Freight Train by Donald Crews

"Freight Train" by Donald Crews is a great, simple first book.  Besides being about trains, which my 2 year old boy loves, it goes through primary colors also, using simple words and phrases he can understand.  He likes to sit and "read" this one to himself.  The English/Spanish version is actually enjoyable as well. The pictures are simple and bright.  We love it! It's one of those Caldecott books that truly deserves the award.

Donald Crews also has several other books similar in style that are really enjoyable.  They all have simple illustrations and language.  We've enjoyed "Truck", "School Bus", "Harbor", "Parade", and "Bicycle Race" as well.

Silly Sally

Silly Sally by Audrey Wood is another one of our favorite books by one of our favorite authors. Some of Audrey Wood's books are a little too long for the really young ones, but this one is perfect. The rhymes are simple and after reading it a couple of times, the kids can read along with it and the parents have it memorized. (Silly Sally went to town, walking backwards upsidedown...)

Eat Your Peas by Kes Gray

This is a great book that we have just discovered. It's about a little girl who doesn't like peas. And she won't even eat them when her mother is bribing her with all kinds of treats. The ending is the best.

Too Many Toys by David Shannon

This picture book is another great one by David Shannon (author of the No, David books). I think most parents have felt this way about their homes, and David Shannon captures the responses/whining/negotiating that goes on from kids who don't want to part with even the smallest toy from Wendy's that they've never played with. David Shannon does have the Diaper David board books that are aimed at younger toddlers. This one is probably aimed more at age 4 and up.

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

This is one of my favorite children's books, and my kids love it also. It's a great twist on a "save the princess" type of story, with Robert Munsch's typical sense of humor. It's fairly short, so toddlers will enjoy it, and it has a princess a prince and a dragon. What's not to love about that?