books for toddlers that are as good as 'Each Peach Pear Plum' and 'Peepo'?

[Kveta]

I adore these two books, I really do. But reading both every night, and having longwinded discussions with a 2 year old about why the doggy is eating under the table and why tom thumb is eating jam in a cupboard and what a sister is are doing my head in a wee bit. He is non-plussed by the Very Hungry Caterpillar, sadly, and most of his other books are lift the flap ones which he tries to shred, or a bit too wordy for him to sit through to the end. We will be trying The Gruffalo tonight, but it's paper, so think it may suffer.

Are there any other absolute must-read books for toddlers which I can get in a hardboard version that won't make me lose my marbles, but which a 2 year old should like?

Rosie's Walk
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
The Baby's Catalogue (Janet/Alan Ahlberg)

Peepo is another excellent one by the Ahlbergs

All the Julia Donaldson books were big hits with mine too (especially room on the broom, gruffalo and gruffalo's child)

Also try the library for Helen Oxenbury board books? There are quite a few, and they might just hit the spot. I remember reading some of these ones with dd when she was small.

Just thought, sadly not available as board books, but the Shirley Hughes Nursery Collection books are good for very little ones - short, rhyming, and all about every day activities so a bit less baffling than things like the Very Hungry Caterpillar :)

Goodnight Moon?

The Tiger Who Came To Tea is the most requested at bedtime in the Wurg house. Can't say that it doesn't drive me slightly bonkers, but what doesn't after 7,000,000 repeats?

Aliens in Underpants is a huge favourite here for DS' 4 & 5, also 'Not Last Night But The Night Before'.

Aliens LOVE underpants I mean! I've only read it 300,000 times!

Any Lynley Dodd or Julia DOnaldson go down well here... but my 2yo also adores Cat in the Hat and Fox in Socks

Where the Wild Things Are
Burglar Bill
The Elephant and the Bad Baby

Any Julia Donaldson (you can get them in board books)
Hairy Maclairy
Aliens love underpants, dinosaurs love underpants
Barry the fish with fingers (mediocre story but fab idea, & DS loves it)
Fidgety fish & friends

Sandra Boynton books were favourites here - eg counting book Hippos go Berserk (one hippo, all alone, calls 2 hippos on the phone; 3 hippos at the door bring along another 4 - and that's me not having read it in ages!); the Going to Bed book; Moo, Baa, La la la... good pics, nice rhymes.

Dr Zeus because the rhyming is great! Cat in the hat, the sneetches, fox in socks, there are loads and both mine loved them from birth! storybook collection with little red riding hood, the magic porridge pot, the sly fox and the little red hen in it.
Snip Snap Croc
What colour are my knickers?
The wish cat
If your happy and you know it
The tiger who came to tea
Ten tiny tadpoles
Charlie and Lola
Dora collection are good because they are interactive in how they are written.
Silly suzy goose
Wheres my Teddy
Calm down boris
Julia Donaldson Hairy McClarey books collection
Mr Men/ Little Miss
Thomas Tank Engine stories
Big Fuzzy

Loads really!

Oops Dodd! not donaldson for H M collection only read them several billion times!
Mine also love all the disney ones but they do need concentration

thanks for all the lovely suggestions! I'd forgotten about Hairy Maclarey, will be putting that in his stocking I think!

Tried the Tiger Who Came To Tea yesterday and he demanded 3 reads of it then ripped the cover off (a board book, sigh). I've also had Dear Zoo recommended to me by nursery, as they say he loves it, but think I'll let nursery stick with that one!

He is still rejecting The Gruffalo and We're Going on a Bear Hunt, sadly!

will try Aliens Love Underpants too.

Oh, and 3 others he has recently decided he loves:
AAAAARGH Spider by Lydia Monks (it's alright, not best book ever, but fine)
The Little Mole Who Knew It Was None Of His Business (but we only have it in Czech, so am letting DH read it to him, ha ha!)
and Harry the Dirty Dog, which is a bit meh.

I'm looking forward to him enjoying different books though, rather than the same ones every night!

The Trouble with Gran! by Babette Cole

and Winnie the Witch

Kveta, your son will love Where the Wild Things Are. It is my standard present for two year old boys, pretty much. I hesitate to recommend this one but...
Dig Dig Digging?
DS was also obsessive about the little red train. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

Those are the same two books I read with my 22 month old every night at the moment too

Another favourite is Dear Zoo which I also quite like and Postman Bear which has flaps to lift up and doors to knock on. Can't remember who write it but there are a couple of others in the series, one is Fox's socks or something similar.

Am ver much looking forward to Hairy Maclary - I bought it for my niece's birthday a few years ago and she learned it by heart.

Other popular books have been Squeaky Clean (which dh got cheap somewhere and she loved for months) and Billy's Bucket, which was bought at the same time.

Once we've finished 'Pear' and 'Baby' as they are referred to by dd, she usually reaches for a set of the 'little library' board books which she likes to flick through and 'read' to me - especially the Peppa pig set. I usually zone out at this point and let her reel off the names of the entire cast dancing at the party...

If you want something similar to Each Peach Pear Plum have a look at Cat on The Mat and Friends.(Brian Wildsmith) For the same age group and the illustrations are amazing. Its 4 books in one too which always helps!!