Though Julie Andrews taught us that the very beginning, is, in fact, a very good place to start, it seems silly to start a required reading list here. So much of our opinions about the best books to read as a baby are steeped (heavily) in nostalgia. And in fact, babies cannot read. Thus, this list is more about the idea that these are the books that will last. Reading titles repeatedly is a habit that small children get into. Parents roll their eyes, but this repetition is essential. It lays the foundation for reading. Believe that of the titles I read repeatedly when I was little, I can still remember certain lines.
Each, peach, pear, plum, I spy Tom Thumb. Tom Thumb gone a-hunting, I spy Baby Bunting.
In an old house in Paris, that was covered with vines, lived twelve little girls, in two straight lines.
I bet half of you knew those too.
Reading at this age is all about establishing habits and concepts of print. That’s a fancy term for things you take for granted that you know–like that you read from left to right, books have covers, and that words have spaces in between them. You want your kid to know these so that when the time comes, he’s ready to hold books the right way on his own. And you want him to understand that reading is something worth making time for, something that can be enjoyable, and something that brings people close together.
Links to my picks for this age group are for board books wherever possible, because though we’re establishing concepts of print, little ones have yet to learn that pages aren’t for tearing.
(source)
Each Peach Pear Plum, by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
Moo, Baa, La La La, by Sandra Boynton
It’s a Little Book, by Lane Smith
A Good Day, by Kevin Henkes
Benny Bakes a Cake, by Eve Rice
Little Pea, by Amy Krause Rosenthal
a glass of milk 
A cow says “Moo.” A sheep says “Ba-a-a-a.” Three little pigs say “La la la.” No no you say, that isn’t right. A pig says “Oink” all day and night.
You said you were looking for suggestions; hope you like these!
Your cast has aged considerably since you put up the “Meet the Cast” photos–any new photos available??? 🙂
I also recommend Jamberry by Bruce Degan. It’s a fun one that I used to have memorized from cover to cover 😉
Jamberry is one of the guided reading books in the book room 🙂
Did you know there is a darling market near my house that just opened last year called Each Peach? Mr. AGOMYR calls it “Mini-Whole Foods” because, well, that’s basically what it is. But anyway, it’s called Each Peach.
Field trip?
This list is golden!! Thanks my dear!
I thought you might like it. 🙂
I don’t have any of these! (More importantly I haven’t heard of any of these.) And our current collection is getting a little boring for me, with the exception of a few like 13 Words which you have me. I love 13 Words. Jury’s still out for Wes.
Thanks for sharing, now I have some ideas for new books to add to our collection! Moo, Baa, La-la-la is a favorite in our house…sometimes we read it 5 times in a row. Goodnight Moon and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? are also fan favorites.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear is one of my most vivid memories of my Kindergarten teacher!