Interesting Books for A Toddler

Ever read to a toddler? You won't believe how many times you will be asked to read the same book over and over again. A family friend once commented that she would have the story in her dreams after riding with us in the car. I read a book to my daughter again and again to amuse her while we are in the car. This is why it is important to have a good selection of books at hand at home or in the car or even packed in the diaper bag.

The book Toes, Ears, & Nose! A Lift-the-Flap Bookby Marion Dane Bauer is a great book for a toddler. My 19 months old likes lifting the flaps as I read to her. I just wished the flaps are a little sturdier though because she pulled hard and after a few reading one ear got torn. This book is an introduction to body parts and my daughter loves pointing to the particular body parts that corresponds to the part of the body that she uncover by lifting the flaps. She is not only learning parts of the body(toes, ears, fingers, etc.) but things we wear in winter as well like hat, jeans, mittens, coat, etc.

Another great book to entertain your toddler is the book Who's Hiding? In the House: A Lift-the-Flap Book. The book has five two-page spreads with a "Who's hiding?" question on each left-hand page and a flap hiding various animals on the right-hand page. My daughter is fascinated uncovering the animals hiding in the flaps. She is amused as she find a surprise inside the last flap, a mirror that shows her sweet face!

Books on Manners

If you are looking for a book that would introduce your toddler to sharing, try the I Can Share: A Lift-the-Flap Book. With the simple, repetitive text and adorable toddlers, this playful little book is the perfect way to introduce the concept of sharing. However this book is not about sharing items directly but is instead of sharing experiences such as playing or working peacefully along side a friend without conflict.This book honors your child's feeling instead of indirectly sending the message to her that anyone can just take away her toys away when they ask for it. For toddlers, sharing can be a hard concept to grasp, but with the help of this book, they’ll learn that sharing can also be fun!

If you want a book that promotes social skills and right attitude, try the book Be Polite and Kind (Learning To Get Along). This book introduces the topic of manners, shows examples of manners in actions, as well as the benefits of being gracious with expressive drawings of children and adults from many ethnic groups. The concepts are simply stated and are dealt with in a variety of ways. It encourages kids to think through things themselves. Also, the author shows what happens when we do not use good manners and how we can make amends. The book is about considering options when things don't work out as expected and emphasizing the importance of talking and listening with respect as well as playing fair.