starting baby's book collection

Have a look at book people red house and school link all the same company but different catalogues. Really cheap and really good, No I don't have shares or work for them, just spend a lot there . Don't forget Owl Babies and Usborne apple tree farm.

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do any of you remember a book about a whale in the canals somewher up north? may sound rather vague but I LOVED that book and would recommend it but don't remember the name!

Forgot to say that all 3 of mine including DD (tho after all why not?) loved a book s/one bought us called Dig Dig Digging when they were 12-24 mo.

Also just remembered Pants very very funny and we still read it now and then tho we all know it by heart. I have hilarious (maybe!) video of DD "reading" it aged about 2 (she's not reading it of course, just reciting from memory!)

The Tiger who came to tea - Judith Kerr.

My niece loved it so much when she was about 2-3. I read it to her so much I could still recite it from memory now and she's nearly 10!

Jez Alborough "Hug"- and "Where's My Teddy?" is lovely too.

We loved everything Satoshi Kitamura has done - Duck is Dirty, & Dog is Thirsty, & Squirrel is Hungry, lots of them - for a little older my all-time favourite is "Up in the Attic". He's also done a wonderful A-Z. Gorgeous drawing style - brilliantly non-twee.

I really second/third/infinitieth Peepo - the detail (completely unstressed, you don't even need to notice if you don't want to) of the particular day in May 1942 when it's all happening - has a real poignancy.

we're getting a lot outof the hutchinson collections/anthol;ogy books - poetry , stories to read aloud
they're brilliant and include some of the stories already mentioned

you love it as much as DD does or you love it as much as you love DD?

Thanks for that sar

will take a look - knew it was written long ago ago...I love it as much as DD

Gibbon isn't Goodnight Moon fab? Kind of trippy, which is weird given that it was written in the 1930s or someting. Look it up on Wikipedia - the most fascinating story about the author and the illustrator, sorry would do link but about to eat and dh is waiting......

gosh yes SH is still writing IIRC

Alfie and Annie Rose - we have two story collections and there are loads more - Alfie's Feet, Alife Gets in First, Alfie Wins a Prize, etc etc.

Also she did a series of rhyming versy books eg on colours, or Two Shoes New Shoes, get these as little ones or we have a big collection in a nice hardback book. I love those, super for little ones.

Also lots of other stories in the same vein as A and AR - lovely lovely illustrations.

lol at bedtime wibbly pig, sadly we are all a bit old for that to be bought now but may sneakl a look in waterstones...

Haha Wheelybug, yes, I know what you mean BUT my daughters both knew what a lobster was from a very early age!
Now if I ever have to read a Lettice the rabbit story ever again - "nibble nibble hop hop every day was the same" - aaauuughhh....(big apologies if the author is a mumsnetter, but REALLY)...

Clary - bedtime wibbly pig even better -

'Aren't you sleepy wibbly pig'
'No, I'm BOUNCY'

Brilliant.

oh Furzella - not Lucy Cousins' Noah's Ark - we had to read that to dd every night for months ..... and play 'where's the '. Very educational in many ways but but drove us mad eventually so we had to hide it .

-Cowboy Baby by Sue Heap is lovely
-Mole and the Baby Bird (can't remember author, Margaret someone, illustrated by Patrick Benson)
-Sally's Secret by Shirley Hughes
-Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales - there's a really beautiful hardback edition of these edited by Naomi someone that was a beautiful present for dd2's Christening
-Elmer books
-Noah's Ark - Lucy Cousins' version (Maisy author)
-Couldn't agree more that Peepo, Each Peach and Guess How Much I Love You are delightful and huge baby favourites, but we were given at least three copies of each of these for both dds - so they're a bit risky for a present IYKWIM

Toffee the cat (various books).
DD (3) will currently not sleep without the Usbourne book of Experiences in her bed (going to dentist/doctor/hospital, getting a new puppy/baby/house etc). In fact, she likes all Usbourne books.
Bestrix Potter was a good move - again lots of these go to be with DD.
Clary, I'm really pleased to hear that Shirley Hughes did more - we inherited Dogger from nursery (they were throwing it out) and we both love it.

ooh yes everyone hide from wibbly pig I love that one

(No tiny pig, not behind your scarf...)

Wibbly Pig books

(particularly is it bedtime wibbly pig ?, wibbly pig in the garden and hide and seek wibbly pig - titles may not be entirely accurate but these 3 are much better than the board books)

Monkey Do

Also agree with

Dear Zoo
Ahlberg books
gruffalo etc

Shirley Hughes (dogger, alfie and annie rose)

Dear Zoo

Kipper books esp Kipper's Beach Ball adn Kipper's Birthday.

And all the ones already mentioned.....

Oh, and Sandra Boynton (Moo Baa La La La, The Going to Bed Book, Opposites) has been a big hit with ds

Second many of the suggestions - Peepo, Each Peach (also by the Ahlbergs: The Baby's Catalogue), Hungry Caterpillar, Gruffalo (by the same team: Monkey Puzzle and The Snail and the Whale)

Dr Seuss is fab - ds is addicted to The Cat In The Hat

Mog books by Judith Kerr

ds's godmother gave him The Boy Who Wouldn't Go To Bed (Helen Cooper). Lovely.

I got a lovely illustrated hardback 'Winnie the Pooh Stories' book for ds the other day - we've got the original too, of course, but this one is meant for younger children (same text and illustrations AFAIK- none of that Disney stuff) .

The Gruffalo and all the other by this author
Dr Suess stories
Tider who came to tea

Big Bear, Little Bear in various stories.
Spot.
For 2-3, books about the large family (elephants) by Jill Murphy.
For one to last a while "The Hutchinson Treasure of Bedtime Stories" - a collection of stories from simple pictures to quite long stories.

Just read the thread properly. If you are looking for nice "for ever" books for a naming day present, how about a boxed set of AA Milne (House at Pooh Corner, Winnie the Pooh, When we were very young and Now we are Six)?