so i have £36.81 - help me spend it?

[AnotherCerealNameChanger]

DD is 26 months. She has just got the idea that she can be read books before bed. She can choose three and chose the order. At the moment we have;

-hugless Douglas
-commotion on the ocean
-rhymes for Annie Rose
-silvery moon
-the tiger that came to tea
-each peach pear plum
-stormy weather
-the smartest giant in town
-blueberry girl

But I just sold a load of my old books through amazon, hence the funds, and would like to get some nice books which will last a while. She is frightened of the gruffalo and I'm thinking books which are good before bed rather than books where she has to engage (so each peach doesn't work well). I'm also on the lookout for books which are good for encouraging speech that I could read during the day.

We've also got lots of look and say books, picture books and "that's not my" books but it seems that in the last week she has transitioned to wanting stories more and more.

Thanks for your help

How about looking for fairy tales and nursery rhyme books at your local library? Nursery rhymes are brilliant as good night reading and training them to learn. And knowing fairy tales is lovely too. Usborne do good sets of both with coloured pictures, or there is a lovely old fashioned book called Lavender's blue, full of rhymes.

The other book Ds adored from this age up was Aesop's fables, illustrated by Arthur Rackham. V short animal stories with a moral went down a bomb.

They should all be available either on Amazon or second hand through Abe Books.

Thank you for suggestions, I would happily go to the library but they aren't open on my day off. Our little local one was closed two years ago. I do see books at friends houses but never quite sure what will last the distance and what she will get bored of.

Rhyming books are great for developing language skills. We loved:
Aliens love underpants
One witch
Not last night, but the night before
Percy the parkeeper books
Nursery rhymes
Meg and mog

If The Gruffalo isn't an option what about some of the other
Julia Donaldson books?

Monkey Puzzle
Room On A Broom
Snail and the Whale
A Squash And a Squeeze

My ds is nearly 6 and still likes these so they've lasted us well, they're enjoyable to read to so I don't mind reading them 18 times in one day :)

My Dd the same age is obsessed with Click Clack Moo.

Hairy Maclairy from Donaldsons dairy, there are quite a few of them.

Guess how much I love you is also a nice story at that age.

We have a "sleepy shelf" of books suitable for bed time that DS can choose from. It has several of the ones you list plus:

Peep-Bo by the same author as each-peach
Giraffes can't Dance
Miffy
Where the Wild Things Are (perhaps not for your DD though as it's a bit gruffalo-like)
How do Dinosaurs go to bed?
Home for a tiger, home for a bear
The Beeman

My 2.6yo DD loves Meg and Mog and Topsy and Tim books. Short and colourful enough to hold attention and the Topsy & Tim ones have all the everyday situations in like playchool. doctors, dentist etc - you can get them all on Amazon.

Exactly what mrsP said

The (Original) Little Princess ones
Mog(the cat not Meg and Mog)
Bunny and Bee stories

were all popular with mine at that age.

Mine both love(d) the whoops a daisy world series (Chief Rhino, Doctor Meow, Inspector Croc) They all tie in together and DS2 who is nearly 3 loves pointing out all the characters in the illustrations.

they also like the Billy Brownmouse stories.

anything by
Lynley Dodd, Julia Donaldson (bar Gruffalo, I loathe them too!), Mick Inkpen, Rod Campbell, Eric Carle: will be worth while purchase.

Another vote for Hairy McLairy books! They are fab. And we also loved the Alfie and Annie Rose books.

Shark in the Park/Dark always went down brilliantly at DS1's nursery when he was that age.

Meg and Mog are fantastic, Hairy McLairy gives rhythm and rhyme, and Room on the Broom is another favourite.

Thank you everyone

I got rather an eclectic mix of secondhand via Amazon (had to use the vouchers) but DD is in for some exciting new stories! The weather has turned to wet here today and I am hoping our parcel of books arrives soon.