What are your “must have” children’s books?

[RWK29]

DS1 is 10 weeks old and very alert and already LOVES a bedtime story 😊 hoping to build him a lovely collection of books! He has quite a few already but looking for recommendations of “must have” children’s books that your little ones loved?

The Gruffalo is a firm favourite with DS already. Also enjoyed The Snail and The Whale 😊

Hop on Pop

I think I still know it by heart 20 years later!

DS loves Gruffalo and Gruffalo's Child, Tiger Who Came to Tea, all the Supertato stories, all the Harry and his Bucketful of Dinosaurs stories and made me read Bedtime for Batman (a picture book all about the bedtime routine) to him every night for about 18 months.

Our favourites (DS is 16 months):

• Very Hungry Caterpillar (classic)
• Very Hungry Caterpillar 1, 2, 3 with a little caterpillar you put your finger in
• Dear Zoo, Noisy Farm, Oh Dear (and Oh Dear was the third thing he ever said after daddy and mama!)
• Fox’s Socks
• Paddington
• Tiger who came to tea
• Guess how much I love you

My parents also live in France so we have quite a few french books which he likes when I read in a terrible accent, his favourite it Ce n’est pas mon hamster (no prizes for what it’s the French version of!)

Hiya,

I run a website called Tangle Tales www.tangle-tales.com

It's a website to promote childrens books to help them understand feelings and experiences they may struggle with and themes such as confidence, anxiety and family dynamics.

There's a lot of suggestions on there, which are also grouped into themes (friendships, loss etc) but they all make lovely bedtime stories but als help create a dialogue with children.

I hope thats helpful :)

The Little Bear books by Jane Hissey .

Mog books and DS loved Green Eggs and Ham at about 18 months
Ditto Maisy books - we stumbled across Maisy's bus the other day and it brought back memories of reading it every night
The kipper books, especially Kippers Birthday and the Blue Balloon and Billy's Beetle also by Mick Inkpem

Oh and the Bear books - My friend bear and fix it duck ...
Oi dog etc

My DD is 16 months now, and regulars to our bedtime stories are:
Peepo
Each peach pear plum
Hairy mclary
Monkey puzzle
The gruffalo
The ugly 5
Room on the broom
Stick Man
Tabby McTat
The smartest giant in town
Fox's socks
We're going on a bear hunt
Guess how much I love you
No matter what (although I haven't managed not to cry when reading this!)
Elmer the elephant stories

We also have a book of 365 stories, poems & rhymes which has a lot of fairytales in and little short stories

We have quite a few on the "that's not my..." books but she prefers to flick through them herself rather than have them for bedtime

Both of mine loved the Emma Garcia books (toot toot beep beep, tap tap bang bang etc) love saying the words out load

You choose by Nick Sharratt is the best book ever for getting kids talking. We've had it since toddler days my 10 year old still loves it now even though he reads grown up books too.

Little rabbit foo foo
Anything by Lucy cousins - hooray for fish is brilliant, and if you can get a copy of Yummy (her fairy tales) it’s brilliant.
Aliens love underpants
Cave baby
The lighthouse keepers lunch
John Burningham - I love Hushabye, and Cloud Land is weird but lovely.

Our favourites were
You choose
Just imagine
A squash and a squeeze
Meg and mog
The hungry Caterpillar
Five minutes peace
Six dinner sid
Hairy mclarey
The smartest giant

Day monkey night monkey 🐒

The Book with No Pictures. My eldest has had this since he was 3 and is still obsessed with it nearly 3 years on. It's such a lovely book to read together and he joins in now so really we read it to each other

For under 1s

That's not my..... series

Never touch a .... series

Where's Mr/Mrs .... series

Peekaboo Cow/Apple - lovely illustrations

Dear zoo/other Rod Campbell lift the flap

Such a lot of choice even just with these that will see you through for a year and more!

My DD loved:

I like it when...
She can remember all the inflections I used back then still now as a teenager

Sally goes round the sun

Old Hat New Hat

The Maisy Mouse books and the Alfie and Annie Rose books then when bit older the My Naughty Little Sister books with Bad Harry her best friend.

Have kept the classics already mentioned as well as the above ones in the loft to read to grandchildren/ nieces / nephews etc.

Another vote for the book with no pictures here - my 5 year old reads it to the 4 year old now and they think it's hilarious.

Owl babies
Green eggs and ham
The day the crayons quit
Mr gumpy's outing
The heart and the bottle
Meet the parents - Peter bently

My dd LOVES we're going on a bear hunt. She's 10mo though and I read it very animated and she gets excited.

Also kindness is magic and the kind little lion.

The works do so many book for a tenner which are so worth it

My daughter loved the Maisy books, we read them over and over.

Allan and Janet Ahlberg are great - favourite is the Baby's Catalogue.

I loved Leslie Patricelli's baby books when my child was tiny - the baby characters are cheeky and funny - full of joy.

Poo Bum by Stephanie Blake and Press Here by Herve Tullet for a bit older.

Frog and Toad by Arnold Loebel.

Talent Show and My friend Nigel by Jo Hodgkinson - amazing illustrations and fantastic stories
The book with no pictures by BJ Novak - had kids rolling around with laughter
Giant jam sandwich
Any Oliver Jeffers book

The Great Dog Bottom Swap. Funny.

Did anyone have a book for their children called Whale Song?

it's here

It has the most beautiful illustrations.

Oh my god @HollowTalk I had that book as a child! Those illustrations were the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. I have a version of the Little Mermaid illustrated similarly and it is so, so perfect.

Six Dinner Sid is a classic.

DD is obsessed with all the Hairy McClary’s, she’s 3, and we have to read about 5 of them every night, they have really helped her ‘reading’
As she knows them off by heart! She also really enjoys The Princess and The Peas. DH and I know that one off by heart 😬😄

But as a baby god she was obsessed with Peepo. Reading this thread has brought the memories of watching her constantly turn the pages (until the spine on the book broke!) flooding back to me. 😩

Also, an illustrated copy of The Wind In The Willows is a must have for any nursery 😁