Many of my friends ask me for board book recommendations for their
toddlers (specifically 18-36 months). These parents are looking for more
sophisticated content but know their children cannot hold back the temptation
of ripping thin paperbacks. I am constantly suggesting board books published by
Barefoot Books and decided to showcase them for all my readers today
(conveniently just in time for gift-giving season)! They have amazing titles to
choose from, all with appropriate texts and vibrant illustrations that are sure
to be your new go-to books for story time. Here are some examples that have
become staples in my own home:
Alligator Alphabet
By: Stella Blackstone
Before you even begin to go through the names of animals in
alphabetical order, take a look at the end papers of this board book. They are
so colorful and inviting they are sure to excite any toddler about the
alphabet! The text and illustrations are simple and rhythmic, the perfect
combination for a little one learning letters and names of animals. As a parent
and educator (of sorts), I appreciate the presence of both the capital and
lower case letter on each page right next to each other for children to see
both forms of the letters. The book also lends itself to singing when you get
to the last page. So now that you know about this version of the ABCs, next
time won’t you read this book with your toddler?
One Moose, Twenty Mice
By: Clare Beaton
While counting all the different animals on each page of this board
book, there is a little game of hide and seek to be played that is sure to
excite and engage the reader. This counting book is rare in that it counts from
one to twenty and really pushes the idea that children can absorb anything, so
why stop counting at ten? Children will clearly be able to identify the number
as well as the spelling each number on each page and will also have a great
time telling you what kinds of familiar items the illustrator used to add
character to each item on the page. Clare Beaton has a unique illustration technique
in all of her books. She sews fabric and uses beads, buttons and sequins for
detailing. It is always bright and inviting for children of all ages. Go out
and get counting!
Big and Small
By: Britta Teckentrup
Teaching the concept of opposites is extremely popular during the
toddler years. Big and Small has an
interesting approach to the typical book about differences. Everything in the
book is either big or little but the connections to understand the two pictures
lends itself to a much bigger educational opportunity. For example, on one page
there is an apple and next to it is a seed. Obviously the apple is the bigger
object and the seed is the small one, but a child will notice the seed is
inside a cut-up apple and this also gives the reader the opportunity to teach
that seeds are planted and then grow into apples. Pretty sophisticated for a
toddler board book! The book is filled with colorful, bold illustrations and
has far more to offer than just building vocabulary and itemizing things that
are large or small.
Bear About Town
By: Stella Blackstone
By the time a child turns two, they are usually familiar with places
they go to most often. The street of the park before they actually see the
swings, when you turn the corner on to the block you live on, usually the child
will verbalize they are aware of their surroundings. This book has the reader
tag along with Bear as he shows us where he goes on a weekly basis. While some
places may be more familiar to a child than others (the playground vs. the
movie theater), this book has a map of Bear’s town on the last page that makes
this a remarkable teaching tool about a neighborhood. A child can literally
trace Bear’s daily journeys and see how he gets to each place every day. It may
even inspire you to create with your little one your own map of the popular
places you go to together. (My son personally uses it as a road for his toy
cars to drive on, to each his own!)
Elusive Moose
By: Joan Gannij
This is definitely not your typical animal story. Set in the North
woods, a narrator is searching for a moose. Can you spot one each page? Clare Beaton
illustrates this book in her typical fashion of felt, beads and buttons and
encourages readers to explore a region they may be very unfamiliar with. An opportunity
to teach about different types of footprints and Northern wildlife stem from
this beautiful little book.
Clare Beaton's Rhyming Series
Clare Beaton combines popular and not as familiar verses in all of these
beautifully illustrated board books. They are fun to read and inviting to look
at. Our personal favorites are Animal
Rhymes and Bedtime Rhymes. Children
will definitely start chanting these rhymes over and over!
