Books and music for 21-mth old

[florenceuk]

Any recommendations? DS loves children's music - rhymes, simple songs - I am looking for a children's tape that I can bear to listen to as well. I have the one from ELC with plinky plonk instrumentals, there must be something better!

Also book recommendations - what are your almost-2 yr olds reading now? We need to expand our book collection!

Have you looked at the Baby Einstein products now available from Mothercare? I'm about to order some so don't know yet what they're like. I think ELC also do World Tunes (or similar) and I've seen Elvis for Babies and Abba for Babies, I think from GLTC or Urchin

baby einstein is great!!! my dd's have the videos at their grandparents, and they love them.
i love the classic books (the very hungrey catapiller, rainbow fish, how much do i love you), and my dd1 seems to love them too. found her reading to dd2 once the very hungrey catapiller, it went something like this 'one day, there was a sun and egg, then a capitiller, he ate and ate but he was still hungie.' hehe.

We have some of the classics - The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the Alhberg(?) books, Where's Spot - but looking for some new books esp for our upcoming holiday.

I saw the Baby Einstein stuff, but wondered if the videos were not too baby-ish now? DS fascinated by Teletubbies at the mo, squawks if something else goes on the telly. Also DS likes songs which we can sing together, so a good song tape would be great.

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My dd loves the TumbleTots Action Songs tape (you can buy from Mothercare). Its not too annoying

My ds is nearly 20 months and at the moment loves any book with a flap in it!

Book recommendations - Dear Zoo, Daisy and Pip, That's not my Tractor (Usborne Books), Kipper books, Wibbly Pig books.

Loves Boohbah and Teletubbies (I'm finding the videos abit irritating now!)

we are collecting the little Ladybird books of traditional fairy tales - Three Little Pigs, Billy Goats Gruff, Goldilocks etc and ds adores them. He joins in loudly with, "Don't eat me!" - (billy goats) and 'Liddle pig, liddle pig, let me in! Not by hair on dinnydin" (Pigs) and 'Eaten it all up" (Goldilocks).
The bbc nursery rhyme tapes seem better quality to me than most plus I have a tape called Oranges and Lemons which also has traditional folk songs sung by Irish-sounding woman which I quite like.

Oh and he absolutely adores In The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak, a total classic with fabulous, slightly surreal illustrations, a wierd story and a wonderful rhythmic text. I love reading it to him and he also joins in with this one. You have to see it to appreciate it.

DS is two and a half today. He goes through phases with books where we have to have the same one over and over again. He has really enjoyed the Maisy books. My favourites though are Peace at Last and Whatever Next by Jill Murphy (I think). DS loves these two. In fact he can pretty much recite Peace At Last. ("Oh no" said Mr Bear "I can't stand this" etc.