<p>Both of my kids loved Moo, Baa, La, La, La by Sandra Boynton. It’s a board book baby book that we read over and over; the board book that we were still reading when we had graduated to big kid books. (I love that book!)</p>
<p>I’ve had trouble finding these lately for friends with new small children, but our son’s favorite books…by a mile!.. were picture books with photos (not drawings) of other babies/little kids doing whatever fit the narrative.
You know, “2 hats, red hat, yellow hat” or something like that.</p>
<p>I think the leap from photos to drawings takes a certain level of development,</p>
<p>I was recently shopping for a book for a 2 year old friend, and I was frustrated by the selection. It seemed to me that so many of the books had the theme of “you are so special” or “you are so loved” or else they were educational books. There is a place for all those kinds of books, but what ever happened to stories?! Most kids today seem to grow up having that “I am special” concept down pat, and if I had a little one, I think I would limit those books. :)</p>
<p>The Caldecott Medals are for picture books, which may help you find some great books for smaller children… The winners are truly works of art.</p>
<p>The Newbery Medals, as someone mentioned previously, are for books that have contributed the most to children’s literature, and are awarded every year.</p>
<p>These are all done by the American Library Association. If you go to their website, ala.org, you’ll find links to lists of past nominees and winners. It’ll introduce you to some new books, and it might jog your memory of books you read when you were younger, too!</p>
<p>When my son was little, he loved the story of Flat Stanley. He loved it so much that I bought a tape of it and he listened to it every night as he was falling asleep until he was about 5 years old.</p>