When I worked in daycares, I came across many books that I really loved and would use regularly. Some of my favorites are Chicka Boom Boom. It is a great book to help little ones learn their ABC’s through song. Since most of my clients are under 3 and sometimes have difficulty with focus it is not always a favorite. But when I worked in daycares all my littles ones in the toddler room loved it. I have definitely found that the use of songs can be beneficial for littles on under three. I try to make the book as fun as possible for my little ones by encouraging them to make the boom boom sound. Half of my clients really love it.
Another favorite I actually found through a client, they read it in a session, is called Black Cat, White Cat by Claire Garralon. I mostly wanted it because I have two cats and one is black and one is mostly white. I am a bit of a sucker for anything that matches my two cats. But this book has become one of all of my client’s favorites. It is simple and easy to understand, plus its about cats. The little ones get so excited when they see the cats and begin to point and make the cat sound. It is a really great way to introduce animals and animal sounds. We also count the cats and work on our colors too. This book took me by total surprise, however, has been one of the best additions to my library. Cannot recommend it enough.
Another favorite is the Brown Bear, Brown Bear series by Eric Carle. Honestly, I have found pretty much any book by him is amazing. This is a staple in my library because you can do so much with it. From working on identify animals, to animal sounds to colors the sky is the limit. My clients will even memorize the order of the book. The great thing too is there are so many others in the series that have different animals in them such as Panda Bear Panda Bear or Polar Bear Polar bear. Bet you guys did not know about those😉 I found them one looking for more books by Eric Carle. He is just a master of creating these easy to understand books, full of color that lead to many different ways of learning. The very hungry caterpillar is also a favorite and staple in my library. I have even found new books by him that clients own that I had no idea existed like The Tiny Seed. And as I go to google to jog my memory of other favorite Eric Carle books there is also from head to toe, which helps work on body parts in a fun way with animals. There is also the grouchy ladybug which is super fun and I need to go buy again. Many times, you can find these books for a few bucks on eBay, that is where I got mine. There are a ton of different thrift bookstores that you can buy them from in great shape. Let us support our local bookstores during this crazy time. You can check out indiebound.org to search for these books at great prices that will support your local bookstore.
What are some of your favorite children’s books you would recommend?
