Terrific tales for toddlers

Reading the same children's book three times in one sitting or repeatedly everyday can, with certain titles, have you reaching for the gin or worse still a revolver. But before you deprive your darling child of a beloved parent, teacher and voice of sane un-slurring authority reach for one of these titles. They are a huge hit with my two year old and have been loved by us all for some time.


Giraffe's Can't Dance by Giles Andreae - Such a feel good, life affirming, self esteem raising book. Fabulous bright pictures and a real sense of fun. Yes you guessed it even giraffe's CAN dance with a little help from their friends.


Augustus And His Smile by Catherine Rayner - Augustus the tiger has lost his smile and begins a solo quest to find it. A stunningly bold but simple morality tale, the illustrations in this book are sumptuous and mysterious. By turns menacing and playful it is a grown up book for little people, devoid of smultz, patronisation or saccharin platitudes.



When The World Is Ready For Bed by Gillian Shields - such a sweet but not cheesy book. Perfect for a Christening or naming day present. Teach toddlers how to treasure each day as a gift, their part in making it what it is and about the interconnectedness of us and our world.


Billy's Beetle by Mick Inkpen - This man must have been one of the main voices of childhood for over a decade. There are so many amazing stories by Mick Inkpen and he's created such a wealth of charming well known characters but this book is one of my favourite. Somewhat absurd in it's premise and characters it's the tale of a little boy who has lost his beetle and all the 'people' he encounters in his search to find it. I never get tired of reading it.


The Beeman by Laurie Krebs and Valeria Cis - This is a unique book from the fantastic Barefoot Books publishing house. Not only about caring for the natural world but about inter-generational relationships. It's quirky illustrations are great fun, especially spotting what the cat is up to on each page and the extra poem, recipe and factual information about bee's is really interesting. Would span a great age range.