Favorite Books: Z's 2nd Year

In 2011 I posted about Bennett's favorite books from his first year.  Then, I posted his favorite books from his second year.  Unfortunately, I didn't have any books to post from Zoe's first year, because she wasn't really interested in looking at books or listening to us read.  Twelve months later I am thankful to say she brings us books to read to her on a daily basis.

It brings back sweet memories to look back at Bennett's favorite books from year to year, so I am going to share Zoe's from her second year of life.

Every Sandra Boyton book we own:

1.)  Moo, Baa, La La La! was one of her first favorites.  It is interesting, this book was one of Bennett's favorites from his first year!  I'll say the same thing I said in his post 3 years ago,  Boyton's books are clever, colorful and they keep Zoe's attention.  This book moves through various animal sounds in a fun, interactive way.

 

2.)  Doggies is a counting book that has a different bark for each number 1 to 10.  While reading it drives me a little crazy Bennett and Zoe have loved this book.  I enjoy it most when Bennett reads it to Zoe.


3.)  Blue Hat, Green Hat  is a book that brings back so many wonderful memories when I open it.  Bennett LOVED and I mean LOVED this book and now Zoe throughly enjoys it.  It is a silly book about colors and proper donning of clothing that makes my kids stop and look at every page.  Each time the turkey donns a piece of clothing improperly it says, "Oops!"  Bennett used to laugh and laugh.  Now Zoe says, "Oops!"

 

4.)  The Going to Bed Book is again clever and silly and colorful and full of the same characters Boyton shares in all of her books.  This is one of the many books Sam reads to Zoe before bed.

 

5.)  Dear Zoo is a book she has recently began to pull off the book shelf and bring to me on a daily basis.  She received it for her 1st birthday and it is a great children's book.  Now that she enjoys opening flaps I am not surprised that she enjoys this book.

6.)  My Little Book About God was a gift for Bennett's 1st birthday from a dear friend, Mrs. Agee.  It was the first book Zoe showed interest in turning the pages.  It is wordy, but she really enjoyed the illustrations.  She still won't let us read all of it to her, but she is beginning to listen to more of it and still enjoys the illustrations.

 

7.) Where Is Baby's Birthday Cake? She has worn this book out.  While it is almost her birthday, we have read this book every day for the last 4 months (at least).  She enjoys reading it before bed.  Karen Katz is another author that she has began to enjoy her lift the flap books.



8.)  Dog by Matthew Van Fleet is not one of my favorites, but I think I am just tired of it.  Both, Bennett and Zoe have enjoyed it, so many of it's moving parts are no longer working.  The fact that the binding is torn, a dog's head is missing, and a dog's tongue is no longer sticky makes the part type A momma crazy, but I figure that means it is well loved.

9).  the Monster at the end of this Book is the one book I can remember from my early childhood.  I did not enjoy reading....AT ALL, so when I saw this a few years ago I bought it for Bennett.  He loved it and would laugh and laugh and laugh.  Zoe is no different.  She went through a season where she brought us this book to read several times a day.  She even asked Bennett to read it to her.  I have very sweet memories of them reading it together and laughing.

10).   I'll See You In The Morning is an old favorite of Bennett's that Sam just began reading to Zoe at night.  He said she enjoys it.



11.)  Good Night Elmo! is an interactive cloth book that has velcro stars, a tooth brush to brush Elmo's teeth, a blanket to cover Elmo, and a few other items.  While I would not consider it a story, it is well loved by my little girl.  She does not look at it as much as she did a few months ago, but this was one of the first books she began showing interest in at bedtime.



12.)  Rock-a-Bye Baby, Three Little Kittens, and Teddy Bear Teddy Bear are three very short books (4 pages each) that were given to us by my friend Rebecca.  She told me her daughter loved them, so I thought I would give them a try (Zoe was not into books when we acquired them).  She has  requested and listened to each one of them before bedtime every night since.

