
3. Rhyme Flies
(Antonia Pesenti)
Suitcase... FRUITcase!
This deceptively simple pattern offers up one surprising rhyme per spread revealed behind a dramatic gatefold flap. Readers will delight in wagering guesses – rhyming, of course – before casting their eyes on the satisfying visual conclusion of the riddle. The list is subtly arched as a chronological day, from fresh orange GOOSE in the morning to TWEET dreams at night. Anything is possible in this beautifully packaged book of toddler comedy, which builds pre-literacy, vocabulary, and auditory skills, and encourages natural extensions outside of the book.
