This post was first published on Parentous.
I love reading books. Naturally, if there is one
habit that I would like to pass on to my son, it has to be love of reading. So,
I exposed my son to books quite early. To a newborn you can read just about
anything. They just need to be exposed to the sound of words. So, I would
usually read my own books aloud in the initial months. Gradually, I introduced
cloth books and board books. Initially, books are also playthings for little
ones, so be prepared to see the books getting abused [loved, in their way]. Now
at 28 months, I cannot say my son is a reader yet but we enjoy reading books
before his afternoon naptime and going to bed at night. Since now it is part of
his bedtime routine, he himself gets the books he wants to read. He would
usually have a pick of few favourites at one time, and it is interesting to
listen to his observations while reading those books.
Here is a list of 5 books which are the current
favourites:
This beautiful picture book follows a bunch of
kids [8 of them] who are starting school – their first day, their second day,
the first week and how they get used to the school. The kids are shown doing
all sorts of exciting activities like playing with blocks, puzzles, colours,
play dough or learning new things like reading, writing, saying prayers, etc;
thus creating a fun and positive image of school. This book does not dwell into
negative feelings like missing home or first day anxieties, and focuses more on
making school a fun experience. A few things may not be relevant in our context
like involvement of kids’ parents in different kinds of activities but those
things can be ignored.
Read more about this book in this
review.
This
is an attractive bilingual picture book from Tulika Publishers. All kids are
fascinated by animals, and more so with their babies. This brightly illustrated
book has bare-minimum text on each page [2-3 words on most of them] and
educates about the action words like pounce, roll, drink, climb, roll, eat, sleep
etc. “This book follows the playful adventures of three curious lion cubs while
their mother is away. Minimal text and lively illustrations with an edge of
drama skillfully introduce young readers to the fact that those we see as
predators can be under threat themselves.” [Quoted from the book]
Read more about this book here.
I am always on the lookout for Indian literature
for kids. I found this collection of Indian Rhymes by Karadi Tales, and I knew
I had to get it. I got Book 1 more than a year ago and it is still a favourite.
I am getting the second Part soon. Book 1 has an interesting line up of rhymes
very relevant for Indian kids. The most favourite rhyme from this book is
called “Just like you’. It tells you about different people from different
places in India, speaking different languages, and yet they are like us. Check
out its video here.
It is quite a catchy song. There are songs [or rhymes] about mangoes, crows, festivals
celebrated in India, cricket, sari, flowers, Indian flag, etc. Essentially, the
book attempts to capture the essence of India. My son makes me read all the
rhymes in this book over and over again.
This book also comes with an audio CD which contains
rhymes in the voice of Usha Uthup.
Read more about the book
here.
I
am convinced that playing with kitchen utensils and dough should be part of
developmental milestones. I am certain every kid goes through that phase. Since
my 2 year old loves playing with the regular dough on daily basis, when I
chanced upon this book, I thought this was apt for reading to him. To add to
the fun, we sometimes also keep some dough handy to make the things that the
little boy, Neeraj, in the book makes.
This book is about Neeraj. He gets a little dough
from his mother, and his imagination lets loose. He turns it into a snake, a
mouse and a cat. This book is about how a child’s mind is full of imagination
and creativity. The illustrations are extremely endearing.
Read more about the book here.
This book was a hit with our toddler from the first day. It
is a lift-the-flap book. The text is minimum and prompts the child to lift the
flap on each page, which reveals an animal inside. It is exciting for the child
to lift the flap one-by-one and discover the animal.
Learn more about the book from author’s
website.
You may also want to read: 5 Fiction Titles
for Toddlers.
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