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Favorite Children's Books from B's 2nd year

Last year I wrote about B's favorite books from his first year of life a day after his birthday.  Since he will be turning two next week and it is so easy to forget the things he does from year to year I wanted to continue the trend.  Plus, most of the books we read have been the result of a recommendation from a family member, a friend, or a blog.  

There are many books B has enjoyed this year, but here are his favorites in no particular order:

1.   Good Night, Gorilla - I first read a review of this book at No Time For Flash Cards.  Then, I ordered and received the book in the mail and thought, "This doesn't seem like a book Bennett would enjoy."  Wow, was I WRONG!?!?!  He has loved this book since the first time we opened it. 

This book is about a sneaky gorilla who let's all of the animals out of their cage.  There are several pages without words, but the illustrations tell the story wonderfully.  Plus, several illustrations are filled with details that are fun to have your child point out.

2.   Little Blue Truck - B received this book for his first birthday, so it was included in last year's list.  It has continued to be a favorite, along with Little Blue Truck Leads the Way .

Both books are based on the value of being kind to others.

3.   If You Give a Moose a Muffin (and all of the others in this series)- My sister-in-law has four children, so it is not surprising that all of the books she has gifted B have become his favorites.  

This is a story about a moose who was given a muffin resulting in several random requests that runs his friend ragged eventually leading back to a muffin.  This is a great circular story that includes phrases my son frequently repeats.

I would recommend every story in the If You Give Set .

4.   Zoom!-We do not own this book, but it was an accidental library find.  I quickly picked it up one day, because I saw a dinosaur on one of the pages.  B loved it and asked me to read it to me multiple times per day.


It's a story about a father and son who ride the dino-coaster.  The son is very scared to get ride the coaster, but by the end it is the dad who is ready for the ride to be over.  Overall, this is simply a fun story and a great read for those who like dinosaurs.

5.  Truckery Rhymes -I initially heard my sister reading this book to my nephew when B was just a baby.  It stuck with me as it is a fun twist on common nursery rhymes.  When B began showing an interest in cars and trucks I decided to gift him this book for Christmas.  He enjoys naming the various vehicles and hearing several of the rhymes.


His favorite's are Three Loud Trucks (to the tune of Three Blind Mice) and Pop! Blows the Diesel (to the tune of Pop Goes the Weasel).

6. Sounds of the Wild: Nighttime - This book was a Christmas gift from B's grandparents.  While the story is too advanced for him to follow at this time, he loves the nature sounds that accompany each page.  This is a pop-up book with several animals that he enjoys pointing out and naming.


This is definitely a bedtime favorite and one that I would highly recommend if your child loves animals and is gentle with pop up books.

7. Flap Books (All Around Chuggington , Let's Go To The Farm , Buddy and the Nature Trackers )- B loves flap books and for that I am grateful.  At his age, they are very engaging and provide the opportunity for him to learn about shapes, colors, numbers, animal sounds, and in the case of Buddy and the Nature Trackers action verbs.

I hope I never forget his expression of excitement when he names a train, color, or shape correctly before opening the flap.

8.  Good Morning, Good Night
It was a favorite last year and continues to intermittently be a bedtime favorite this year.  He continues to enjoy touching the fur of each animal, but more than that he enjoys opening the pages to reveal the "good night" portion of each animal.

Each page has a few sentences and illustration that focuses on the day.  Then, you open the page to reveal a few sentences and an illustration that focuses on sleeping.

9.   It's Great to Be an Engine - After spending Thanksgiving with my sister's family Bennett became obsessed with all things Thomas.  While the obsession was short lived, he continues to enjoy trains and songs involving Thomas the Train.


This book has several of the more popular Thomas songs with the words included on each page.  During the last month B has began singing the Thomas theme song, which is totally adorable.

10. Just Me and My Dad - And last, but certainly not least, is this book about a father/son camping trip.  B simply adores this book.  He loves the story and enjoys finding the spider and grasshopper on each page.

Is your child 2 to 3 years old?  Do you have any favorite books you would recommend? 

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Note: Several of the above books are not board books.  If you need board books and plan to order from the links I provided, please read the fine print.